LESSON 1

TOEFL Excercise
The purpose of the TOEFL test is to evaluate the English proficiency of people who are non-native
English speakers. In addition, international companies, government agencies, scholarship programs,
and recruitment agencies use TOEFL scores to evaluate English proficiency.

The TOEFL excercise has 4 sections :

Section 1: Listening
Section 2: Structure (Grammar)
Section 3: Reading
Section 4: Writing

Section 1 : Listening Section

Independent Listening Practice 1, 2, 3
Choose the best answer for multi-choice question.

1. What are the Student mainly discussing?

A. The text book for Dr. Petersons course
B. The lecture notes their psychology class
C. The professors that they are taking classes with.
D. The courses that they will take next term
2. What kind of lecture does the woman prepare? (2 answers)
A. A linear presentation
B. Pictures and videos.
C. Stories and anecdotes.
D. Handouts with lists.
3. Why does the man criticize Dr. Woods?
A. He isnt very well prepared for his lectures.
B. Sometimes he has his teaching assistant give the class.
C. His research is not very interesting.
D. The way he responds to questions is confusing.
4. What is the womans attitude toward Dr. Woods?
A. She is not very interested in his lectures.

B. She thinks that he is very handsome.

C. She does not like his choice of teaching assistant.
D. She enjoys his class because of his teaching style.
5. What will the woman most probably do?
A. Register for Dr. Petersons class next semester
B. Take child psychology with Dr. Woods.
C. Change her major to psychology.
D. Read the book instead of attending class.
6. Why does the student go to see the professor?
A. To make an appointment for tomorrow.
B. To interview with him for a scholarship.
C. To get advice about her scholarship application.
D. To turn in her essay before the due date.
7. What information is required in the essay? (2 answers)
A. The applicants financial situation.
B. The educational background of the applicant.
C. The goals that the applicant has set.
D. The name of professors who support the applicant.
8. When does the woman need to turn in her application to the commitee?
A. Today.
B. Tomorrow.
C. This Friday
D. Next week.
9. Listen again to part of the conversation. Then answer the question.?
Your grade point average is what a 4.0?
So far I have all As
Say what I am saying?

Why does the professor say this?

Your grade point average is what a 4.0?

A.
B.
C.
D.

To determine whether she would qualify for the scholarship.

To verify the number that she has written on the application.
To encourage her and give her more self-confidence.
To ask her to think about the advice that he has given her.

10. Why does professor Walters tell the woman to pretend she is writing about her friend Kathy?
A. Because she needs to practice writing an essay.
B. Because Kathy is a good candidate for a scholarship.

C. Because she is embarrassed to write about herself.

D. Because she is Kathys best friend.
11. What is the purpose of this lecture?
A. To discuss the effect of the Internet on social interaction.
B. To prove that computers have had a positive influence on life.
C. To report that almost all college students use the Internet.
D. To design an experiment that will measure internet use by the class.
12. Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.?
What do you think?
Disappointment maybe?
Go on
Well, maybe they expected too much from their internet friends. I mean, if
you think, that a person you meet on the Internet is going to be your special
someone, that probably isnt going to happen

Why does the professor say this:

go on

A.
B.
C.
D.

He wants to give someone else a turn to speak.

He is asking the student to give a more complete answer.
He disagree with the students answer to the question..
He is telling the student to try another answer..

13. What were the results of the research study?

A. People who use the Internet were less likely to feel lonely.
B. Internet users had less communication with family who lived nearby
C. More depression was reported by those who used the Internet.
D. Mental health improved when people used the Internet
14. The professor give an example of a person who exchanges recipes with someone on the Internet. What
does this example demonstrate?
A. Who is likely to make friends on the Internet.
B. Why the Internet is good of someone in a rural area.
C. How to get good advice on the Internet.
D. What to expect from an Internet friend.
15. Why does professor question to the results of the research?
A. Because the study lasted only a few months.
B. Because there were very few subjects in the study.
C. Because there was only one study done.
D. Because the findings were not conclusive.

