Listening skills 1 10

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UCI ExtensionPaper-Based TOEFL Workshop

Listening Part A (1)

Listening Comprehension Skills 1-10Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL

Test

Tutorial prepared by Marla Yoshida

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The Listening Comprehension Section

The Listening Comprehension Section on the TOEFL measures your ability to understand spoken English, especially in academic contexts. It has a total of 50 questions, and it lasts 30-40 minutes. It is divided into three parts:

Part A: Short conversations (30 dialogs, one question each)

Part B: Long conversations (2 conversations, several questions each)

Part C: Longer talks (3 talks, several questions each)

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The Listening Comprehension Section

Here are some general strategies for the Listening section:

1. Know the directions. If you already know what to do, you won’t have to waste time during the test reading the directions.

2. Listen carefully. Stay calm and try not to get distracted or let your attention wander. You will hear everything only once.

3. The questions go from easier to harder.

4. Don’t leave any answers blank on your answer sheet. Even if you don’t know the answer, guess.

5. Look ahead at the answers to the next question if you have time. That will help you be ready to understand it better.

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Listening Comprehension Section, Part AIn Part A, you will hear 30 very short conversations between a man

and a woman. For each one, you will hear a question and choose the best answer from the four choices written in your test book. For example, you might hear:

(Man) Billy really made a big mistake this time.

(Woman) Yes, he forgot to turn in his research paper.

(Question) What does the 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.

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Listening Comprehension Section, Part AYou would choose answer (D) because “He forgot to turn in his

research paper” means the same thing as “He didn’t remember to submit his assignment.”

(Man) Billy really made a big mistake this time.

(Woman) Yes, he forgot to turn in his research paper.

(Question) What does the 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.

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Listening Comprehension Section, Part AIn this example, the answer to the question is clearly stated in the

dialog. However, in many of the conversations, the information will not be stated directly. You will have to make an inference from what the speakers say. In other words, you will have to make an intelligent guess.

Now let’s look at some strategies for doing well on Part A of the Listening Comprehension Section.

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Focus on the second line.

In the short conversations, the second line usually contains the answer to the test question. Therefore, you should focus on the second line. For example:

(Woman) Was anyone at home at Barb’s house when you went there to deliver the package?

(Man) I rang the bell, but no one answered.

(Question) What does the man imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Barb answered the bell.

(B) The house was probably empty.

(C) The bell wasn’t in the house.

(D) The house doesn’t have a bell.

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Focus on the second line.

You would choose answer (B) because “I rang the bell, but no one answered” implies that the house was empty. If anyone had been home, they would have answered the door.

(Woman) Was anyone at home at Barb’s house when you went there to deliver the package?

(Man) I rang the bell, but no one answered.

(Question) What does the man imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Barb answered the bell.

(B) The house was probably empty.

(C) The bell wasn’t in the house.

(D) The house doesn’t have a bell.

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Choose answers with synonyms

The correct answer usually does not have the same words as the conversation—it expresses the same meaning using different words—it uses synonyms. For example, you hear:

(Woman) Why is Barbara feeling so happy?

(Man) She just started working in a real estate agency.

(Question) What does the man say about Barbara?

In your test book, you read:

(A) She always liked her work in real estate.

(B) She began a new job.

(C) She just bought some real estate.

(D) She bought a real estate agency.

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Choose answers with synonyms

(B) is the correct answer. Began has the same meaning as started, and job has the same meaning as working. The words are different, but they have the same meaning.

(Woman) Why is Barbara feeling so happy?

(Man) She just started working in a real estate agency.

(Question) What does the man say about Barbara?

In your test book, you read:

(A) She always liked her work in real estate.

(B) She began a new job.

(C) She just bought some real estate.

(D) She bought a real estate agency.

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Avoid words with the same sounds

If an answer has the same words as the conversation, or if it has words that sound similar, it is probably the wrong answer. Look for an answer with the same meaning, not the same sound. For example:

(Man) Why couldn’t Mark come with us?(Woman) He was searching for a new apartment.(Question) What does the woman say about Mark?

In your test book, you read:(A) He was in the department office.(B) He was looking for a place to live.(C) He was working on his research project.(D) He had an appointment at church.

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Avoid words with the same sounds

The correct answer is (B) because it has the same meaning as the second line of the dialog. The other answers all have words that sound similar to words in the dialog: department/apartment, research/search, appointment/apartment, and church/search. If the words sound the same, they’re probably wrong!

(Man) Why couldn’t Mark come with us?(Woman) He was searching for a new apartment.(Question) What does the woman say about Mark?

In your test book, you read:(A) He was in the department office.(B) He was looking for a place to live. (C) He was working on his research project.(D) He had an appointment at church.

