新SAT阅读部分包括一篇文学篇章。文学篇章通常节选自小说或者就是短篇故事，年代不限。有时，文章来自古典小说，那么可能会包含一些考生不熟悉的词组，但是大部分的语言，现代读者还是能理解的。
文学部分不会考查考生知道或了解多少文学作品，但是考生要能够阅读各种文学体裁。增加熟悉程度的方法就是阅读。本节最后会列出一些书单供读者享用。
另外，文学部分也不会包含图表题，通常也不会出现在双篇章之中。
如何阅读小说的大意(Big Picture)
小说的基本要素包括时间，地点，人物，事件等等。
小说通常叙述故事，或描绘场景、事物或人物。过程中通常充满暗示。在阅读过程中，既要注意小说的细节描述，也要理解文章的大意(Big picture)。同时，还要关注作者如何通过语言和文学技巧传达信息。
在阅读小说篇章时，要把握好文本的结构，段落主旨，以及段落关系。一些文学篇章侧重叙述，narrative, 即讲故事，叙述事件发展过程。还有一些篇章侧重描述，descriptive, 侧重通过细节描述重要的人物，场合和事物。其他的大部分文章中，叙述和描述相结合，互相补充和支持。在一篇叙述文中，描述性的语言能够补充重要人物的细节描述。而在一篇描述性文章中，叙述性的文字能够帮助刻画主题。
新SAT节选的文章，文章的大意发展(big picture)包括两种，一种是叙述故事矛盾，冲突。包括事件起因，发展和结尾。另一种是对比，对比人物或场景。以下举例说明如何阅读得出小说的大意：
例：
The following passage is adapted from Leo Tolstoy's 1873 novel, Anna Karenina (translated from the original Russian by Constance Garnett). Prior to this excerpt, one of the major characters, Levin, has realized that he is in love with his longtime friend Kitty Shtcherbatsky.
At four o'clock, conscious of his throbbing heart, Levin stepped out of a hired sledge at the Zoological Gardens, and turned along the path to the frozen mounds and the skating ground, knowing that he would certainly find her there, as he had seen the Shtcherbatskys’ carriage at the entrance.
It was a bright, frosty day. Rows of carriages, sledges, drivers, and policemen were standing in the approach. Crowds of well-dressed people, with hats bright in the sun, swarmed about the entrance and along the well-swept little paths between the little houses adorned with carving in the Russian style. The old curly birches of the gardens, all their twigs laden with snow, looked as though freshly decked in sacred vestments.
He walked along the path towards the skating-ground, and kept saying to himself— “You mustn't be excited, you must be calm. What's the matter with you? What do you want? Be quiet, stupid,” he conjured his heart. And the more he tried to com- pose himself, the more breathless he found himself. An acquaintance met him and called him by his name, but Levin did not even recognize him. He went towards the mounds, whence came the clank of the chains of sledges as they slipped down or
were dragged up, the rumble of the sliding sledges, and the sounds of merry voices. He walked on a few steps, and the skating-ground lay open before his eyes, and at once, amidst all the skaters, he knew her.
He knew she was there by the rapture and the ter-ror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at the opposite end of the ground. There was apparently nothing striking either in her dress or her attitude. But for Levin she was as easy to find in that crowd as a rose among nettles. Everything was made bright by her. She was the smile that shed light on all round her. MIs it possible I can go over there on the ice, go up to her?” he thought. The place where she stood seemed to him a holy shrine, unap-proachable, and there was one moment when he was almost retreating, so overwhelmed was he with terror. He had to make an effort to master himself, and to remind himself that people of all sorts were moving about her, and that he too might come there to skate. He walked down, for a long while avoiding looking at her as at the sun, but seeing her, as one does the sun, without looking.On that day of the week and at that time of day people of one set, all acquainted with one another, used to meet on the ice. There were crack skaters there, showing off their skill, and learners clinging to chairs with timid> awkward movements, boys, and elderly people skating with hygienic motives. They seemed to Levin an elect band of blissful beings because they were here, near her. All the skaters, it seemed, with perfect self-possession, skated towards her, skated by her, even spoke to her, and were happy, quite apart from her, enjoying the capital ice and the fine weather.
Nikolay Shtcherbatsky, Kitty's cousin, in a short jacket and tight trousers, was sitting on a garden seat with his skates on. Seeing Levin, he shouted to him:
“Ah, the first skater in Russia! Been here long? First-rate ice—do put your skates on.”
首先我们看斜体字部分：
The following passage is adapted from Leo Tolstoy's 1873 novel, Anna Karenina (translated from the original Russian by Constance Garnett). Prior to this excerpt, one of the major characters, Levin, has realized that he is in love with his longtime friend Kitty Shtcherbatsky.
