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Directions:The Listening section measures your ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. In this sample, you will read one conversation and one lecture and answer questions after each conversation or lecture. The questions typically ask about the main idea and supporting details. Some questions ask about a speaker’s purpose or attitude. Answer the questions based on what is stated or implied by the speakers. Most questions are worth one point. If a question isworth more than one point, it will have special directions that indicate how many points you can receive. • In an actual test, you will be able to takenotes while you listen and use your notes to help you answer the questions. Your notes will not be scored.
CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT (Narrator)Listen to a conversation between a student and her basketball coach and then answer the questions. (Male coach)Hi, Elizabeth. (Female student)Hey, Coach. I just thought I’d stop by to see what I missed while I was gone. (Male coach)Well, we’ve been working real hard on our plan for the next game . . . I’ve asked Susan to go over it with you before practice this afternoon, so you’ll know what we’re doing. (Female student)Okay. (Male coach)By the way, how did your brother’s wedding go? (Female student)Oh, it was beautiful. And the whole family was there. I saw aunts and uncles and cousins I hadn’t seen in years. (Male coach)So it was worth the trip. (Female student)Oh definitely. I’m sorry I had to miss practice, though. I feel bad about that. (Male coach)Family’s very important. (Female student)Yep. Okay, I guess I’ll see you this afternoon at practice, then. (Male coach)Just a minute. There are a couple ofother things I need to tell you. (Female student)Oh, okay. (Male coach)Uh . . . First, everybody’s getting a new team jacket. (Female student)Wow. How did that happen? (Male coach)A woman who played here about 20, 25 years ago came through town a few weeks ago and saw a game, and said she wanted to do something for the team, so . . . (Female student)So she’s buying us new jackets? (Male coach)Yep. (Female student)Wow, that’s really nice of her. (Male coach)Yes, it is. It’s great that former players still care so much about our school and our basketball program . . . Anyway you needto fill out an order form. I’ll give it to you now, and you can bring it back this afternoon. I’ve got the forms from the other players, so as soon as I get yours we can order. Maybe we’ll have the jackets by the next game. (Female student)OK. (Male coach)Great. And the next thing is, you know Mary’s transferring to another college next week, so we’ll need someone to take over her role as captain for the second half of the season. And the other players unanimously picked you to take over as captain when Mary leaves. (Female student)Wow. I saw everybody this morning, and nobody said a word. (Male coach)They wanted me to tell you. So, do you accept? (Female student)Of course! But Susan’s a much better player than I am. I’m really surprised they didn’t pick her. (Male coach)They think you’re the right one. You’ll have to ask them their thoughts. (Female student)Okay . . . I guess one of the first things I’ll have to do as captain is make sure we get a thank-you card out tothe lady who’s buying us the jackets. (Male coach)Good idea. I have her address here somewhere. (Female student)And I’ll make sure the whole team signs it. (Male coach)Good. That’s all the news there is. I think that’s it for now. Oh, let me get you that order form.
1. What are the speakers mainly discussing? a. How the woman should prepare for the next game b. The woman’s responsibilities as team captain c. Things that happened while the woman was away d. The style of the new team uniforms
2. Who is buying new jackets for the team? a. The coach b. The captain of the team c. A former player d. A group of basketball fans
3. There are two answers for the next question. Mark two answers. Why is the woman surprised to learn that she has been chosen as the new team captain? a. She is not the best player on the team. b. Her teammates did not tell her about the decision. c. She does not have many friends on the team. d. She has missed a lot of practices.
4. Read part of the conversation again. Then answer the question. (Female student)I’m sorry I had to miss practice,though. I feel bad about that. (Male coach)Family’s very important. What does the man mean when he says: “Family’s very important.” a. He hopes the woman’s family is doing well. b. He would like to meet the woman’s family. c. The woman should spend more time with her family. d. The woman had a good reason for missing practice.
5. Why does the coach say: “Good. That’s all the news there is. I think that’s it for now.” a. He wants to know if the woman understood his point. b. He wants the woman to act immediately. c. He is preparing to change the topic. d. He is ready to end the conversation.
