building skills for toefl ibt
Building Skills for the TOEFL
iBT
TRANSCRIPTS
Listening Section / Speaking Section / Writing Section
Listening
Note: Highlighting indicates a repeated listening sample.
Chapter 1
Skill A
01 Campus Life
M: I'm worried about my girlfriend.
W: Why is that?
M: She thinks she's too fat.
W: Is she?
M: No, but she keeps skipping meals. Then, she only eats chips and drinks cola.
W: I used to do that. It's called binging. It was no fun!
M: Why did you stop doing it?
W: Well, my doctor told me to eat when I'm hungry. She said, "Eat till you're full or you'll eat too much later." She said a lot of girls ruin their health this way.
M: Did she say what to eat?
W: She said, "Eat fruit, vegetables, meats, and grains. Have regular meals and snacks. Get exercise, too."
02 Music History
M: We know that Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany, but we are uncertain of the month. Beethoven wrote hundreds of songs. One of his most famous is his Fifth Symphony. The first four notes go like this: dah dah dah da! Almost everyone recognizes them.
He was the first to use trombones in a symphony. At age 28, he began to go deaf. Yet, he kept on writing and conducting. He never got married. But after he died, friends found some love letters. We don't know who he wrote them to. Beethoven died in 1827.
03 Biology
W: OK...let's talk about animals we don't see in the winter. Many animals hibernate during the cold months of the year. Basically, they go to sleep. Some animals hibernate in holes in the ground. Others sleep in caves, under bushes, or at the base of trees. Bears hibernate. So do cold-blooded animals, like frogs and snakes.
When animals are hibernating, it seems like they're dead. They have slow heartbeats, and they almost stop breathing. They have stored extra energy and fat to keep them alive. By the end of winter, they are very weak. They must eat soon after waking up.
04 Campus Life
M: Hey Julie, what's up?
W: Hi, Brian. Taking a break from studying. I'm surfing the Internet for an MP3 player.
M: Do you like the iPod?
W: Yes, but I need a really small one.
M: Oh, it's small!
W: Really? Someone told me it holds 5,000 songs!
M: It's 3.6 inches tall and two inches wide. I have one.
W: What's that in centimeters?
M: The math textbook says one inch is 2.54 centimeters.
W: OK, so first I need to multiply 3.6 by 2.54.
M: Here! Use my calculator.
W: Thanks! OK... it's 9.1 centimeters tall and 5 centimeters wide.
Just what I need!
05 Anthropology
W: Track and Field events happened long before they became a sport. The San people in Africa are one example. They still hold what's called a "Persistence" hunt. The men find the tracks of an antelope herd. They find the antelope and follow them for several days and nights. During this time, they study the animals and choose one.
Then, the hunt begins. Only the fastest runner will go after the chosen animal. He and the animal may run for as long as eight hours. If the hunter "persists," the deer will finally get tired and fall. Then, he'll slaughter it.
06 Business Writing
W: When you're writing a business letter, it's important to be specific. That is, tell the reader exactly what he or she needs to know. If something is wrong, list what the problem is and what should be done to fix it. If you need information, state clearly what you want to know. Next, um, be positive. Say "no" in a good way.
M: How can we do that?
W: Use polite language. For example, "we regret to inform you that..." or "we're sorry, but..." Always keep in mind this golden rule: write the kind of business letter that YOU would like to receive.
07 Campus Life
M: Come on Holly, we're going to be late.
W: For what?
M: Today's the day of the parking-space lottery. I want to see if I get
a parking space for next year.
W: What?! You mean if they choose your number, you get a place to park your car?
M: Yes. Parking is very limited. Only a few students can bring their cars. And freshmen are never allowed to park on campus.
W: If your number is chosen, do you get to park for free?
M: No. It costs $120 a year.
W: So, you're hoping to win the privilege of paying money?
M: Yes. Now, come on!
08 English
W: Professor Smith, I forget many English words. What's a good technique to remember them?
