tips and tricks of toefl

7/28/2019 Tips and Tricks of TOEFL

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Tips and Tricks of TOEFL


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TOEFL : Test of English as a Foreign Language

It is a test to measure the level of English

proficiency for non-native speakers of

English.

It is required primarily by colleges or

universities, government agencies, or

scholarship programs.


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Preparing for the TOEFL test:

It is better to take TOEFL Preparation class beforetaking the test.

Begin your TOEFL studies as soon as you decide

to take the exam. Study on a regular basis.

All English practice are useful and helpful.

Work carefully through the exercise inpreparation for the TOEFL test.

Practice budgeting your time.


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The test currently has the following

sections:

Listening comprehension: to demonstrate non-native speakers ability in understanding spokenEnglish (50 questions: 40 minutes)

Structure and written expression: todemonstrate their ability in recognizinggrammatically correct English (40 questions: 25minutes)

Reading comprehension: to demonstrate theirability in understanding written English (50questions: 55 minutes)


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Listening Comprehension Section

There are three parts of Listening

Comprehension section:

1. Part A: consists of30 short dialogues, each

followed by a questions.

2. Part B: consists of2 long conversations, each

followed by a number of questions.

3. Part C: consists ofthree long talks, each

followed by a number of questions.


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GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

COMPREHENSION Be familiar with the direction: the direction on every paper test are

same, so it is not necessary to spend time reading the directions.

Listen carefully to the passages: you will hear the recording onlyonce.

Know where the easier and the more difficult questions are

generally found: the questions generally progress from easy todifficult.

Be familiar with the pacing of the test: 12 seconds between eachquestion.

Never leave any answer blank for there is no penalty for the wrong

answer. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the

following questions.


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SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

COMPREHENSION PART A: 1. FOCUS ON THE LAST LINE

The short dialogues involve conversations between two people,usually the answer of the question found in the last line of thedialogue, for example:

On the recording, you will hear:

Man : Billy really made a big mistake this time.Woman : Yes, he forgot to turn in his research paper.

Narrator : What does the woman say about Billy?

In your test book, you read:

A. It was the first time he made a mistake.

B. He forgot to write his paper.

C. He turned in the paper in the wrong place.

D. He didnt remember to submit his assignment.


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2. Choose answers with synonyms

Often the correct answer in a short dialogue is an answer thatcontains synonyms (words with similar meaning but differentsounds) for key words in the conversation, for example:

On the recording, you hear:

Woman : Why is Barbara feeling so happy?Man : She just started working in a real estate agency.

Narrator : What does the man say about Barbara?


A. She always liked her work in real estate.

B. She began a new job.

C. She just bought some real estate.

D. She bought a real estate agency.


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3. Avoid similar sounds

Often the incorrect answers in the short dialogues are answers thatcontain words with similar sounds but very different meanings fromwhat you hear on the recording, for example:

Man : Why couldnt Mark come with us?

Woman : He was searching for a new apartment.Narrator : What does the woman say about Mark?


A. He was in the department office.

B. He was looking for a place for live.

C. He was working on his research project

D. He had an appointment at church.


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4. Draw conclusions about who, what, where

In this type of question, the answer is not clearly stated, instead youmust draw a conclusion based on clues given in the dialogue, forexamples:

@On the recording, you hear:

Woman : Can you tell me what assignments I missed when I wasabsent from your class?

Man : You missed one homework and a quiz.

Narrator : Who is the man?


A. A newspaper editor.B. A police officer.

C. A teacher.

D. A student.


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5. Listen for who and what in passives

It is sometimes difficult to understand who or what is doing the action inpassive sentence.

This problem is often tested in the short dialogues, for example:


Man : Did Sally go to the bank this morning?Woman : Yes, she did. She got a new checking account.

Narrator : What does the woman imply?


A. Sally wrote several checks.

B. Sally wanted to check up on the bank.C. A new checking account was opened.

D. Sally checked on the balance in her account.


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6. Listen for who and what with multiple nouns

When there is more than one noun in a sentence of the dialogues, it iscommon for the answers to confuse which noun does what, for example:


Man : Do you know who is in the band now?

Woman: I heard that Mara replaced Robert in the band.Narrator: What does the woman say about the band?


A. Robert became a new member of the band.

B. Robert took Maras place in the band.

C. Mara didnt have a place in the band.D. Mara took Roberts place in the band.


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7. Listen for negative expressions

Negative expressions are very common in the short dialogues, and the mostcommon kind of correct response to a negative statement is a positive statementcontaining a word with an opposite meaning, for example:


Man : How did they get to their grandmothers house in Maine in only five

hours.Woman : They didnt drive slowly on the trip to Maine.

Narrator: What does the woman say about the trip?

In the test book, you read:

A. They drove rather quickly.

B. They couldnt have driven more slowly.

C. They wanted to travel slowly to Maine.D. They didnt drive to Maine.


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8. Listen for double negative expressions

It is possible for two negative ideas to appear in one sentence, andthe result can be quite confusing, for example:


Man : I cant believe the news that I heard about the concert.

Woman : Well, it isnt impossible for the concert to take place.