LECTURE TRANSCRIPT (Narrator)Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class. (Male professor)Today I’d like to introduce you to a novel that some critics consider the finest detective novel ever written. It was also the first. We’re talking about The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Now, there are other detective stories that preceded The Moonstonehistorically—Um, notably the work ofPoe . . . Edgar Allen Poe’s stories, such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and . . . “The Purloined Letter.” Now these were short stories that featured a detective . . . uh, probably the first to do that. But The Moonstone, which follows them by about twentyyears—it was published in 1868—this is the first full-length detective novel ever written. Now, in The Moonstone—if you read it as . . . uh, come to it as a contemporary reader— what’s interesting is that most of the features you find in almost any detective novel are in fact already present. Uh, itshard at this juncture to read this novel and realize that no one had ever done that before, because it all seems so strikingly familiar. It’s, it’s really a wonderful novel and I recommend it, even just asa fun book to read, if you’ve never read it. Um, so in The Moonstone, as I said, Collins did much toestablish the conventions of the detective genre. I’m not gonna go into the plot at length, but, you know, the basic set-up is . . . there’s this diamond of great . . . of great value, a country house, the diamond mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night, uh, the local police are brought in, in an attempt to solve the crime, and they mess it up completely, and then the true hero of the book arrives. That’s Sergeant Cuff. Now, Cuff, this extraordinarily important character . . . well, let me try to give you a sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police. And this is the dynamic that you’re going to see throughout the history of the detective novel, where you have the regular cops—who are well-meaning,but officious and bumblingly inept—and they are countered by a figure who’s eccentric, analytical, brilliant, and . . . and able to solve the crime. So, first the regular police get called in to solve the mystery—Um, in this case, detective, uh, Superintendent Seegrave. When Superintendent Seegrave comes in, he orders his minions around, they bumble, and they actually make a mess of the investigation, which you’ll see repeated—um, you’ll see this pattern repeated, particularly in the Sherlock Holmes stories of a few years later where, uh, Inspector Lestrade, this well-meaning idiot, is always countered, uh, by Sherlock Holmes, who’s a genius. So, now Cuff arrives. Cuff is the man who’s coming to solve the mystery, and again he has a lot of the characteristics that future detectives throughout the history of this genre will have. He’s eccentric. He has a hobby that he’s obsessive about—in this . . . in his case, it’s the love of roses. He’s a fanatic about the breeding of roses; and here think of Nero Wolfe and his orchids, Sherlock Holmes and his violin, a lot of those later classic detective heroes have this kind of outside interest that they . . . they go to as a kind of antidote to the evil and misery they encounter in their daily lives. At one point, Cuff says he likes his roses because they offer solace, uh, an escape, from the world of crime he typically operates in. Now, these detective heroes . . . they have this characteristic of being smart, incredibly smart, but of not appearing to be smart. And most importantly, from a kind of existential point of view, these detectives see things thatother people do not see. And that’s why the detective is such an important figure, I think,in our modern imagination. In the case of The Moonstone—I don’t want to say too much here and spoil it for you—but the clue that’s key to . . . the solving of the crime is a smeared bit of paint in a doorway. Of course, the regular police have missed this paint smear or made some sort of unwarranted assumption about it. Cuff sees this smear of paint—this paint, the place where the paint is smeared—and realizes that from this one smear of paint you can actually deduce the whole situation . . . the whole world. And that’s what the hero ina detective novel like this . . . brings to it that the other characters don’t—it’s this ability to, uh, see meaning where others see no meaning and to bring order . . . to where it seems there is no order.
6. What is the lecture mainly about? a. A comparison of two types of detective novels b. Ways in which detective novels have changed over time c. The Moonstone as a model for later detective novels d. Flaws that can be found in the plot of The Moonstone
7. In what way is The Moonstone different from earlier works featuring a detective? a. In its unusual ending b. In its unique characters c. In its focus on a serious crime d. In its greater length
8. According to the professor, what do roses in The Moonstone represent? a. A key clue that leads to the solving of the mystery b. A relief and comfort to the detective c. Romance between the main characters d. Brilliant ideas that occur to the detective
9. Why does the professor mention a smeared bit of paint in a doorway in The Moonstone? a. To describe a mistake that Sergeant Cuff has made b. To show how realistically the author describes the crime scene c. To exemplify a pattern repeated in many other detective stories d. To illustrate the superior techniques used by the police
10. What can be inferred about the professor whenhe says this: “Uh, it’s hard at this juncture to read this novel and realize that no one had ever done that before, because it all seems so strikingly familiar.” a. He is impressed by the novel’s originality. b. He is concerned that students may find the novel difficult to read. c. He is bored by the novel’s descriptions of ordinary events. d. He is eager to write a book about a less familiar subject.
