Tài liệu Cracking the Toefl IBT 2009 edition part 27 pdf

264 | Cracking the TOEFL i8T “The Listening section of the TOEFL consists of the following tasks: Four to six academic lectures, at least two of which contain classroom dialogue + Ea

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For a sentence insertion question, remember to make sure the ide

the new sentence match up with the sentences surrounding it Let’ look at the first square

So far, spammers have been unable to defeat proof systems, but most E-mail

users are reluctant to adopt these systems because they make sending E-mails

inconvenient Although a fee to send an E-mail seems an extreme solution, the fee

is more of a verification device than an actual payment A similar problem prevents

another effective spam blocker from widespread use

‘This doesn’ seem to match very well The first sentence doesn’t mention a “fee,” which is part of the inserted sentence And the second sentence seems to be introducing a new system, which doesn't match up with the idea of a “verification device” found in the boldfaced sentence Let's try the next square

A similar problem prevents another effective spam blocker from widespread use

Although a fee to send an E-mail seems an extreme solution, the fee is more of a

verification device than an actual payment This system involves charging a minimal

fee for each E-mail sent

Again, this doesn’t scem to be a good match ‘The first sentence doesn’t mention a fee at all The sec- ond sentence does, but itis introducing the system, Now let's try the third square

This system involves charging a minimal fee for each E-mail sent Although a fee to

send an E-mail seems an extreme solution, the fee is more of a verification device

than an actual payment The fee, set at one penny, would appear as an electronic

check included with the E-mail

“This almost works The first sentence does talk about a fee, and it matches with the beginning of the

added sentence But the second part of the new sentence—about the verification device—doesn't connect to the next sentence, which still talks about the fee Thus, the final square must be the an-

swer Lets look at it

The fee, set at one penny, would appear as an electronic check included with the

E-mail, Although a fee to send an E-mail seems an extreme solution, the fee is more

of a verification device than an actual payment Users can choose to waive the fee

if the E-mail is from a legitimate source; however, users can collect the fee from a

spammer

‘This is the best fit The first sentence does indeed refer to a fee, as does the beginning of the inserted

sentence, ‘The second sentence describes how users can waive the fee for some people or charge the fee for spammers This matches up with the “verification” system mentioned in the inserted sentence

“This question requires you to summarize the tactics mentioned in che passage Although your under- standing of the main idea may help, itis still a good idea to refer back to the passage to double-check your response Here is the completed table

Reading Practice Answers and Explanations | 261

Answer Choices Require users to include a small

payment with each E-mail

Do not want to be inconvenienced

when sending E-mails

Spammers Use automated systems

Insert random characters and numbers into messages

Rely on the convenience of E-mail Benefit from the low cost of sending E-mail messages

Spam Blockers

Take advantage of computer learning abilities

Require a verification test to send

E-mails Develop a “fingerprint” of E-mail

messages

“The remaining answer choices, which are not used, refer to E-mail users, not spammers or spam

blockers

262 | Cracking the TOEFL i8T

Chapter 9 Cracking the

Listening Section

264 | Cracking the TOEFL i8T

“The Listening section of the TOEFL consists of the following tasks:

Four to six academic lectures, at least two of which contain

classroom dialogue

+ Each lecture is three to five minutes long

+ Alecture may involve one speaker or multiple speakers

+ Each lecture is followed by six questions

‘Two to three conversations involving two or more speakers + Each conversation is three to four minutes long

+ Aconversation has 12-25 exchanges

+ Each conversation is followed by five questions

You will have 60-90 minutes to complete the entire section

“The Listening section measures your ability to follow and understand lectures and conversations that are typical of an American educational setting You will hear each lecture or conversation only once, but you ate allowed to take notes while

you are listening

Ac the beginning of the Listening section, you'll be instructed to put on your head- set An example of the screen is shown below

Click on Proceed to continue

You'll also receive instructions on how to adjust the volume of the headset Make sure the volume is at a comfortable level before the section begins