M: Try using index cards. Uh, small pieces of heavy paper.
W: What do I do?
M: On the front of the card, write the new word. On the back, write a definition of the word at the top...in English.
W: In English?
M: Yes. No native language! Then, divide the bottom part of the back into two halves. On the left, write a correct English sentence using the word. On the right, draw some kind of picture...anything that helps you remember the word.
W: Then what?
M: Review the cards every day.
638 Transcripts
Skill B
01 Geography
W: Another name for the South Pole is Antarctica. This is a continent, but no people live there. There's a good reason for this. It's the coldest, windiest place on Earth. The lowest temperature ever measured was in Antarctica. Minus 88 degrees celsius! Ninety-eight percent of the ground is permanently frozen, and the continent contains 87 percent of the world's ice. Antarctica's only human occupants are scientists. They go there to learn how Antarctica used to be millions of years ago, when it was located at the equator. Antarctica used to be connected to Australia, before all the continents on the planet shifted.
02 Campus Life
W: Hey Joe, where are you going? Are you on your way to class?
M: No. I'm on my way to the recreation center to play basketball. Want to come?
W: I can't. I'm not a member.
M: If you're a full-time student, membership is included in your tuition. Do you have your student ID card?
W: Yeah. Does that mean I can use any part of the rec center?
M: Yes. You can use the swimming pool, the gym, the weight room...anything you want. All you need to do is show your ID card at the door.
W: Hey, cool. I'll come with you.
03 Literature
M: If a play makes you laugh, it's a comedy. Comedies have humorous characters and happy endings. A good example of a comedy is Shakespeare's classic Much Ado About Nothing. Another popular style is called tragedy. Tragedies usually tell how a hero ruins his life, falling from good fortune to bad fortune because of a
"tragic flaw" in character. One example is the play Ghosts, by Henrik Ibsen. Um, modern years have produced a third style, called tragicomedy. In tragicomedies, the play seems as though
it will end in tragedy but instead has a humorous or unclear ending. An example is Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw.
04 Physics
W: It's a beautiful blue sky today. Ever wonder why it's blue? It's because the sun's rays scatter, or spread out, as they enter the Earth's atmosphere. Blue rays are scattered most; they seem to be all over the sky. Yellow rays are scattered less. This is why the sun looks yellow most of the time. But, after sunrise and just before sunset, the sun looks red. Why? Because then the rays must travel a longer path into the atmosphere. More of the blue and yellow rays are scattered. The red rays are scattered the least. So, they come through in the largest numbers.
05 Campus Life
M: Hi, Ms. Jansen. Can we keep Romeo and Juliet in our dorm room?
W: What on Earth...!
M: They're our pet hermit crabs!
W: Oh, poor crabs! Don't you think they'd be happier on the beach? M: Well, at the store they were squished into a little box. We thought they'd be happier with us. We let them out when
we're home. We give them baths too!
W: I see. Do you know what to feed them?
M: There's free Internet information --- The Hermit Crab Association.
They help crabs in captivity. And we will take them back to a beach someday.
06 University 101
M: As we study in university, we find we have a lot of reading. It's very productive to learn how to read faster. To do this, you need to know how fast you read now. I'll show you a quick test to find out. But before I do, let me say this.
In this test, it's important to understand what you have read. Rushing to beat the clock is pointless. You won't enjoy the reading or understand it well. You'll also get a false measure of your reading speed. When you finish, you should try to see what you remember.
07 Health
W: We all know that we can get Vitamin D from sunshine. Long winters make it hard to get enough. People who don't get outside often don't get enough either. Without Vitamin D, we may develop weak bones and teeth. We can get certain kinds of cancer more easily, too. Few foods other than fish naturally have much Vitamin D, so it's important to get some sunshine every day. But be careful. Too much can cause skin cancer. Notice what most animals that live outside all the time do. They are most active during the hours before sunrise and after sunset.
