2017-03-16 TOEFL: reading insertion, speaking 6

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
Homework: p. 131-135 - Complete exericse 1.7.A and do 1.7.B
Check your answers with your classmates. Justify your own choice if they disagree.
1.7.A
7 C
8 A
9 D
10 B - The inserted sentence is another example of how “each of these areas is interdependent of the others”, and parallels the previous sentence.
1.7.B
1 C
2 A
3 C - The inserted sentence introduces the idea that the contents of a mound indicates the status or occupation of the deceased, and the next sentence gives a specific example of this.
4 B
5 D
6 B - The inserted sentence gives a bit more detail about the undulations introduced in the previous sentence and connected back to physics in the following sentence. (Position C breaks up the introduction of “force” with the explanation of the two components of that force.)
7 B
8 C
9 D
10 A - The inserted sentence introduces the concept of paper money. (This would also work as the final sentence of a previous paragraph, but that’s not how this type of question works.)
---
The next reading includes several reference questions. These ask you to identify what a pronoun refers to. There’s usually only 1 or 2 reference questions in an entire reading section, but it’s also an important skill for general reading comprehension and for checking your own writing for clarity.
Take 20 minutes to answer the questions about the “Fast-food Addiction” article. (Oxford p. 76)
1 d - This explains which “race” the US is leading the world in. (We would probably say “with” if it were the US.)
2 c - This is additional detail about spending on fast food.
3 d
4 a
5 c - The portion refers to the whole serving you get at one of these restaurants.
6 b - This introduces the idea of examining a typical fast-food meal.
7 b (beta-endorphins are just one example of opioids, and it’s the opioids that are naturally occurring painkillers)
8 d - it’s about the specific cluster of cells, not the midbrain in general
9 b - dopamine is the thing that’s produced, and both “it” and “its” in this sentence refer to it
10 d (In every other position, it interrupts the discussion of dopamine.)
11 a
12 c (“This” usually refers to something from the previous sentence, often the whole content of the sentence itself. The full contrast between both clauses is what suggests tolerance, not just one.)
13 b (What they would require is fat and sugar in general, not the specific liquid used in the experiment.)
14 b - These are symptoms of withdrawal, so they fit best after the sentence that mentions withdrawal.
15 d (It refers to the fact that more obese people have fewer dopamine receptors.)
---
Speaking section: third section (after the 10-minute break that follows listening)
- about 20 minutes total, with 5.5 minutes of speaking time
- They’re always the same type of questions in the same order:
1 independent, open-ended
2 independent, choice
3 integrated R/L/S about an announcement and conversation
4 integrated R/L/S about a text and an academic lecture
5 integrated L/S about a problem and solutions
6 integrated L/S about an academic lecture
---
Speaking Task 6 - Listen to a lecture and then (usually) summarize the main points.
Your response will probably be organized like this:
1 Introduction: Summarize/paraphrase what the professor says about the main topic (the definition, concept, theory, or phenomenon)
2 Lead-in to the two or three supporting points (these are examples, studies, applications, causes, or effects of the main topic) - “The professor describes two studies that support this theory.”
3 Point 1
4 Detail or example for point 1
5 Point 2
6 Detail or example for point 2
(7 Point 3)
(8 Detail or example for point 3)
---
The transitions you use for each point should be specific to the lecture. “The first example is…” or “The first effect the professor describes is…”
It’s important to identify the organization of the lecture (as on Oxford p. 382), so you can be sure to use the correct words in your transition phrases.
---
Listen and take notes to ETS Past Test 2 (speaking 6), about types of motivation.
1 “The lecture is about motivation, which is the thing that drives us to do what we do.”
2 “The professor talks about two different types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.”
3 “Extrinsic motivation comes from external sources, such as a reward.”
4 “The professor gives an example of a child who performs chores and receives money from her parents. This type of motivation is not long-term because if the child stopped receiving money she would stop doing the chores.”
5 “The second type of motivation is intrinsic, which comes internally from within the person.”
6 “The professor gives the example about herself going to the gym. She feels good after doing exercise so she keeps going to the gym. This means that intrinsic motivation is long-term.”
---
Cambridge p. 34 - do the same, and take 2 minutes to prepare a response. (CD1.13)
“Using the information in the lecture, explain the three atmospheric phenomena that the professor discusses.”
There’s an introduction about atmospheric phenomena in general (he mentions rainbows) and a general description of the fact that water or ice can reflect or refract sunlight in the atmosphere.
Then the professor explains the three phenomena the question is about (“there are three” is a key phrase that should tell you the following description is what you’ll be asked about).
- halos: ice crystals are randomly oriented, it’s a circle around the sun
- sun dogs: ice crystals are horizontal, it’s bright spots on each side of the sun
- sun pillars: it’s a column of light above the sun, light reflects instead of refracting
---
For this one you would need to make sure your introduction doesn’t go too long and that you have time to describe all three phenomena.
---
DELTA part 3.9 (starting on p. 322) has some other examples of this type of speaking task to practice