I want to
TPO1
#1
Talk about a book you have read that was important to you for some reason. Explain
why the book was important to you. Give specific details and examples to explain
your answer.
#2
Some people believe that television has had a positive influence on society. Others
believe it has had a negative influence on society. Which do you agree with and why?
Use details and examples to explain your opinion.
#3
Centerville college is planning to purchase a new sculpture for its campus. A student
wrote a letter to the campus newspaper opposing this plan. You will have 45 seconds
to read the letter. Begin reading now.
Letter in the Centerville College News
The administration has announced plans to acquire a new sculpture for campus. We
should all oppose this plan. The university’s poor financial condition led it to increase
the price for campus housing and tuition by 15% this past year. Surely then it is in no
financial position to purchase such an expensive sculpture. Moreover, just look at the
sculpture: several 60-foot long steel plates, jutting out of the earth at odd angles! It’s
just so large, it’ll take up all the green space in front of the campus center! This is
public space that should be reserved for students to use.
Now listen to two students discussing the opinion expressed in the letter.
(man) Did you see Paul’s letter in the paper about the new sculpture?
(woman) Yeah, but it was totally unconvincing. His reasons for opposing the plan are
just totally off. I am glad that we’ll finally have some nice art on campus. I’d like to
shake the donor’s hand and say “thank you.”
(man) What do you mean the donor?
(woman) You didn’t know? An anonymous donor is paying the bill for most of the
sculpture.
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(man) Not the university?
(woman) No! His assumptions about who’s paying are all wrong!
(man) Still, I wonder if he has a point about the space it’ll take up?
(woman) Well, you know why Paul is upset. He and his friends are always out there
on the lawn right where the sculpture will be, kicking around the soccer ball. Now
they’ll just have to use another part of the campus to play.
(man) Oh! So he just doesn’t want to have to move.
(woman) Yeah! For him, it’s sculpture versus convenience.
Explain why the woman disagrees with the reasons expressed in the letter.
#4
Now read the passage about Groupthink. You will have 45 seconds to read the passage.
Begin reading now.
Groupthink
One process by which groups may make bad or irrational decisions is known as
groupthink. Individual members of a group attempt to conform their opinions to what
they believe to be the group consensus even though the result may be negative. There
are many reasons why groupthink happens. These include the desire to be liked, fear
of losing a job, or even not wanting to be the one employee delaying a decision that
seems inevitable. These kinds of implicit pressures to conform lead group members to
ultimately make decisions that each, by himself or herself, might normally not make.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a business management class.
(male professor)
So, let me tell you about my own experiences when I was working for a computer
company a couple of years ago.
So, one day a co-worker and I suggested we should give our computers a design
make-over: make them look more up-to-date. Market research was showing that new
customers said they would be more interested in buying our computers if they looked
cooler. Our technology was advanced but the outside design looked really
old-fashioned.
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At first, more than half the group supported us. There were a few senior managers
there who didn’t support the design change. One of the senior manager said, “Our
focus has always been on technology, changing the look is an unnecessary cost.”
Almost immediately, some of our supporters changed their minds! Even my
co-worker changed his mind! When I asked him why after the meeting, he told me he
didn’t want to make a bad impression on the senior managers. He thought that
disagreeing with them might jeopardize his chances of getting a promotion by not
looking like a team-player.
What about me? I hate to admit it, but, after a few hours of discussion, I started
wondering if it was worth everyone’s time to argue about this? As more people sided
with the senior management, I started to feel that I was the only one holding up the
vote. Everyone else seemed to think change wasn’t necessary. I voted against my own
idea in the end.
So we unanimously decided to stay with the current old-looking design. But this
decision ended up costing us a lot of money. That same year, our competitor came out
with a new design that attracted some of our customers and prevented us from
profiting from new customers.
Explain groupthink and its effects. Using the example of the computer company.
#5
Now listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Mary, how’s your volunteer work going? You’re still involved in that
after-school program with the elementary kids?
(woman) Yeah, but I’ve got a problem. I am supposed to be driving a bunch of them to
the zoo tomorrow.
(man) Yeah?
(woman) And I was supposed to rent a van for the trip. But I waited too long to call
the rental agency to reserve one.
(man) Oh!
(woman) Now it turns out they don’t have any vans available for tomorrow. I don’t
know what to do? These kids will be really disappointed if their trip gets cancelled.
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(man) Hmmm, well, doesn’t one of your friends on campus have a car? I mean,
couldn’t you borrow it for the day?
(woman) Yeah, probably, but I’d need to borrow two cars or there wouldn’t be enough
space for all the kids.
(man) Um, hum.
(woman) That’s why I was going to rent the van. And then I’d need to find somebody
else to drive, too. I can’t drive two cars by myself.
(man) Yeah, that’s true. Well, I am sure you can probably find a volunteer or if you
wanted to save yourself the trouble of hunting down a second driver, what about
public transportation? Check the bus schedule, I think there’s a bus line that goes right
past the zoo.
(woman) Yeah, that’s a possibility, but I don’t know, it might be a real challenge
supervising the kids on the bus.
(man) Ha, ha…
(woman) Sometimes they are a handful when they get excited. It’s an option, though.
The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Briefly
summarize the problem then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
#6
Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class. The professor is discussing the
mathematical capabilities of babies.
(female professor)
Scientists have learned some interesting things about the intellectual abilities of
babies. They say there’s evidence that babies as young as five months old can do basic
arithmetic, that they can add. Scientists think babies know one plus one equals two
and not one. The evidence is indirect because obviously you can’t ask a five-month
old baby to add up some numbers for you.
So they devised an experiment where, um, in this experiment a baby is shown a doll
on a table. Ok, so the baby looks at the doll. Then the researcher lowers a screen in
front of the doll, so now the doll is hidden behind the screen. But the baby has already
seen the doll and, so, knows it’s there.
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Well, then the researcher takes a second doll and very obviously places it behind the
screen with the first one. Ok, so now you have two dolls behind the screen, right?
Well, no, cause what the researcher did was they secretly took away one of the dolls.
And then when they raised the screen back up, the baby, well, it expects to see two
dolls, right? But there’s only one there!
And guess what? The baby surprised! It expects two but it only sees one. How could
the researchers tell that the baby surprised? Well, they recorded the baby’s eye
movement on camera. And we know that when a baby is surprised by something, a
loud noise or an unexpected flash of light maybe, it stares at where the noise or light
is coming from. And that’s what the babies in the experiment did. They stared, cause
the babies know if you add one doll and one doll, you should have two dolls. So when
it sees one doll, then it stares because it’s surprised.
Using the research described by the professor, explain what scientists have learned
about the mathematical abilities of babies.
TPO3
#1
What characteristics do you think make someone a good parent? Explain why these
characteristics are important to you.
#2
Some students prefer to work on class assignments by themselves. Others believe it is
better to work in a group. Which do you prefer? Explain why.
#3
The university’s Dining Services department has announced a change. Read the
announcement about this change. You will have 45 seconds to read the announcement.
Begin reading now.
Hot Breakfasts Eliminated
Beginning next month, Dining Services will no longer serve hot breakfast foods at
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university dining halls. Instead, students will be offered a wide assortment of cold
breakfast items in the morning. These cold breakfast foods, such as breads, fruit, and
yogurt, are healthier than many of the hot breakfast items that we will stop serving, so
health-conscious students should welcome this change. Students will benefit in
another way as well, because limiting the breakfast selection to cold food items will
save money and allow us to keep our meal plans affordable.
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.
(woman) Do you believe any of this? It’s ridiculous.
(man) What do you mean? It is important to eat healthy foods.
(woman) Sure it is! But they are saying a yogurt is better for you than an omelet or
than hot cereal? I mean, whether something is hot or cold, that shouldn’t be the issue.
Let’s say maybe on a cold morning, in that case, which is going to be better for you, a
bowl of cold cereal or a nice warm omelet? It’s obvious. There’s no question.
(man) I’m not gonna argue with you there.
(woman) And this whole thing about saving money.
(man) What about it?
(woman) Well, they are actually going to make things worse for us, not better. Cause
if they start to cutting back and we can’t get what we want here on campus, well, we
are going to going off campus and pay off-campus prices. And you know what?
That’ll be expensive. Even if it’s only two or three mornings a week, it can add up.
The woman expresses her opinion of the change that has been announced. State her
opinion and explain her reasons for holding that opinion.
#4
Read the passage from a Sociology textbook. You have 50 seconds to read the passage.
Begin reading now.
Cognitive Dissonance
Individuals sometimes experience a contradiction between their actions and their
beliefs – between what they are doing and what they believe they should be doing.
These contradictions can cause a kind of mental discomfort known as cognitive
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dissonance. People experiencing cognitive dissonance often do not want to change the
way they are acting, so they resolve the contradictory situation in another way; they
change their interpretation of the situation in a way that minimizes the contradiction
between what they are doing and what they believe they should be doing.
Now listen to part of a lecture about this topic in a Sociology class.
Professor (male) This is a true story from my own life. In my first year in high school,
I was addicted to video games. I played them all the time and I wasn’t studying
enough. I was failing Chemistry that was my hardest class. So this was a conflict for
me because I wanted a good job when I grew up and I believed, I knew, that if you
want a good career you gotta do well in school. But I just couldn’t give up video
games! I was completely torn.
And my solution was to change my perspective. See, the only class I was doing really
badly in was Chemistry. In the others, I was OK. So I asked myself if I wanted to be a
chemist when I grew up? And the fact is I didn’t. I was pretty sure I wanted to be a
sociologist. So I told myself my chemistry class didn’t matter, because sociologist
don’t need to know chemistry. In other words, I changed my understanding of what it
meant to do well in school. I reinterpreted my situation. I used to think that doing well
in school meant doing well in all my classes. But now I decided that succeeding in
school meant only doing well in the classes that related directly with my future career.
I eliminated the conflict, at least in my mind.
Using the example discussed by the professor, explain what cognitive dissonance is
and how people often deal with it.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Marni, what’s wrong?
(woman) Oh, I’m just struggling about what to do. I won an award from the Creative
Writing Institute for a story I wrote and …
(man) That doesn’t sound like anything’s wrong.
(woman) Well, it’s a huge honor to win and there’s an award ceremony they’ve invited
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me to attend which I’m so excited about, but, and here’s what’s frustrating: I’ve got a
Biology exam that’s scheduled for the same time.
(man) Uh oh, well, have you talked to your professor about this?
(woman) Yeah, she said I could write a five-page paper instead, and I have lots of
ideas and know I could do a good job, but..
(man) But what?
(woman) Well, writing a paper would take up so much time, a lot more than studying
for and taking the exam. I have lots of other school work to deal with.
(man) Oh! Or you could have someone else to receive the award for you. I mean, go
in your place and accept on your behalf.
(woman) Maybe, I’ll still get the award and the money that way.
(man) Oooh, you won money too?
(woman) Yeah, pretty cool, huh? But anyways, my parents were really looking
forward to coming and seeing me on stage shaking hands with the Institute’s president
Knoff. I hate to disappoint them.
(man) True, I’m sure they are really proud.
(woman) Like I said, I’m still struggling about what to do.
The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Briefly
summarize the problem then state which of the solutions you recommend and explain
why.
#6
Now listen to part of a lecture in a Psychology class. The professor is discussing
advertising strategies.
Professor (female) In advertising various strategies are used to persuade people to buy
products. In order to sell more products, advertisers will often try to make us believe
that a product will meet our needs or desires perfectly, even if it’s not true. The
strategies that they use can be subtle, friendly forms of persuasion that are sometimes
hard to recognize.
In a lot of ads, repetition is a key strategy. Research shows that repeated exposure to a
message, even something meaningless or untrue, is enough to make people accept it
or see it in a positive light. You’ve all seen the car commercials on TV like, uh, the
one that refers to its roomy cars over and over again. You know which one I mean.
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This guy is driving around and keeps stopping to pick up different people. He picks
up three or four people. And each time, the narrator says, “Plenty of room for friends,
plenty of room for family, plenty of room for everybody.” The same message is
repeated several times in the course of the commercial. Now the car, the car actually
looks kind of small, it’s not a big car at all, but you get the sense that it’s pretty
spacious. You’d think the viewer would reach the logical conclusion that the slogan
miss-represents the product, instead, what usually happens is that when the statement
“plenty of room” is repeated often enough, people are actually convinced it’s true.
Um, another strategy they use is to get a celebrity to advertise a product. It turns out
that we’re more likely to accept an advertisement claim made by somebody famous, a
person we admire and find appealing. We tend to think they’re trustworthy. So, uh,
you might have a car commercial that features a well-known race car driver. Now, it
may not be a very fast car, uh, it could even be an inexpensive vehicle with a low
performance rating. But if a popular race car driver is shown driving it and saying, “I
like my cars fast!” Then people would believe the car is impressive with its speed.
Using the examples from the talk, explain how persuasive strategies are used in
advertising.
TPO4
#1
What do you miss most about your home when you are away? Use specific details in
your explanation.
#2
Many universities now offer academic courses over the Internet. However, some
people still prefer learning in traditional classrooms. Which do you think is better?
Explain why.
#3
The computer department is considering making a scheduling change. You will have
45 seconds to read an article in the campus newspaper about the change. Begin
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reading now.
Evening Computer Classes May Be Added
The computer department is considering offering evening classes in the fall. The
proposal to add the classes is a response to student complaints that daytime computer
classes have become increasingly overcrowded and there are no longer enough
computers available. The department has decided that despite some added expense,
the most cost-effective way of addressing this problem is by adding computer classes
in the evening. It is hoped that this change will decrease the number of students
enrolled in day classes and thus guarantee individual access to computers for all
students in computer classes.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) I just don’t think this will work.
(woman) Why not?
(man) Because it’s not gonna solve the problem. Students are busy at night, I mean,
we have jobs, families, clubs, social events. Most of us already have something to do
every single night of the week.
(woman) I see your point. I sure couldn’t fit anything into my schedule during the
week. I’ve got swimming practice most nights.
(man) Right! And as far as expense goes, I think they’re going about it the wrong way.
I mean, it cost money to hire more teachers and keep the academic building open later,
which is a lot more expensive than simply just buying more computers.
(woman) More computers?
(man) That’s right! Computer prices have come way down the past few years. So the
department won’t have to spend as much now as they did in the past. Besides, the
computer department classrooms, you know, the rooms themselves, they are actually
very big, there’s plenty of space to add more computers.
The computer department is considering a scheduling change. Explain the man’s
opinion of the change and the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Now read a passage from a psychology textbook. You have 45 seconds to read the
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passage. Begin reading now.
Nonverbal Languages
Nonverbal language refers to human emotional expressions without involving verbal
statements. Facial expressions and body moments are the two mostly attributed types
of nonverbal languages. It is generally believed that nonverbal languages function as
the enhancement of emotional expressions when they consist with verbal languages.
Under the circumstances that nonverbal languages and verbal languages contradicts in
the contents they express, nonverbal languages are more likely to release people’s true
emotions.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a psychology course.
Professor (male) Last month, my favorite uncle paid me a surprise visit. I hadn’t seen
him in many years. The door bell rang, I opened the door and there was uncle Pete.
Now, I am sure when I saw him I said something like, “Uncle Pete, what a surprise!
How nice to see you.” Anyway, my wife was standing next to me, and according to
her, I wasn’t really aware of this, my eyes got really wide and I broke into a huge big
smile, she said I was really jumping up and down like a little boy. Well, anyway, later
that evening uncle Pete told me how very very good he felt when he saw how happy I
was to see him.
But compared that with this: my daughter, she’s six, we were building a bird house
together last week, and I was showing her how to use a hammer and a nail. And, of
course, stupid me, I wasn’t being very careful when I smashed my thumb with the
hammer. Boy, it hurt! I almost felt like screaming, but I didn’t want to upset my
daughter, so I said, “Don’t worry, honey. It’s nothing.” Meanwhile, I was shaking my
hand as if that would stop my thumb from hurting and my face was contorted in pain.
My voice was trembling, too. So, even though I told my daughter I was OK, I am sure
she didn’t believe me, because she kept asking me if I was OK.
Explain how the examples from the professor’s lecture illustrate the relationship
between verbal and nonverbal communication.
#5
Now listen to a conversation between two students on campus.
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(man) Hi, good morning. Could you help me with something?
(woman) Uh, maybe, what’s up?
(man) Well, I’m a first-year student.
(woman) Everything going OK?
(man) Actually, no. Um, this is a little embarrassing. I think I left my class schedule
back at my dorm.
(woman) Hmmm, not a good thing to do on the first day of classes.
(man) Yeah, so I’m not sure where my class is, I think I remember it was supposed to
be here in Smith Hall.
(woman) There’s a computer for student use in the Student Center. You can go over
there, look it up and check the room number. But you’d have to hurry.
(man) Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea. I could check my schedule for the whole rest of
the day at the same time. I don’t know where any of my other classes are either, but I
don’t want to be late, make a bad impression with the professor on the first day. It’s
actually my very first class, Introduction to Psychology.
(woman) Psychology? Oh, OK, you’re definitely in the right building. And if it’s
Introduction to Psychology, it’s gonna be a big class. In which case, it probably meets
in a big lecture hall. There are only three lecture halls in the building, one on every
floor. Just check each floor till you find yours. There’s elevators so you should be able
to move fast.
(man) Yeah, but I don’t know what the professor looks like or anything. How would I
know it’s my class or not? It’d be sort of embarrassing, sticking my head into each
lecture hall asking if I was in the right place.
(woman) Well, you might luck out and find it the first time.
The speakers discussed two possible solutions to the man’s problem. Briefly
summarize the problem then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
#6
Listen to part of a talk in an Art Appreciation class.
Professor (female) In order for art to communicate, to appeal to the emotions or the
intellect, it has to combine various visual elements to express meaning or emotion. It’s
really the visual components of the work, things like color, texture, shape, lines and
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how these elements work together that tell us something about the work.
Artists combine and manipulate these visual elements to express a message or to
create a mood. Think about how a painter might use colors, for example. You all
know from experience that different colors appeal in different ways to the senses and
can convey different meanings. An artist chooses certain colors to evoke a particular
mood and make powerful statements. The color red, for example, is a strong color,
and can conjure up strong emotions such as extreme joy or excitement or even anger.
Blue, on the other hand, is considered a cool color. Blue colors tend to have a calming
effect on viewers.
Another visual element important to art is texture. By texture I mean surface quality
or feel of the work, its smoothness or roughness or softness. Now, of course, in some
types of art the texture is physical. It can be actually be touched by the fingers. But in
painting, for example, texture can be visual. The way an artist paints certain areas of
the painting can create the illusion of texture, an object’s smoothness or roughness or
softness. A rough texture can evoke stronger emotions and strength while a smooth
texture is more calming and less emotional.
As I said earlier, artists often combine elements to convey a message about the work.
Take a painting that, say, uses a lot of strong colors like reds and oranges and uses
brush stokes that are broad, wide sweeping brush strokes that suggest a rough texture.
Well, these elements together can convey a wilder more chaotic emotion in the viewer
than, more than say a painting with tiny, smooth brush stokes and soft or pale colors.
Artists use these visual effects and the senses they arouse to give meaning to their
work.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain the importance of visual
elements in painting.