08 Campus Life
W: Ha ha! Hey Trevor, check this out!
M: I'm trying to study here!
W: Oh, sorry. But this is really funny.
M: What is?
W: This article about strange inventions.
M: Like what?
W: Well, one guy invented a ladder for spiders. It's a rubber strip you can put on the side of your bathtub.
M: Ha! Yeah? What else?
W: A portable seat. You carry it around your waist like a big cushion.
M: Ha! That's really stupid.
W: Here's the best one: A car license plate that tells if the driver's
a man or a woman.
M: I like that one. Then I could stay away from women drivers.
W: Yeah... Hey!
Skill C
01 Campus Life
M: I'm interested in your course on Indian culture. Can you tell me about it, please?
W: Certainly. The course is eight weeks long. There will be a mid-term examination, a final exam, and two essays.
M: How do you determine the grades?
W: The final will account for 30 percent of your mark. The mid-term is 15 percent, the first essay is 10 percent, and the second essay is 30 percent.
M: Let's see. 30, 15, 10, 30...that's only 85 percent.
W: The other 15 percent is based on your attendance and participation in the class.
M: It sounds interesting. I think I'll take it.
Transcripts 639
02 English
W: One of the most effective ways to increase your vocabulary is through newspapers. They are cheap, and they have a wide variety of words. When you read an English newspaper, make
a list of eight to ten words you don't know. Look them up in a dictionary. Then add them to your vocabulary notebook. If you learn eight new words each day, you will be learning new words faster than the average American.
M: Professor?
W: Yes?
M: How can we remember the words after we write them?
W: Spend 15 minutes each day reviewing words from the previous day. You'll be surprised how fast you learn.
03 Campus Life
W: I really like art! Especially paintings. M: Really? Do you have a favorite one? W: Yes, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
M: What do you like about it?
W: Her smile. If you look closely, it seems she's not smiling at all. Look again, she's smiling! So many artists try to copy that smile.
M: It must be hard to paint something so beautiful.
W: Did you ever notice that she doesn't have any eyebrows?
M: Really? No! I never noticed. I wonder why?
W: Girls in that time shaved their eyebrows. I just read it in our art history textbook.
M: Hey! That's cool. Nowadays, she'd have an eyebrow ring!
04 Anthropology
M: In North America, the best weavers are a group of people called the Pueblo --- that's P-U-E-B-L-O. The Pueblo have been weaving clothes, baskets, and blankets since at least 1000 BC. At first, they used their fingers to weave together vegetable fibers and animal hair. In the first century AD, they began growing cotton. About this time, they also started using a loom --- a kind of, um, machine that helped them weave the cotton into cloth more quickly and easily. By the year 1600, the Pueblos had sheep, so they began weaving wool, using the same methods they had used for weaving cotton.
05 Campus Life
M: Have you heard about Mexican turtles disappearing?
W1: Yes. It's because they lay their eggs on the beach, right?
M: Yeah, and people eat the eggs. But my professor said there's a
W1:
M:
W1: Let's call!
M: OK, here goes...
W2: Hello, Environmental Protection Hotline. How may I help you? M: I'd like to find out about the program to save Mexican turtles. W2: Yes, of course. I can send you something to read or you can
look at our website, www.enviro.com.
M: Thanks! I'll look at the website.
W2: Thanks for calling!
06 Physics
W: And now, the winner of this year's science fair, Choi Min-Soo! Min-Soo, tell everyone about your work.
M: Thank you! Let me tell you about my "white noise" machine.
Does noise ever annoy you or keep you awake? Well, we can lessen noise by using "white noise." Think of water. Think of sending one big wave toward another coming in. My machine does that with sound. It can tell how much noise is coming in, then send back "white noise." You don't hear it, but it shuts out the noise! I hope that my machine will help those who need quiet. Thank you!
