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HANDOUT OF
TOEFL PREPARATION WORKSHOP
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
The first section of the TOEFL test is Listening Comprehension Section. There are three parts
in the Listening comprehension section of the TOEFL test:
In Listening Part A you will hear a short conversation between two people; this conversation
is followed by a question. These are some important strategies to follow:
1. You must listen to the second line of the conversation as the answer can be found
there.
2. You can listen to the first line if you understand about the information. Don’t be
worry if the information is not clear for you because it may not probably contain the
answer.
3. The most important thing that you should do is to repeat the information of second
line in your mind while reading through the options in the text.
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man) Billy really made a big mistake this time.
(woman) Yes, he forgot to turn in his research
paper.
(narrator) What does 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 didn’t remember to submit his assignment.
Exercise Skill 1. In this exercise, you are asking to focus on the second line of the
conversation.
1 (man) Can you tell me if today’s matinee a She has strong ideas about
is a comedy romance or western? movies
(woman) I have no idea b She prefers comedies over
(narrator) What does the woman mean? western and romances
c She doesn’t like today’s matinee
d She does not know
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
TOEFL Exercise 1.In this exercise, listen carefully to the short conversation and question on
the tape, and then choose the best answer to the question. You should focus carefully on the
second line.
Often the correct answer in a short dialogue is an answer that contains synonyms (words with
similar meaning but different sounds) for the key word in the conversation. These are some
important strategies to follow:
1. When you listen to the second line of the conversation, please focus on the key words
in the line
2. After identifying key words from the second line of the conversation, please find the
synonyms of the words on the option. This must be the correct answer
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Exercise Skill 2. In this exercise, underline key words in the second line of each
conversation. Remember, the best answer is probably the answer that contains synonyms for
the key words in the second line of the dialogue.
1 (woman) Did you ask the manager about a He got a job as bookstore manager.
the job in the bookstore? b The bookstore was not accepting
(man) Yes, and I also had to fill out an applications
application. c He saw a book about how to apply
(narrator) What does the man mean? for jobs
d It was necessary to complete a form.
2 (man) We’re planning to leave for the trip a If they could leave at noon.
at about 2:00 b If it is possible to go by 12:00.
(woman) Couldn’t we leave before noon? c Why they can’t leave at noon.
(narrator) What does the woman ask? d If they could leave the room.
TOEFL Exercise 2.In this exercise, listen carefully to the short conversation and question on
the tape, and then choose the best answer to the question. You should look for synonyms for
key words in the second line.
1. (A) The final exam was harder than 4. (A) He did not look at the right
the others. schedule.
(B) There were two exams rather than (B) The plane landed in the right place.
one. (C) The plane arrived on time.
(C) He thought the exam would be (D) He had to wait for the plane to
easier. land.
(D) The exam was not very difficult.
5. (A) She’d rather go running.
2. (A) He’s not feeling very well. (B) She doesn’t want to go into the
(B) He’s rather sick of working. pool.
(C) He’s feeling better today than (C) She’ll change clothes quickly
yesterday. and go swimming.
(D) He’d really rather not answer (D) She needs a sweat suit to go
the question. running.
3. (A) The company was founded about
a year ago.
(B) It was just established that he could
go into business.
(C) The family is well established.
(D) The business only lasted a year.
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Often the incorrect answers in conversations are answers that contain words with similar
sounds but the meaning is very different from what you hear on the tape. You should avoid
these answers. These are some important strategies to follow:
1. Identify key words in the second line of the conversation
2. Identify words in the answers that have similar sounds. Please do not choose these
answers
Exercise Skill 3. In this exercise, you are asking to avoid similar sound. Please find the
answer by examining the information given on the second line.
1 (woman) I heard that Sally just moved a Sally has no sense of responsibility.
into a new, big house near the b Sally sent her friend to the house.
beach. c Sally has no money.
(man) But Sally doesn’t have a cent! d Sally is on the set with her.
(narrator) What does the man
mean?
2 (woman) Did they get the new car they a They locked the map car.
wanted? b They locked many times in the car.
(man) No, they lacked the money. c It cost a lot of money when the car
(narrator) What does the man mean? leaked oil.
d They didn’t have enough money to
buy another car.
TOEFL Exercise 3: In this exercise, listen carefully to the short conversation and question
on the tape, and then choose the best answer to the question. You should be careful to avoid
answers with similar sounds.
1. (A) She has to wait for some cash. around Boston.
(B) The waiter is bringing a glass of (D) He has been traveling back and
water. forth to Boston.
(C) The lawn is too dry.
(D) She needs to watch out for a crash. 4. (A) He thought the lesson didn’t matter.
(B) He couldn’t learn the lesson.
2. (A) The sweater’s the wrong size. (C) He learned a massive number of
(B) The man’s feet aren’t sweating. details.
(C) The sweater makes the man seem (D) He didn’t like most of the lesson.
fat.
(D) The sweet girl doesn’t feel right. 5. (A) Some animals started the first fire.
(B) Animals are killed by forest fires.
3. (A) He has been regularly using a (C) In the first frost, animals die.
computer. (D) Frost can kill animals.
(B) He communicates with a Boston
company.
(C) He regularly goes communities
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
The following skills will help you to implement these strategies in Part B & C of the
Listening Comprehension section of the TOEFL test.
Before Listening
1. Anticipate the topics
2. Anticipate the questions
Example:
In your test book, you read:
While Listening
1. Determine the topic
2. Draw conclusion about who, what, when, where and how
Example:
On the recording you hear:
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
TOEFL Exercise Part B : Listen to a complete conversation and answer the questions that
follow.