TPO5
#1
Talk about a place you enjoyed going to or visiting when you were a child. Describe
the place. Explain why you enjoyed it.
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#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Why or why not? Use details
and examples to explain your answer.
It is more important to study math or science than it is to study art or literature.
#3
The university has announced a new policy regarding dining services. Read an article
about it in the student newspaper. You have 50 seconds to read the article, begin
reading now.
Campus Dining Club Announced
Starting this year, the university dining hall will be transformed into The Campus
Dining Club for one week at the end of each semester. During the last week of each
semester, the dining hall will feature special meals prepared by the university’s
culinary arts students. The school feels that this will give students who are studying
cooking and food preparation valuable experience that will help them later, when they
pursue careers. The university has announced that it will charge a small additional fee
for these dinners in order to pay for the special gourmet food ingredients that will be
required.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(woman) Did you see that article?
(man) Yeah, and it sounds like a great idea. It’s really good for students in that
program.
(woman) Don’t they cook in class anyway?
(man) Well, yeah, they do. But, my cousin was in the program a few years ago, and
she said that it’s very different to cook for a lot of people in that kind of atmosphere
than to cook for classmates.
(woman) Why is that?
(man) Well, in class you can take your time, but, cooking for more people, there’s
more pressure, I mean, you’re in a rush, people are waiting and it might be easy to
make a mistake with all that stress.
(woman) Then I’ll think you are a bad chef, right?
(man) Absolutely!
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(woman) So, OK, it’s good practice. But what about the extra cost?
(man) Well, look at it this way. You’ve eaten at some of the fancier restaurants in town,
right?
(woman) Yeah, there are some great places to eat around here.
(man) Well, these students, they’ll be making fantastic meals and it’s gonna be
cheaper than going out to one of those restaurants.
(woman) Much cheaper, actually.
(man) So, you know, it’ll be worth it. The meals will be as good as the ones in those
expensive restaurants.
The man expresses his opinions about the university’s plan. State his opinion and
explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Read a passage about Target Marketing. You will have 45 seconds to read the passage.
Begin reading now.
Target Marketing
Advertisers in the past have used radio and television in an attempt to provide
information about their products to large, general audiences; it was once thought that
the best way to sell a product was to advertise it to as many people as possible.
However, more recent trends in advertising have turned toward target marketing.
Target marketing is the strategy of advertising to smaller, very specific audiences –
audiences that have been determined to have the greatest need or desire for the
product being marketed. Target marketing has proved to be very effective in reaching
potential customers.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a marketing class.
Professor(male) Nowadays something you notice more and more is television
commercials that are made specifically for certain television programs. So, lets say,
uh, a company wants to sell a telephone, a cell phone. Now during TV shows that
young people watch, you know shows with pop music or teen serials, they create a
commercial that emphasizes how fun the phone is. You know, the phone has bright
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colors and they show kids having a good time with their friends. And, well, the
company wants the kids watching TV at this time to want to buy this phone, this
phone that’s made especially for them.
But, the same company will make a different commercial to be shown during, say, a
program about business or a business news show. Now, for this group of people,
business people, the company will have to show how efficient their phone is, how it
can handle all business easily and maybe even save money. And here is the thing: it’s
basically the same phone. The company has just made two different commercials to
appeal to different groups of people.
Using the professor’s examples, explain the advertising technique of target marketing.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Susan, what happened to your arm?
(woman) It’s my wrist, actually. I sprained it last weekend and I am kind of upset
about it because I’m supposed to play the violin in my string quartet’s big concert
next week. We’ve been practicing for weeks and we’ve already sold a bunch of
tickets.
(man) Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What are you gonna do?
(woman) Well, I was thinking about trying to play anyway, I mean, I really don’t want
to let the other three group members down. Plus the doctor said my wrist should be
feeling better by then.
(man) Oh, OK, so problem solved, right?
(woman) Not exactly. I’m worried I’m gonna be out of practice, like I haven’t been
able to play the violin since I sprained my wrist. What if I don’t play well? I’d make
the rest of the group sound bad.
(man) Why don’t you get somebody else to take your place?
(woman) Well, there’s only one other person I know who could do it and that’s Jim.
He’s a great violinist and I’m sure he’d say yes. The thing is he’s not very reliable. I
mean, I’m in the orchestra with him and he’s always showing up late for rehearsals.
(man) Oh, so you’re not sure you can depend on him.
(woman) Exactly, and we have less than a week left to rehearse for the concert. We’d
really need him to show up on time for all our rehearsals.
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Briefly summarize the woman’s problem then state which solution you would
recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class.
Professor (female) Why do we do the things we do? What drives us to participate in
certain activities, to buy a certain car or even to choose a certain career? In other
words, what motivates us to do what we do?
Well, in studies of motivation, psychologists distinguish between two very different
types, our reasons for doing something, our motivations can be extrinsic, in other
words, based on some kind of external reward like praise or money. Or they can be
intrinsic, meaning we engage in the activity because it pleases us internally.
Both create strong forces that lead us to behave in certain ways. However, intrinsic
motivation is generally considered to be more long-lasting than the other. As I said,
extrinsic motivation is external. It’s the desire to behave in a certain way in order to
obtain some kind of external reward. A child, for example, who regularly does small
jobs around the house, does them not because she enjoys taking out the garbage or
doing the dishes but because she knows if she does these things she’ll be given a
small amount of money for doing them. But how motivated would the child be to
continue doing the work if her parents suddenly stop giving her money for it?
With intrinsic, or internal motivation, we want to do something because we enjoy it,
or get us a sense of accomplishment from it. Most people who are internally
motivated get pleasure from the activity. So they just feel good about doing it. For
example, I go to the gym several times a week. I don’t go because I’m training for a
marathon or anything, I just enjoy it. I have more energy after I exercise and I know
it’s good for my health. So it makes me feel good about myself. And that’s what’s kept
me going there for the past five years.
Using points and examples from the talk, explain the two types of motivation.
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TPO6
#1 Talk about a photograph or painting you have seen that was memorable. Explain
what you liked or disliked about it.
#2 Some people have one career throughout their lives. Other people do different
kinds of work at different points in their lives Which do you think is better? Explain
why.
#3 Now read a letter that a student has written to the university newspaper. You have
50 seconds to read the letter. Begin reading now.
History Seminars Should Be Shorter
Currently, all of the seminar classes in the history department are three hours long. I
would like to propose that history seminars be shortened to two hours. I make this
proposal for two reasons. First, most students just cannot concentrate for three hours
straight. I myself have taken these three-hour seminars and found them tiring and
sometimes boring. Also, when a seminar lasts that long, people stop concentrating and
stop learning, so the third hour of a three-hour seminar is a waste of everyone's time.
Two-hour seminars would be much more efficient.
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman) I totally disagree with Tim’s proposal.
(man) Why?
(woman) Well, look, Tim’s my friend but he’s not your typical student. He stays up
late partying every night, week nights, too.
(man) If he parties every night no wonder he can’t pay attention.
(woman) Yes, and most students aren’t like that. They come to class prepared and
rested and they can concentrate.
(man) So, you’re saying that problem is really Tim.
(woman) Yes. He was in one of my classes last year and whenever I looked at him he
was actually sleeping.
(man) I guess if he was sleeping, he can’t really know what’s happening, what other
people in class are doing.
(woman) Right! And you want to know what does happen in that last hour of seminar?
In a lot of seminars that I’ve been in, that’s when things get interesting.
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(man) Really?
(woman) Yes, that’s usually when students get really involved in the discussion and
start exchanging important ideas, and if the History department actually did what Tim
suggests, well if they did that, what would happen is you’d lose what might be the
most worthwhile part of the seminar.
The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal that her friend Tim made in his
letter to the newspaper. State her opinion about his proposal and explain the reason
she gives for her opinion.
#4 You have 45 seconds to read a passage from a psychology textbook. Begin reading
now.
Explicit Memories and Implicit Memories
In everyday life, when people speak of memory, they are almost always speaking
about what psychologists would call explicit memories. An explicit memory is a
conscious or intentional recollection, usually of facts, names, events, or other things
that a person can state or declare. There is another kind of memory that is not
conscious. Memories of this kind are called implicit memories. An individual can
have an experience that he or she cannot consciously recall yet still display reactions
that indicate the experience has been somehow recorded in his or her brain.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a psychology class.
(male professor) OK, um, the first kind of memory, we’re all very familiar with this,
right? You probably remember what you had for dinner last night. You have a
conscious memory of last night’s dinner so, um, if I ask you what did you eat last
night, you could tell me.
But these other kinds of memories, implicit memories, they work differently. Let’s
take an example from the world of advertising. When you are driving along a highway,
you see plenty of billboards, you know, road side advertisements. You certainly don’t
remember them all, but they still affect you. Marketing researchers have shown, well
to be specific, let’s say there’s a billboard on the highway advertising, uh, a car called
the Panther. The ad shows a big picture of the car and above the car, in huge letters, is
the name of the car, Panther. A lot of people drive by the billboard, but ask those
drivers later if they saw any advertisements for cars, and well, they’ll think about it
and a lot of them will say no. They honestly don’t remember seeing any. They have no
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conscious memory of the Panther billboard.
So, you ask these same people a different question. You ask, um, OK, you ask them to
name an animal starting with a letter P. What do you think they’ll answer? Do they
say Pig? Pig is the most common animal that starts with the letter P. But they don’t
say Pig. They say Panther! The billboard had an effect, even though the drivers don’t
remember ever seeing it.
Using the example of the car advertisement, explain what is meant by implicit
memory.
#5 Now listen to a conversation between a professor and the student.
(man) Hi, Sara, to what do I owe this pleasure of this office visit?
(woman) It’s my study group, Professor Wilson. We are not getting much studying
done, and, you know, none of us did very well on your last quiz.
(man) Hmmm, what’s the problem?
(woman) Well, we’ve all become good friends and we joke around a lot instead of
studying.
(man) Hmmm. Sara, let me ask you this. When do you meet?
(woman) Every Friday afternoon.
(man) Have you thought about changing to another day? By the time Friday afternoon
rolls around, all of you are probably exhausted and all you want to do was relax and
unwind. It’s hard to stay focused at the very end of the week.
(woman) Good point, although things have gotten so out of hand that I’m not sure
changing days would help. And we’d lose one or two people if we change days,
Friday afternoon is the only time everyone’s available, but it’s worth considering.
(man) OK. But just a second, another possibility is, does your group have a leader?
(woman) No?
(man) Well, if you had a leader that would help enormously. Someone to set an
agenda in advance, email it to everyone before the meeting and then make sure when
you meet that you stay focused on your goals. And since you’ve seemed to be
concerned enough about the problem to have come see me, I think that someone
might be you.
(woman) I guess I can take on that role. But it sounds like work.
(man) You don’t have to do it for the whole semester, Sara. You can start if off and
then, perhaps, someone else can take over.
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The professor proposes two solutions to the problem the woman describes. Briefly
summarize the problem then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
#6 Now listen to part of a talk in an Education class.
(female professor) One of the hardest parts of teaching is keeping your students’
attention. Now, the key to doing this is understanding the concept of attention.
Basically, there are two types of attention. The first type is active, active attention is
voluntary. It’s when you intentionally make yourself focus on something. And since it
requires effort, it’s hard to keep up for long a time. OK, so, um, let’s say you are
teaching a Biology class. And today’s topic is frogs. All right? You’re standing in
front of the room lecturing: a frog is a type of animal known as an amphibian…, well,
this isn’t necessarily going to keep the students’ interest. But most of them will force
themselves to pay active attention to your lecture. But it’s only a matter of time before
they get distracted.
Now, the other type of attention is passive attention, when it’s involuntary. Passive
attention requires no effort because it happens naturally. If something is really
interesting students don’t have to force themselves to pay attention to it. They do it
without even thinking about it. So back to our Biology lecture, you start talking about
frogs and then you pull a live frog out of your briefcase. You’re describing it while
holding it up. Show the students how long its legs are, and how they’re used for
jumping, for example. Then maybe even let the frog jump around a bit on the desk or
the floor. In this case, by doing something unexpected, something more engaging, you
can tap into their passive attention. And it can last much longer than active attention.
As long as the frog is still there your students will be interested.
Using points and examples from the talk, explain the difference between active and
passive attention.
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TPO7
#1 If friends from another country were going to spend time in your country, what city
or place would you suggest they visit? Using details and examples, explain why.
#2 State whether you agree or disagree with the following statement. Then explain
your reasons, using specific details in your explanation.
Learning through online courses is more effective than learning in the traditional
classroom setting.
#3
Sculpture Courses to be Discontinued
University administrators announced yesterday that the sculpture program, a division of the
art department, will be eliminated. “The main reason is a lack of student interest,”
reported one administrator. “Although the number of art students has increased, fewer
and fewer art major s are taking sculpture classes.” Furthermore, the department’s only
sculpture professor is retiring this year. “Given the art department’s limited budget, the
administrator explained, “it just doesn’t make sense to hire a new full-time professor to
teacher sculpture for only a handful of students.”
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) Every thing all right?
(woman) Yeah, I’m just upset about that article I showed you this morning.
(man) Why? What’s the big deal?
(woman) Well, as an art major, I think it’s a big loss for the department. The
university’s got it all wrong.
(man) What do you mean?
(woman) Well, the low enrollment isn’t because art majors don’t want to take these
classes, problem is who has time to take them when there are so many other
requirements?
(man) I don’t understand.
(woman) See, the classes they’re eliminating are all optional. The required courses are
mostly painting and drawing, and they take up all our time. What we really need are
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different requirements. Then art majors could take a better variety of classes, all the
things we’re interested in.
(man) That makes sense. But the thing about the professor…
(woman) Well, that’s true. But still, they’re being drastic. If money is the problem,
they could hire a part-time professor. Or most of the professors in the department have
secondary fields.
(man) Really?
(woman) Yeah! At least a few painting teachers are also great sculptors. I’m sure one
of them could teach the class.
The woman expresses her opinion of the university’s plan. State her opinion and
explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Behavior Modification
Individuals often modify their behavior based on what they have learned about the possible
consequences of their actions. When an individual learns through experience that a certain
behavior results in pleasant consequences, that behavior is likely to be repeated. An
unpleasant consequence, on the other hand, discourages further repetition of the behavior.
While behavior modification can be observed in experiments, it also occurs frequently in
everyday settings, when individuals change their behavior based on what they have learned
about the consequences of that behavior.
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic in a Psychology class.
(male) This happens all the time with kids in schools. Say there was a little boy or girl
who’s just starting school. Well, they’re not really used to the rules about proper
behaviors for classroom. So at the beginning they might, I don’t know, interrupt the
teacher, walk around the classroom when they’re supposed to be sitting down. You
know, just mis-behaving in general.
Ok, but, what happens? Well, the teacher gets angry with them when they act this way.
They might get punished. They have to sit at their desks when everyone else is
allowed to go outside and play. And they certainly don’t like that. Soon, they’ll learn
that this kind of behavior gets them in trouble. They’ll also learn that when they raise
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their hand to talk to the teacher and sit quietly and pay attention during class, they are
rewarded.
The teacher tells them she’s proud of them and maybe puts a little happy-face sticker
on their homework. Now that their behavior gets a good reaction from the teacher, the
kids learn to always act this way in class. And not behave the way they used to.
Using the example from the lecture, explain what behavior modification is and how it
works.
#5 Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Jennifer. How are things going?
(woman) Well, I’m relieved this is the end of semester. But that’s actually part of my
problem.
(man) What do you mean?
(woman) Can you believe this? My computer broke yesterday. So it’s at the shop
being repaired. It won’t be ready until the end of next week which is when all my
papers are due.
(man) Why not use the computer lab? They’ve got lots of machines there.
(woman) I know. But it gets so noisy there that I can’t keep my mind on my work. I
mean, when I’m at a computer, I’m not just typing. I’m thinking! So I need quiet to
concentrate.
(man) Maybe you can try going in the morning or evening. It might be less noisy then.
(woman) Maybe. But this time of year, everybody’s working on papers. It could be
crowded even then.
(man) Hmm. What about calling back the computer repair shop to see if they can have
your computer ready at the beginning of next week instead? That would still give you
enough time to finish your papers by the end of the week.
(woman) Oh! I haven’t thought of that! The only problem is the shop is closed today
and tomorrow for the long holiday weekend. So it’ll be a few days before I can talk to
them.
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The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Briefly
summarize the problem, then state which solution your recommend and explain why.
#6 Now listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
(female) If a consumer has to choose between two products, what determines the
choice? Assume that someone, a purchaser, is choosing between two products that
cost the same. Ok?
If people have a choice between two identically-priced products, which one will they
choose? They choose the one they think is of the higher quality, of course. But what
does it mean for a product to be a high-quality product? Well, business analysts
usually speak of two major factors of quality: one factor is reliability and the other is
what we called features.
So reliability. What’s reliability? Well, a product is reliable if it works the way we
expect it to work, if it can go a reasonable amount of time without needing repairs. If
a product, a car for example, doesn’t work the way it should and needs repairs too
soon, we say it’s unreliable. So product reliability means, basically, the absence of
defects or problems that you weren’t expecting. It used to be that when people
thought about product’s quality, they thought mainly about reliability. Today, it’s
different. People still do care about reliability, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that
manufacturing standards are now so high that, we’ll take cars for example today.
Today’s cars are very reliable. So reliability is important but it’s not gonna be the
deciding factor.
So if reliability isn’t the deciding factor anymore, what is? Features! All those extras!
The things a product has that aren’t necessary but that make it easier to use or to make
it cool! For example, new cars today are loaded with features like electric windows,
sun roofs, air-conditioning, stereos and so forth. When people are comparing products
today, they look at features, because reliabilities pretty much equal across the board.
And that’s why manufacturers include so many features in their products.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain the two major factors of product
quality and how their role in consumer decision-making has changed.
26
TPO8
#1 Describe about a time a friend or a family member helped you in the past. Describe
how the person helped you then explain why this was important to you.
#2 Some people enjoy taking risk and trying new things, others are not adventurous,
they are cautious and try to avoid danger. Which behavior do you think is better?
Explain why.
#3 City University plans to begin playing music over loud speakers in the campus
cafeterias. You will have 50 seconds to read an article from the campus newspaper
about the plan. Begin reading now.
Music Coming to Cafeterias
Mary Dixon, Director of the Student Life Committee, announced yesterday that beginning
next semester, university cafeterias will broadcast classical music during mealtimes.
“Music will foster a more relaxed atmosphere,” said Dixon. “Students’ lives are
hectic, and mealtimes provide important opportunities to take a break and catch up with
friends before moving on to the next class or assignment.” Added Dixon, “We’re
hoping that, if we provide the music, students will unplug their music devices – their
walkmans and mp3 players or whatever – and will spend more time talking to each other.
When students have their headphones on, they’re not connecting with each other.”
Now listen to two students discussing the university’s plan.
(man) Have you read this article? Are they serious?
(woman) Yeah, I think so. Why?
(man) Well, first of all, a lot of kids aren’t looking for relaxing breaks at lunch time.
They like to study while they, especially while they have exams coming up or some
assignments they have to get done.