16. What is the attitude of the professor toward the students?

A. He wants them to wait for him to call on them.
B. He expects him to agree with him about the research.
C. He expects their opinion on the topic of discussion.
D. He does not like them to ask many questions.

Section 2 : Structure (Grammar)

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

1. A log grabber has a long arm ________, which stretches out to pick up logs.
(A) calls a jib
(B) calling a jib
(C) a jib called
(D) called a jib

2. A home computer ________ an opportunity for convenient and efficient work at

home.
(A) provides
(B) to be providing
(C) which provides
(D) providing it
3. Eli Whitneys milling machine remained unchanged for a century and a half
because ________ was so efficient.
(A) it
(B) he
(C) of
(D) its
4. Some of the rainwater from clouds evaporates before ________ .
(A) reaching the ground
(B) to reach the ground
(C) reach the ground

(D) the ground reaches

5. Once an offending allergen has been identified ________ tests, it is possible for the
doctor to give specific desensitizing injections.
(A) means of
(B) by means of
(C) of the means by
(D) by means
6. Sometimes ________ wears people out and is worse than the lack of sleep itself.
(A) to sleep the desire
(B) the desire to sleep
(C) to desire sleep is
(D) the desire to sleep who

7. Although dissimilar in almost every other respect, birds and insects have both
evolved efficient ________ capabilities.
(A) fly
(B) flying
(C) to fly
(D) is flying
8. The wheel, ______ has remained important for 4,000 years, is one of mankinds
first inventions.
(A) how
(B) when
(C) which
(D) about
9. ________ children master the basics, advanced development becomes easier.
(A) The
(B) Once
(C) That
(D) Even

10. _______ there is a close correlation between stress and illness.

(A) Some psychologists believe

(B) Believed some psychologists
(C) Some psychologists to believe
(D) Some psychologists believing

11. ________ is often used in soups and sauces.

(A) Parsley, an inexpensive herb,
(B) Parsley is an inexpensive herb,
(C) Inexpensive parsley, herb,
(D) An herb is inexpensive parsley,

12. Perspiration increases ________ vigorous exercise or hot weather.

(A) during
(B) when
(C) at the time
(D) for

13. Goddard developed the first rocket to fly faster ___________.

(A) than sound is
(B) does sound
(C) sound
(D) than sound

14. Even if the unemployment rate _______ sharply, the drop may still be temporary.
(A) to drop
(B) dropping
(C) have dropped
(D) drops

15. Studies indicate ________ collecting art today than ever before.
(A) there are than more people

(B) more people that are

(C) that there are more peopleFOR STUDENT
(D) people there are more

Error Identification

16. The surface of the tongue covered with tiny taste buds.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

17. Cosmic distance is measured on light years.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

18. A million of tourists from all over the world visit New York every year.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

19. Whereas Earth has one moon, the planet call Mars has two small ones.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

20. An ardent feminist, Margaret Fuller, through her literature, asked that women be
(A)

(B)

(C)

given a fairly chance.

(D)

21. No longer is scientific discovery a matter of one person alone working.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

22. The scientific method consists of forming hypotheses, collect data, and testing results.
(A)

(B)

(C)

23. All data in computer are changed into electronic pulses by an input unit.

(D)

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

24. The basic law of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are taught to
(A)

(B)

(C)

all elementary school students.l

(D)

25. A largely percentage of Canadian export business is with the United States.
(A)

(B)

(C) (D)

26. The famous Jim Thorpe won both the pentathlon or decathlon in the the 1912 Olympic Games.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

27. Acute pharyngitis pain is most often caused by a viral infection, for who antibiotics are ineffective
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

28. Knowledges about cultures provides insights into the learned behaviors of groups.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

29. A fiber optic cable across the Pacific went into service in April 1989, link the
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

United States and Japan.

