2017-04-14 TOEFL: listening inference, ind writing

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Today we will talk about listening inference questions and independent writing
Remember: NO SCHOOL MONDAY
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Listening section: second part of the test, after reading
- 60-90 minutes, 2 or 3 sets of three listenings each
- Each set includes one conversation and two classroom talks (usually one lecture and one discussion)
- Usually 17 questions for each set, and you have 10 minutes to choose your answers (this doesn’t include the time to listen to the passages or to each question)
Listening question types:
- main idea
- purpose
- detail
- function
- inference
- organization (how is the lecture organized?)
- prediction
- attitude
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DELTA p. 230 - Listen and answer the questions.
1 D
2 B
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Handout (Cambridge) p. 289 - Listen to the excerpts and write “yes” (if you can infer the last sentence) or “no” (if you can’t). These are shorter than a full listening, but it still might be a good idea to take notes.
1 yes
2 no
3 no
4 yes “The transplant has probably not been done in humans.”
p. 290 - Listen to the excerpts and answer each question.
1 B
2 D
3 A
4 B - It’s about getting junior high (age 13-15) students interested in history.
exercise L20 - Answer each question in your own words.
1 She is an art major.
2 To give examples of toys that don’t become boring for children.
3 It’s a chance to learn about real accents and about Spanish culture outside of class.
4 There was recently an assault on campus.
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Oxford p. 231-232 - Listen to the conversation and take notes. Then read and answer the questions.
1 c
2 a
3 a d
4 b c d (“the faculty of Arts and Science” would be a single faculty of both arts and science)
5 c d
6 c
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Listen to the next discussion and take notes. Then compare your notes with your partner. Can you complete the outline on p. 232?
1. Study
	* participants
	- school children
	* method
	- measured body mass, did exercise, took a test
	* results
	- fittest students scored higher
2. Science behind results = process
	1. move the muscles
	2. produces IFG-1, which goes to the brain
	3. increases the production of BDNF
3. BDNF = Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
	* promotes higher level thought
	* more exercise = more capacity to handle cognitive tasks
	* study: BDNF causes new brain cells and new connections between cells
	* chemical that facilitates learning
questions
1 c (Correlation does not imply causation. Two things can happen together, but it doesn’t mean one causes the other.)
2 d
3 b
4 a c
5 a
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In a university, a typical schedule of terms is:
Fall: Sep-Dec
Winter: Jan-Apr
Spring: May-June
Summer: July-Aug
(The name of the term is the season in which the term begins.)
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Independent Writing: last part of the test (after you have been sitting there for about 3.5 hours)
- The prompt is always a choice question (in the same sense that the second speaking task is a choice question). There are two possible types of choice question:
	1 agree/disagree (They’ll give one statement, and you agree or disagree with it.)
	2 some people/other people (They’ll describe two (or more) positions, and you pick which one you agree with.)
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Example prompt:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
	There will be fewer cars in twenty years.
Use reasons and examples to support your response.
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Take five minutes to brainstorm some reasons to agree and some reasons to disagree.
Reasons to agree:
- people prefer to use other ways of transportation to avoid traffic
- government policy to limit cars
- new vehicles
- less people (why?)
- factories don’t make more cars (maybe from government policy)
- fuel sources will be used up
- government might increase public transportation to fight pollution
Reasons to disagree:
- car market will continue increasing
- population will increase
- cars may use other forms of energy
- people are moving out of cities and need cars to commute
- cars will become cheaper
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If we write a “disagree” response, which three reasons should we use?
1 population will increase
2 car market will continue increasing
3 people are moving out of cities and need cars to commute
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A typical essay will have five paragraphs:
1 Introduction - introduce the idea you’ll write about and state your opinion
2 first reason with supporting details and examples
3 second reason with supporting details and examples
4 third reason with supporting details and examples
5 Conclusion - summarize your reasons and restate your opinion; then generalize with a prediction or recommendation
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Example parts of an essay:
	Nowadays, cars are the most important way to travel. The number of cars has been increasing ever since the first car was invented. Some people believe this trend will continue into the future. Others believe it will reverse, and there will be fewer cars in 20 years than there are now. I believe that in twenty years the number of cars will be higher than now for three main reasons.
	[Tell the reader what you think directly. Don’t say you agree with the statement or disagree with the statement.]
	First, the population of Earth will continue to increase for at least the next 20 years. [Explain why this means there will be more cars.]
	Second, car companies will continue to expand the profitable market for cars. [Examples and details.]
	Finally, people are moving away from cities and they need cars to travel to work and school. [Examples and details.]
	To sum up, I think there will be more cars in 20 years because of the population increase, car company marketing, and the movement of people away from cities. [Maybe a recommendation about cleaner technology so the increase doesn’t destroy the environment.]
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Homework: Respond to this writing prompt and email me at [email protected]
Happiness has different meanings for different people. Some people find happiness in their work, while others find it in personal relationships or in liesure activities. What makes you happy and why? Please give details and examples to support your response.