(woman) Yeah, that’s true.
(man) And now they won’t be able to concentrate. This is gonna be very distracting.
(woman) Hmmm. Ok, yeah, I see your point.
(man) And second, most students don’t like classical music.
(woman) It’s certainly not what I listen to.
(man) So, are people going to stop listening to their own music?
27
(woman) No!
(man) I think people are going to be even more likely to bring their mp3 player, you
know, to play their own music and block out the classical stuff.
(woman) Yeah, that makes sense.
The man expresses his opinion about the university’s plan. State his opinion and
explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4 Read the passage about Revealing Coloration from a Biology textbook. You have
45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Revealing Coloration
Many animals use coloration to protect themselves from predators. One defensive strategy
involving the use of coloration is what is known as revealing coloration. Animals
employing this strategy have an area of bright color on some part of their body, this bright
color is usually hidden from predators’view. When approached by a predator, the animal
suddenly reveals the area of bright color, this unexpected display of color startles or
confuses the predator and provides the would-be-prey with an opportunity to escape.
Now listen to part of a lecture from a biology class.
(male) There’s a large tropical insect called the Peanut Bug. Yes, like the peanuts you
eat. Um, and the Peanut Bugs front wings are colored so they blend in with their
surroundings. But its back wings, which are usually closed and hidden, have these
bright colorful spots on them. And when the Peanut Bugs are attacked, it suddenly
opens its back wings and out pop these bright colors. And that surprises the predator
and gives the Peanut Bug a chance to get away.
Um, then you have a butterfly called the morpho butterfly. And parts of the morpho
butterfly wings are very shiny. They reflect a lot of sunlight. When this butterfly is
resting, this shiny part of its wings is hidden. Now morpho butterflies are often
attacked by birds. So when a bird approaches, the morpho flies away. And when the
morpho flaps its wings, all the bird can see are flashes of light reflected from the
morpho’s wings. Those flashes of light make it very difficult for the bird to follow the
morpho. And the morpho is usually able to get away.
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Using the example of the Peanut Bug and the morpho butterfly, explain the concept of
revealing coloration.
#5 Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Steve, are you ready for classes to start?
(man) Not really. There’s still a big conflict in my course schedule.
(woman) What’s wrong?
(man) This is my last semester and I’ve still got two required courses left to take in
order to finish my literature degree.
(woman) Ok?
(man) I have to take both History of the Novel and Shakespeare or I can’t graduate!
Problem is the two courses meet at the same time!
(woman) Uh, oh. What are you gonna do?
(man) Well, I talked to the professor who’s gonna teach Shakespeare, he said I could
do an independent study to fulfill that requirement.
(woman) How would that work?
(man) I’d read the assigned text on my own, do all the same assignments, and meet
with him when I need to, if I had any questions.
(woman) Well, that sounds a good way to fulfill the requirement.
(man) Yeah, plus it’d be nice to have one-on-one discussions with the professor. It’s
just that, well, working on my own like that, I’m kind of concerned I won’t be able to
motivate myself to get the work done on time. It’s easy to put things off when it’s not
an actual class, you know?
(woman) Yeah, are there other options?
(man) Um, yeah, I found out that the Shakespeare class is being offered at another
university about a half an hour from here. That university has a really great literature
program and our university will accept their credits, so…
(woman) That’s an idea!
(man) Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be a good class. And it’d fulfill the requirement. Only thing
is, you know, I’d have to drive a half an hour to get to the class and then half an hour
to come back, three times a week! That’s a lot of time and gas money.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
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#6 Now listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
(female) Today we’ll talk about how companies determine the initial prices for their
products. Uh, by that I mean when they first introduce the products in the market.
There’re different approaches and today we’ll discuss two of them. They’re quite
different, each with their own advantages.
One approach, or strategy, sets the initial price of the product high followed by a
lower price at a later stage. Why? Well, when introducing a new product, companies
want to build a high quality image for it. Products that cost more are believed to be of
higher quality. So, during the early stages of the product life cycle, companies can
make very high profits from consumer’s willing to pay more for a high quality
product, and although consumers know that price will eventually do down, they’re
also willing to pay more to get the product sooner. This approach works very well
with, oh, innovative high-tech products, for example. Now just think about when
video recorders or video cameras or even cell phones first came out. They were very
expensive. But then they became much more accessible.
Another very common strategy sets the initial price low. Now this happens when the
market is already saturates with the product and the strategy is to undercut its
competitors. Say, there’s a newly starting computer maker trying to gain market share.
So what did they do? Well, they offered a computer at an affordable price, lower than
existing brands. By doing this, the company appeals to new consumers who weren’t
probably even interested in getting a computer. And, well, of course, to existing
consumers who might now be tempted to switch brands. Now how does this company
make profits with its low-priced computers? Well, one thing that’s often done is to
encourage their customers to buy accessories also manufactured by them, like printers
or software, for example.
Using the points and examples from the lecture, explain the two pricing strategies
described by the professor.
30
TPO9
#1 Talk about an important experience that you recently had. Describe what happened
and explain why it was important to you.
#2 Some people think that family members are the most important influence on young
adults, others believe that friends are the most important influence. Which do you
agree with? Explain why.
#3 The Business Studies Department at State University is creating a new requirement.
You have 45 seconds to read the announcement. Begin reading now.
Required Work Experience
The business studies department at State University will now require all students enrolled
in its program to complete one semester of work experience in a local corporation or small
business. It is felt that students will benefit from this work experience by developing
leadership and organizational skills that would not normally be learned in a classroom or
campus setting. Furthermore, the relationships that students establish with the company
that they work for many help them to secure permanent employment with that company
once they have completed the program and graduated.
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.
(man) Read this announcement?
(woman) Yeah, and I disagree. I don’t think it’ll actually help students.
(man) Really, why not?
(woman) Well, they talked about leadership and organizational skills, but that’s not
really the kind of work you do. Like my elder brother’s had the kind of job they’re
talking about, and typically you are just there to do the basic tasks like typing or filing
stuff, nothing very meaningful.
(man) Oh, so you wouldn’t actually learn anything new.
(woman) Exactly!
(man) I guess I see what you mean. But what about the other point they make?
(woman) About this helping us after we graduate? I don’t agree.
(man) How come?
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(woman) Well, the problem is that there’re lots of other universities in our area that
have the same requirement. So there’re lots of other students at these positions.
(man) Yeah, I guess I haven’t thought of that.
(woman) So, even if you take a position like this in a company while you’re still a
student, once you graduate the competition for permanent jobs will be impossible. I
mean there just won’t be enough jobs available for all of the business graduates in the
city that will be looking for full-time work.
(man) Hmmm, I see what you’re saying.
The woman expresses her opinion about the new policy. State her opinion and explain
the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
#4 Read the passage from a Film’s Studies textbook. You will have 50 seconds to read
the passage. Begin reading now.
The Establishing Shot
Film directors use different types of camera shots for specific purposes. An establishing
shot is an image shown briefly at the beginning of a scene, usually taken from far away,
that is used to provide context for the rest of the scene. One purpose of the establishing
shot is to communicate background information to the viewer, such as the setting – where
and when the rest of the scene will occur. It also establishes the mood or feeling of the
scene. Due to the context that the establishing shot provide, the characters and events that
are shown next are better understood by the viewer.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a film class.
(male) The other day I went to this great new movie. And one of the scenes in
particular I thought was really set up nicely. At the start of the scene, before the action
and talking things started, you saw on the movie screen an image of a city. You could
tell it was a big city. There were lots of buildings, tall ones, skyscrapers, and the cars
and signs on the city streets looked old fashioned, like they were from the past, like
the 1940s.
The other thing I noticed right away from this first image, just when the scene started,
was that the city seemed gloomy. You couldn’t see much because it was, well, it was
mostly darkness rather than sunlight. And there was only just little bit of light from
32
street lamps. On top of that, it was raining and kind of foggy.
All of these details were together to create a dark, gloomy, mysterious feeling. So then,
when the action started and it showed detectives talking to each other in the office, I
already knew that the office was located in a tall building, in a big city, sometime in
the 1940s. And I had a good idea that the events that’d be taking place would be pretty
dark and mysterious because of the shot, the image I saw at the beginning of the
scene.
Using the professor’s example, explain what an establishing shot is and how it is used.
#5 Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Beth, how are things?
(woman) Not great.
(man) Why? What’s wrong?
(woman) I just found out I have to move out of my apartment, like, right away.
(man) You’re kidding! Why?
(woman) Well, my apartment, it’s in a house, a kind of old house. And now
something’s wrong with the water pipes. I think some of the pipes burst or wore out or
something. Anyway, we don’t have any water in the house, and apparently it’s gonna
take two weeks to fix the problem.
(man) So you need to find a place to live for what? two weeks or so?
(woman) Yeah, bad timing, huh? With mid-term exams coming up and everything!
(man) So you’ve figured out what you’re going to do?
(woman) Well, some friends said I could stay at their place. They don’t have an extra
bedroom but they said it’d be OK for me to sleep on their living room couch.
(man) You could probably handle that for a couple of weeks, right?
(woman) I guess so. I mean it’s really nice of them to offer. And it’s free! The only
problem is they already have four people living there so it could be a little crowded.
(man) And not ideal for studying for mid-terms.
(woman) Yeah, too many distractions.
(man) Hmmm, any other options?
(woman) Well, I did find this place. It’s a small hotel over on 3rd street right near
campus.
(man) Oh, right! A lot of kid’s parents stay there when they come for a visit.
33
(woman) Right. So I could get a room there. They have a weekly rate and it’s pretty
reasonable. But, I don’t know..
(man) At least at the hotel you’d have a space of your own, you know, so you could
get more done.
(woman) That’s definitely a plus. But I have to think about it. Even though it’s pretty
cheap, it’ll still end up costing me some money. And my budget is pretty tight right
now.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6 Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(female) We all know that insects like to eat plants. But some plants are able to
develop ways to protect themselves from insects. Today I’m gonna talk about some
ways plants defend themselves.
Now, some plants have physical features that prevent insects from landing on them.
Like the passion plant, for example, its leaves have little spiky hairs all over them.
They’re like spikes, sticking out of the plant that are so numerous and dense that they
prevent insects from landing on the leaves. Basically there’re just no room for the
insects to land. And since insects can’t land on the leaves they can’t eat them. So the
little hairs serve as a physical feature that help protect passion plant from insects.
All right! But other plants protect themselves using chemical defenses, like the potato
plant. The potato plant is able to release a chemical throughout its leaf system
whenever an insect attacks it, starts eating the leaf. So, say an insect starts eating a
potato plant’s leaf, that will cause the plant to react by releasing a chemical
throughout its leaf system. The insect swallows this chemical as it eats. And this
chemical discourages the insect from wanting to eat more of the plant. How? Well, the
substance makes the insect feel full, like it’s already had enough to eat. The insect no
longer feels hungry so it stops eating the plant. So, by emitting this chemical, the
potato plant protects itself from insects.
Using points from the lecture, explain how the passion plant and the potato plant
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defend themselves from insects.
TPO10
#1 Talk about a time when you accomplished something you did not think you could
do. What did you accomplish? Why did you think you could not do it?
#2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Use details and examples
to explain your answer.
All children should be required to learn a second language in school.
#3 Read the student letter in the University newspaper. You have 45 seconds to read
the letter. Begin reading now.
Student Art Display
The university is currently considering possible locations on campus for displaying
paintings and other artwork by students. I think the lobby at the entrance to the student
center would be a great location. Since many students pass through the student center
every day, artwork displayed in the lobby would be viewed by hundreds of people. Also,
because the whole front of the building is made of glass windows, the lobby is filled with
natural light. This makes it perfect for displaying artwork, which should have plenty of
light to be seen and appreciated.
Sincerely,
Paul Sands
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(man) Mary, you’re an art student. What do you think of this letter?
(woman) I don’t like the idea.
(man) Why not?
(woman) Well, first of all, his first point about a lot of people passing through the
student center, that’s true, but..
(man) But?
(woman) But it’s always crowded with people coming and going. It’s not good for
showing artwork. Imagine you’re standing there, trying to look at the painting, it’s
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gonna be like a million people walking through. People walking in front of you,
blocking your view, distracting you.
(man) Hmmm. Yeah, I haven’t thought of it.
(woman) You won’t be able to appreciate the artwork or get a good look at anything
with so much going on, with so many people moving around.
(man) Yeah, I see what you mean.
(woman) Plus, he’s wrong about the windows.
(man) But isn’t it true that it’s good for art to have lots of light?
(woman) In a sense, yeah, but that kind of light, all that natural light from windows,
that’s actually not good, because if it’s really sunny out it will be way too bright, if it’s
cloudy, it will be way too dark.
(man) Oh!
(woman) What you want is controlled light, consistent light, the kind you get from
electrical light bulb. Think about in an art museum. In an art museum, you’ve got
electric lighting and the light is always carefully controlled, always at the same level
Briefly summarize the proposal in the student’s letter. Then state the woman’s opinion
about the proposal and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
#4 Read the passage from a marketing textbook. You have 50 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Entertainment Merchandising
An effective, widely used marketing practice in the entertainment industry is entertainment
merchandising. Entertainment merchandising is a form of marketing in which the brand or
image from one product is also used to sell another. The practice of entertainment
merchandising often occurs in connection with movies and television shows, especially
those associated with children. For example, the success of a popular children’s
television show may result in the marketing of toys that are designed to look like
characters in the show. Or the satiation may be reversed when a children’s television
show is written to include characters that are based on already-popular toys.
Now listen to a lecture from a marketing class.
(male professor): Ok, so I’ve actually got a few different examples of this. You know,
uh, when I was a kid, a character named Action Hero was really popular with my
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friends and me. We would always watch the Action Hero program on television every
week and played games pretending we were strong and powerful as he was. Then
pretty soon we began seeing these small Action Hero figures in all the stores. And,
well, we all just had to have them. I mean, we’ve been watching the television show
for so long that it seemed only natural to want to own toys, too.
Well, I finally grew up and left Action Hero television program and toys behind. But,
now, I have a 7-year-old daughter who watches television a lot and also like to play
with her toys. And lately her favorite toy is a cute little baby doll with a big round
face and lots of curly hair named Rosa. All my daughter’s friends have Rosa dolls, too.
And they enjoy going to each other’s houses to play with them. Then a few weeks ago,
my daughter came running up to me all excited because she just heard that there is
going to be a new television program on every week with the doll, Rosa, as the main
character. So naturally she and all her friends have begun watching the show. And it’s
already very popular, as popular as the toy doll.
Using the examples from the lecture, explain the concept of Entertainment
Merchandising.
#5 Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Is there a problem with the electricity?
(man) Yeah, this storm knocked out power all over the city. And they’re saying it
might be several hours before we have electricity again.
(woman) Oh, no! I have a history paper due tomorrow and I’ve been writing it on my
lap top computer and the battery’s running low. I am going to need electricity soon.
(man) Well, you know, Jefferson City still has electricity. And there’s a library there
where you can plug in lap top. You could go over there to work on your paper. It’s
only about a twenty-minute drive.
(woman) That’s a good idea. Of course I’d have to pack up all my stuff and it is
raining outside.
(man) Yeah, that’s true. Well, why don’t you just ask the professor for an extension?
You know, tomorrow when you go to class just ask him if he would give you an extra
day to get the paper done. I’m pretty sure he’d agree. You know, with the storm and
all.
(woman) Yeah, that should be a lot easier. But then he did tell us when he gave us the
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assignment that he wouldn’t grant any extension.
(man) You don’t think he’d grant an exception in this case?
(woman) I’m not sure. It’s a little risky. He might just say that we shouldn’t have
waited until the last minute.
(man) Yeah, but, maybe if other students have the same problem you might be able to
convince him.
(woman) Yeah, I mean, it’s not our fault that the electricity went out. Hmmm…
Briefly summarize the woman’s problem then state which solution you would
recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6 Listen to part of a lecture in a Psychology class.
(female professor) Ok, we generally assume that babies can feel only very basic
emotions like happiness or anger, that is, the babies just react to things that happen
directly to them. However, some new research’s suggesting that babies may be able to
feel concern for others, to have empathy for others.
Now, empathy is a complex emotion. It involves a baby relating to someone else’s
emotions, not just reacting to things happening directly to them. Let’s talk about an
experiment that may show that babies could be capable of feeling empathy.
Ok, for the first part of the experiment, well, um, we’ve always known that babies
start to cry when they hear other babies crying, right? One baby in a room starts
crying and all the rest join in. We’ve always assumed that the other babies cry because
they were reacting to the noise of crying, that the noise itself was distressing. So, in
the experiment researchers play tape recording, a tape of baby’s crying, to another
baby. And sure enough, the baby started crying when he heard the sound of other
baby’s crying. This was no surprise, of course. And the researchers assumed that the
baby cried because of the noise.
But the next part of the experiment was surprising. The researchers played the baby a
tape of his own crying. Now it was just as noisy, so the researchers expected him to
cry. However, this time the baby did not cry. He wasn’t upset by the sound of his own
crying. Why not? Well, maybe it wasn’t the noise that made him cry before when he
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heard other baby’s crying.
In fact, maybe noise has nothing to do with it. It could be that the baby felt empathy
for the other babies. And that was why he got upset when he heard them crying.
Researchers concluded that it is indeed possible that babies feel empathy, concern for
others.
Using the points from the lecture explain why researchers think that babies may feel
empathy.
TPO11
Question #1
Talk about an interesting book you have read. Explain why you thought the book was
interesting. Give specific details and examples to explain your answer.
Question #2
Some people think that children should be allowed to watch whatever television
programs they choose to. Others think that parents should exercise control over the
television programs their children watch. Which do you agree with? Explain why.
Question #3
Central College is planning to renovate its dormitories. Read the article in the college
newspaper about the plan. You will have 45 seconds to read the article. Begin reading
now.
Housing Renovations Planned
Over the last ten years, the number of Central College students living on campus in
dormitories has decreased by twenty percent. In an effort to counteract the trend, the
college has announced a plan to renovate its on-campus housing. The renovations will
take two years, and they will include improvements to the bathrooms, lighting, and
heating in the dormitories. “A lot of people are moving off campus because the dorms
39
aren’t in great shape,” explained the college president. “By renovating the dorms, we
can make them more appealing than off-campus housing, and more students will
choose to remain on campus.”
Now listen to two students discussing the college’s plan.
(woman) The college’s making a mistake with this new plan.
(man) What do you mean? I think it will really help the college to accomplish its
goals.
(woman) Don’t’ be so sure! All that construction, for two years? It’s gonna create a lot
of noise.
(man) Well, you mean in the beginning, for students still living in the dorms.
(woman) Yeah, students who are trying to sleep or do works are constantly going to be
disturbed. So, people will try to get as far away as possible, probably by moving off
campus. So they are losing even more people!
(man) Huh, I haven’t thought of that. But still, once all the constructions are over,
more people will probably want to live in the dorms, right? I mean, the living
conditions will be so much better.
(woman) If they can afford to, do you know how the college is planning on paying for
this plan? By raising the cost of campus housing!
(man) Oh! I didn’t realize that.
(woman) Yeah, so if it’s more expensive why would people want to move back into
the dorms if they can rent an apartment for less money?