30. Dislike the gorilla, the male adult chimpanzee weighs under 200 pounds.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

31. Before lumberjacks had mechanical equipments, they used horses and ropes to drag logs.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

32. George Gershwin not only composed popular songs for musicals, also wrote more serious concerts.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

33. Among the worlds 44 richest countries, there has been not war since 1945.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

34. Caricature, a type of comic exaggeration, is common used in political cartoons.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D

35. One and more sentences related to the same topic form a paragraph.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

36. Mirrors done of shiny metal were used by the Egyptians in ancient times.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

37. Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are one of Americas national treasures.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

38. In his early days as a direct, Charlie Chaplin produced 62 short, silent comedy films in four years.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

39. Some studies show that young babies prefers the smell of milk to those of other liquids.
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

40. Plants absorb water and nutrients and anchoring themselves in the soil with their root..
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

Section 3 : Reading
Question 1-10
A rather surprising geographical feature of Antarctica is that a huge freshwater lake, one of the
worlds largest and deepest, lies hidden there under four kilometers of ice. Now known as Lake
Vostok, this huge body of water is located under the ice block that comprises Antarctica. The lake is
lin
able to exist in its unfrozen state beneath this block of ice because its waters are warmed by
e

geothermal heat from the earths core. The thick glacier above lake Vostok actually insulates it from
the frigid temperatures (the lowest ever recorded on Earth) on the surface.
The lake was first discovered in the 1970s while a research team was conducting an aerial survey
of the area. Radio waves form the survey equipment penetrated the ice and revealed a body of water of
indeterminate size. It was not until much more recently that data collected by satellite made by
(10) scientists aware of the tremendous size of the lake; the satellite-borne radar detected an extremely flat
region where the ice remains level because it is floating on the water of the lake.
The discovery of such a huge freshwater lake trapped under Antarctica is of interest to the
scientific community because of the potential that the lake contains ancient microbes that have
survived for thousands upon thousands of years, unaffected by factors such as nuclear fallout, and
(15) elevated ultraviolet light that have affected organisms in more exposed area. The downside of the
discovery, however, lies in the difficulty of conducting research on the lake in such a harsh climate and
in the problems associated with obtaining uncontaminated samples from the lake without actually
exposing the lake to contamination. Scientists are looking for possible ways to accomplish this.

1. The purpose of the passage is to

(A) explain how lake Vostok was
discovered
(B) present an unexpected aspect of
Antarcticas geography
(C) discuss future plans for lake Vostok
(D) provide satellite data concerning
Antarctica

(D) It is heated by the sun.

4. Which of the following is closest in

meaning to frigid in line 6
(A) Quite harsh
(B) Never changing
(C) Extremely cold
(D) Rarely recorded

2. The word lies in line 2 could best be

replaced by

5. All of the following are true about the 1970

survey of Antarctica EXCEPT that it

(A) sleeps
(B) inclines

(A) was conducted by air

(C) tells falsehoods

(B) was controlled by a satellite

(D) sits

(C) did not measure the exact size of the

lake
(D) made use of radio waves

3. What is true of Lake Vostok?

(A) It is beneath a thick slab of ice.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the

ice would not be flat if

(B) It is not a saltwater lake.

(C) It is completely frozen.

(A) Antarctica were not so cold

(B) the lake were not so big

(C) there were no lake
(D) radio waves were not use

7. The word microbes in line 13 could best

be replaced by which of the following
(A) Tiny organisms
(B) Trapped bubbles
(C) Pieces of dust

8. The passage mentions which of the

following as a reason for the importance of
Lake Vostok to scientists?
(A) It can be studied using radio waves.
(B) t has already been contaminated.
(C) It may have elevated levels of
ultraviolet light.
(D) It may contain uncontaminated
microbes.