LISTENING DIRECTIDNS

You should be aware of a few special aspects of the Listening section before you

take the TOEFL First, unlike the Reading section, you are not allowed to skip

questions and return to them later You must answer each question before you can

(proceed to the next one, Second, some of the questions on the Listening section are

heard, not read These questions are indicated by a special headset icon

Ie is important to be prepared for these audio questions In this book, we use the

headset icon to indicate when you should listen to the accompanying audio CD,

On che actual test, you will only hear this material ic will nor appear on your

screen

CRACKING THE LISTENING SECTION: BASIC

PRINCIPLES

One of the most common mistakes students make in the Listening section is to

try to do too much Some students try to take notes on every detail offered, and

they end up not hearing important information Other students try to understand

every single word in the lecture, and they panic when they miss a word or phrase

Neither of these approaches is very helpful on the test

Instead, you must do your best to think of the lectures and conversations as being

similar to the reading passages on which we've worked Each lecture or conversa-

tion will have a purpose, a main idea, and supporting details Your goal on the

Listening section will be to find these items in each selection Because there are

only five or six questions per listening task, there is no need to memorize or com-

prehend every single detail

“The Listening section requires you to do the following:

Find the main idea or purpose Each lecture or conversation will

hhave a main idea or purpose Find and note this theme, which is usu-

ally stated at the beginning of the discussion or talk

+ Focus on the structure Pay attention to how the main idea develops

Look for examples, comparisons, and cause-and-effect relationships

+ Listen for tone and attitude Try to figure out if the speakers are

positive, negative, or neutral toward the topic

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286 | Cracking the TOEFL iBT

+ Pay attention to transitions Make sure you are listening for transi-

tion words and phrases These help you follow the logic of the lecture

or conversation, Well look at all of these points in more detail in a moment, but there are two other important things to keep in mind when you approach the Listening section + Don’t memorize As we said earlier, there is far oo much information

to try to memorize or retain So, don’t even bother trying Keep in mind that the TOEFL is testing you on your ability to follow a logi- cal flow of ideas, not on your ability to memorize information Just relax and try to focus on the big issues, not the minor ones

+ Don’t take too many notes One easy way to get sidetracked on the Listening section is to write down too many notes Writing requires your concentration, and if you're concentrating on writing, you're probably not concentrating on listening Focus on listening; in fact, if you are not comfortable taking notes, don’t take any at all

Basic Principle #1: Find the Main Idea or Purpose We've spent a lot of time practicing this step with reading passages Now we will apply our understanding of the main idea or purpose to a listening task Fortu- nately, the patterns in the Listening section are very similar to the patterns in the Reading section, Lectures are designed around a main idea, whereas conversations are centered on a purpose

In lectures, the speaker will typically introduce the main idea at the very begin- ning of the talk Listen for phrases similar co the following:

+ “Okay, today I want to talk about

hạt we're going to talk about today i

+ “Today, we're going to look at + “Tonight, I wanted to look at

“The professor will then follow with the topic of discussion If you're taking notes, you should write the topic down Once you have the main topic, you can expect the lecturer to provide a purpose, explanation, or more information

Ina conversation, the beginning sentences will reveal the speaker's purpose Listen for the purpose to appear after an initial greeting, as in the following examples: + “Hi, whar can Ido for you?”

+ “Hello, how can I help you?”

+ “What can I do for you today?”

+ “Is there something I can do for you?”

After this initial question, the other speaker will state his or her purpose Usually

this involves asking for some sort of help or assistance If you are taking notes, you

should write down what the purpose of the conversation is

Basi iple #2: Focus on the Structure

After finding the main idea or purpose, focus on the structure of the talk Lec-

tures and conversations each have standard structures Listen for them as you take

the TOEFL

Types of Lecture Structures

‘Most lectures will have one of the following basic structures:

Lecture Structure #1: Compare/Contrast This type of lecture involves find-

ing similarities and differences between two or more things Listen for the speaker

{0 introduce this framework by using one of the following phrases:

+ “several theories”

+ “possible explanations”

+ “many different views”

Afr the framework is introduced, the speaker will list each item to be discussed

and mention its characteristics Listen for words that indicate compare/contrast,

such as

* “in contrast”

+ “on the other hand”

+ “similarly”

+ “however”

* “additionally”

+ “also”

Lecture Structure #2: Cause-and-Effect Relationships Some lectures at-

tempt to explain why a certain situation occurs Listen for the speaker to intro-

duce this type of framework with the following phrases:

+ “Why would this happen?”

+ “Whats the reason for

* “How could this happen’

+ “What leads to this?”

