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I. Analyze the structural patterns of articles. Generally speaking, the purpose of reading articles is to obtain information. Different article genres have distinct structural characteristics. Therefore, one of the most effective ways for us to obtain information is to learn about and understand the structure of articles, so as to locate the information we are looking for more accurately and quickly. The genres of reading comprehension passages in the College English Test Band 4 mainly fall into three categories: narrative, expository, and argumentative texts. Next, we will use the actual questions from the College English Test Band 4 in December 2000 as an example to illustrate in detail how to take advantage of the structural features of articles to achieve the goals of reading comprehension. 1. Narrative essays: Narrative essays generally focus on recounting an individual’s life experiences, with the description of these experiences usually framed by a sense of time, either in chronological order or in reverse order. However, pure narrative texts are generally not included in the CET-4 exams, as they are relatively simple and easy to understand. Therefore, the narrative essays in the CET-4 are mostly articles that combine narration with commentary. The basic structural pattern of such articles is as follows: 1) Introduce the experience (topic) to be described with a general statement; 2) Describe previous experiences along with the insights or discoveries gained from them; 3) Describe subsequent experiences along with the insights or discoveries gained from them; 4) Draw a summary or conclusion. The second passage in the reading comprehension section of the CET-4 exam in December 2000 followed this structure. We can simplify its structure as follows: 1) A general statement: Engineering students are supposed to be examples of pragmatism and rationality, but during my college education I was an idealist and a fool. 2) Previous experiences or thoughts: In high school I wanted to be……, but I didn’t choose a college with a large engineering department. 3) Subsequent experiences: I decided to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university in order to gain a broader education. 4) Further experiences: I was convinced that I would have an advantage over others. 5) Later experiences: Now I’m not so sure anymore.……I have come to understand why few engineering students try to combine engineering studies with liberal-arts courses in college. 6) Conclusion: I have realized that it is difficult to reconcile engineering studies with those in liberal-arts fields. Once you understand the structural characteristics of such articles, answering the questions becomes quite simple, as most of the comprehension questions related to them are based on details presented in the same sequence as the article’s content. 2. Expository Texts (Descriptive Texts) The general structural pattern of expository texts shares similarities with that of narrative texts, namely: raising a question (or introducing a question through an example) – an (expert) identifying the direct cause – analyzing the underlying causes – arriving at a conclusion or finding a solution. The third reading comprehension passage in the CET-4 exam in December 2000 was such an article. 1) Priscilla Ouchuida’s “energy-efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. …… a strange illness. (Example) 2) Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. (Immediate cause) 3) The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution,…. (Underlying cause) 4) The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. (Conclusion) By understanding the structural features of articles like this, it is possible to predict exam questions based on them. For example, by identifying that the article follows this structural type, we can determine that one of the questions will surely ask for a reason, and it’s also possible that inference-based questions will appear. 3. Argumentative essays: The most recognizable pattern in argumentative essays is the thesis-antithesis pattern. In this pattern, the author first presents a widely accepted view or a claim held by some people, and then clarifies by presenting their own argument or view, or alternatively, puts forward an opposing argument or the actual truth. The fourth passage in the reading comprehension section of the College English Test Band 4 in January 1996 had such a structure. At the beginning of the article, a college teacher is quoted as saying, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs,” because his students have a poor command of English. The author’s counterarguments are: 1) It is inevitable for one generation to complain about the one that follows it, and it is human nature to seek reasons for our dissatisfaction. 2) Those who criticize high school teachers are not aware that their own language skills have improved over the years. The final conclusion is that the concern regarding the decline of the English language is a phenomenon that exists across generations, and it is not something new or unique to today’s youth. This structural feature of argumentative essays means that the main types of questions related to them are those concerning the author’s views and attitudes, the main idea of the article, and reasoning and inference questions. Once this structural feature is identified, the main task of solving the problem becomes finding the answer within the paragraph, and there are basically no difficulties at all. By studying the structural features of the articles mentioned above, it is easy to see that in the reading comprehension section of the CET-4, articles of any genre follow a common pattern: introducing a topic (an opinion or example) – analyzing the reasons with examples (or refuting the opinion) – and drawing a conclusion. Understanding the structural features of an article helps readers pay more attention to its beginning and end, distinguish between arguments and examples, thereby enabling them to locate the relevant information accurately and answer questions quickly in the reading comprehension section of the CET-4 exam.