TOEFLリスニング練習模試07
TOEFL Listening 7 Part 1
| Student: | Hey, Professor. Could I ask you for some advice? |
| Professor: | I’m always happy to help. What’s the situation? |
| Student: | Okay….well, I tried to enroll into the field study course a few weeks ago and I thought I couldn’t get in. It was already full and stuff and I had to be put on this waiting list. So, in the meantime, I applied for the independent study program. |
| Professor: | A reasonable reaction. |
| Student: | Right? I thought so. But now, I found out that I’m the first candidate on the waiting list of the field study. So I have, like, no idea what to do. Which course do you think I should take? |
| Professor: | Well, can your schedule accommodate both classes? |
| Student: | Yeah….it could. I just didn’t think of that. I mean….wouldn’t it make me way too busy? |
| Professor: | Well, only you know the answer to that. I would recommend that you take both if you can manage though. |
| Student: | I mean, that does make a lot of sense, in a way. Doing both gives me more experience and increases my overall learning. |
| Professor: | That it certainly does. Plus, if you were just going to wait to take one of them in the future, taking them both now frees up your schedule in subsequent semesters. |
| Student: | Hmm….okay. I think I’ll probably do that. I mean, I’ll have to sit and really think about how much work it’s gonna be because I don’t wanna take on too much and then do poorly because of that. |
| Professor: | Certainly, I wouldn’t want that either. I only suggest it if you think you can make it work. Otherwise, I would probably go with the class you had to get on the waitlist for. If you had to be waitlisted for it now, chances are good that you would be waitlisted in the future, which would make the other one easier to take later on should you choose that route. |
| Student: | Okay. Thanks. I was in such a panic…I couldn’t think of any of that stuff. So that’s really helpful. |
| Professor: | Like I said, I’m happy to help. By the way, I do know of a course offered in spring that is relevant to your interests, so if you took both now, you could look into that one for the future. |
| Student: | Yeah, I’ll have to keep that in mind. |
| Professor: | Do you happen to know the other candidate on the waiting list? |
| Student: | Ummm, the other guy lives on the same floor as me, but I don’t know him well. |
| Professor: | I see. Well, maybe one day you become good friends. You certainly seem to have the same interests since you’ve chosen the same course. |
| Student: | Yeah…that could be nice. |
| Professor: | Just a thought. |
| Student: | Yeah, I get what you’re saying. I haven’t met too many people yet who have the exact same interests as me, so this would be kinda cool. Hopefully we’ll both get in. Maybe I should go talk to him sometime. |
| Professor: | I think that would be a very nice thing to do. |
| Student: | I could even tell him about the spring course you just told me about. I feel like half the trouble I have is that I never realize what the good classes are until they’re all filled up, so you gave me a nice advantage. |
| Professor: | It can be tricky business, getting into the classes that you want. So staying ahead of things certainly helps. |
| Student: | Yeah…well, thanks again for all your advice. I’ll certainly take it seriously and figure out what’s gonna be best for me. |
| Professor: | Wonderful. Good luck with whatever you decide. |
| Student: | Thanks. Have a good day. |
| Professor: | You too. |
TOEFL Listening 7 Part 2
| Professor: | Okay! Let’s talk about urbanization in America. Urbanization is the process in which people moved from rural farming communities to more industrial city spaces. Of course, as more and more people moved from farms into cities, um, those cities got bigger and bigger. So the next questions should be, why did they want to live in cities? |
| So, cities. There was really no need for them in the time before factories and mass production because, well, most people just farmed to feed their families. However, in the 1800’s inventors came up with all sorts of new machines to improve mass production of all sorts of goods. Machines also transformed agriculture, making it easier and less human intensive. So, out of work on farms, people flocked to cities to find jobs in the new factories. Since America was on the forefront of this technological revolution, not only were many new urban dwellers from farming communities, but also from foreign countries, producing the largest boom in immigration America had ever seen. | |
| Now, this influx of people of course came with its fair share of positives and negatives. | |
| Let’s start with the bad first. So.. umm. to house all of these people, cheap buildings were thrown up practically overnight. This led to people living in crowded, unhealthy environments where they didn’t have proper access to water, clean air, trash removal, or sanitation. This caused massive occurrences of sickness and disease. And.. along with this new form of poverty came a rise in crime. Additionally, the rise in new immigrants from foreign countries created strong anti-immigrant feelings from people already in America, which resulted in some strong racial biases and hate crimes. It doesn’t sound great, I know, but there were some positives. So .. Can anyone think of a benefit? Yes! Amy? | |
| Amy: Umm. I would think people have more opportunities for work and the pay is higher in cities. | |
| Professor: Yes! aside from the obvious benefit most people received through steady employment, there were also improvements to roads and bridges. New forms of transportation were created, leading to subways, and public trains. This also saw mass expansion of museums, libraries, theaters. Many of America’s parks were first established at this time as well. The sudden revelation that public health mattered led to the creation of the first large scale hospitals. So many of the infrastructure perks that cities provide for ease of access to things we want and need came about because of this move towards urbanization. | |