11. What does the professor imply when he says this: “. . . well, let me try to give you a sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police.” a. Sergeant Cuff is unlike other characters in The Moonstone. b. The author’s description of Sergeant Cuff is very realistic. c. Sergeant Cuff learned to solve crimes by observing the regular police. d. Differences between Sergeant Cuff and Sherlock Holmes are hard to describe.
These 20 TOEFL Tips that I have seen in EC today was exactly the same tips that my TOFEL teacher gave it to me in the first session in the class yesterday.
Its 13th part is really good for listening section I think. If you let me, I like to copy it here:
Secrets for the Listening section
When you are practising for the listening sections, don't play the tape or CD more than once. On the real test you will only hear everything once. You have to train your ears to listen fully the first time. During the real exam, don't look back at a listening question after you have decided on an answer. You cannot change it. The clock will not start running until you start the answers. Learn to listen for main ideas, presentation (compare/contrast etc.), and key details.
Hi, everyone! I'd like to add the link to a very good site with TOEFL podcasts. My students usually listen to them and it is very helpful. However, just listening is not the best idea, you should work with them.
To improve your listening skills the technique should be the following:
a) First, listen to the same podcast as many times as you need to understand what it is about. b) Read the script and translate all new words (it is better to write them out together with the translations and transcriptions; in this case you will remember them better) c) Listen again paying special attention to the new words. d) Do it until you hear each word clearly.
Replies
Hello My skype id is: mangesh04082013 I would like to improve my english
Me too!
gustavo.carrillo.servidor
An Example for Listening Section in TOEFL:
Directions:The Listening section measures your ability to understand conversations and
lectures in English. In this sample, you will read one conversation and one lecture and
answer questions after each conversation or lecture. The questions typically ask about the
main idea and supporting details. Some questions ask about a speaker’s purpose or
attitude. Answer the questions based on what is stated or implied by the speakers. Most
questions are worth one point. If a question isworth more than one point, it will have
special directions that indicate how many points you can receive.
• In an actual test, you will be able to takenotes while you listen and use your notes to
help you answer the questions. Your notes will not be scored.
CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT
(Narrator)Listen to a conversation between a student and her basketball coach and then
answer the questions.
(Male coach)Hi, Elizabeth.
(Female student)Hey, Coach. I just thought I’d stop by to see what I missed while I was
gone.
(Male coach)Well, we’ve been working real hard on our plan for the next game . . . I’ve
asked Susan to go over it with you before practice this afternoon, so you’ll know what
we’re doing.
(Female student)Okay.
(Male coach)By the way, how did your brother’s wedding go?
(Female student)Oh, it was beautiful. And the whole family was there. I saw aunts and
uncles and cousins I hadn’t seen in years.
(Male coach)So it was worth the trip.
(Female student)Oh definitely. I’m sorry I had to miss practice, though. I feel bad about
that.
(Male coach)Family’s very important.
(Female student)Yep. Okay, I guess I’ll see you this afternoon at practice, then.
(Male coach)Just a minute. There are a couple ofother things I need to tell you.
(Female student)Oh, okay.
(Male coach)Uh . . . First, everybody’s getting a new team jacket.
(Female student)Wow. How did that happen?
(Male coach)A woman who played here about 20, 25 years ago came through town a
few weeks ago and saw a game, and said she wanted to do something for the team, so . . .
(Female student)So she’s buying us new jackets?
(Male coach)Yep.
(Female student)Wow, that’s really nice of her.
(Male coach)Yes, it is. It’s great that former players still care so much about our school
and our basketball program . . . Anyway you needto fill out an order form. I’ll give it to
you now, and you can bring it back this afternoon. I’ve got the forms from the other
players, so as soon as I get yours we can order. Maybe we’ll have the jackets by the next
game.
(Female student)OK.
(Male coach)Great. And the next thing is, you know Mary’s transferring to another
college next week, so we’ll need someone to take over her role as captain for the second
half of the season. And the other players unanimously picked you to take over as captain
when Mary leaves.