Narrator : What does the woman say about the concert.


A. Theres no possibility that the concert will take place.

B. The concert will definitely not take place.C. The concert might take place.

D. The concert cant take place.


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9. Listen to Negatives with Comparatives

Negatives can be used with comparatives in the short dialogues of theTOEFL test. A sentence with a negative and a comparative has asuperlative or very strong meaning, for example:


Woman : What do you think of the new student in math class?Man : No one is more intelligent than she is.

Narrator : What does the man say about the new student?


A. She is not very smart.

B. He is smarter than she is.

C. Other students are smarter than she is.

D. She is the smartest student in the class.


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10. Listen for expressions of agreement

Expressions of agreement are common in the short dialogues, soyou should become familiar with them. The following exampleshows agreement with a positive statement:


Man : I think that the hypothesis is indefensible.Woman : So do I.

Narrator : What does the woman mean?


A. She is unsure about the hypothesis.

B. The hippopotamus is behind the fence.

C. She thinks that the hypothesis can be defended.

D. She agrees with the man.


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11. Listen to expression of uncertainty and suggestion,for example:

Man : Do you know anything about the final examin physics?

Woman : Its going to be rather difficult, isnt it?Narrator : What does the woman mean?


A. The exam is not going to be too difficult.

B. Shes positive that its going to be hard.C. She thinks that it might be hard.

D. She has no idea about the exam.


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The following chart lists common expressions that show uncertainty andsuggestion:

Expressions of uncertainty and suggestion

Uncertainty:

..isnt it (tag)?

As far as I know.

As far as I can tell.

Suggestion:

Why not..

Lets. .... .


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12. Listen for wishes

Conversations about wishes can appear in the short dialogues. Theimportant idea to remember about wishes is that the opposite of wishes istrue, for example:

On the recording you hear:

Woman : Its too bad that you have to stay here and work during theschool break.

Man : I really wish I could go with you and the others to Palm Springs.

Narrator : What does the man mean?


A. Maybe he will go with the others on the trip.

B. He is unable to go on the trip.C. Hes unhappy to be going on the trip.

D. Hes going on the trip, but not with the others.


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KEY INFORMATION ABOUT WISHES

Point Example Meaning

1. An affirmative wish

implies a negative

reality.

2. A negative wish implies

an affirmative reality.

I wish I had time to help.

I wish I did not have time

to help.

= no time to help

= there is time to help

1. A past tense verb

implies a present

reality.

2. A past perfect tense

verb implies a past

reality.

I wish he were at home.

(remember that were is

used instead of was in

wishes/ untrue condition)

I wish he had been at

home.

= is not at home

=was not at home


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13. Listen to untrue condition

The important idea to remember about the untrue conditions is thatthe opposite of the condition is true, for example:


Man : Do you think that youll be able to go to the party?

Woman : If I had time, I would go.

Narrator : What does the woman say about the party?


A. Maybe shell go.

B. She has time, so shell go.

C. She is going even if she doesnt have time.

D. Its impossible to go.


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KEY INFORMATION ABOUT UNTRUE

CONDITIONSPoint Example Meaning

1. An affirmative

condition implies a

negative reality.

2. A negative condition

implies an affirmativereality.

1. If she were here, she

could do it.

2. If she werent here, she

could do it.

= not here

= here

1. A past tense implies a

present reality.

2. A past perfect verb

implies a past reality.

1. If I had money, I would

buy it.

2. If I had had money, I

would have bought it.

= do no have money

= did not have money

1. Had can be used

without if.

1. Had I had money, I

would have bought it.

= did not have money


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14. Listen to the phrasal-verbs.

Questions involving phrasal-verbs can be difficult for studentsbecause the addition of the article changes the meaning, forexample:


Man : What time does the meeting start?Woman : Didnt you hear that it was called off by the director?

Narrator : What does the woman say about the meeting.


A. The director called a meeting.

B. The director phoned her about the meeting.

C. The director called the meeting to order.

D. The director cancelled the meeting.


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15. Listen to idioms

Idioms questions can be difficult for students because they seem tobe describing one situation when they are really describing adifferent situation, for example:


Man : Tom is a full-time student and is holding down a full-timejob.

Woman : Hes really burning the candle at both ends.

Narrator: What does the woman say about Tom?

In your test book, you hear:

A. Hes lighting the candle.B. Hes holding the candle at the top and the bottom.

C. Hes doing too much.

D. Hes working as a firefighter.


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STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

COMPREHENSION PART B AND C:A. If you have time, preview the answer to the questions of part B; while you

are looking at the answer, you should try to do the following:

1. Anticipate the topics of the conversation you will hear.

2. Anticipate the question for each of the groups of answer.

B. Listen carefully to the first line of the conversation; the first line of the

conversation often contains the main idea, subject, or topics of theconversation.

C. As you listen to the conversation, draw the conclusions about the situationof the conversation: who is talking, where nor when the conversationtakes place.

D. As you listen to the conversation, follow along with the answers in yourtest book and try to determine the correct answers.

E. You should guess even if you arent sure. Never leave any answer blank.

F. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the followingquestions.

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