| As a result of this massive movement of people, some America’s greatest cities were born. In a fifty year time span many established cities exploded with people, and hundred of new cities were born. New York, an already large city of one and a half million people more than doubled to over five million people. Other cities like Chicago went from being a small city of 300,000 people to a city of three million people. With those sorts of staggering numbers in mind, it becomes easier to see why these cities had a hard time keeping up with the growth. Problems with planning, organization, and regulation were just byproducts of the largest movement of human beings in world history. | |
| Nowadays it’s hard to imagine these early cities. We now live in a world where most people live in urban landscapes rather than on farms, but the cities we live in are so much different in some ways. We still have hospitals, libraries, subways, and parks. However, after more than a century of trial and error, we have figured out better policies for avoiding overcrowded homes without heat, water, or sanitation. But I want to end with a question, in what ways do we still need to grow? In what ways are we still making the same mistakes as 150 years ago? |
TOEFL Listening 7 Part 3
| Professor: | Okay! Let’s continue our discussions of helping behavior. Last time, we talked about the definition of helping behavior. It refers to voluntary actions intended to help the others, with reward regarded or disregarded….Which means you are going to help, whether you expect to be rewarded or if you do not plan on a reward. So! It is a type of prosocial behavior or voluntary action intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals, such as sharing, comforting, rescuing and helping. |
| So with everything there is a technical term, Right?…… In this case we are going to look at the term Altruism which is distinguished from general helping behavior….. Altruism refers to behavior that is carried out without expectation of obtaining external reward or internal reward. To put it simply, you are willing to help because it is right. A good example would be Police officers, nurses, Firefighters are willing to put their lives on the line without any reward. | |
| Now, I want to take a few minutes to go over a faucet of altruism that is well known in the psychology field…..It is called the Kin Selection theory……Kin selection theory explains altruism in evolutionary perspective. Natural selection screens out species without abilities to adapt to the challenging environment, so the preservation of good traits and superior genes are important for survival of future generations. | |
| So the Kin selection theory claims that people tend to help people with similar genetic base, and this behavior favors the chance of survival of people. I am not sure that I totally agree with this considering it would be wrong to judge the other person in the situation before reaching out to help them……You see this, this theory states that we would be hesitant to help someone out if their traits were not similar to our own…For instance, you would help someone out who looked like you and shared your race but would be hesitant to help out someone who was very different from you….and that to me just seems inhumane. | |
| Now, let us take a quick minute to go over another form of altruism: Reciprocal altruism. The idea is that the motivation for an individual to help in the present is based on the expectation of the potential receipt in the future…. So as you can see there is a reward, however, in this instance the person who is risking their life to save another would in turn expect the rescued to do the same for them or other people…..…. So technically, this form of altruism would cover someone giving their own life in return for others to carry on….you see there is a rewards but the person who passed so another could live never was able to experience the reward. | |
| So, then what would it be called if someone helped out another person simply because they felt bad? If I were to help you because I would feel bad if I didn’t, that would still benefit you but it would be my ego that was affected if I didn’t. This is called the negative-state relief model. | |
| Okay! I really enjoy this lecture because it gives people a better insight into why they do what they do in reference to helping people out. Let’s now take a pause and go over a few quick questions to see what we covered so far. Next week, we will talk about different psychological theories. |
TOEFL Listening 7 Part 4
| Jeremy: | Alright, so it’s time to start going over candidates for the job. |
| Evelyn: | Yes, I suppose it is. In terms of qualifications, we should be looking for someone who is an expert in Shakespeare and filmography. |
| Jeremy: | Okay….well, what about Amilia? She seems very passionate. |
| Evelyn: | Hmm… I was in her classroom once. I think she’s too young to be the right fit. Students don’t necessarily give her the respect needed to command such a class. And she is inexperienced. They can feel that. |
| Jeremy: | Understood. Perhaps we can keep an eye on her in the coming years once she has more experience under her belt. |
| Evelyn: | I don’t see why not. Do you have any other professors to recommend? |
| Jeremy: | Honestly, I kind of had my sights set on Amilia. I didn’t pay too much attention to other potential candidates. |
| Evelyn: | Jeremy… |
| Jeremy: | I know, I know. I’m sorry. It’s just, that kind of passion in teaching can be hard to find and I thought for sure you would like her so it didn’t seem like I needed to look much at anyone else. |
| Evelyn: | You know better than that. We must always look at each candidate equally. Sometimes, a quick glance won’t be informative enough and you end up dismissing someone that would be otherwise a good fit. |
| Jeremy: | Yeah, I know. My bet didn’t work out well, so I definitely should have looked at the other candidates. |
| Evelyn: | At any rate, there’s no use in belaboring the point. What do you think about James? |
| Jeremy: | James? Can’t say I’m impressed. I found him a bit boring in terms of his interaction in the classroom. |
| Evelyn: | Is that the only negative you observed? |
| Jeremy: | He also used too much jargon in his lecture without bothering to explain to his students. As a consequence, many, if not all, of the students were confused and completely lost interest in the material. |
| Evelyn: | I see….but he is well qualified for the position, it seems. |
| Jeremy: | Is that what it’s all about, qualifications? |