(Female student)Wow. I saw everybody this morning, and nobody said a word.
(Male coach)They wanted me to tell you. So, do you accept?
(Female student)Of course! But Susan’s a much better player than I am. I’m really
surprised they didn’t pick her.
(Male coach)They think you’re the right one. You’ll have to ask them their thoughts.
(Female student)Okay . . . I guess one of the first things I’ll have to do as captain is
make sure we get a thank-you card out tothe lady who’s buying us the jackets.
(Male coach)Good idea. I have her address here somewhere.
(Female student)And I’ll make sure the whole team signs it.
(Male coach)Good. That’s all the news there is. I think that’s it for now. Oh, let me get
you that order form.
1. What are the speakers mainly discussing?
a. How the woman should prepare for the next game
b. The woman’s responsibilities as team captain
c. Things that happened while the woman was away
d. The style of the new team uniforms
2. Who is buying new jackets for the team?
a. The coach
b. The captain of the team
c. A former player
d. A group of basketball fans
3. There are two answers for the next question. Mark two answers.
Why is the woman surprised to learn that she has been chosen as the new team
captain?
a. She is not the best player on the team.
b. Her teammates did not tell her about the decision.
c. She does not have many friends on the team.
d. She has missed a lot of practices.
4. Read part of the conversation again. Then answer the question.
(Female student)I’m sorry I had to miss practice,though. I feel bad about that.
(Male coach)Family’s very important.
What does the man mean when he says: “Family’s very important.”
a. He hopes the woman’s family is doing well.
b. He would like to meet the woman’s family.
c. The woman should spend more time with her family.
d. The woman had a good reason for missing practice.
5. Why does the coach say: “Good. That’s all the news there is. I think that’s it for
now.”
a. He wants to know if the woman understood his point.
b. He wants the woman to act immediately.
c. He is preparing to change the topic.
d. He is ready to end the conversation.
Source: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/sample_questions
LECTURE TRANSCRIPT
(Narrator)Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class.
(Male professor)Today I’d like to introduce you to a novel that some critics consider the
finest detective novel ever written. It was also the first. We’re talking about The
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Now, there are other detective stories that preceded The
Moonstonehistorically—Um, notably the work ofPoe . . . Edgar Allen Poe’s stories,
such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and . . . “The Purloined Letter.” Now these
were short stories that featured a detective . . . uh, probably the first to do that. But The
Moonstone, which follows them by about twentyyears—it was published in 1868—this
is the first full-length detective novel ever written.
Now, in The Moonstone—if you read it as . . . uh, come to it as a contemporary reader—
what’s interesting is that most of the features you find in almost any detective novel are
in fact already present. Uh, itshard at this juncture to read this novel and realize that no
one had ever done that before, because it all seems so strikingly familiar. It’s, it’s really a
wonderful novel and I recommend it, even just asa fun book to read, if you’ve never read
it. Um, so in The Moonstone, as I said, Collins did much toestablish the conventions of
the detective genre. I’m not gonna go into the plot at length, but, you know, the basic set-up is . . . there’s this diamond of great . . . of great value, a country house, the diamond mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night, uh, the local police are brought in, in an attempt to solve the crime, and they mess it up completely, and then the true hero of the book arrives. That’s Sergeant Cuff.
Now, Cuff, this extraordinarily important character . . . well, let me try to give you a
sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police. And this is the
dynamic that you’re going to see throughout the history of the detective novel, where you have the regular cops—who are well-meaning,but officious and bumblingly inept—and
they are countered by a figure who’s eccentric, analytical, brilliant, and . . . and able to
solve the crime. So, first the regular police get called in to solve the mystery—Um, in this
case, detective, uh, Superintendent Seegrave. When Superintendent Seegrave comes in,
he orders his minions around, they bumble, and they actually make a mess of the
investigation, which you’ll see repeated—um, you’ll see this pattern repeated,
particularly in the Sherlock Holmes stories of a few years later where, uh, Inspector
Lestrade, this well-meaning idiot, is always countered, uh, by Sherlock Holmes, who’s a genius.