The woman expresses her opinion about the college’s plan.
explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
State her opinion and
Question #4
Now read a passage about Outsider Art from a Modern Art textbook. You will have 45
seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Outsider Art
Outsider Art is a term used to describe art that is made by people who choose to live
and work outside society. The artists who produce this kind of art – Outsider Artists –
work in isolation from other artists and have little or no formal artistic training.
Because they do not learn conventional artistic techniques from teachers or other
artists, Outsider Artists must invent their own ways of doing things. As a result of the
40
unconventional methods that Outsider Artists often use, their work can look strange
and not at all like traditional art to the observer.
Now listen to part of a lecture in an Art History class.
(professor) All right, so let’s consider the works of outsider artist Henry Dodger.
Dodger lived by himself in a tiny apartment in Chicago in the 1900s. He had no
friends and spent all his spare time their alone creating hundreds of paintings and
drawings. He had never formally studied art and kept his work completely private, so
no one ever saw it or responded to it during his life time.
And so, when you see Dodger’s work you notice how unique it is. It doesn’t remind
you of anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s very much his own. For example, one
piece, it’s a water-color painting, in this piece he illustrates a story, about the
adventure of seven children. But see, Dodger had a really hard time drawing human
figures. Yet he managed to come up with his own rather unique solution for the
problem. He simply cut out pictures of children from newspapers and magazines and
pasted them into his own painted illustrations of trees, flowers and grass.
The results look, um, a little strange. Dodger’s picture looks more cluttered, more
crowded with details than the pictures of other artists, because its entire surface is
painted and there are no spaces left empty. It’s also a lot longer than pictures of most
other artists, about nine feet long.
Explain why Henry Dodger is considered an Outsider Artist.
Question #5
Now listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Frank, I heard you got a summer research position with professor
Davis.
(man) Uh, huh, but I’ve got a problem.
(woman) Oh?
(man) Yeah, well, since I didn’t hear from her for so long, I assumed I didn’t get the
position. So I didn’t apply for a dorm room for the summer. I’m afraid it’s too late for
that now.
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(woman) Yeah, the deadline for campus housing application has already passed. So
what are you gonna do now?
(man) Well, I can stay with my parents. They live two hours from here so I thought I
could drive and commute to campus everyday. I know my mom and dad would be
happy to have me over for a few weeks and most of my old friends would be home for
the summer so, in a way, it’d be fun.
(woman) Yeah, I understand. But you’d spend quite a bit of time on the road going
back and forth. Won’t you get tired?
(man) Yeah, that thought did cross my mind. The other thing I could do is rent an
apartment off campus. Besides being closer to work, I’d also save tons of money on
gas.
(woman) Uh, huh. But then you’d have to pay rent.
(man) I know. There’s always something, isn’t there?
The students discussed a problem and two possible solutions. Briefly summarize the
problem then state which of the two solutions you prefer and explain why.
Question #6
Listen to part of a lecture in an Interior Design class.
(professor) So we’re talking about interior design, uh, specifically the basic principles
typically used in home and office decoration in the United States. Effective designs
create a delicate balance between two things: you need unity and you also need
contrast, which is essentially a break in unity. Now, this might seem a little
contradictory but let me explain why we need both of these for an effective design.
The first principle, we need unity in our design. Think of it as a consistency. Well, an
easy and very effective way to do this is by bringing together similar elements, uh,
common example is by matching colors. You pick a color and use it for different parts
of the room. Say, you pick green and then use a light shade of green for the walls, and
maybe a somewhat darker shade for the fabric on the sofa and finally compliment that
with a matching green rug. When elements match, the room is unified and gives its
resident a sense of order and comfort.
OK, but there is such a thing as too much unity. Remember, you need a balance of
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unity and contrast. If all you do is focus on unity, the result will be a boring room! So
what do you do?
Well, you apply the second basic principle of design, which is contrast. Contrast
serves to disrupt or break up unity in places, but, in a careful and intentional way. Um,
well, let’s continue using color as an example. To create contrast, color contrast, you
need to abruptly change your color scheme once in a while. Uh, let’s see, you could
throw bright red cushions on your dark green sofa for example. Contrast makes things
stand out. The green will look even greener next to the red! So, now your room is
more interesting, not completely the same.
But watch out! Too much contrast is also dangerous. Just like too much sameness is.
Too much contrast will make the room feel busy, chaotic.
Using the points and examples from the lecture, explain what unity and contrast are
and how they make interior design more effective.
TPO12
Question #1
What is the most efficient type of transportation in your country? Explain why you
think it is efficient. Include specific reasons or examples.
Question #2
Some people believe it’s essential for a person’s education to learn to play a musical
instrument. Others don’t believe music education is important. Which view do you
agree with? Explain why.
Question #3
Read the article about a college radio station. You will have 45 seconds to read the
article. Begin reading now.
43
College Radio Station to Undergo Major Changes?
The university is considering making major changes to the college radio station.
Changes would include an expansion of the station’s broadcasting range, which would
allow the radio’s programming to reach nearby towns. One goal of the plan is to
attract more students to apply its communications program. Another goal is to provide
the university with an extra source of revenue. University officials expect the
enhanced radio station to significantly increase the number of listeners, which will in
turn encourage businesses to place commercials on the radio.
Now, listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) What do you think of the proposal?
(woman) I think it’ll work. I mean, the range of the station now is basically limited to
the campus. So it’s basically just a few programs mainly for students.
(man) Yeah?
(woman) Well, if this proposal goes through there will be more programs and it’ll give
the students more professional experience as they expand the programming for a
much larger, you know, real-life audience. And stuff like that will give them a better
shot at getting a job after they graduate.
(man) Of course.
(woman) Besides, the whole university will benefit from it.
(man) What do you mean?
(woman) Well, you know my friend Tony, right? He told me that the radio station at
his university did something like this about five years ago.
(man) And?
(woman) Well, it’s a success! They are making a lot of money out of commercials and
they are using it to offer more scholarships and to help fund projects to renovate the
facilities of other programs.
(man) That sounds really good.
The woman supports the proposal described in the article. Explain why she thinks it
will achieve the university’s goals.
Question #4
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Now, read the passage about subliminal perception. You will have 50 seconds to read
the passage. Begin reading now.
Subliminal Perception
Humans are constantly perceiving visual and auditory stimuli. Sometimes our
perception of these stimuli occurs consciously ,we are aware of a stimulus and know
that we are perceiving it. But our perception of a stimulus can also occur without our
awareness: an image might appear and disappear before our eyes too quickly for us to
notice that we saw it, or a sound might be too faint for us to realize that we heard it.
This phenomenon – the perception of a stimulus just below the threshold of conscious
awareness – is called subliminal perception. Experiments have shown that
subliminally perceived stimuli can influence people’s thoughts and attitudes.
Now, listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a psychology class.
(male professor) Consider this experiment. Two groups of people were asked to watch
TV and while they are watching a picture flashed on the screen less than a second,
very quickly so it was barely noticeable.
The picture was a boy with a birthday cake. Now, like I said, there were two groups
and each group saw a slightly different version of the picture. One group got the boy
looking angry, in fact, he was actually throwing the cake on the floor. The other group
got a picture of the boy smiling, happy, holding up the cake like he was offering it.
Same boy, same cake but different emotions expressed in each picture.
Everyone was then asked to look at a different image. Now, this is a third image, right?
Again, it’s the boy and the cake, but this time the image stayed on the screen. In this
picture, the boy’s just holding the cake basically no emotion on his face, everything
very neutral.
Now, remember, nobody knew they’d already seen a picture of this boy. After a
minute, everyone was asked to describe the boy’s personality. Those who’d been
exposed to the image of the angry boy, they generally described the boy’s personality
negatively. Those who’d earlier seen the happy boy described him, well, positively.
45
Describe what subliminal perception is and explain how the experiment discussed by
the professor illustrates this phenomenon.
Question #5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Madison, what’s wrong?
(woman) Oh, I’m just struggling about what to do? I won an award from the Pacific
Journalism Institute for an article I submitted, and…
(man) Doesn’t sound like anything’s wrong.
(woman) Well, it’s a huge honor to win and there’s an award ceremony they’ve invited
me to attend which I am super excited about. But, and here’s what’s frustrating, I’ve
got a philosophy exam that scheduled to end right when the ceremony begins.
(man) Uh oh! You’re saying you’ll just be finishing up taking the exam right when the
ceremony starts?
(woman) Exactly!
(man) But those ceremonies never start on time, they give long introductions, you
know, after a general speech or something before they ever get to handing out awards.
I’m sure they won’t be ready to hand out your award right at the beginning. Just go
when you’re done with the test. You won’t miss anything important.
(woman) Maybe, but that’s a bit risky. I don’t want to miss being there when they
announce my name.
(man) Well, have you talked to your professor about this?
(woman) Dr. Forester? No.
(man) Maybe she’ll let you take the test some other time.
(woman) True. She lets people reschedule exams sometimes. But she always make
them take it a couple of days early, that’ll mean less studying time for me which I’m
not thrilled about.
(man) Less time to study, Oh!
(woman) Like I said, I’m still struggling about what to do.
The speakers discussed two possible solutions to the woman’s problem. Briefly
summarize the problem then state which of the solutions you recommend and explain
why.
46
Question 6
Listen to part of a lecture in an economics class.
(female professor) So, when we talked about the demand for a product, we’re
referring to how much consumers want to buy it, right? And often the demand for a
product is influenced by its price, the more expensive it becomes the less chance
people want to buy it.
OK, but that’s not the whole story. Sometimes the demand for a product can also be
influenced by the price of other related products.
First, there are other products called “substitute goods”. If products can be substituted
for one another then, um, well, then they are called substitute goods. They are similar
enough to be interchangeable. And, uh, the increase of price of one means the increase
for the demand of the other. Like, uh, like butter and margarine. They are pretty much
used for the same purposes. Margarine’s butter’s substitute and you can bake equally
well with either. Well, when the price of butter goes up, it becomes less affordable,
and so what do people do? They buy margarine instead, right? So, uh, you see,
increase of the price of butter increases the demand for margarine.
Now, another instance with the price of one product can influence the demand of
another is, uh, is when you have two products that can’t be used without each other.
Those products we call “compliment goods”. They compliment, or complete, each
other, if you will. Like compact disks and compact disk players. You need both
products in order to use either. So if the price of either product increases demand for
both is likely to decrease. And if the price of the CD’s goes up, well, demand for them
will do down, right? And because CD’s and CD player compliment each other, what
will also happen is that the demand for CD player will go down, too.
Using the points and examples from the talk, explain how substitute goods and
compliment goods influence demand for a particular product.
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TPO13
#1
Talk about a game, sport, or other group activity that is played in your country.
Explain why you think the activity is enjoyable.
#2
When looking for information for a research project, some students prefer to get their
information mainly from the Internet. Others prefer to mainly use printed materials
such as books and academic journals. Which do you prefer and why?
#3
The university is considering building a new athletic stadium. Read the article in the
student newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to read the article. Begin reading now.
New Stadium
A university official announced plans to spend $2 million to build a new stadium,
commenting that a new stadium would help the university achieve its goal of
attracting more top students. The official also said that, additionally, building a new
stadium would allow the university to strengthen its relationship with the town since a
new and larger stadium would have the space to seat not only students, parents, and
alumni, but members of the local community as well.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) So what do you think of the university’s new plan?
(woman) Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s gonna work.
(man) No?
(woman) I mean, I can’t imagine top students being too thrilled about some of the
conditions on this campus.
(man) What do you mean?
(woman) Like, the science laboratory having such old outdated equipment and the
library needing more books, and the student center being so small. I think that the 2
million could be spent in better places if the university is really serious about
achieving its goal.
(man) OK. But what about the other reason for building the stadium? I mean right
48
now we have so little contact with the town.
(woman) Yeah, but this won’t help relations. Look, people from town hardly ever
come to the games because our teams always lose. And they’re not suddenly going to
improve over night. Besides, adding seats won’t make a difference. I mean, if people
from town didn’t come before, they won’t come now just because the place is bigger.
The woman expresses her opinion about the university’s plan. State her opinion and
explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Now read the passage from a psychology textbook. You have 50 seconds to read the
passage.
Perceptual Constancy
How an object affects our senses depends in part on external conditions, and these
conditions are always changing. An object viewed from one angle presents a different
shapes to our eye than when viewed from another angle; similarity, as the distance
from which we view an object changes, the object will appear larger or smaller. In
spite of this, even as conditions change and we see objects differently, we still
recognize that they remain the same. This is what is known as perceptual constancy. If
not for perceptual constancy, we might have difficulty recognizing familiar objects if
we viewed them in a new and different context.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a psychology class.
(Male Professor) Let’s take an everyday example an ordinary round plate like you’d
find in a kitchen. If you hold the plate directly in front of your face and look at it,
what shape do you see? A perfect circle, right?
Suppose you tilt the plate to a different angle, to a horizontal position, like
you’re planning to put food on it, still a perfect circle? No! The circle is now stretched
out, flattened into an oval. Do you conclude the plate had actually changed shape? Or
that it’s a different object, not the same plate? Of course not! It looks different, but we
perceive it as still being the same.
Here’s a different example. This classroom we’re in. It’s fairly large, right?
49
Now, from up close, from the front row, I appear to be relatively big, bigger than if
you’re in the last row, right? But let’s say you’re sitting in the front row today but
tomorrow you’re sitting in the back row. From back there I’m going to look smaller,
but you don’t think I’ve actually gotten smaller. You don’t think you’re seeing a
different professor, a guy who looks like me except he’s smaller. No matter where you
are, up close or far away, you understand without even thinking about it, that I’m the
same size, the same person.
Explain what is meant by perceptual constancy using the examples provided by the
professor.
#5
Now listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Mark, how’s it going?
(man) Hmm, not too good!
(woman) What’s wrong?
(man) Well, you know how I’m president of the anthropology club, well, I’m
supposed to drive everyone in the club to see a special exhibit at the museum
tomorrow. My mom said I could borrow her van, you know, so everyone would fit,
but unfortunately, it broke down, and it’s not gonna be repaired in time for the trip.
(woman) Oh! So what’re you going to do? Can you rent a van?
(man) Yeah, that’s a possibility. A little risky for me, though. I’ve tried to get in touch
with the club members but only four have gotten back to me and said they could
contribute some money for the cause.
(woman) What about the other members?
(man) I don’t know! It’d probably be OK with them, but that’s the risk. I don’t know
for sure. I don’t what to get stuck with having to pay for most of the bill.
(woman) Well, since not everyone has gotten back to you, what don’t you just
postpone the trip, you know, until your mom’s van’s been repaired?
(man) Yeah, I could do that, though I’m sure everyone would be disappointed when
they show up tomorrow ready to go and found out that we’re not going.
The speakers discuss two solutions to the man’s problem. Briefly summarize the
problem then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
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#6
Now listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(Female Professor) Now many sea animals, in order to hide from predators, have,
over time, developed different kinds of camouflage to help them blend in with their
environment and avoid detection by predators.
Picture the surface of the sea floor, it’s as varied as the land we live on. It’s got
peaks and valleys, vegetation, rocky areas, and some sea animals have developed
permanent colors or shapes to resemble these environmental features. This
camouflage helps to disguise them from predators by enabling them to blend into, uh,
a specific part of the sea. For instance, take a kind of fish like the Leafy Sea Dragon,
well, the name says it all, it resembles a small green dragon with leaf-like protrusions
sticking out like arms. Now because its colors and shapes, it blends in extremely well
with green sea plants. So when the Leafy Sea Dragon is swimming through these
plants, predators have trouble seeing it. But when it enters other environments without
these green plants, its camouflage doesn’t work any more.
Now other sea animals are difficult to spot anywhere in the sea because their
type of camouflage enables them to change color. Take the Cuttlefish, a fish that is
closely related to the squid and octopus, unlike Leafy Sea Dragons, Cuttlefish have
not developed any particular shape to hide from predators. But, uh, they have a lot
more mobility because their camouflage allows them to blend in to any environment,
because Cuttlefish have shifting pigments that allow them to change color in a matter
of seconds, and, so they can almost instantaneously match their color of their
surroundings. If they’re swimming by green sea plants, they’ll turn green. And if
they’re swimming over the brown sea floor, they’ll turn brown.
Using the examples of Leafy Sea Dragon and the Cuttlefish, describe two kinds of
camouflage and the benefits they provide.
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TPO14
#1
People enjoy reading many different types of books such as mystery, biography,
romance, etc. Of all the different types of books that there are, what type do you most
enjoy? Explain why.
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
One of the best ways to learn is by making mistakes.
Use specific examples and details to support your opinion.
#3
A student has written a letter to the university newspaper. You have 50 seconds to read
the letter. Begin reading now.
University Should Allow Eating in Class
Currently, there is a university-wide policy that prohibits eating in the classroom. I
disagree with this policy. I think students should be allowed to eat in class. This
change would be good for two reasons. For one thing, if students were permitted to
eat, they would be able to concentrate better, because students often get hungry during
long classes, and hunger makes it difficult to concentrate. Also, if food were allowed
in classroom, it would be possible for us to have in-class parties on the last day of
class – with snack foods and beverages – to celebrate the end of each semester.
Sincerely,
Nancy Myers
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman) Did you see this letter, Jen?
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(man) Yeah.
(woman) Be kind of nice to do that, huh?
(man) No, actually, I don’t think it’s a good idea.
(woman) Why not?
(man) Well, like the part about how it’ll help students concentrate, I mean, maybe a
little snack will help the person who’s eating it, but, the trouble is that it makes it hard
for everyone else to concentrate cause they have to listen to someone munching on
chips, or biting into an apple, or crinkling paper wrappers.
(woman) I guess it can be kind of disruptive.
(man) Yeah! It will interfere with everyone’s concentration. You wouldn’t be able to
pay attention with all the noises going on.
(woman) OK, I guess I will have to agree with you on that, but what about her other
reason? It would be nice to be able to have some fun at the end of the semester, right?
(man) No, there’s a problem with that, too.
(woman) Why?
(man) Well, I don’t think it’s appropriate to use class time for that kind of thing. I
mean, the last class is usually pretty important, that’s when we do a lot of reviewing
for final exams.
(woman) True!
(man) If we use that time for that, we probably wouldn’t have time to do as much
reviewing, which means we wouldn’t be as well prepared for exams.
(woman) Yeah, I haven’t thought of that.
The man expresses his opinion about the proposal in the newspaper. Briefly
summarize the proposal, then state the man’s opinion and explain the reasons he gives
for holding that opinion.
#4
Read the passage from a psychology textbook. You have 50 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Comfort Zone Bias
Psychologists have found that when people make important decisions, they often
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choose to stay in their “comfort zones”, that is, they prefer remaining in comfortable,
familiar situations, rather than entering into new, unfamiliar ones. This tendency is
often referred to as the comfort zone bias. When people are reasonable content, they
often decide not to pursue a new opportunity, even if it attracts them and offers more
advantages. Psychologists believe that the comfort zone bias exists not only because
we have a natural preference for what we already know, but also because we want to
avoid taking risks.
Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class.