07 Health
M: Acupuncture is a way of treating sick people. The Chinese developed it over 2,500 years ago, and it is still used today. In acupuncture, small metal needles are inserted into spots on the human body. There are 787 of these spots. Each one is connected to a special body part or system. If, um, your ear hurts, for example, the doctor will put needles into all the spots connected with your ear. The needles don't hurt because they don't go in very far. Sometimes the doctor runs an electric current through the needles. We don't understand exactly why this helps people.
08 Math
W: Geometry is the study of points. Now, a point is a small dot, like
a period at the end of a sentence. If we have two points, we know that there can be other points between them. There can also be a line. The line is continuous. It has no space between each point. Part of a line, with points at each end, is called a line segment. Two line segments can be the same length. We call these line segments congruent. That just means the line segments are equal in length.
Chapter 1
Skill Review
A-C
01 Campus Life
W: What should I do to prepare for my exams? I have some old exams from last year. Do you think it's a good way to study?
M: Yes, it can help. Being familiar with the way the test is made up is beneficial. You may be less anxious at exam time. First, quickly look over all the material you've studied. Then decide which things you need the most work on. Then use questions from the exams to practice.
W: Great! I should just memorize all the answers!
M: No, I don't think that's a good idea. Questions on the new exam will probably be different. You need a strong understanding of the material. Memorizing won't replace a thorough knowledge of the subject.
W: I guess that's probably true. So, what else can I do?
M: Make sure you go to all the review sessions. Go to your professor's office hours too.
W: I always do that. I really like my professor.
M: Good! In the exam, be sure to read the directions carefully. They may be different from the practice exams. Also, make sure you get to the exam in plenty of time. Get comfortable before
it begins.
W: OK! Thanks for your help.
640 Transcripts
02 Physical Science
W: Some people once thought that only four things made up the
Earth: earth, water, air, and fire.
Earth, water, and air are all forms of matter, but fire is really different. It may seem the same in that you can see it, feel it, and smell it. You can even move it from place to place, but it really isn't matter at all. It's an activity. It is matter changing form.
Of course, fire has to have something to burn. We call this fuel. Fire also has to have air so that it can burn. Usually, when we build a fire, we first put down easily flammable material like newspaper or dry leaves. Then, we carefully place pieces of wood over it, leaving room for air.
Since fire doesn't start by itself, we need a spark or heat source to start it. Matches, lighters, even magnifying glasses can be used. That's a glass piece, specially made for seeing small things. We can make sun shine through it to form a very hot spot of light.
Wood has to reach about 150 degrees Celsius. Then, something in the wood changes. Part of the wood turns into gas. We see this gas as smoke. The parts of the wood that don't burn change to ash. This is the soft, white powder left after a fire. A third part of the wood becomes carbon, or char. This char, or charcoal, burns slowly and hotly without smoke. This gives us enough time to cook food.
Skill D
01 Campus Life
M: Hey, Rita, what are you looking at?
W: I'm looking at a Nova Scotia College of Art catalog. I'm going to transfer there. They have a great lithography program.
M: Oh, yeah? So you'll have to send them your transcript.
W: I guess so. What exactly is on my transcript? M: Well, basically all your courses and grades. W: How do I get it?
M: At the transcript office. It's $8. It takes the secretary three or four days to do it for you.
W: Great! I can do this soon. I really want to learn to do lithos!
02 Communications
W: Do you say what you really mean? We learn from listening to others. It's a good way to learn. But if we're not careful, we learn other people's mistakes, too. Here's an example. You often hear, "We've reached a consensus of opinion." "Consensus," already means that all of the people have the same idea. Adding "of opinion" is not needed.
A saying that's used too often is called a cliche'. We have to be careful in using cliche' s. For example, it's easy to say something like, "I love chocolate." What we really mean is, "I like it a lot."
03 Sociology
M: More and more US parents are choosing to homeschool their children. This means the parents teach them at home. They do this for several reasons. Some think public schools are too dangerous. Some think the education level is too low. And some want to
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