So, now Cuff arrives. Cuff is the man who’s coming to solve the mystery, and again he
has a lot of the characteristics that future detectives throughout the history of this genre
will have. He’s eccentric. He has a hobby that he’s obsessive about—in this . . . in his
case, it’s the love of roses. He’s a fanatic about the breeding of roses; and here think of
Nero Wolfe and his orchids, Sherlock Holmes and his violin, a lot of those later classic
detective heroes have this kind of outside interest that they . . . they go to as a kind of
antidote to the evil and misery they encounter in their daily lives. At one point, Cuff says
he likes his roses because they offer solace, uh, an escape, from the world of crime he
typically operates in.
Now, these detective heroes . . . they have this characteristic of being smart, incredibly
smart, but of not appearing to be smart. And most importantly, from a kind of existential
point of view, these detectives see things thatother people do not see. And that’s why the detective is such an important figure, I think,in our modern imagination. In the case of
The Moonstone—I don’t want to say too much here and spoil it for you—but the clue
that’s key to . . . the solving of the crime is a smeared bit of paint in a doorway. Of
course, the regular police have missed this paint smear or made some sort of unwarranted
assumption about it. Cuff sees this smear of paint—this paint, the place where the paint is
smeared—and realizes that from this one smear of paint you can actually deduce the
whole situation . . . the whole world. And that’s what the hero ina detective novel like
this . . . brings to it that the other characters don’t—it’s this ability to, uh, see meaning
where others see no meaning and to bring order . . . to where it seems there is no order.
6. What is the lecture mainly about?
a. A comparison of two types of detective novels
b. Ways in which detective novels have changed over time
c. The Moonstone as a model for later detective novels
d. Flaws that can be found in the plot of The Moonstone
7. In what way is The Moonstone different from earlier works featuring a detective?
a. In its unusual ending
b. In its unique characters
c. In its focus on a serious crime
d. In its greater length
8. According to the professor, what do roses in The Moonstone represent?
a. A key clue that leads to the solving of the mystery
b. A relief and comfort to the detective
c. Romance between the main characters
d. Brilliant ideas that occur to the detective
9. Why does the professor mention a smeared bit of paint in a doorway in The
Moonstone?
a. To describe a mistake that Sergeant Cuff has made
b. To show how realistically the author describes the crime scene
c. To exemplify a pattern repeated in many other detective stories
d. To illustrate the superior techniques used by the police
10. What can be inferred about the professor whenhe says this: “Uh, it’s hard at this
juncture to read this novel and realize that no one had ever done that before,
because it all seems so strikingly familiar.”
a. He is impressed by the novel’s originality.
b. He is concerned that students may find the novel difficult to read.
c. He is bored by the novel’s descriptions of ordinary events.
d. He is eager to write a book about a less familiar subject.
11. What does the professor imply when he says this: “. . . well, let me try to give you
a sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police.”
a. Sergeant Cuff is unlike other characters in The Moonstone.
b. The author’s description of Sergeant Cuff is very realistic.
c. Sergeant Cuff learned to solve crimes by observing the regular police.
d. Differences between Sergeant Cuff and Sherlock Holmes are hard to describe.
Source: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/sample_questions
These 20 TOEFL Tips that I have seen in EC today was exactly the same tips that my TOFEL teacher gave it to me in the first session in the class yesterday.
Its 13th part is really good for listening section I think. If you let me, I like to copy it here:
Secrets for the Listening section
When you are practising for the listening sections, don't play the tape or CD more than once. On the real test you will only hear everything once. You have to train your ears to listen fully the first time. During the real exam, don't look back at a listening question after you have decided on an answer. You cannot change it. The clock will not start running until you start the answers. Learn to listen for main ideas, presentation (compare/contrast etc.), and key details.
Thanks for sharing very useful links here... I really appreciate it...
Hi, everyone! I'd like to add the link to a very good site with TOEFL podcasts. My students usually listen to them and it is very helpful. However, just listening is not the best idea, you should work with them.
To improve your listening skills the technique should be the following:
a) First, listen to the same podcast as many times as you need to understand what it is about.
b) Read the script and translate all new words (it is better to write them out together with the translations and transcriptions; in this case you will remember them better)
c) Listen again paying special attention to the new words.
d) Do it until you hear each word clearly.
Here is the link:
http://www.eslpod.com/toefl/scripts/scripts.html
Enjoy!
Hi, Tanya
I found something usefull from your link.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for your sharing, Tara and Jimena :).
Here are some parts of the listening section of the Longman book!
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=longman+toefl&aq=0
See you!