(male professor) OK, so this comes up a lot when people make career decisions. A
friend of mine from college always wanted to be a film reviewer. He was a film major
and he loved movies. Most of all, he loved to write about movies. So, when he
graduated, he looked for a job as a film reviewer for a newspaper, because as a film
reviewer, he gets to see films for free and would be paid to write about them.
That’s what he loved! But, he couldn’t find the job as a film reviewer. So, he took a
position as a news reporter instead, for a newspaper, investigating stories, writing
about events, what news reporters do.
Now, at first, my friend wasn’t sure if he’d be any good at this. He’d never been as a
news reporter before. But, eventually, he adjusted and gained confidence and he got
used to the job. And he realized he was actually a pretty good reporter.
Anyway, here’s the thing: after a few years, the film reviewer for the paper where he
worked quit, and my friend was offered her job. This was his dream, right? Here’s
opportunity to be a film reviewer had finally come! And the new job would actually
pay more, too.
But, did he take the job? No! He turned it down. He told me he’d gotten used to being
a news reporter and he just didn’t want to try something else. It seemed like too big a
change, since, well, there was a chance the new job might not work out.
Using the example from the lecture, explain the comport zone bias.
#5
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Listen to a conversation between two students
(woman) Hey, Matt, how’s it going?
(man) Uh, so so. I’ve got a problem with my housing next semester and I have to
make a decision soon.
(woman) What’s going on?
(man) Well, I lived in the dormitory, and I’ve got a great roommate for the last two
year, but he’s moving off campus next semester.
(woman) Oh! So?
(man) So now I have to make a big decision. You know, about my living
arrangements.
(woman) Well, couldn’t you just get a new roommate? Doesn’t the university
automatically assign someone to take his place?
(man) Yeah, they do. The thing is, I am concerned about sharing a room with
somebody new. There could be problems, like, what if he wanted to go to sleep at ten
o’clock? I am used to studying late at night and that would throw off my whole study
schedule.
(woman) I guess that’s possible. But it is convenient to be on campus, easy to get to
class and all. What else could you do?
(man) Well, My roommate found a house off campus with some other friends and
there’s another bedroom available. I could have it, but I have to let them know by the
end of the week.
(woman) A house sounds like a good idea. It’d be fun to live with the group of people.
(man) True, and it would definitely be economical with everyone splitting the rent,
but it’s just that this house is really far from campus. I’d have to wake up much earlier
to get to class. It’d just be a lot more inconvenient than living in the dorm.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing, then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a marine biology class.
(female professor) A lot of plants and animals live near the surface of the ocean, and
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that means there’s a lot of food near the surface, because there’s lots of plants and
animals to eat. But if you go down to the deepest parts of the ocean, it’s cold and dark,
and there’s not a lot of living down there, so food is very scarce. So organisms that
live down at these great depths have developed special adaptations to help them
survive in this environment where food is so hard to find.
For example, many deep-sea organisms have body features that enable them to eat
prey that are larger than themselves. A good example, um, there’s a species of eel that
has an enormous mouth and a large stomach that’s capable of expanding. And these
unusual features allow this eel to eat prey larger than itself. That’s a big advantage
because if the eel eats something big, that’s a lot of food, a lot of nutrition. So the eel
can go for quite a while before it has to find food again.
Another helpful adaptation in some deep-sea organisms is the ability to generate light.
And some organisms use that light to help them capture food. For example, there’s a
kind of fish called the angler fish. And on its head, this fish has a little structure that
produces light that glows in the dark. This little structure, this little light, is positioned
close to the fish’s mouth. Other fish are attracted to this light, they think it’s
something small they can eat, so they swim straight toward it. And that brings them
close enough for the angler fish to capture them and eat them.
Using the examples of the eel and the angler fish, explain two types of adaptations
that help animals survive in the deepest parts of the ocean.
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TPO15
#1
People make friends in many different ways. What do you think is a good way to
make new friends? Use specific details and examples in your response.
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is important to remember and learn from the past.
Use details and examples to explain your opinion.
#3
Read a letter that a student has written to the campus newspaper. You have 50 seconds
to read the letter. Begin reading now.
University Should Pave Running Trails
The university has about three miles of unpaved dirt running trails that pass through
the forest near campus. I think these trails should be paved with cement. One reason
for paving the trails would be to increase their safety. When it rains, the dirt turns to
mud and becomes very slippery, so the runners who use them can slip and fall.
Pavement would solve this problem. Also, paving would make the trails look nicer,
which would encourage students to use them. Bumps in the trail would be smoothed
out and weeds would be paved over, making the trail more attractive to runners.
Sincerely,
Sally Jacobs
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman) Hey, Ted, you’re a runner. Did you see this letter in the paper?
(man) Yeah, I did, and I use those.
(woman) And?
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(man) I think it’s a terrible idea.
(woman) How come?
(man) Well, she really hasn’t thought it through. Like, the thing about making them
safer, what’s she’s not thinking about is the long-term consequence of running on a
hard surface.
(woman) What do you mean?
(man) I mean, it’s not good for you. It’s too hard on your bones and joints. If you run
repeatedly on hard surface, it can lead to injuries or, that’s what I’ve been taught
anyway, it’s better to run on a soft surface. It does less damage to your body.
(woman) Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.
(man) Yeah, so actually it wouldn’t be safer. And her second point…
(woman) About changing the way they look?
(man) Yeah, I don’t think people will like it.
(woman) So they’d use them less?
(man) Yeah, I mean, one of the main reasons people enjoy them now was it’s a way of
taking a break from the rest of the campus, from buildings and streets and stuff. It’s,
you know, a chance like you’re out in the nature.
(woman) Oh, so you wouldn’t bet that effect anymore.
(man) Right! It’d be just like you’re on a regular street or sidewalk. It wouldn’t be as
relaxing.
The man expresses his opinion about the proposal in the student’s letter. Briefly
summarize the proposal. Then state the man’s opinion about the proposal and explain
the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Read a passage from a psychology textbook. You will have 45 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Experimenter Effect
One objective of any experiment is, of course, to obtain accurate results. Sometimes,
however, problems occur that lead to inaccurate results. One such problem is the
experimenter effect. The experimenter effect occurs when a researcher’s expectations
affect the outcome of the experiment. The researcher expects a particular result from
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the experiment, and that expectation causes the researcher to act in ways that
influence the behavior of the experiment participants, thereby invalidating the results
of the experiment.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a psychology class.
(male professor) For example, I recently read about a case in which a researcher was
given two groups of monkeys and he was asked to train these monkeys to pick up a
ball and put it in a box, and he was told to record how many hours it took to train each
monkey to learn to do this.
Now, before he started the training, the researcher was told that one group of monkeys
was highly intelligent and the other group was less intelligent. In truth, there was no
difference between them. All the monkeys were actually very similar in terms of
intelligence. But the researcher didn’t know that. He thought one group was smarter,
so he expected that group would be easier to train.
So, what happened? Well, the researcher trained the monkeys to perform the action,
and it turned out that, on average, it took him two hours less time to train the
supposedly smart monkeys than the supposedly less intelligent monkeys. Why? Well,
it turns out that with the supposedly smart monkeys the researcher smiled at them a
lot, gave them a lot of encouragement, talked to them a lot, worked hard to
communicate with them.
But with the monkeys he thought were less intelligent, he wasn’t this enthusiastic, he
didn’t try this hard, wasn’t quite optimistic.
Explain how the example from the professor’s lecture illustrates the experimenter
effect.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Kerri, what’s the matter?
(woman) Well, you know I’m in the choir, right? And we have a concert in an hour,
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just an hour from now?
(man) I know, I’m going, really looking forward to hearing you sing. What’s the
trouble?
(woman) Well, we’re all supposed to wear white shirts and black pants at the concert.
You know, so we all look the same.
(man) Right?
(woman) Well, I wore my white shirt to dinner and I spilt spaghetti sauce all over it.
(man) Oh, no!
(woman) Yeah, there’s a huge red stein on it. I can’t wear it for the concert now. It’s
the only white shirt I have and there’s no time to go to the store to buy another one.
(man) Wow! What are you gonna do?
(woman) Well, I just called the choir director and he’s obviously unhappy about all
this. But I told him about another shirt I have, it’s not exactly white, not white like the
others, sort of off white, sort of cream-colored? And he says it’s OK for me to wear it,
but…
(man) But it’s not exactly the same color as the others.
(woman) Right. I’ll feel kind of funny. Some people in the audience would probably
be able to tell.
(man) Hmmm. Don’t any of the other choir members have an extra white shirt you
could borrow?
(woman) No, I’ve already asked around. But my roommate has one.
(man) Great, use hers.
(woman) Well, the thing is, she’s out of town. I’ve tried calling her but haven’t been
able to reach her. She probably wouldn’t mind, but, you know, I’ve never borrowed
her stuff before and I really don’t like taking things without asking.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(female professor) Birds have some of the best vision capabilities in the animal
kingdom. Some birds species have vision that is eight to ten times greater than
humans. Overall, a bird’s eyes are extremely important for its survival.
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One aspect of bird’s eyes that plays a role in helping them survive, in other words to
find food or to avoid predators, is the position of the eyes in the skull. Some birds
have eyes that face forward on the skull, kind of similar to how human’s eyes are
positioned. Forward-facing eyes allow a bird to clearly see and judge distances
because it can focus on objects with both of its eyes, and correctly perceive height,
width and depth. One type of bird with eyes positioned in the front of the skull is the
hawk. Hawks eat animals like mice. Hawks have such good eye sight that they can
spot a tiny mouse in the field from high up in the air. They spot the mouse and swoop
down to catch it. Without such good eye sight, they would not be able to spot or catch
their food.
Other birds have eyes that are located on each side of the skull. This positioning of the
eyes can help a bird to avoid predators. Instead of just seeing what’s directly in front,
they can see things that are on either side, permitting them to watch for danger in all
directions. Imagine a duck wading near the edge of a lake. It needs to spend time
eating grasses and insects, but it also is on constant lookout for danger from its
predator, like the fox. An eye on each side of the duck’s head allows it to see a fox
approaching from either side. If it spots a fox, it can then fly away to safety. The
placement of the eyes are critical in helping the duck avoid predators.
Using the examples in the lecture, explain how the position of birds’ eyes is critical to
their survival.
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TPO16
#1) If you could have any career you wanted, which would you choose and why?
Give specific details to explain your response.
#2) Some people who unexpectedly receive a large amount of money spend it on
practical things, while others spend it for pleasure only, which do you think is better
and why?
#3) A student has written a letter to the editor of City University’s newspaper
concerning the campus health center. You have 50 seconds to read the letter, begin
reading now.
Student Health Services Need Improvement
The situation at the health center is unacceptable: you sit in a crowded waiting room
for hours waiting to get treatment for minor ailments. Then when it’s your turn, you
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get about three minutes with an overworked doctor. I have two suggestions: first, the
heath center needs to hire more doctors so that each patient receives quality treatment.
And as far as the wait time issue is concerned, the health center is currently open
Monday through Fridays, which means that people who get sick over the weekend
wait until the following week to get treatment. So, opening the health center on
weekends should solve that problem too.
Sincerely,
Megan Finch
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
Woman: Did you read that letter in the paper?
Man: Sure, and though she’s right about the problems, I don’t think what she proposes
will do much good.
Woman: Really?
Man: Yeah. Take her first suggestion: I mean, have you seen the health center
Woman: Of course! Why?
Man: Well…it’s tiny. It suffers from lack of space, so, unless they build more
treatment rooms or offices or something…
Woman: Oh, I see…
Man: And also, her second suggestion.
Woman: It seems like that’ll help things out…
Man: Well…not necessarily…I mean…think about it. A lot of students aren’t even
here on the weekends.
Woman: That’s true.
Man: They leave town and get away; there’s not a lot of people here.
Woman: Yeah, like me, I got home probably…at least twice a month.
Man: Right, and a lot of us leave campus for the weekend even more often than that.
So there’s just not a lot of demand for treatment then. See what I mean?
The man expresses his opinion about the student’s suggestions that are made in the
letter. State the man’s opinion and explain the reasons he gives for holding that
opinion.
#4) Now read a passage about social loafing. You have 45 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Social Loafing
When people work in groups to perform a task, individual group members may feel
less motivated to contribute when one person is held directly responsible for
completing the task. The result is that people may not work as hard, or accomplish as
much as they would if they were working alone and their individual output were being
measured. This decrease in personal effort, especially on a simple group task is known
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as social loafing. While it is not a deliberate behavior, the consequence of social
loafing is less personal efficiency when working in groups than when working on
one’s own.
Listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class.
(man) Now a study was done that illustrated this phenomenon. In the study people
were given an ordinary task that everyone has probably done before. They were
simply asked to peel potatoes, and to peel as many potatoes as possible in a given
amount of time. Ok so, some people worked alone, and they were told that the number
of potatoes they each peeled would be recorded. Others peeled potatoes together, as
part of a group, and they were told that only the total number of potatoes peeled
would be recorded. So it would be impossible to tell how many any one person had
done.
Then researchers compared the results of people who worked alone and those who
worked together to see if there was any difference. That is, they took the average
score of the people working alone and compared it to the average score of the people
working together in a group, and they did discover a difference! It turns out that
people working in a group peeled significantly fewer potatoes that people who
worked alone.
Using the example from the lecture, explain what social loafing is, and how it affects
behavior.
#5) Now listen to a conversation between two students.
Woman: Hey Steve, did you get that book on the Russian Revolution that Professor
Harper wants us to read?
Man: No, none of the bookstores in the campus area had it in stock. They’ll get it in
about two weeks.
Woman: Hm…so what are you going to do in the meantime? Remember, that we’re
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going to be discussing the book starting next Tuesday.
Man: I was thinking of placing a rush order with a bookseller on the internet, so I’d
have the book in about a day or two.
Woman: Yeah, but rush order delivery is expensive. You could easily spend twice as
much money for the book that way.
Man: I know, but what choice do I have?
Woman: Well, since we only have to read a couple of chapters at a time, you’re
welcome to share my copy for a few weeks. You know, until you can get yours at the
bookstore.
Man: You mean…you would read the chapters assigned, give the book to me, I’d read
those chapters, then give the book back to you to read the next set of chapters, and so
on.
Woman: Exactly
Man: Thanks! But, what if I don’t get the book back to you in time. Wouldn’t you get
behind in your reading?
Woman: Yeah maybe. But it should work if we’re careful.
The students discuss two possible solutions to the man’s problem. Briefly summarize
the problem, then state which of the two solutions you prefer and explain why.
#6) Now listen to part of a talk in a psychology class.
Ok, ever thought about the things that happen to you and what’s responsible for them?
We psychologists have a term Locus of Control. Locus of Control refers
to...um…where people think control over their lives comes from. Whether it comes
from themselves or from somewhere else. People who think that control is in
themselves are internals, and people who think it comes from somewhere else are
externals.
Lets say there are two people going for job interviews. One of them is an internal, she
has an internal locus of control. Since she thinks that control comes from within
herself, she’ll believe that her success and her preparation are really her responsibility.
So she’s likely to really work on her interview skills ahead of time. Then, if she gets
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the job, she’ll believe it’s because she’s worked so hard, and if she doesn’t get it, well,
she’ll probably be disappointed with herself, and uh…try to figure out how she can
improve for the next time.
Ok, and another job candidate is an external, eh perceives other things, say…his
interviewers to have more influence, after all, it’s their decision. It depends on what
mood their in and, you know, luck. Now, with his external locus of control, his not as
hard on himself, so he’s more likely to take risks. He might interview for a job that
he’s not completely qualified for. And if he gets it, he’ll think he’s really lucky and
because he thinks external forces are in control, he might think its because the
interviewers were having a good day. And if he doesn’t get it, he’ll probably blame
the interviewers or bad luck rather than look at himself and try to figure out what he
could have done better.
Using points and examples from the talk explain internal and external locus of
control.
TPO17
#1) Talk about a special opportunity that was given to you. Explain why the
opportunity was important.
#2) State whether you agree or disagree with the following statement. Then explain
your reasons using specific details in your explanation.
Students should not be allowed to bring cell phones or mobile phones into the
classroom.
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#3) The university library has decided to make a change. Read the university’s
announcement about the upcoming change. You will have 50 seconds to read the
announcement. Begin reading now.
New Library Workspaces
Say good-bye to the big, multiperson study tables in Turner library. This summer, the
tables will be exchanged for new personal study cubicles—small, one-person desks
enclosed by walls. These new units will allow students to have privacy and work in
isolation and will therefore eliminate noise in the library so students can concentrate.
Additionally, the cubicles will enable the library to accommodate the recent increase
in the number of students attending our university. Although the current tables seat six
students each, they make poor use of available floor space. The cubicles, on the
other hand, are designed for maximum space efficiency, and the library can therefore
add 50 new seats.
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.
Man: They’re making a mistake.
Woman: What do you mean?
Man: Look, They’re trying to do away with distractions so that we can study better.
But with this change, we won’t have anywhere in the library to get together to work
on group projects.
Woman: True. Group project work is common these days.
Man: So, instead of buying these new units. They should use the money to build
meeting rooms, and that would reduce any noise in the main library areas.
Woman: Yeah, that’s what we could really use. There’s just not as much need to work
in isolation.
Man: Exactly. And the other thing is, what’s this about overcrowding? Well, sure we
have more students enrolled in the university this year, but do we really have a
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problem with over crowding?
Woman: I don’t think so. I always get a whole table to myself.
Man: Right. I see empty tables there all the time. It’ll just be a waste of money to
replace what we have. Since what we have now is sufficient for the amount of
students that use the library.
The man expresses his opinion about the upcoming change. State his opinion and
explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4) Now read a passage about a topic in zoology. You have 50 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Ritualization
Socialbiologists believe that some communicative behavior in animals is developed
through a process called ritualization. In this process, the purpose of a given
behavior changes over time—a behavior that originally had a practical purpose
develops into one that communicates a specific message. For example, a certain
movement or physical feature might evolve to serve as a signal or warning that other
animals will understand. Once a behavior is ritualized, it becomes a form of
communication; therefore, if an animal engages in this behavior, other animals will be
able to interpret the meaning o the behavior quickly and respond appropriately.
Listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a zoology class.
(man) Let’s start with an example you may be familiar with. What’s one thing dogs
typically do when they feel threatened? They want to protect themselves. That’s right,
they show their teeth. And when we see this, we know this behavior means basically
stay away. Now, here’s how this behavior became a recognizable warning. A long
long time ago, a dog sensing danger would get ready to bite whatever animal was
threatening it. It started by baring its teeth, but the propose of doing it was something
very simple: the dog instinctively was making sure that it didn’t bite its own lips when
it bit the other animal, ok? But what happened, other dogs, other animals, over time,
they learned that this teeth baring always came before a dog was going to bite, and so
they started to read it as a signal to be careful, to keep away, or risk getting bitten.
This scenario, repeated time after time also led to the dog’s awareness that simply
showing its teeth, a lot of the time that was protection enough. What had been a
simple preparation to bite had developed into a kind of defense mechanism in and of
itself. The dog learned that it did not need to actually attack; but could get the right
result by communicating the possibility of attack through showing its teeth. It started
to use this behavior as a warning signal.
