2017-02-28 TOEFL: word roots, listening inference

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
Word Roots - With your partner, try to think of one or two words to explain the meaning of each root.
re = again/back
reg = rule (This is also related to “reign”.)
retro = back
rupt = break
scend = climb
scope/skep/spec = look/view
scrib/script = write (typically verbs end with “scribe” while nouns end with “script” or “scripture”)
sect = cut (into parts)
semi = half (This is the Latin root. The Greek root is “hemi”.)
sol = alone
sol = Sun
soph = knowledge/wisdom
struct = build
sub = under
super = over
tele = far
term = end
	(“term” and “terminology”, like “define” and “definition”, are words about words that come from the idea of putting ends or limits around concepts.)
terr = Earth/land (terrestrial animals live on land, not in the water; extraterrestrials come from outside Earth, not simply outside the land)
therm = heat
trans = across
ultra = over/beyond
uni = one
vac = empty
veri = truth
viv/vit = life
vol = will/choice
xeno = foreign
zoo = animal
http://www.etymonline.com/ - Search for the etymological origins of any English word.
---
“super” and “ultra” both mean “over” or “beyond”
supersonic = faster than sound (beyond the speed of sound)
ultrasonic = higher than (audible) sound (beyond the frequency we can hear)
“sub” and “infra” both mean “under”
subsonic = slower than sound (under the speed of sound)
infrasonic = lower than (audible) sound (under the frequency we can hear)
---
“retrospect” and “hindsight” mean the same thing
The first comes from Latin and the second comes from Germanic.
---
The full TOEFL test takes about 4 hours.
There are four sections:
1 Reading: 3 or 4 passages, 60-80 minutes (multiple choice)
2 Listening: 2 or 3 sets (of 3 listenings each), 60-90 minutes (multiple choice)
	break: 10 minutes
3 Speaking: 6 tasks, 5.5 minutes of total speaking time, 20 minutes for the whole section
4 Writing: 2 tasks, 50 minutes of total writing time, about 1 hour total for the section
---
Listening Section
- Each set of three listening passages has one conversation and two academic classroom situations
	(These could be lectures with just the professor or discussions that include some students.)
- You have 10 minutes to choose your answers for each set, but you don’t lose time when you’re listening to the questions themselves.
- After you answer a question, you cannot go back and look at it again or change the answer.
Listening Question Types:
- main idea
- detail
- purpose (why is the conversation or lecture happening?)
- function (why does the person say this specific thing?)
- attitude (how does the speaker feel about this thing?)
- inference (what does the speaker imply about this thing?)
- prediction (what will the student(s) probably do next?)
- organization (how is the lecture organized? how does the speaker develop the topic?)
---
BREAK
---
http://www.americanexamservices.com/about-the-toefl/toefl-scores-usa-universities - Required TOEFL scores at different universities.
---
Inference Questions - about what unstated information you can conclude from what the people say
Handout (Cambridge p. 289) exercise L18 - Listen to the excerpts and choose whether the statements about them are true or false.
1 Yes
2 No
3 No (It may be true, but it can’t be inferred from the lecture.)
4 Yes
p. 289-290 exercise L19 - Listen and answer the questions.
1 B
2 D
3 A
4 B (It’s about how to draw classroom attention to a topic, not about the topic itself.)
p. 290 exercise L20 - Listen and answer the questions in your own words.
1 She’s an art major.
2 To give examples of toys with long-term enjoyment. / To contrast long-term enjoyment with short-term.
3 To hear a variety of accents and to experience Spanish culture outside the classroom.
4 Because a violent crime (probably sexual assault) occurred recently on campus.
---
Handout (Oxford) p. 231
In British English, a faculty at a university is a large-scale division (sometimes “college” or “school” within an American university). It may also refer to individual departments.
4L5 - On your notes, what are some abbreviations you could use for these things?
1 app / appt / apt
2 beh / bhvr (Writing only consonants, or only consonants after the first letter, is a common way to abbreviate in English notes.)
3 cog neurosci / cns
4 bio sci
5 spec degs
6 req
---
Listen to the conversation with an academic advisor and take notes. Then answer the questions about the conversation. Compare your answers with your partner.
1 c
2 a
3 a d
4 b c d
5 c d
6 c
---
Homework: Handout p. 295-298 - Listen to the passages and answer the questions.
Audio for the homework can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzQTAtJHmfaIczBwMms5a3BqcUk