(D) Ray of light

9. The word downside in line 15 is closest in

meaning to
(A) bottom level
(B) buried section
(C) underside
(D) negative aspect

10. The paragraph following the passage most

probably discusses
(A) ways to study Lake Vostok without
contaminating it
(B) problems with satellite-borne radar
equipment
(C) further discoveries on the surface of
Antarctica
(D) the harsh climate of Antarctica

Questions 11-21
In the American colonies there was little money. England did not supply the colonies with coins
and it did not allow the colonies to make their own coins, except for the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
which received permission for a short period in 1652 to make several kinds of silver coins. England
lin
wanted to keep money out of America as a means of controlling trade; America was forced to trade
e only with England if it did not have the money to buy products from other countries. The result during
this pre-Revolutionary period was that the colonists used various goods in place of money: beaver
pelts, Indian wampum, and tobacco leaves were all commonly used substitutes for money. The
colonists also made use of any foreign coins they could obtain. Dutch, Spanish, French, and English
coins were all in use in the American colonies.
(10)

During the Revolutionary War, funds were needed to finance the war, so each of the individual
states and the Continental Congress issued paper money. So much of this paper money was printed
that by the end of the war, almost no one would accept it. As a result trade in goods and the use of
foreign coins still flourished during this period.

By the time the Revolutionary War had been won by the American colonists, the monetary
(15) system was in a state of total disarray. To remedy this situation, the new Constitution of the United
States, approved in 1789, allowed Congress to issue money. The individual states could no longer have
their own money supply. A few years later, the Coinage Act of 1792 made the dollar the official
currency of the United States and put the country on a bimetallic standard. In this bimetallic system,
both gold and silver were legal money, and the rate of exchange of silver to gold was fixed by the
(20) government at sixteen to one.

11. The passage mainly discusses

(B) a punishment for

(C) a result of

(A) American money from past to present

(D) a method for

(B) the American monetary system of the

seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
(C) the effect of the Revolution on
American money
(D) the English monetary policies in
colonial America

15. Which of the following is NOT mentioned

in the passage as a substitute for money
during the colonial period?
(A) Wampum
(B) Beaver furs

12. The passage indicates that during the

colonial period, money was

(C) Tobacco
(D) Cotton

(A) scarce
(B) coined by the colonists

16. The pronoun it in line 12

(C) supplied by England

(D) used extensively for trade

(A) The Continental Congress

(B) Paper money

13. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was

allowed to make coins
(A) continuously from the inception of the
colony

(C) The war

(D) Trade in good

(B) for a short time during one year

(C) from 1652 until the Revolutionary
War
(D) throughout the seventeenth century

14. The expression a means of in line 4 could

best be replaced by
(A) an example of

17. It is implied in the passage that at the end of

the Revolutionary War, a paper dollar was
worth
(A) exactly one dollar

(B) almost nothing

(C) just over one dollar
(D) just under one dollar

18. The word remedy in the line 15 is closest

in meaning to

20. According to the passage, which of the

following is NOT true about the bimetallic
monetary system?
(A) Either gold or silver could be used as
official money.
(B) It was established in 1792.

(A) renew
(B) understand
(C) resolve
(D) medicate

19. How was the monetary system arranged in

the Constitution?
(A) Various state governments, including
Massachusetts, could issue money
(B) The United States officially went on a
bimetallic monetary system.
(C) Only the United States Congress could
issue money.
(D) The dollar was made the official
currency of the United States.

(C) The monetary system was based on

two metals.
(D) Gold could be exchanged for silver at
a rate of sixteen to one.

21. The word fixed in line 19 is closest in

meaning to
(A) discovered
(B) set
(C) valued
(D) repair

Section 4: Writing
Directions : These sample tasks in the Writing section measure your ability to write in English in
an academic environment. There will be 2 writing tasks.

For the first task in this sampler, you will read a passage and part of a lecture about an
academic topic. Then you will write a response to a question that asks you about the
relationship between the lecture and the reading passage. Try to answer the question as
completely as possible using information from the reading passage and the lecture. The
question does not ask you to express your personal opinion. In an actual test, your response
would be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage
For the second task, you will demonstrate your ability to write an essay in response to a
question that asks you to express and support your opinion about a topic or issue. In an
actual test, your essay would be scored on the quality of your writing. This includes the
development of your ideas, the organization of your essay, and the quality and accuracy of
the language you use to express your ideas.
At the end of the Writing section, you will find two sample essays for each question, the
score they received, and an explanation of how they were scored.
In an actual test, you would be able to take notes while you listened and use your notes to
help you answer the questions

LESSON 2

The Presentation Part 1 : Quotations

A presentation is a formal talk to one or more persons that presents ideas or information in a
clear, structured way. All presentations have a common objective: they are given in order to inform,
train, persuade or sell. The key factors of any successful presentation are:

the audience;
the contents of the presentation itself;
and the presenter

The starting point should always be the audience. If you consider their needs and interests you
cannot get off to a bad start.