Explain the concept of rituatization using the example of dogs discussed by the
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professor.
#5) Listen to a conversation between two students.
Man: Hey Sally, I just got the first copy of my research paper back from professor
Stone.
Woman: Just now? I got mine back a few days ago.
Man: Yeah, everyone else in the class that I know of got theirs back a few days ago
too.
Woman: But, the deadline…you’re running out of time.
Man: Yeah. I only have one day to review all his comments and write my final draft.
He made a lot of suggestions.
Woman: You should definitely ask Professor Stone for a deadline extension. He
should take some responsibility for the situation; it is sort of his fault you won’t have
much time to work on it before the due date.
Man: I thought about that, but would he think I was being pushy, or…criticizing him
for not getting the paper back to me right away? I don’t want to offend him.
Woman: True, but it’s your grade we’re talking about. You’ve got a legitimate concern,
but it’s understandable if you’re uncomfortable asking.
Man: Yeah…I’m in a tough spot.
Woman: You know you could always just do your best with the time you have left.
You’re a good student, I bet you can finish it quickly; work really fast and it’ll still
turn out good.
Man: Do my best with the time I have left. Well…if I worked really hard, I imagine I
might ok, but I have to be sure to deal with all of those comments. I need a good
grade.
The speakers discuss two possible solutions to the man’s problem. Briefly summarize
the problem, then state which solution you recommend and explain why.
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#6) Listen to part of a talk in a sociology class.
Now let’s talk about a particular cultural process: diffusion. Since the beginning of
human history, diverse cultures have taken advantage of one another’s innovations
when they’ve come into contact. Diffusion is the process whereby something
cultural…like a custom, a type of food or an invention is spread from one group to
another, or from one society to another. One group adopts a cultural item, or, more
selectively, just part of a cultural item of another group, you see?
Now diffusion can occur through a variety of ways: military conquest or tourism or
even something like the influence of satellite TV shows around the world. For
example take something like reading a modern newspaper here in the US. Have you
ever thought about where the letters, the characters on the page you’re reading, where
they came from? They were borrowed from another culture many centuries ago.
Then, the printing of the words, well, that process was invented in Germany, and
finally, the paper itself, the paper was invented in China. These innovations from all
over the world were shared across cultures over time, and so today we have
newspapers in the US. So the process of diffusion might take place over long
distances and over long periods of time.
Now I’m not saying that diffusion happens easily, as I mentioned, sometimes it’s
selective. For instance, many people in the US have accepted the practice of
acupuncture. The Chinese practice of using needles to cure disease or relieve pain. So,
lots of people in the US have realized that acupuncture is effective, but few of them
fully understand or have committed themselves to the philosophy behind acupuncture.
Cultures tend to resist ideas that seem to foreign, too different from their own beliefs
and values. But the ideas which aren’t perceived as too different, are often
incorporated, absorbed, diffused into their culture, so the practice of acupuncture has
been absorbed into US culture, but not the philosophies of Chinese medicine.
Using points and examples from the talk explain the concept of diffusion.
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TPO18
#1 Imagine your life ten years in the future. Talk about one way you think your life
will be different in ten years than it is now. Use details to explain your answer.
#2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is important to learn about other cultures.
Use details and examples to explain your opinion.
#3 City university’s choir is changing its performance schedule next year. Read an
article about it in the student newspaper. You will have 50 seconds to read the article.
Begin reading now.
University Choir to Enter Off-Campus Singing Competitions
Currently, the university choir gives singing concerts only on campus. Next year,
however, the choir will add competitive events at other locations to its schedule. The
choir’s new director feels that entering singing competitions will make the quality of
the choir’s performance even better than it is now. “Competitions will motivate
students in the choir to pursue a higher standard of excellence in singing,” he said. In
addition, it is hoped that getting the choir off campus and out in the public will
strengthen the reputation of the university’s music program. This in turn will help the
program grow.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(woman) Jim, you’re in the choir, right? What do you think about what they are doing
next year? This article?
(man) I really like it.
(woman) Yeah?
(man) Yeah! The new director is right that it’ll motivate us.
(woman) How’s that?
(man) Well, some of the other schools are really good, so we’ll really have to work
hard to go up against them.
(woman) Yeah!
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(man) I mean, right now, we don’t rehearse more than once a week. But if we know
we’d be competing with other schools, we’d probably rehearse more often and
improve our singing the line.
(woman) That’s true, uh, the more you practice the better you get. So, uh, what about
the article said about how this will help the program?
(man) I hope it works. Right now, the program is pretty small but we have some really
talented people and it would be great to attract even more people.
(woman) So, how would this plan help?
(man) Well, if we go to these off campus events and other people hear us and think we
are really good, we might be able to get some new students interested in coming to
this university, to be a part of our music program and perform in our choir concerts.
(woman) You’re right! I haven’t really thought about that.
The man expresses his opinion about the change described in the article. Briefly
summarize the change then state his opinion about the change and explain the
reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
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#4 Read a passage about Relict Behaviors from a biology textbook. You will have 50
seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Relict Behavior
In general, animals act in ways that help them to survive within their specific habitats.
However, sometimes an animal species may display a behavior that no longer serves a
clear purpose. The original purpose for the behavior may have disappeared long ago,
even thousands of years before. These behaviors, known as relict behaviors, were
useful to the animal when the species’ habitat was different; but now, because of
changed conditions, the behavior no longer serves its original purpose. Left over from
an earlier time, the behavior remains as a relict, or remnant, long after the
environmental circumstance that influenced its evolution has vanished.
Now listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
Ok, uh, so a good example of this, found right there in North America, is something
an animal called the American Pronghorn does. Prong Horns, as you may know, are a
kind of deer-like animal, they live out in the open grassy plains, somewhat in the
middle of America, and they are super fast. Pronghorns are, in fact, noted for being
the fastest animal in the western hemisphere. Once a Pronghorn starts running, zoom!
None of its present predators, like the bobcat or the coyote can even hope to catch up
with it. It’s off in a flash! Ok, so why then do Pronghorns run so fast? That’s the
question.
Well, it turns out that quite a long time ago, I’m talking tens of thousands of years,
things on the grassy plains used to be very different for the Pronghorns, because back
then, lions used to live on the plains, chasing and preying upon the Pronghorns, and
lions, of course, are a very swift-moving mammal, much faster than the bobcat or
coyote or other predators you’d find on the plains today.
But, now, however, lions are all extinct in North America, they’re no longer predator
of the Pronghorn. Tens of thousands of years ago, though, the lions were there chasing
the Pronghorns. So back then, the Pronghorn’s speed was critical to its survival.
Using the example of the pronghorn and lion, explain the concept of a relict behavior.
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#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Matt, you got your paper done for class today?
(man) No, I just realized it’s sitting on my desk. I wrote it last night, but I forgot to
bring it us me.
(woman) Uh-oh, so what are you gonna do?
(man) Well, I could drive home and get it, I live off campus, but if I hurry, I’d
probably get home and bring the paper back before class was over. You know how
strict she is about late submissions.
(woman) Yeah, but you’d miss part of the class.
(man) I know!
(woman) Maybe you could talk to the professor, explain what happened and ask her if
you could send it later by email.
(man) I know, but, I’d have to do it after class cause she always starts class right on
time. There wouldn’t be time to talk to her until after class.
(woman) Well, why don’t you do that and hope she doesn’t consider the paper late?
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
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#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
People who are likely to buy a company’s product are called target customers and
these target customers influence a company’s marketing strategy. In order to develop a
marketing strategy, a company would look at certain characteristics of target
customers to decide when and where to advertise, so that they’ll reach the target
customers most effectively. I’d like to talk to you today about two characteristics of
target customers that can influence marketing strategy, specifically age and
geographic location of target customers.
Say a company makes toy cars, who are its target customers? Kids, right? So if a
company wants to make sure its television advertising reaches its target customers,
it’d want to advertise during times when kids are actually watching television, like
during children’s television shows. That way it can make sure that kids see the
advertisements and that way the company will get people in that age group to go buy
toy cars or to ask their parents to buy them, at least.
Now, another important characteristic to consider is geographic location, places where
the company’s target customers live. Think about a company that makes boats. Its
target customers are people who own homes near oceans or lakes, places where they
can use boats, after all, people who don’t live near water don’t have much use for
boats. So by placing advertisement on signs along the road or on television in cities
and towns that are near oceans or lakes, the company would be more likely to reach
the target customers for its boats and sell more of them as a result.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain how the characteristics of target
customers influence marketing strategy for products.
TPO 19 Speaking
#1 Talk about a skill or ability that you consider as especially important for a student
to have. Use details and examples to explain your answer.
#2 More and more people are buying items on the internet and from magazines or
catalogs, other people prefers shopping in a store. Which do you prefer, and why?
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#3 State University is planning to increase student fees for the campus recreation
center. Read the article from the student newspaper about the plan. You will have 45
seconds to read the article. Begin reading now.
The university administration today announced a $25 increase in the student fee for
using the campus recreation center. The higher fee, which all students are required to
pay, will provide funds to upgrade the facility and provide newer, more modern
exercise equipment at the center. “We expect the improvements to increase student
use of the facility,” explained David Smith, director of the student activities office.
Mr. Smith also noted that the decision was approved because “we feel that $25 is a
reasonable increase that will be affordable for individual students.”
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) Did you see this announcement in the newspaper? It sounds like a great idea.
(woman) You really think so? Not many people even use the place.
(man) I know, that’s the point, people don’t go there because the facilities are old and
the exercise equipment breaks down. I think the director is right that they get more
use out of it this way. Right now, the place is usually empty and that’s too bad.
Students can get pretty stressed out if they don’t get some exercise.
(woman) That’s a good point. But doesn’t it seem like a lot of money?
(man) It’s really not all that much, if you figured a lot of people spend that kind of
money on a CD or when they go out to the movies, this is just one charge for the
whole year.
(woman) That’s true, and instead of some little thing we get a recreation center people
might actually use.
(man) Right, so considering the benefits, it’s really not that much to pay.
(woman) Yeah, I guess you’re right.
The man expresses his opinion of the university’s plan. State his opinion and explain
the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
#4 Read a passage about social learning from a psychology textbook. You will have
50 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Social Learning
One way people learn is by watching the behavior of others. Sometimes called social
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learning, this type of learning involves the process of learning to copy – or not copy –
the action of another. By observing the results, or consequences, of another’s
behavior, people learn, over time, to either imitate or avoid imitating that behavior. In
general, people tend to imitate the behavior of another when they see that it leads to a
desirable consequence – hoping to repeat it for themselves. Of course, the opposite is
also true – people tend to avoid imitating the behavior of another when they see it
result in an undesirable consequence.
Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class.
(male professor) OK, so an example to illustrate this, uh, you’ve often see this happen
in families, let’s say, there’re these two kids, a sister and the brother. Uh, let’s say the
girl is six and the boy’s four, and one day they’re all out shopping with their mother,
and they’re in the store, and the girl sees a toy she wants. She asks her mother to buy,
uh, to buy the toy for her but the mother says “no.” So, what does the little girl do?
She starts crying and screaming and, you know, “Mommy, I want this!” And, finally,
Mom gives in and says, “OK, fine, you can have it,” and buys the girl the toy.
Now, don’t forget, the little brother’s there and he’s watching all this happen, and
maybe he sees these sorts of thing happen a lot, as mother giving in when his sister
cries and screams. What do you think he’s going to start doing when he wants
something from Mom? He’ll probably cry and scream, right?
But, what if the opposite happened? Say Mom didn’t give in and didn’t buy the girl
the toy, if fact, say, the Mom instead disciplined the girl for screaming and crying
when they got home she didn’t let the little girl watch her favorite TV program. Again,
the little boy is watching. Now, what’s the little boy likely to do if he finds himself in
a similar situation and he wants Mom to buy him something? Chances are, he’s NOT
gonna cry and scream. Right?
Use the examples from the lecture to explain the concept of social learning.
#5 Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) How’s it going, Mary? Got your schedule all worked out for the semester?
(woman) It’s coming together, actually, I just heard about my student teaching
assignment.
(man) Teaching assignment? You’re student teaching?
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(woman) Yeah, you know I’m majoring in education so one of the requirements is to
teach for a semester in a classroom, usually at the local school in town. We help teach
the kids at the school one day a week. I just got my class assignment.
(man) Well, that’s good.
(woman) Yeah, but I’ve got a scheduling problem.
(man) Uh, oh.
(woman) The day I’ve been assigned to teach at the school in town will be the same
day my Chinese History course meets here at the university.
(man) Hmmm, well, could you wait to take the Chinese History course? Sign up for it
at another semester or something.
(woman) Yeah, but, this one’s taught by Dr. Zhang, he’s a visiting professor. He’ll
only be here one semester and he’s supposed to be amazing. I’m really interested in
the class since I might be visiting China.
(man) Is there another option?
(woman) Yeah, actually, the teaching assignment is on a day when I will be working
with older kids, teenagers, but the school also needs a student teacher to work in a
classroom with little kids, like five- and six-year olds and it’s on a different day when
I am free so I could do it.
(man) So you could change your teaching assignment to a different day.
(woman) Yeah, it’s just that I really want to teach older kids.
(man) Oh!
(woman) I’m planning on teaching older kids when I graduate, so it would be better
experience for me, for my career.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing, then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6 Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(female professor) Today, I want to talk about sea birds. Now, sea birds hunt and eat
fish and, well, their food can be hard to find because their food source is spread out
over a large expanse of water. So what sea birds have done is that, over time, they’ve
made adaptations: they’ve developed special characteristics that help them find food.
One adaptation involves the length of the bird’s wings. Take albatross, for example, is
a large sea bird that spends most of its life flying over ocean waters in search of food,
fish to feed itself and to carry back to the nest for its chicks. Now, most birds flap
their wings up and down when they fly, which uses up a lot of energy, but the
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albatross has these special long wings that it can hold perfectly still. It’s able to fly
without moving its wings up and down. These long wings allow it to glide or float on
the wind, and this uses very little energy. This is important because as I said the
albatross has to cover huge expanse of ocean to locate food, sometimes up to eleven
hundred miles a day. Because of its long wings, it can glide along over the ocean
using little energy as it searches for food.
Another important adaptation of many sea birds is an acute, highly developed sense of
smell. Take the fulmar, like the albatross, the fulmar needs to find foods that scatter
far out over the ocean, but the fulmar has a rather unusual advantage: it has tiny tubes
inside the nose holes in its beak, and these special tube-shaped nostrils help it to pick
up scent of food. Now, this highly-developed sense of smell is especially important
because the fulmar’s main source of food, plankton, are tiny organisms that are hard
to see, but they give off a very sharp, distinctive odor, so when fulmars are flying
around looking for food, they may not be able to see them, but they can find the
plankton by smelling them even from far away.
Using the examples of the albatross and the fulmar, explain two special adaptations
that have developed to help sea birds find food.
TPO20
#1
Choose a quality you think makes someone a valuable member of a team. Explain
why you think it is an important quality for a team or group member to have.
#2
Some people prefer to learn about current events from watching television news
programs. Others prefer to read about current events in newspapers or on the Internet.
Which do you think is better: watching the news or reading the news? Explain why.
#3
Read the article from a university newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to read the
article. Begin reading now.
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Energy costs reach sky-high levels
Heating prices, and the university’s heating bills, reached record-high levels this
year. In an effort to reduce heating costs, the university plans to lower the temperature
in all classroom buildings on weekends and on weekdays after five P.M., when the
day’s classes have officially ended. Because classes will not be in session at these
times, the reduced hear should have no negative impact on students and their studies.
The university considers it essential that the cost-saving measures not interfere with
student activities.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(woman) What on earth is the university thinking?
(man) Huh? What do you mean?
(woman) Well, those buildings aren’t just used for classes. That’s where my evening
study group usually meets.
(man) Oh, of course, that’s true. But you could go to the library instead.
(woman) Yeah, but the library only has a few rooms that people can use for group
meetings which is why classrooms are so convenient. But now, if it’s winter and cold,
where can we go?
(man) Right! In the middle of winter, forget it! Or even it’s just kind of cold out.
(woman) It’d be pretty unpleasant.
(man) Oh, but still, they obviously have to do something about the situation.
(woman) Oh, I agree. They have to do something but they should find a solution that
isn’t so disruptive, to academics no less.
(man) Such as?
(woman) Well, for one, if they replaced all those old windows, they are so drafty.
They let the cold in. And if they insulated the buildings better, these are really old
buildings. Charming, but,
(man) But not at all energy-efficient, yeah, you’re probably right.
(woman) There’re some really basic improvements they can make that’ll make a huge
difference in the long term that can solve the problem and still leave us somewhere to
study.
The woman expresses her opinion about the plan described in the article. State her
opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
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#4
Now read a passage from a business textbook. You have 45 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Franchising
Many popular and well-known business chains, such as fast food restaurants, use
a practice known as franchising. In franchising, someone who wants to open a store or
restaurant pays an established company for the right to use the company’s name and
sell the company’s products. Selling an established, in-demand product that has
immediate name recognition benefits the new business by reducing the risk that the
business will fail. In exchange, the new business agrees to follow all of the standard
practices of the company with the name it wants to use.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a business management class.
(male professor) OK, so we’ve been talking about starting a business. Let’s say I want
to open up a pizza restaurant. Well, I know how tough it is to make a new business
succeed. And I want a sure thing, so I contact the big company that owns a chain of
pizza places. Let’s say it’s called, “Pizza Town.” And I pay for the rights to call my
restaurant Pizza Town and to sell Pizza Town’s special, one of a kind, pizza.
Now, since everyone has heard of Pizza Town, it’s really popular, I don’t have to
worry about whether people would want to eat my pizza or not, I already know this
pizza will sell well because it’s a known thing. And that means there’s a better chance
my business will succeed.
Now, in exchange for being able to call my restaurant Pizza Town, I have to agree to
run the business the Pizza Town way. And Pizza Town trains me to do this. They show
me how to do everything, how to make my pizzas taste like Pizza Town pizzas, how
to advertise, even how to make my store look like a Pizza Town.
Now, this means that I don’t have a lot of freedom or choice in the way I run my
business. But in a lot of ways, this is great for me. After all, Pizza Town’s way
generally works. They sell a lot of pizza.
Using the example given by the professor, explain how franchising works.
#5
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Now listen to a conversation between two students of biology.
(man) Are you still working in Professor Green’s laboratory?
(woman) Yeah, he’s been supervising my research on eating behavior in mice.
(man) Sounds interesting.
(woman) It’s fascinating. I’ve got a few more observations and experiments to do. It’s
another three month of work and I’ll start writing my paper.
(man) Wow! Sounds like it’ll be a great paper.
(woman) Thanks, I hope so. There’s a problem, though.
(man) What?
(woman) Professor Green has been invited to teach at a university in France for a
semester. And obviously, I still need a lot of help with the project.
(man) Hum, what are you gonna do?
(woman) Well, Professor Green suggested Professor Baker that I can work with
another.
(man) Oh, I’ve heard of her. Professor Baker is quite famous.
(woman) Yeah, but I don’t know her at all. And my research isn’t in her area of
expertise. She works with fish, my works on mice, not exactly the best match.