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Common questions on Part A• Questions like these are often heard in Part A. Be sure you know

what they mean.

What does the man/woman mean?

What does the man/woman imply?

What does the man/woman say about ____ ?

What does the man/woman suggest about ____ ?

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereIn many conversations, you will have to make an inference from

what the speakers say. You might hear questions like these:

Who is the man/woman?

What will the man/woman probably do next?

What will probably happen next?

Where does this conversation probably take place?

Use clues in the conversation to help you make an intelligent guess about the answers to these questions.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereHere is an example with a question that asks who.

(Woman) Can you tell me what assignments I missed when I was absent from your class?

(Man) You missed one homework assignment and a quiz.

(Question) Who is the man?

In your test book, you read:

(A) A newspaper editor.

(B) A police officer.

(C) A teacher.

(D) A student.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereThe clues your class, homework, and quiz tell us that the man is

probably a teacher, so we choose answer (C).

(Woman) Can you tell me what assignments I missed when I was absent from your class?

(Man) You missed one homework assignment and a quiz.

(Question) Who is the man?

In your test book, you read:

(A) A newspaper editor.

(B) A police officer.

(C) A teacher.

(D) A student.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereHere’s an example where we have to make a prediction about the

future:

(Woman) Are you going to read those books here in the library?

(Man) I think I’d rather check them out now and take them home.

(Question) What will the man probably do next?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Sit down in the library.

(B) Look for some more books.

(C) Return the books to the shelves.

(D) Go to the circulation desk.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereSince the man says he wants to check the books out (borrow them),

we can guess that he’ll go to the circulation desk (the desk where people check books out).

(Woman) Are you going to read those books here in the library?

(Man) I think I’d rather check them out now and take them home.

(Question) What will the man probably do next?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Sit down in the library.

(B) Look for some more books.

(C) Return the books to the shelves.

(D) Go to the circulation desk.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereHere’s a question that asks us to draw a conclusion about where the

conversation happens.

(Woman) Are you going into the water, or are you just going to lie there on the sand?

(Man) I’ll be there soon. First I need to put on some sunscreen.

(Question) Where does this conversation probably take place?

In your test book, you read:

(A) At a beauty salon.

(B) At the beach.

(C) In a sandbox.

(D) At an outdoor restaurant.

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Draw conclusions about who, what, whereWe can guess that this is happening at the beach because of the

clues water, sand, and sunscreen, so we will choose answer (B).

(Woman) Are you going into the water, or are you just going to lie there on the sand?

(Man) I’ll be there soon. First I need to put on some sunscreen.

(Question) Where does this conversation probably take place?

In your test book, you read:

(A) At a beauty salon.

(B) At the beach.

(C) In a sandbox.

(D) At an outdoor restaurant.

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Active and passive sentences

Sometimes the conversation contains an active statement, but the correct answer has a passive statement with the same meaning. Sometimes it’s the other way around. For example:

(Man) Did Sally go to the bank this morning?

(Woman) Yes, she did. She opened a new checking account.

(Question) What does the woman imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Sally wrote several checks.

(B) Sally wanted to check up on the bank.

(C) A new bank account was opened.

(D) Sally checked on the balance in her account.

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Active and passive sentences

We choose answer (C) because it has the same meaning as “she opened a new checking account,” but it is in the passive form. Be careful: In passive sentences, the subject receives the action, it doesn’t do it.

(Man) Did Sally go to the bank this morning?

(Woman) Yes, she did. She opened a new checking account.

(Question) What does the woman imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Sally wrote several checks.

(B) Sally wanted to check up on the bank.

(C) A new bank account was opened.

(D) Sally checked on the balance in her account.

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More than one noun

Some conversations name more than one noun or more than one person, and it’s easy to get confused. Be sure to listen carefully.

(Man) Do you know who is in the band now?

(Woman) Yes, I heard that Mara replaced Robert.

(Question) What does the woman say about the band?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Robert became a new member of the band.

(B) Robert took Mara’s place in the band.

(C) Mara didn’t have a place in the band.

(D) Mara took Robert’s place in the band.

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More than one noun

The correct answer is (D). “Mara replaced Robert” means that Robert is out and Mara is in. Answer (D) has that same meaning.

(Man) Do you know who is in the band now?

(Woman) Yes, I heard that Mara replaced Robert.

(Question) What does the woman say about the band?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Robert became a new member of the band.

(B) Robert took Mara’s place in the band.

(C) Mara didn’t have a place in the band.

(D) Mara took Robert’s place in the band.

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Negative expressions in conversationsSometimes you will hear a negative expression in a conversation.

Often the correct answer will contain an opposite word. For example:

(Man) How did you get to your grandmother’s house in Maine in only five hours?

