叙述文一般以讲述个人生活经历为主，对于经历的陈述通常由一定的时间概念贯穿其中，或顺序或倒序。这类文章的基本结构模式是：

　　1) 用一段概括性的话引入要叙述的经历(话题)

2) 叙述先前的经历(举例1)及其感悟或发现

        3) 叙述接下来的经历(举例2)及其感悟或发现

4) 做出总结或结论
2000年12月四级考试阅读理解的第二篇就是这样的结构。我们可以将其结构简化为：
1) 总括性的话：
Engineering students are supposed to be example of practicality and rationality, but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool.

　　2) 先前的经历或想法
In high school I wanted to be ……，but I didn't chose a college with a large engineering department.

　　3) 往后的经历
I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university for a broad education

　　4) 接下来的经历
I headed off for sure that I was going to have an advantage over others.

　　5) 再下来的经历
Now I am not so sure. …… I have learned the reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.

　　6) 结论
I have realized that the struggle to reconcile the study of engineering and liberal-arts is difficult.

　　只要理解了这类文章的结构特点解答问题就相当简单，因为这类文章后的阅读理解试题大多是和文章的内容先后顺序一致的细节题。