(man) Well, you’ll get to know her eventually. And she’s a great biologist. So she’ll
still be able to help you even if your topic isn’t exactly her specialty. She may give
you some new perspective on your work.
(woman) I know, I’m considering it, but still, I’m thinking about asking Professor
Green if he could advise me long-distance.
(man) That’s a thought! You think he’d do it?
(woman) He probably would. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I mean, he could
always look at my data and read my write-ups through email. But the thing is, he
wouldn’t be here to supervise my experiments.
(man) Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll figure out the best thing to do.
Briefly summarize the woman’s problem, then state which solution you would
recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Now listen to part of a lecture in a psychology class.
(female professor) When people are in difficult situations sometimes they experience
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feelings of helplessness, or psychological pain. So what do they do? They
unconsciously use a strategy called, defense mechanisms, to protect themselves
psychologically from their painful emotions.
Oh, let’s say a woman has a pet dog. She’s had this dog for a long time and he’s kept
her company and guarded her for years. But one day he runs away. This woman looks
everywhere, and asks other people if they’ve seen her dog. But she just can’t find him.
Now, she feels helpless and sad because she misses her dog. So she’ll unconsciously
find ways to deal with her painful feelings.
One defense mechanism she might use is fantasy. With fantasy, the woman uses her
imagination so instead of just feeling helpless and sad about her lost dog, she invents
a happy story in her mind. She might imagine that, uh, a nice family found him and
feeds him and that he’s really happy with them. She’ll picture the dog playing,
running around, having fun. Because of this fantasy, she doesn’t have to feel sad about
her dog running away. It’s a fantasy, it’s not real, but it keeps her pain away.
Another defense mechanism she might use is what we call, sublimation. Sublimation
is different from fantasy because sublimation isn’t about pretending. It’s about turning
negative emotions into something useful, practical. So, uh, the woman might start a
dog training school. That way, by training dogs, perhaps she can help prevent other
people’s dogs from running away like hers did. In other words, with sublimation as a
defense mechanism, the woman redirects her negative feelings about losing her dog
into a positive, constructive activity.
Using points and examples from the talk, describe the two defense mechanisms
mentioned by the professor.
TPO21
#1
Talk about an important news even that happened recently in your country. Describe
the event and explain why it was important.
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#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Your friends are the most important influence in your life.
Use details and examples to explain your opinion.
#3
Read the article from a student newspaper about a new plan announced by the
university. You will have 45 seconds to read the article. Begin reading now.
Daily E-Mail with Campus Activities
The university will now send all students a daily e-mail containing information
about campus events and activities. Rather than getting information about activities
once a week in the campus newspaper, students will get the information every day,
thus ensuring that it is always up-to-date. According to the university spokesperson
who announced the plan, “For all of us now, e-mail is part of our daily lives. Students
in particular have become used to relying on e-mail and the Internet for most
communication, so this is a logical change that will benefit everyone.”
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.
(woman) Did you read about the new plan?
(man) Yeah, what do you think?
(woman) I think it’s a great idea.
(man) Really? Why?
(woman) Well, I just don’t think the newspaper gives the most up-to-date information
about activities.
(man) Well, the paper comes out weekly, what’s the problem?
(woman) The fact it comes out just once a week is the problem. I read the paper every
Monday but then I forget they’re having a concert or showing a film or whatever, like
on Thursday or Friday. And this will always give a reminder, all on the day of the
event.
(man) Yeah, that way you wouldn’t forget.
(woman) And, like, if something gets cancelled at the last minute, well, that way you
would know and you wouldn’t waste time showing up and no one’s there.
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(man) I haven’t thought of that. That would be really helpful. But do you think
students are actually gonna read the e-mail?
(woman) Are you kidding? Everyone checks their e-mail at least once a day. And if
maybe they’ll also include the cafeteria menu for the day in the e-mail, well, then
people are definitely gonna read it.
(man) You’re so right! I can’t wait until they start.
The woman expresses her opinion about the university’s plan. Briefly summarize the
plan. Then state her opinion about the plan and explain the reasons she gives for
holding that opinion.
#4
Questioning Awareness of Effect
When a student engages in disruptive behavior in the classroom, it negatively
impacts both the teacher’s ability to teach and other students’ ability to learn. One way
a teacher can correct distrptive behavior is by questioning awareness of effect. With
this technique, when a student disrupts the class, the teacher asks the student a
question that draws attention to the negative effect of the student’s behavior. The
teacher then does not wait for an answer, but immediately continues teaching. By thus
simply drawing attention to the effect of the student’s behavior, the teacher can often
lead the student to discontinue the behavior.
Now listen to part of a lecture in an education class.
(male professor) So I used to teach a class of eight year olds, and one problem I
sometimes had was getting the kids to raise their hands when they wanted to answer a
question. Like lots of teachers, I had the rule that if a student wanted to answer a
question, they needed to raise their hands in the air and wait till I call their name
before speaking. That gave all the students a chance to participate which helped
everyone get more out of the discussion.
But some kids had trouble following the rule. I remember there was one girl, Sara,
who didn’t raise her hand when she wanted to answer a question. She would just
called out the answer. And this was frustrating for the other children who were
waiting patiently with their hands raised. So one day when Sara called out, I asked her
if she knew calling out was unfair to the other students.
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I said to her, “Sara, do you realize that when you call out answers, without raising
your hand, you’re not being fair to the other students? You’re not giving them a
chance to answer questions, too.” And I didn’t wait for her to answer. I just continued
teaching the class. And after that, anytime I asked the class a question, Sara didn’t call
out the answer. She raised her hand along with everyone else.
Explain how the example from the lecture illustrates the technique of questioning
awareness of effect.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Sara, when does your play open? The one you wrote and directing?
(woman) In one week.
(man) And how’s it coming along?
(woman) Well, the rehearsal had been going pretty well, there’s just one problem.
(man) What’s that?
(woman) We have a guy named Bill playing one of the supporting roles, one of the
minor characters.
(man) OK?
(woman) And he just can’t remember his lines. All the other characters have their
parts memorized except Bill. We’ll be in the middle of rehearsing a big scene and
he’ll forget what he is supposed to say next. I thought he’d eventually improve but
now I’m not sure he’ll be ready for opening night.
(man) Oh, no! That’s not good. What can you do at this point?
(woman) Well, I could replace him. There are other actors on campus, actors who
could play the part.
(man) Yeah, since it’s such a minor role, another actor could probably learn the part in
time.
(woman) That’s true. It’s just that I don’t know how he’d feel about that. Removing
him from the play could hurt his feelings and he was really looking forward to being
in it.
(man) I see, well, could you, I mean, maybe another thing you could do is spent time
with him, after rehearsals, you know, work with him to help him learn to remember
his lines.
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(woman) Yeah, I could do that. But there are other parts of the production I try to take
care of after rehearsals. So it’ll take away from other things that I need to do before
opening night.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to a part of a lecture from a history class. The professor is talking about the
Industrial Revolution.
(female professor) Back in the18th century, in a time known as the Industrial
Revolution, some countries, well, England in particular, started using new technology,
like steam-powered machines to produce goods. And the use of these machines
brought about some significant changes. Let’s go over two main changes that
occurred.
One change was that the center of production moved from homes to factories. Um,
let’s take fabric, or cloth, as an example. Historically, for a very long time, people had
made cloth by hand in their homes, earning a little money from their home-based
cloth production. But then these new steam-powered machines for weaving cloth were
invented and placed in factories, and these machines could weave cloth much more
quickly and efficiently. So there wasn’t any reason to keep making cloth slowly in
homes when it could be made faster on factory machines. Thus the majority of cloth
productions shifted from home-based businesses to factory production.
Another result of the new technology is that cities started forming around factories,
like let’s say there was a cloth factory that was built in a certain small village. Now, of
course, the factory needed workers to operate the machines used in cloth production.
So the factory would hire a lot of rural workers who would then move from the
country side to the village. So instead of spreading all over the country side, the
workers started to congregate in the village with the factory. As a result, the village
got bigger and bigger and eventually grew to a city.
Using points and examples from the talk, describe two changes that occurred after
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machines began to be used for manufacturing goods.
TPO8 口语 Question 4 sample response
Revealing coloration is one defensive strategy that many animals use to protect
themselves from predators. In the lecture, the first example is called the peanut bug. A
peanut bug has some bright colorful spots on its back wings which are usually hidden.
But when it is attacked by a predator, it will suddenly open its back wings and expose
those bright colorful spots. This unexpected display of color will just surprise the
predator. So it has a chance to get away.
The second example is called the morpho butterfly. Some parts of the morpho
butterfly’s wings are very shiny and can reflect sunlight. The morpho butterfly is
often attacked by a bird. When a bird is approaching it, it flaps its wings and flies
away. The flashes of light reflected from its wings will make it hard for the bird to
follow. So it has a chance to escape.
TPO-9 Question 5 sample answer
The woman is out of water in her old house because the water pipes broke. It will take
two weeks to fix the problem. So she has to find a place to live and prepare for the
mid-term exams.
She could stay at her friends’ place but she has to sleep on the living room couch
because there is no extra bedroom for her. Alternatively, she could live in a small
hotel near the campus.
I think the woman should live in the hotel near the campus because she just can have
own space to prepare for the mid-term exams. In addition, the weekly rate of the hotel
is pretty reasonable.
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What’s more, since there are already four people living in her friends place, it could
be a little crowded and distracting, although it is free. I know that the woman’s budget
is pretty tight right now but I think exams are more important. So I think she’d better
stay in the hotel.
TPO13 口语 Question 5 sample response
The man is the president of the anthropology club. He planned to borrow his mother’s
van to drive every club member to see a special exhibit at the museum tomorrow.
However, the van broke down and it won’t be ready before the trip.
The man could rent a van to drive the club members to the museum. Alternatively, he
could postpone the trip until his mom’s van is repaired.
I think the man should rent a van. Otherwise, the club members will be very
disappointed when they know the trip is postponed. Although there are only four club
members saying that they will share the rent, that doesn’t mean the rest of the
members won’t pay any money. Maybe they just hadn’t time to give him a call. Even
if the rest of the members really don’t want to pay, the man has the responsibility for
paying for most of the bill as the president of the club, I think. He can’t just put the
trip off due to the worry about getting stuck with the money.
TPO9 口语 Question 6 sample response
This lecture just tells us that some plants have developed their own ways to defend
themselves.
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The first example is passion plant which uses physical features to protect itself from
insects. The passion plant has spiky hairs all over its leaves. The spiky hairs are so
numerous and dense that there is no room for insects to land on the leaves. Since the
insects can’t land on the leaves, they can’t eat them.
The second example is potato plant. The potato plant protects itself using chemical
defenses. When insects start to eat the leaves of a potato plant, it will just release a
chemical substance throughout its leaf system. This chemical substance will make the
insects feel full. Since the insects no longer feel hungry, they will stop eating more
leaves.
TPO14 口语 Question 2 sample response
I agree with the statement. It is inevitable that people make mistakes. Making
mistakes is not terrifying. What is terrifying is that we make the same mistake twice.
So learning a lesson after making mistakes is very important. We may suffer the pain
from making some stupid mistakes. However if we think things through and find out
where the problem is, we will figure out not only a better solution to solve the
problem but also a more efficient way to gain success.
In addition, we’ll become more adaptable to adverse circumstances after making
mistakes. I mean, we won’t suddenly lose heart just because of a simple mistake.
Conversely, we will quickly regulate our emotions and adjust to adversity.
TPO-16 Question 1 sample answer
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I wanna be a businessman. Hopefully, I will become a successful entrepreneur who
has a large world-renowned company. A lot of employees from all over the world will
work in my company. So basically they can make a living and even some of them can
realize their dreams. As the boss, I feel very pleased that I can provide them with a
platform to improve themselves.
In addition, I would earn a lot of money if I were to be a successful entrepreneur. So I
could donate my money to solving some social problems like poverty or starvation, or
I could use my influence to appeal to people to help those victims of natural disasters.
TPO18 口语 Question 1 sample response
I work and live in Shanghai now. Ten years later, I may make a living in Europe. You
know, a lot of people dream about living in Europe for a while. So do I. But it is
always challenging to live in a foreign country. The experience doesn’t come cheap
and it’s not without its tradeoffs.
I would work amid people who are not like me in more ways than the language they
speak. I must learn to navigate large cities like Paris or Barcelona which is totally
different from Shanghai.
If I could make a living in Europe, I might enjoy working in Paris on weekdays; on
weekends I would travel around Spain or take off to Italy or maybe Stockholm or
Prague, a far cry from the life in Shanghai.
TPO-19 Question 1 sample answer
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Well, I find taking good notes an essential skill that a student must possess.
First of all, it can save you a lot of time. Good notes can tell you what’s important in a
textbook; therefore, instead of reading dozens of pages of a textbook, which usually
takes up a lot of time, it’s much more efficient to just read your notes.
Secondly, it helps you present professor’s lecture in a clear way. Take my biology
professor for example, his lecture sometimes digresses and are not always conducted
in a logical manner. So taking notes can help me understand his lecture better.
Thirdly, it can help you improve your test performance because what the teacher says
in class often contains the central concepts of the course and the material most likely
to be included in exams.
In conclusion, I consider note taking skill a must for students.
TPO-19 Question 2 sample answer
Well, I definitely go for shopping on the Internet.
For a start, it’s more convenient. Online shopping allows me to shop at the
convenience of my own home, and save traveling time to stores and spend my time on
other important tasks and hobbies. What’s more, I can shop without time limitation
because the World Wide Web never closes.
What’s more, with the online tools that enable product comparison, I can take my
time to compare product prices and features to make a better decision with less effort.
So that’s why I choose online shopping over shopping in a store.
TPO-19 Question 3 sample answer
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The university plans to increase the fee for using the campus recreation center in order
to improve sports facilities and the increase is considered to be acceptable by the
students. The man thinks that’s a good idea. He believes that upgrading the facilities
can make more students go there and exercise, which is important for them. He also
argues that the fee increase is not that much compared to the money that students
spend on CDs and movies.
TPO-19 Question 4 sample answer
The professor provides an example to illustrate the concept of social learning, which
suggests that people choose to or not to copy other people’s behavior by observing the
consequences resulting from that behavior.
When a little boy observes that screaming and crying is helpful in helping her sister
getting what she wants, he will probably that do the same next time he wants
something.
However, when the little boy sees that his sister gets punished because of her crying
and screaming, he will probably not imitate that behavior to get what he wants.
TPO-19 Question 5 sample answer
The problem the woman faces is that she has a time conflict with her schedule. Both
her student teaching assignment and her Chinese history course happen to be on the
same day. She has two options available: she could either take the Chinese history
course in another semester or change her teaching assignment to a different day.
Personally, I would opt to take the first course of action because as the woman
suggested the course will be taught by an excellent visiting Chinese professor and it
would be a real pity to miss this rare opportunity.
TPO-19 Question 6 sample answer
The professor talks about two special adaptations that seabirds have developed in
order to find food. The first one concerns the length of wings and the other is an acute
sense of smell.
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Firstly, he talks about the albatross. This kind of seabird has special long wings which
enable them to glide or float on the wind instead of moving its wings up and down. In
this way the albatross uses up a lot of energy.
Another kind of seabird the professor mentions is the fulmar. Its food is difficult to
see. However, this kind of seabird has strong sense of smell that can help it pick up
the smell of food.
TPO22
#1
Talk about one way your personality has changed since you were a child. Use
examples and details to explain your answer.
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Children should be required to learn practical skills in school, such as cooking or
personal finance, in addition to academic subjects.
Use details and examples to explain your opinion.
#3
Read an article from the university newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to read the
article. Begin reading now.
University Announces Change in Campus Tour Guides
Traditionally, staff members from the admissions office have led the campus
tours for secondary-school students who are considering attending the university.
Beginning next semester, however, current students will lead these guided walks
around the campus instead. “The staff of the admissions office no longer have time to
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lead the campus tours. We need to focus our resources on our other responsibilities,”
explain Christine Tanner, the director of admissions. “Furthermore, we feel that
current students will offer unique and valuable insight to our visitors during these
campus tours.”
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) So, what do you think of this?
(woman) Well, I think it’s a good idea, necessary, too.
(man) Why is that?
(woman) Well, you know, I’ve actually been up to the admissions office a couple of
times, like, to pick up some information for a friend, you know, and every time I’ve
ever been there, wow, you can tell they’re really busy.
(man) Oh, really.
(woman) Yeah, those staff members are running around like crazy, on the phone,
doing interviews, dealing with tons of paper work, so I can totally believe what they
are saying about the time factor, seems like having one less thing to worry about will
be a good thing.
(man) Sounds like it.
(woman) Yep, oh, and about the other point,
(man) The, uh, the different perspective thing?
(woman) Uh hum, I think people like us will be really good at this. Unlike, you know,
I remember when I was first shown around the campus, the guide leading was, well,
he was super nice, but there were some questions that he couldn’t really answer from
experience.
(man) Like what?
(woman) Well, practical things, which are the noisier dorms? Or which ones are
quietest? Which student cafeteria would he recommend? Stuff he didn’t have
first-hand knowledge about, I mean, how could he?
(man) I see. Our point of view might be more helpful.
The woman expresses her opinion about the university’s plan. Briefly summarize the
plan. Then state her opinion about the plan and explain the reasons she give s for
holding that opinion.
#4
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Read a passage about irrational commitment from a psychology textbook. You will
have 50 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Irrational Commitment
When people have devoted time or resources to a certain project, they generally
want to see it succeed. However, they may grow so attached to the idea of a
successful outcome that even if it starts to look like the project will fail, and the
disadvantages are outweighing the benefits, they will nevertheless increase their
commitment to the project rather than give up. This is know as irrational commitment.
This tendency to continue with a project when it would make better sense to quit can
be especially strong when people feel they may be judged by others for their eventual
success or failure with the project.
Listen to part of a lecture from a psychology class.
(male professor) So, I have a personal example. Some years back, my wife and I were
looking for a house to buy. We found this great old house out in the country. But my
wife had her doubts about it. She noticed the house wasn’t in very good condition. It
was a little run down and probably needed some repairs. But, I really fell in love with
the architecture of the house, the unusual way it was designed and built, so I
convinced my wife that we could hire people to fix it up and, you know, make the
house nice.
We decided to buy it and live there after the repairs were finished. Well, the workers
we hired to repair the house soon discovered things were worse than I thought. It
turned out that the roof was damaged and needed expensive repairs. After the roof
was repaired, the workers discovered the house had electrical problems. Most of the
wiring was bad and would have to be replaced, at a huge cost.
Well, at this point, my wife reminded me of her earlier doubts about the house and
wondered if we could ever get it in good shape. But I just became more determined
than ever. I paid for all the wiring to be replaced by an electrician. But it gets worse.
The electrician noticed that insects had eaten some of the walls and they would also
have to be torn out and replaced. This was going to be more expensive than all the
other repairs. But by this point, I felt determined to keep going. I kept thinking, “I
have to do it. If I stopped now, my wife will think I was wrong for not following her
advice.”
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Explain how the example from the professor’s lecture illustrates irrational comment.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Jane, did you finish your research paper for class?
(woman) Yeah, I printed it up this morning.