(Woman) Well, we didn’t exactly drive slowly.

(Question) What does the woman say about the trip?

In your test book, you read:

(A) She drove rather quickly.

(B) She couldn’t have driven more slowly.

(C) She wanted to drive slowly to Maine.

(D) She didn’t drive to Maine.

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Negative expressions in conversationsThe conversation says the woman didn’t drive slowly. The correct

answer, (A), has the word quickly, which is the opposite of slowly. Therefore, it has the same meaning as not slowly.

(Man) How did you get to your grandmother’s house in Maine in only five hours?

(Woman) Well, we didn’t exactly drive slowly.

(Question) What does the woman say about the trip?

In your test book, you read:

(A) She drove rather quickly.

(B) She couldn’t have driven more slowly.

(C) She wanted to drive slowly to Maine.

(D) She didn’t drive to Maine.

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Negative expressions in conversationsWatch out for these kinds of negative expressions:

Regular negative with not or ’nt:

That isn’t the right key. That’s the wrong key.

Other negative words: nobody, none, nothing, never

Nobody arrived on time. Everybody was late.

Edward never works hard. Edward is lazy.

Negative prefixes: un-, in-, dis-

Tom felt unhappy. Tom felt sad.

He was impolite. He was rude.

The workers disconnected the phone. They took it apart.

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Double negatives in conversations

Some sentences have two negative expressions that together make a positive idea. For example:

(Man) I can’t believe the news that I heard about the concert.

(Woman) Well, it isn’t impossible for the concert to take place.

(Question) What does the woman say about the concert?

In your test book, you read:

(A) There’s no possibility that the concert will happen.

(B) The concert will definitely not happen.

(C) The concert might happen.

(D) The concert can’t happen.

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Double negatives in conversations

The woman says it’s not impossible, so she means it is possible. “The concert might happen” has the same meaning as “The concert is possible.”

(Man) I can’t believe the news that I heard about the concert.

(Woman) Well, it isn’t impossible for the concert to take place.

(Question) What does the woman say about the concert?

In your test book, you read:

(A) There’s no possibility that the concert will happen.

(B) The concert will definitely not happen.

(C) The concert might happen.

(D) The concert can’t happen.

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Double negatives in conversations

Watch out for these kinds of double negatives:

A negative word and a word with a negative prefix:

He is not unlike his father. He is like his father.

She is never unable to talk. She is always able to talk.

Two negative verbs:

It isn’t snowing, so they aren’t going to the mountains.

If it were snowing, they would go to the mountains.

Neither or not either:

Sue didn’t like the movie, and neither did Mark.

They both did not like the movie.

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Double negatives in conversations

Remember that some kinds of double negatives are not considered grammatical in English. Don’t say sentences like these:

We don’t never go the the movies.

Nobody doesn’t want to pay high taxes.

I didn’t do no homework yesterday.

Instead, say:

We don’t ever go to the movies.

Nobody wants to pay high taxes.

I didn’t do any homework yesterday.

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Almost negative expressions

There are several “almost negative” expressions in English—words like rarely or seldom. These words have meanings of “almost not,” “almost none,” or “almost never.” They don’t mean “completely not.” For example, if someone says:

I barely finished the test in time.

It means that he did finish in time, but with not much time left over. Here are some almost negative expressions:

Expressions Meaning Exampleshardly, barely, scarcely, only

almost none There’s hardly any food left. We have only a little time.

rarely, seldom, only

almost never He rarely drives to work.I’ve only been there once.

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Almost negative expressions

Here’s an example of a conversation with an almost negative expression:

(Woman) Were you able to pay the electric bill?

(Man) I had barely enough money.

(Question) What does the man imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) He had plenty of money for the bill.

(B) He did not have enough money for the bill.

(C) He paid the bill but has no money left.

(D) He was unable to pay the bill.

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Almost negative expressions

The man’s answer says he had barely enough money, so we know that he could pay the bill, but he had no money or only a tiny bit of money left afterward. Therefore, (C) is the best answer.

(Woman) Were you able to pay the electric bill?

(Man) I had barely enough money.

(Question) What does the man imply?

In your test book, you read:

(A) He had plenty of money for the bill.

(B) He did not have enough money for the bill.

(C) He paid the bill but has no money left.

(D) He was unable to pay the bill.

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Summary

In this section, you have learned the strategies for the Listening Comprehension Section, Part A:

• Focus on the second line of the conversation. The answer is probably there.

• Choose answers with synonyms, not the same words as in the conversation.

• Avoid words that sound similar to those in the conversation. They’re probably tricks!

• Use clues in the conversations to draw conclusions about who, what, and where. Make an intelligent guess.

• Be careful of negative expressions, double negatives, “almost negative” expressions, and negatives with comparatives.