TOEFL Exercise Part C : Listen to a complete talk and answer the questions that follow.
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
The second section of the TOEFL test is Structure and Written Expression. You have twenty-
five minutes to complete the questions. This section is divided into:
1. Structure (question 1-15) consists of fifteen sentences in which part of each sentence
has been replaced with a blank. Each sentence is followed by four answer choices.
You have to choose the correct one.
2. Written expression (questions 16-40) consists of twenty sentences in which four
words of groups of words have been underlined. You must choose the incorrect one.
b. Verb
Verb 1 / Verb 1(s/es) : Many students get high score. / A butterfly flies away.
Verb 2 : The boy won a Math Olympiad.
c. Auxiliary + verb
Have + Verb 3, Has + verb3, Had + verb3 : A young man has visited this site
twice.
Tobe + Verb-ing : A baby is crying in the next door.
Modal + Verb1 : He can speak Mandarin.
Tobe + Verb 3 : A speech was delivered by the
President.
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example:
Missing subject 1. was backed up for miles on the freeway.
(A) Yesterday
(B) In the morning
(C) Traffic
(D) The
Missing verb 2. Engineers for work on the news on the new space program.
(A) necessary
(B) are needed
(C) hopefully
(D) next month
Example:
1. George ,______ , is attending the lecture.
(A) right now
(B) happily
(C) because of the time
(D) my friend
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example:
The packages at the post office will arrive Monday.
(A) mailing
(B) mailed
(C) mail
(D) to mail
Clause 1 Clause 2
Question:
(A) Then
(B) So
(C) Later
(D) Next
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example:
*indicates an error
The key (to the doors) *are in the drawer.
Singular plural
The keys (to the door) *is in the drawer.
Plural singular
TOEFL exercise:
1. Among bees _______ a highly elaborate form of communication.
(A) Occur
(B) Occurs
(C) It occurs
(D) They occur
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example:
1. Superman made their comic debut in 1938 in Action Comics.
A B C D
2. President Andrew Jackson had an official cabinet, but him prefered the advice of his
A B C D
informal advisor, the Kitchen Cabinet.
Example:
1. An human ear responds to a wide range of frequencies.
A B C D
2. The alcohol acts as a narcotic on the nervous system and the brain.
A B C D
Example:
1. The potato was the staple of Ireland, and when the crop failed in 1840, there
was
A B C
mass starvations.
D
2. Our skulls is made up of eight cranial and fourteen facial bones.
A B C D
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
The third section of the TOEFL test is Reading Comprehension. This section consists of five
passages and fifty questions. You have fifty-five minutes to answer the questions.
Where to find the answer: The answer can generally be determined by looking at
the first sentence of each paragraph.
How to answer the question: Read the first line of each paragraph
Look for a common theme or idea in the first
lines
Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the
passage to check that you have really found the
topic sentence
Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and
choose the best answer from the remaining
choices
Example:
Hurricanes generally occur in the North Atlantic from May through
Line November, with the peak of hurricane season in September; only rarely will they
occur from December thought Aprik in that part of the ocean. The main reason
fro the occurrence of hurricanes during this period is that the temperature on the
5 water’s surface is at its warmest and the humidity of the air is at its highest.
Of the tropical storms that occur each year in the North Atlantic. Only
about five, on average, are powerful enough to be called hurricanes. To be
classified as a hurricane, a tropical storm must have winds reaching speeds of at
least 117 kilometers per hour, but the winds are often much stronger than that; the
10 winds of intense hurricanes can easily surpass 240 kilometers per hour.
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example
Line In English there are many different kinds of expressions that people use to
give a name to anything whose name is unknown or momentarily forgotten. The
word gadget is one such word. It was first used by British sailors in the 1850’s and
probably came from the French word gachette, with was a small hook. In everyday
5 use, the word has a more general meaning. Other words are also used to give a name
to something unnamed or unknown, and these words tend to be somewhat
imaginative. Some of the more commonly used expressions are a what-d’ye-call-it, a
whatsis, a thingamabob, a thingamajig, a doodad, or a doohickey.
the questions :Which of the following is NOT true about the word “gadget”?
(A) It is used to name something when the name is not known.
(B) It was used at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
(C) It most likely came from a word in the French language.
(D) Its first known use was by British sailors.
How to identify the question The pronoun “.....’ in line X refers to which of the
following?
The word “.....” in line X refers to...
Where to find the answer The line where the pronoun is located is generally given in
the question. The noun that the pronoun refers to is
generally found before the pronoun.
Example
Carnivorous plants, such as the sundew and the Venus-Flytrap, are generally
found in humid areas where there is an inadequate supply of nitrogen in the soil.
Line In order to survive, these plants have developed mechanisms to trap insects within
their foliage. They have digestive fluids to obtain the necessary nitrogen from the
5
insects. These plants trap the insects in a variety of ways. The sundew has sticky
hairs on its leaves; when an insect lands on these leaves, it gets caught up in the
sticky hairs, and the leaf wraps itself around the insect. The leaves of the Venus-
Flytrap function more like a trap, snapping suddenly and forcefully shut around an
insect.
the questions : the pronoun “they” in line 3 refers to
(A) humid areas
(B) these plants
(C) insects
(D) digestive fluids
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
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Handout of TOEFL Preparation Workshop
Example
One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century
is behaviorism – the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior,
which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not.
Line
Probably the best known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous
5 for his research on how rewards and punishments influence behavior. He came to
e
Line believe that positive reinforcements such praise, food, or money were more
e effective in promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or
punishment.
REFERENCES
Philips, Deborah, 2006. Longman Course for The TOEFL® Test. New York. Pearson
Education, Inc.
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