TẾ seems that the speaker is describing a cause-and-effect situation, listen for the

cause A speaker will often use the following phrases to introduce the cause:

+ “ecauses y”

+ “xresults in y”

Cracking the Listening Section 287

268 | Cracking the TOEFL iBT

+ “xleads toy”

+ “brings about y”

* “xis responsible for y”

‘After identifying the cause, look for the speaker to derail the effects with a phrase

similar co the following:

+ “vis caused by x”

+ Syresules from x”

+ Sis dueto x”

+ ‘ycan be blamed on x”

+ “yisattributable to x”

+ “happens because of x”

Lecture Structure #3: Abstract Category/Specific Examples Another common lecture structure involves moving from an abstract category to a specific example A lecture may also sometimes begin with specific examples and end with

a more general interpretation of the examples A speaker may introduce an ab- stract concept with one of the following phrases:

“one approach ”

‘one theory)

+ “the concept

* “the basic premise is ”

Next, the speaker will move co the examples, typically using the following phrases:

+ “for example

* “one instance of this is ”

* “consider ”

* “we see this in/with ”

+ “this is illuscrated by/with

Even if you have difficulty understanding the abstract idea, you can usually figure

iv out by paying close attention to the examples used

Lecture Structure #4: Sequences A lecture may present a series of steps or

stages Listen for the lecturer to mention the following clues:

* “proceseh + “development”

+ “stages”

` “transition”

“The steps or parts will typically be introduced with clear transitions, such as

Types of Conversation Structures

Conversations on the TOEEL also fall into some predictable patterns, Try to iden-

tify the pattern when listening to the people speak

Conversation Structure #1: Problem/Solution Thị: is a typical conversa

tion type on the TOEBL One student has a problem, and another student offers

advice or a possible solution Listen for the first student to introduce the problem

by mentioning one of the following:

+ “problem”

2 “issue”

+ “difficuley”

+ “trouble”

After describing the problem, the other person will offer some sore of advice or

solution, Listen for the following phrases:

“why dont you

“if [were you, I’

“maybe you should ”

“have you tried/thought of.”

For this structure, itis important to listen for what the problem is and what steps

or solutions the speaker may take to solve it

Conversation Structure #2: Service Encounter Another common conver-

sation on the TOEFL is the service encounter In this encounter, 2 student will

discuss a problem with a professional—usually a professor, a librarian, or an office

worker The problem will be introduced in the same way as in the previous con-

versation type, but the response may differ The service professional will usually

explain exactly what the student needs to do to solve the problem ‘The solution

may involve several parts Ifso, listen for the following words to indicate the steps

the student must take:

* “requirement”

* “application”

+ “form”

* “recommendation”

Cracking the Listening Section 289

210 | trading the T0EfLiBT

Conversation Structure #3: Significant Event Some conversations on

the TOEFL revolve around a significant event This could be a meeting, an announcement, oF a social event Usually, the first speaker will introduce the event with one of the following phrases:

+ “have you heard about ’

+ “did you see ”

+ “let you know about ”

* _ “program/eventopportunityichance”

After noting the event, listen to any details about it Also note what the speaker's plans are concerning the event Listen for the following key words:

* “participate”

+ “plans”

+ “open to”

+ “free” or “busy”

Basic Principle #3: Listen for Tone and Attitude

Although you are unlikely to be asked a tone question in the Listening section, an understanding of the speaker's tone or attitude is helpful on many types of ques- tions, Speakers on the TOEFL often use phrases or words that can have more than one interpretation However, if you are aware of the speaker's tone, you are less

likely to misinterpret the phrase

For example, lecturers on the TOEFL often say something like the following:

“.and after the war, the country experienced a prolonged period

of economic growth, right?”

Even though the speaker appears to be asking a question, he is actually just empha-

sizing his point Being aware of the tone will help you interpret statements such as

this one

“The tone of most lectures is fairly straightforward Because the speaker is teaching

a class, the rone will usually be similar to one of the following types:

+ Objective: The speaker is simply listing facts or providing informa- tion, ‘The speaker is an authority on his or her subject and so will not

be unsure or uncertain about the topic This type of tone can appear

in any of the four common lecture types

* Subjective: In some cases, the speaker will be presenting a position

or making an argument The speaker will try to convince the liste cers about a certain view This type of tone is more likely to appear in compareleontrast and cause-and-effect lectures