通过斜体字部分，我们可以得出该小说节选自托尔斯泰的小说《安娜卡列尼娜》，以及节选部分的前情提要。小说中的主要人物之一，Levin, 刚刚意识到自己爱上了好朋友Kitty，故事由此展开。
然后我们来看内容：
第一段：
At four o'clock, conscious of his throbbing heart, Levin stepped out of a hired sledge at the Zoological Gardens, and turned along the path to the frozen mounds and the skating ground, knowing that he would certainly find her there, as he had seen the Shtcherbatskys’ carriage at the entrance.
通过第一段：我们知道了小说的几个基本要素，时间，地点，人物，事件。如划线部分。
第二段：
It was a bright, frosty day. Rows of carriages, sledges, drivers, and policemen were standing in the approach. Crowds of well-dressed people, with hats bright in the sun, swarmed about the entrance and along the well-swept little paths between the little houses adorned with carving in the Russian style. The old curly birches of the gardens, all their twigs laden with snow, looked as though freshly decked in sacred vestments.
第二段：场景描写，冬天，阳光灿烂，车马喧嚣，人潮涌动。
第三段：
He walked along the path towards the skating-ground, and kept saying to himself— “You mustn't be excited, you must be calm. What's the matter with you? What do you want? Be quiet, stupid,” he conjured his heart. And the more he tried to compose himself, the more breathless he found himself. An acquaintance met him and called him by his name, but Levin did not even recognize him. He went towards the mounds, whence came the clank of the chains of sledges as they slipped down or were dragged up, the rumble of the sliding sledges, and the sounds of merry voices. He walked on a few steps, and the skating-ground lay open before his eyes, and at once, amidst all the skaters, he knew her.
第三段：描述主人公走入公园溜冰场所的过程：He walked along the path towards the skating ground…He went towards the mounds…He walked on a few steps…直到他看到她。伴随着动作叙述的是主人公的心理活动。他的心情可以用一个词来形容：excited.
第四段：
He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at the opposite end of the ground. There was apparently nothing striking either in her dress or her attitude. But for Levin she was as easy to find in that crowd as a rose among nettles. Everything was made bright by her. She was the smile that shed light on all round her. Is it possible I can go over there on the ice, go up to her?” he thought. The place where she stood seemed to him a holy shrine, unapproachable, and there was one moment when he was almost retreating, so overwhelmed was he with terror. He had to make an effort to master himself, and to remind himself that people of all sorts were moving about her, and that he too might come there to skate. He walked down, for a long while avoiding looking at her as at the sun, but seeing her, as one does the sun, without looking.
第四段：该段全部是主人公的心理描述：兴奋，害怕，Kitty的圣洁形象等等。可以看出主人公对Kitty的爱慕，以及因爱产生的害怕。
第五段：
On that day of the week and at that time of day people of one set, all acquainted with one another, used to meet on the ice. There were crack skaters there, showing off their skill, and learners clinging to chairs with timid, awkward movements, boys, and elderly people skating with hygienic motives. They seemed to Levin an elect band of blissful beings because they were here, near her. All the skaters, it seemed, with perfect self-possession, skated towards her, skated by her, even spoke to her, and were happy, quite apart from her, enjoying the capital ice and the fine weather.
第五段：虽然Levin看着人们的嘻戏，但是在他眼里，整个场景全都因为Kitty的存在而充满喜悦。
结尾：
Nikolay Shtcherbatsky, Kitty's cousin, in a short jacket and tight trousers, was sitting on a garden seat with his skates on. Seeing Levin, he shouted to him:
“Ah, the first skater in Russia! Been here long? First-rate ice—do put your skates on.”
结尾段走出Levin的心理描写。以Kitty的cousin看到Levin并向其打招呼结尾。纵观文本，第一、第二段介绍故事背景和场景，第三、四、五段是重点，呈现了主人公因爱产生的内心冲突， Kitty的美好和圣洁，一方面深深地吸引了男主人公，另一方面却令其望而却步。这就是本节内容的矛盾冲突所在，以及文本内容的张力所在。
下面：根据以上对文本大意脉络的分析，回答以下关于文本big picture的问题。
题目：
What theme does the passage communicate through the experiences of Levin?
A) Love is a powerful emotion.
B) People long to have company.
C) Life should be filled with joy.
D) People are meant to work hard.
该题考查对文本主旨的理解。该篇传达了作者对生命的洞悉，所有没有通过Levin的经历体现出来主题都可以排除。虽然你或许同意其他主题，但是通过文本中Levin的行动和心理体现出来的是选项A。