Excercise 1. Checklist for Planning a Presentation. Arrange the following statements depending
on whether they are advisable or not

Dos

Donts

1. Understand the interest level of the audience;

2. Use jargon even if the audience doesnt understand it;
3. Use simple language;
4. Make the presentation focused, easy to understand;
5. Prepare a logic tree;
6. Skip any point of your presentation if you feel like;
7. Be rigid in following a sequence according to your plan;
8. Use any available sources for in-depth analysis;
9. Be prepared for any kind of question from audience;
10. Prepare cue cards;
11. Ignore the audience during your talk, its their problem if they do not follow you;
12. Insert abbreviations, such as AC, MBT, QA, etc., whenever possible to make your talk more
shortspoken;
13. Understand the audience question clearly;
14. Provide handouts for additional information

LESSON 3

Useful Expression in the Presentation

Introduction
A good way to make your presentations effective, interesting and easy to follow is to use signpost
language. 'Signpost language' is the words and phrases that people use to tell the listener what has
just happened, and what is going to happen next.
In other words, signpost language guides the listener through the presentation. A good presenter
will usually use a lot of signpost language, so it is a good idea to learn a few of the common
phrases, even if you spend more time listening to presentations than giving them! Signpost
language is usually fairly informal, so it is relatively easy to understand.
Section of presentation

Signpost language

Introducing the topic

The subject/topic of my talk is ...

I'm going to talk about ...
My topic today is
My talk is concerned with ...

Overview (outline of presentation) Im going to divide this talk into four parts.
There are a number of points I'd like to make.
Basically/ Briefly, I have three things to say.
I'd like to begin/start by ...
Let's begin/start by ...
First of all, I'll...
and then Ill go on to
Then/ Next ...
Finally/ Lastly ...
Finishing a section

That's all I have to say about...

We've looked at...
So much for...

Starting a new section

Moving on now to
Turning to...
Lets turn now to
The next issue/topic/area Id like to focus on
Id like to expand/elaborate on
Now we'll move on to...
I'd like now to discuss...
Let's look now at...

Analysing a point and giving

recommendations

Where does that lead us?

Let's consider this in more detail...
What does this mean for...?
Translated into real terms...
Why is this important?
The significance of this is...

Giving examples

For example,...
A good example of this is...
As an illustration,...
To give you an example,...
To illustrate this point...

Summarising and concluding

To sum up ...
To summarise...
Right, let's sum up, shall we?

Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at...

If I can just sum up the main points...
Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've
covered...
To conclude...
In conclusion ...
In short ...
So, to remind you of what Ive covered in this talk,
Unfortunately, I seem to have run out of time, so Ill conclude
very briefly by saying that ..
I'd like now to recap...
Paraphrasing and clarifying

Simply put...
In other words.......
So what Im saying is....
To put it more simply....
To put it another way....

Invitation to discuss / ask questions Im happy to answer any queries/ questions.

Does anyone have any questions or comments?
Please feel free to ask questions.
If you would like me to elaborate on any point, please ask.
Would you like to ask any questions?
Any questions?

Exercise 1. Imagine that you are to give a presentation. Do the quiz

about body language and discuss your answers with a partner. More
than one answer is possible.

1. What should you do when you feel nervous?

a. Hold a pen or cards in your hands.
b. Try to speak slowly and calmly.
c. Look at the screen. (not at the audience)

2. How should you express enthusiasm?

a. By establishing eye contact with each member of the audience.
b. By waving your arms.
c. By raising your voice andmaking hand or arm gestures during important points.