| Evelyn: | Certainly not, but they do matter. Remember, we’re looking for an expert in Shakespeare and filmography, not someone with a passing knowledge. |
| Jeremy: | Yeah…I just don’t want us to forget about all the other stuff. Passion is really important. It doesn’t matter how much a professor knows if he bores all of his students and causes them to lose interest. |
| Evelyn: | That’s true. |
| Jeremy: | And I know what you’re thinking. If we could just keep looking, we can get someone passionate like Amilia but with James’ qualifications. |
| Evelyn: | Yes, that would be the goal. It appears to be the best combination. |
| Jeremy: | Well, I know what your standards are now and I’ll set the bar higher when looking through more candidates. Hopefully, we can find someone who measures up. |
| Evelyn: | Alright. I’m counting on you, Jeremy. |
| Jeremy: | I won’t let you down! |
| Evelyn: | Well, back to work it is. |
| Jeremy: | Yeah…back to work. |
TOEFL Listening 7 Part 5
| Professor: | Now, many scientists will tell you that astrology is bunkum and has no place in a scientific institution such as this one. But since this is an anthropology course, and our ancient civilisations were in many ways, rightly or wrongly, shaped and influenced by astrology, I have no such reservations about including it in our lecture series. In fact, I will be dedicating several sessions to it, as we look from its roots to its various manifestations in Asia, South America, and in the modern day. |
| So, first of all, what is astrology? It’s a type of divination, based on the idea that celestial objects – the moon, stars, planets and so forth – that their movement, appearance and position – can influence human events. | |
| In its broadest sense, astrology is the ‘search for meaning in the sky’. Under this definition, astrology encompasses astronomy, and indeed, astrology was the precursor to it, and without it, we would not have the modern astronomy and all the..umm..ahhh… the technological benefits that go with an understanding of the skies. | |
| Let’s have a look back at its development. The earliest records of astronomical cycles go back 25,000 years, when prehistoric man made diagrams depicting lunar cycles on bones and cave walls. This was a significant step because it marks how prehistoric man is beginning to examine, question and understand the process of the natural world, and, to say that celestial bodies have no effect on earth is..well.. of course, not true. We all know that the moon influences tides and rivers. And, although we think of a year in terms of a solar year, in the Western world at least, you’re not too far off if you consider a year as 12 turns of the moon. And awareness of this helped ancient man to sow and harvest at the right time and prepare for annual weather conditions – like frost, floods and what have you – that might be detrimental to their crops. | |
| Astronomy as a predictive tool, … as a type of divination…, seems to have risen up in Ancient Babylon, or at least that’s what the records suggest. The Babylonians were recording planetary movements back in around 2000 BC. The tablet of Ammisaduqa, for example, is a Babylonian record of the observations of the planet Venus, written in cuneiform script. They kept records for a period of 21 years, and the records themselves date back, quite possibly, to around 2300 BC, though the tablet itself is more recent than that because it is a copy of the original one. Those records are observations, of course, not divinations or predictions. But we do have historical records that show they were involved in such practices. It’s important to note, however, that Babylonian astrology was solely mundane, by which I mean it was concerned with physical events like earthquakes, weather, politics and so on. There was no belief, at this time, that the position of stars could determine a single person’s fate. This type of horoscopic astrology did not emerge until later. The Ancient Babylonians were basically looking for signs. The gods were associated with certain planets and stars, and presented their will through them. If a certain celestial body displayed some sort of — erratic behaviour, it meant the god associated with it was angry and had to be appeased. The God’s wrath, it seemed, would be inflicted on the king and his realm, so it was the royal astronomer’s job to calm the god down and keep the king out of danger. | |
| Alright, interesting? Isn’t it? Now I want to point out that Astronomy was spread to other cultures and developed over time. Alexander the Great’s conquest of Asia, for example, was fundamental in the spread of astronomy, in that Babylonian beliefs filtered into Greek culture; the only difference being that Greek overtook cuneiform script as the international language of intellectuals. | |
| By the 1st century BCE, there were two strands of astrology: one concerned with reading about the past, present and future, and the other concerned with the soul and its ascent to the stars. In other words, we see the emergence of the horoscopic type of astrology. Greek culture later spread to Ancient Rome, and we find that in Rome, astrology was particularly popular among the plebs – that is, the lower orders of society. So, we have a document written by Cato in 160 BC, warning farmers about the dangers of consulting with Chaldeans – that was the name for the Babylonian star-gazers, in order to predict future weather conditions. In the 2nd-century, the Roman poet Juvenal commented on how Roman women hung on their every word. Later, even the high-born caught the astrological bug and Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius started employing astrologers. | |
| However, intellectual Romans were not swayed. For example, Cicero, a Roman philosopher, commented that since ‘Other planets are much farther from the earth than the moon, they can only have a very tiny influence compared to the moon’s’. He also argued that astrology ignores the effect that inheritance, parenting, health, medicine and the weather have on people’s characters and fate. Another Roman philosopher Carneades expressed similar opinions: he argued that belief in fate denied free will; and he questioned how people born at different times – under different stellar conditions – can all die in the same accident or battle; and likewise, how those born at the same time, under identical stellar conditions, can live in such varied tribes and cultures. |