3. How should you stand?

a. Relaxed or leaning against the wall (table)
b. Straight, but relaxed with your hands by your sides
c. Arms crossed over your chest
d. Back turned to the audience.

4. How should you maintain eye contact with the audience?

a. Focus on a small amount of people and look at them as often as possible.
b. Look at your notes, the screen or the floor.
c. Spread your attention around the audience, and make eye contact with each person.

5. How should you emphasise something?

a. Move forward to show that something is important.
b. Use a pen or a pointer to draw attention to important parts of the presentation.
c. Use your finger to point out important parts of the presentation.

6. How should you speak?

a. Speak with the same, flat, monotonous voice throughout your presentation
b. At either normal speed or slightly slower than usual.

Exercise 2. Put the words in the right order to make expressions which can be used inthe main
part of a presentation.
1. Lets / point/ move on / the next / now to
____________________________________________________

2. My aim is / about / developments / the latest / to inform you

____________________________________________________

3. As I mentioned / give / Ill / a brief overview / you / earlier

____________________________________________________
4. Moreover, / should / there are / interesting facts / we / other / take a look at.
____________________________________________________
5. In addition to / that/ Id like / this, / to say
____________________________________________________
6. With / regard to / need / project design, / more details. / we
____________________________________________________
7. As / see / you / on the slide / can
____________________________________________________

LESSON 4
The Presentation Discussion

10 Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

A nationwide survey of more than 400 leaders and managers has revealed that over 90% found
business presentations boring. The top 10 reasons cited were as follows:
1. Too long - your presentation should ideally be no more than the average concentration span.
This means keeping your presentation time down to about 30 minutes maximum. After this
the audience's attention will be turning to other matters. As someone once wisely said, "A
presentation should be like a mini skirt: long enough to cover the vital things, but short
enough to retain interest."
2. Too monotonous - make the effort to vary your voice in terms of pace, volume and pitch.
Remember, much of the emotion a message is contained within the speaker's tonality. By
varying your tonality you will add emphasis and interest. Also, don't forget the power of the
pause.
3. Too reliant on PowerPoint - let your visual aids be your servant, not your master. Keep the
bullet points on any page to a maximum of 6 and 6 words on each point. Use simple
reveals, preferably without sound; fancy, inconsistent reveals distracts the audience's
attention. Remember the 'less is more' philosophy and don't overcrowd your slides with
information. This is especially true when you are using graphs to convey information.
4. No rapport/lack of understanding audience - the audience are the important people so
demonstrate that you care. You are there to serve them. Make sure that you keep good eye
contact with them. If nothing else, this will help you gauge their mood!
5. No obvious purpose or outcome - make sure that the audience knows WIIFT; or what's in it
for them. Give some thought to what they want from your presentation or, put another way,
why should they listen to you?
6. No hook or grab - you have a short time to engage the audience's interest. Make your
opening memorable by getting them involved, posing a question or giving them a
fascinating statistic. But, whatever you use, make sure it's relevant and supports your key
message.
7. No clear structure - use the 'law of 3'. Have 3 key points and a maximum of 3 sub-points
under each of the headings. Obviously have an opening and a close at either end! Also,
remember to signpost where you are taking your presentation so that the audience can keep
track of where you are and where you are going.
8. Not knowing material/reading from notes - you must rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. If you
know what slides are coming up or what your next point is, you won't have to take your
eyes off the audience for too long. Remember that most people can read faster than you can
talk.
9. No movement or too much movement - by moving about and using hand gestures you will
add to your tonality. Try to eliminate small, annoying gestures or mannerisms; fidgeting
with your hands, jiggling coins, or swaying backwards and forwards as these can reflect
nervousness or insecurity. If you can, video your rehearsals to see what mannerisms you
might have.
10. Weak close - no-one expects you to produce tears in the eyes and lumps in the throats, but
make sure that your close is a powerful and natural conclusion of your presentation and lets
the audience know what is expected of them.