(man) Why do you look so worried then?
(woman) Well, I was just in the cafeteria eating lunch and reading it over one last time
when I split some soup on it, and the class starts in fifteen minutes.
(man) How bad is it?
(woman) It’s not huge but you can definitely see it and several of the pages got wet.
(man) What are you gonna do?
(woman) I could just go ahead and hand it in like this and explain to the professor
what happened, I mean, you can still read the paper, and the pages should dry out a
little by the time class begins. But they’ll still be sort of sticky and wrinkled.
(man) Well, not all professors care that much about how the paper looks. At least it’ll
be in one time.
(woman) I know, it’s just that professor Adams is kind of strict when it comes to
handing in research papers, I mean, the format he gave us for putting this paper
together was really specific. So the way it looks seems important.
(man) Yeah, well, how about going to the computer lab to print another copy?
(woman) I could, then I’d have a clean copy to hand in and I wouldn’t have to worry
about how the paper looks.
(man) You’d better hurry, though, because there’s usually a line over there.
(woman) I know, and by the time I get there, wait in line for a computer, print the
paper out and come back to class, I’d be late for class. And professor Adams is strict
about lateness, too.
(man) I see what you mean.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
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Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(female professor) Many animals live underground, in the soil. Not just little animals
like worms but also bigger animals like mammals. Living underground has its
advantages. It protects animals from above ground predators. However, the
underground environment also presents challenges. And animals that live
underground have developed physical adaptations to deal with them. One challenge is,
well, simply how to move underground through the dirt. Another challenge for the
animal is to protect vulnerable parts of its body from the environment that it’s moving
through.
Now, moving through soil is not like moving through air or water, because soil, earth,
is thick and dense, so animals that live underground have evolved physical features
that help them move through dirt efficiently. For example, the mole, a small, furry
mammal, has really wide, super strong front feet with big claws. The mole’s feet act
like, uh, like shuffles, so it can dig through dirt. The claws cut into the dirt, loosen it
up, and once the dirt is loosened up, the broad feet throw the dirt behind the mole as it
moves forward. These shuffle-like front feet allow a mole to dig its way through the
dirt astonishingly quickly.
But even for an animal that can move efficiently through the dirt, living underground
can still be problematic, because it’s easy for particles to get caught in sensitive parts
of the animal’s body, like for mammals, in their eyes, so underground animals have
developed adaptations to prevent this. Again, let’s take the example of the mole. To
begin with, moles have tiny eyes and these eyes are covered with a thin skin, a
protective membrane that’s actually got hair on it. These hairs protect the mole’s eyes
from dirt particles. So as the mole goes digging through the dirt with its head push
forward, the dirt particles come into contact with the hairy membrane covering the
mole’s tiny eyes. And the particles just slide by. Don’t get caught in the mole’s eyes.
So the eyes, the mole’s sensitive parts, are protected.
Using the example of the mole, explain two different types of underground
adaptation.
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TPO23
#1
There can be several advantages to spending time living in another country. Talk
about one advantage and explain how living in another country provides that
advantage. Use details and examples in your response.
#2
Some people enjoy spending their free time alone in activities such as reading,
thinking, or writing. Others enjoy spending their free time in shared activities with
other people. Which do you prefer and why?
#3
No More International News
For the past few years, the daily campus newspaper has included a one-page
international news section covering a few of the major stories in world news. Starting
next month, the section will be eliminated. One of the reasons the newspaper editors
gave for the decision to cut the section is that other news sources are better able to
provide wider and more up-to-date international news coverage. The editors also
noted that the change would create space for a new calendar page that will list events
and activities around campus.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(man) Hey, what do you think of this?
(woman) You mean the editors’ decision?
(man) Right.
(woman) I think they are right. It’s the thing to do.
(man) Really? Why?
(woman) Well, hardly anyone reads that section.
(man) You don’t think so?
(woman) Not really, I mean, they only cover stories and most people already know
about them before they even get around to reading the campus paper.
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(man) True, if you get the local paper, or use the internet, you already know the major
stories.
(woman) Exactly, and the coverage’s better. I think we should just stick with campus
news and stuff.
(man) So do you think what they’re gonna replace with is better?
(woman) Definitely, right now, how do you learn about what’s happening on campus?
(man) Mostly from posters in different buildings or in the student center.
(woman) Right, the information is everywhere but it’s hard to keep track of it. I see
stuff posted but then I forget about it half the time.
(man) So you’re saying that with this new section?
(woman) You could just cut it out from the newspaper and carry it around and check it
anytime and know what’s taking place when and where.
The woman expresses her opinion about the plan announced in the article. Briefly
summarize the plan. Then state her opinion about the plan and explain the reasons
she gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Reference Groups
Our thinking and behavior are often influenced by other people. When we admire and
respect someone, we naturally try to imitate their behavior and attitudes. Groups of
people whom we admire and whose behavior and attitudes we ten to imitate are
known as reference groups. Reference groups provide a model – a frame of
reference – that can shape how we think and behave. Over the course of a lifetime, we
may be influenced by many different reference groups. As we grow older, or
encounter new circumstances, our reference groups may change, and our attitudes and
behavior may change accordingly.
Now listen to part of a lecture in a sociology class on this topic.
(male professor) I have an example from my own life that illustrates this. When I first
began my university studies, I became friends with a bunch of art students. They were
older and fun and very creative and I thought they were really cool. And they all liked
to dress really casually, in T-shirts and jeans and sneakers. That’s what they wore all
the time, to class, to the library, to dinner, everywhere, T-shirts and jeans and sneakers.
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So that’s what I started wearing, too. And I fit right in, and I felt really cool.
But then I graduated, moved to Chicago, and got a job. And I started working with
some really bright, young people who’d already been working in the company for a
few years, who were already handling major responsibilities for the company, really
impressive. And sometimes some of us would get together on the weekend, maybe for
a concert or a baseball game or something. And at first, I just wear a T-shirt and jeans
and sneakers. That was, you know, how I was used to dressing. But I soon noticed that
my co-workers preferred to dress up a little bit. The men would wear a nice pair of
pants, uh, button-up shirt. The women might wear a fashionable dress and some nice
shoes. They dress in clothes a lot nicer than what I was used to wearing.
And I started thinking, you know, that looks really classy, really sharp. And so I
started to dress the same way they did, you know, nicer, a little more formal. And, I
don’t know, somehow my T-shirts and jeans and sneakers didn’t seem as cool
anymore.
Using the example from the lecture, explain how people’s behavior is affected by
reference groups.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) How’s it going, Mike?
(man) OK, I’m just trying to figure out what to do about this new bus schedule.
(woman) New bus schedule?
(man) Yeah, I take a bus from campus to my job downtown. I work there Tuesday
afternoons, but the bus schedule changed. The bus I was taking is leaving earlier now
and I can’t get to it in time because I’ve got chemistry class then.
(woman) Huh, yeah, they did change the bus schedule sometimes. It’s inconvenient.
So what are you gonna do?
(man) Well, I talked to my boss and she said I could change my work hours and work
at night instead. I’d start late in the afternoon and work till around midnight. And
there is a bus that’ll get me down on time.
(woman) That sounds good. So you could just take a later bus to your job.
(man) Yeah, the only thing is if I worked late at night. I’ll be really tired and I have
class early the next morning.
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(woman) Yeah, but do you have any other choice?
(man) Well, yeah, another option is just to ride my bike to work after chemistry. I’ll be
able to get to work on time so I could keep my same hours. It’s not that far. It takes
about 15 minutes.
(woman) Hmm, that might be nice plus you get some exercise but it’ll be a bit
uncomfortable riding your bike on days when there’s bad weather.
(man) Yeah, I’ll have to think about it.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
(female professor) Now, plants, like animals, and like us for that matter, need nutrients,
substances that provide nourishments, to survive, thrive and grow. We get our
nutrients from the food we eat. Plants, though, most plants anyway, absorb their
nutrients from the soil, right, through their root systems? OK, but there are plants that
don’t get their nutrients from the soil. The places they grow the soil is bad. So they get
their nutrients from insects instead, from trapping and digesting insects. They are
called carnivorous plants.
Carnivorous plants capture insects in different ways. They have different trapping
mechanisms: active traps and passive traps. A plant with an active trap, a good
example is the Venus flytrap. The Venus flytrap actually moves to capture its prey or
parts of it anyway. Its leaves, it has special leaves that are hinged in the middle the
two halves of the leaves open and close sort of like a mouth to catch insects. And on
these leaves is a sweet nectar that attracts insects. Insects like the sweet stuff. And
when they get lured in and land on the leaf, wham! The leaf springs shut. It’s an active
trap. And the insect springs it so to speak. The leaf quickly closes to form a little cage,
trapping the insect between the leaves. The Venus flytrap is then able to digest the
insect and get its nutrients.
But other carnivorous plants, their methods are passive. They don’t have any moving
parts to trap things. They have passive traps, like the sundew plant. The sundew plant
also produces a sweet nectar that attracts insects. Its leaves are full of little hairs that
secrete sweet substance. But what happens when insects land on sundew’s leaves to
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get the sweet nectar? Well, unfortunately for the insects, the hairs on the leaves also
produce a super sticky glue-like substance. So an insect get stuck and can’t fly away.
It basically get glued there allowing the sundew to digest it and absorb nutrients.
Using the example of the Venus flytrap and the sundew, describe two ways that
carnivorous plants get their nutrients.
TPO 24
#1
Talk about a popular gathering place in your town where people like to go. Describe
the place and explain why people enjoy going there.
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Students benefit more from classes with a large number of students than they do
from smaller classes.
Use specific examples and details to support your opinion.
#3
A student has written a letter to the student newspaper. You have 50 seconds to read
the letter. Begin reading now.
Close the Campus Coffee house
I propose that the university close the campus coffeehouse. Coffeehouses are
great, if people actually use them, like to socialize with friends, while enjoying a cup
of coffee and a snack. But students are not using our campus coffeehouse. There are
usually lots of empty tables when I pass by the place. It’s just a waste of space that
could be used for other things. Also, the food at the coffeehouse is not very good. The
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last time I was there, the cakes and muffins my friends and I ordered were dry and
didn’t have much flavor.
Sincerely,
Greg Smith
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman) I don’t like his proposal.
(man) Why not? There are never many students there.
(woman) But that’s why I like about it, that it’s never crowded.
(man) Really?
(woman) Yeah, so it’s a great place to study. I go there a lot. I’ll read a book or bring
my laptop computer and work on a paper for class. It’s never very noisy.
(man) You’re able to get work done there?
(woman) Absolutely! In fact, I actually prefer it to the library as a place to study, and a
lot of other students do, too. We even study for our final exams there, and you can eat
there while you work, something you can’t do with the library.
(man) OK, but you don’t actually like the food there, do you? I mean, he said.
(woman) Well, I don’t think he’s been there recently, I mean, it’s true that it wasn’t
that great in the past, but I think it’s a lot better now.
(man) What’s changed?
(woman) They have a new manager and I guess she’s made some improvements in the
quality of the food. I was there last week and the food was delicious.
(man) Really?
(woman) Yeah, really! And the new manager has also added a lot of really healthful
foods and snacks, so the food doesn’t just taste good now. It’s good for you, too.
(man) Hmm, I’ll have to try the place.
The woman expresses her opinion about the student’s proposal. State her opinion and
explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion
#4
Read the passage from an environment science textbook. You will have 45 seconds to
read the passage. Begin reading now.
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Flagship Species
Environmental organizations work to protect plants and animals whose natural
habitats are threatened by human activity. One way they do this is by selecting a
particular species to represent the threatened habitat to the general public. This
species, called a flagship species, is one that people are likely to find attractive and
interesting. The flagship species is used to raise public awareness and motivate people
to take action to protect the threatened habitat. People’s support of the flagship species
results in protection for all the plant and animal species living in the threatened area.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in an environmental science class.
(male professor) So, one example of this is the macaw, the great green macaw. Now,
the great green macaw is a beautiful bird, a fairly large-sized parrot known for its
colorful feathers, gorgeous green feathers with some read and blue feathers, too. The
macaw lives in the South American rainforest, in a part of the rainforest where a lot of
trees have been cut down, trees that the macaw relies on for its food and nesting. So,
the macaw was in trouble.
And, of course, along with the trees, a lot of other animals were in trouble, too. Lots
of birds, bats, and frogs also live in these trees. So, when the trees were cut down and
cleared away, these animals also didn’t have a place to live anymore and their
populations drastically declined. So, what a concerned group of people in the area did
was they started spreading the word about how the macaw, you know this really
beautiful bird, needed help.
They made little books with information about the macaw, with pictures, full colored
pictures of the macaw that showed off its beautiful feathers, and they passed out these
little books, these informational brochures. They distributed them to people in schools
and community centers in the area. And a lot of people responded. They contributed
money, and helped the group set up some protected land, a special area where no one
could cut down the trees, so the macaw would be safe. And the macaw’s population
started to increase and other birds and bats and frogs came back to the area, too. Their
numbers increased along with the trees.
Using the example of the macaw from the lecture, explain the concept of a flagship
species.
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#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) Hey, Amy, have you finished moving out of your dorm room yet?
(woman) Yeah, I’m all done. I moved into my new apartment off-campus yesterday.
(man) How do you like it?
(woman) It’s great. There’s just one problem.
(man) What’s that?
(woman) Well, I don’t have internet connection in my new apartment so I can’t use
the computer to access the internet from my room.
(man) And that’s really important.
(woman) Right, I need it to do research for classes, email people, stuff like that. I use
it almost everyday.
(man) So are you going to pay to get it installed in the apartment?
(woman) Well, I’ve called a couple of internet companies in the area and it’s no
trouble for them to send someone out to my apartment to install internet service. It’s
just the cost. I have to pay every month for the service.
(man) Well, you know, there’s always the computer center on campus. The computers
there have free internet access. Couldn’t you use them?
(woman) I could. It’s just that I don’t have classes everyday, so I’d have to go campus
on some days just to use the internet. And that computer center can get crowded
sometimes.
(man) Hmm,
(woman) So, I’m not sure what to do.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class.
(female professor) Authors of fiction, um, short stories and novels, of course have
many decisions to make when they’re writing their works. One of those decisions is
how they are going to narrate or tell the story. What perspective or what point of view
the story would be told from? So, authors need to choose a type of narrator, some
person or voice to tell the story. And this narrator can affect the readers’ experience
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when they read the story.
Now, the author might choose to have an objective narrator. An objective narrator can
describe what people, the characters in the story, what they do and what they say, but
that’s about all. So, suppose we have a story, for example, that is about a man and
woman about to take a trip. When the story is told by an objective narrator, the only
information that we get as readers is what the characters say to each other, what they
do. They get on the train, they sit down, they look out the window, that’s all. And this
leaves questions that force the reader to interpret the events, to fill in information and
decide what the characters’ conversation and actions might mean.
Another kind of narrator an author might use is an omniscient narrator. In this case,
the narrator, the voice that is telling the story, knows everything, and I mean
everything about the characters. So, let’s imagine our same man and woman traveling
but described by an omniscient narrator. Not only do we, the readers, know what they
do and say, but we also know what they’re thinking. For example, we’re told that the
couple is going to visit an old friend of the man’s and we learn what the man is
thinking that he is nervous because he hasn’t seen his friend in a long time, that he is
worried if his wife would like the friend. So an omniscient narrator provides more
information and answers questions that the reader might have about the characters o9r
the action.
Using the examples from the lecture, discuss two types of narrators that an author of
fiction might use.
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TPO25
#1
Students often what to get better grades in their classes, explain what students should
do in order to improve their performance in the class.
#2
Some people do not enjoy shopping and shop only when they have a specific purchase
to make. Others like to go shopping for pleasure whether or not they have something
to buy. Which do you prefer and why?
#3
City University is planning to change its graduation ceremony. Read an article about
the change in a campus newspaper. You will have 50 seconds to read the article. Begin
reading now.
Split Graduation
Traditionally, the university holds one ceremony for all graduating students, during
which students are awarded their diplomas. Beginning this year, however, the
university will hold two graduation ceremonies. Under the new arrangement, half the
graduating students will participate in the first ceremony, and the other half will
participate in a second ceremony to be held the following day. Administrators cite two
reasons for the change. First, the number of students has increased in recent years, and
since diplomas are awarded individually, the single ceremony has become
uncomfortably long. Also, the hall where the ceremony is held is too small to
accommodate the growing audience of friends and family members.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(woman) You know, I wish they wouldn’t do this.
(man) Why?
(woman) Well, I think it’s unnecessary, I mean, as far as the first reason goes. Yeah,
sure, it takes a long time to have everyone receive their diploma individually,
especially now that there are more students, but there’s an easy way to make it shorter.
(man) What’s that?
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(woman) Reduce the number of speeches. I mean, a lot of people give speeches,
students, professors, administrators, the president of the university. Do we really need
that many speeches?
(man) Probably not, and a lot of the speeches are pretty boring anyway, so, yeah, we
probably could cut out a few.
(woman) Yeah, and I don’t think their second reason’s very good either, about the
space.
(man) How’s that?
(woman) The problem isn’t the size of the hall. It’s that they allow students to invite
too many people to come and watch. All they need to do is reduce the number of
guests each graduating student gets to invite.
(man) Yeah, I guess that could solve the problem.
(woman) Yeah, I mean, right now each graduating student can invite up to ten people.
That’s too many. At most schools, students only get to invite like four or five people.
It we just said, “OK, you can only invite six people.” That’ll still be more than most
other schools and the ceremony could stay the way it is.
The woman expresses her opinion about the university’s plan. Briefly summarize the
plan. Then state her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that
opinion.
#4
Read a passage from a sociology text book. You will have 45 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Cultural Lag
Technological change occurs very rapidly in modern society – sometimes more
rapidly than many people are prepared for. As a result, when new technology emerges,
people may struggle for a time to adapt to it. This period of transition, when people
are adjusting to technological change, is known as cultural lag. At first, people are not
accustomed to the new technology and may not understand it; they may therefore
have a negative attitude toward it. Over time, however, their attitudes change, and
they successfully incorporate the new technology into their daily lives.
Now listen to part of a lecture from a sociology class.
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(male professor) Now, the invention of the telephone was revolutionary. It was a
much easier and faster way of communicating than anything else available at the time.
However, when the telephone first became widely available, towards the end of the
19th century, only businesses used telephones because businesses realized how the
telephone could benefit them, how it could help them be more productive.
But, a lot of people in the general public didn’t think the phone should be used for
personal communication. Some people didn’t like to listen to someone’s voice without
being able to see them. Also, a lot of people thought that it was rude to call someone
on the telephone instead of visit them in person. They missed the sense of personal
connection they got from meeting someone.
However, as we all know, people gradually changed their minds about the telephone.
It took about 30 years but eventually most homes came to have telephones and
everyone came to depend on them. Talking to someone you couldn’t see began to
seem more normal. Friends began to call each other just to chat, just for fun. And after
everyone agreed on certain rules of politeness, such as not calling someone late at
night, no one considered it rude anymore to make personal phone calls.
Using the example of the telephone, explain the concept of cultural lag.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Frank, how’s it going?
(man) Well, I just found out my roommate Jim is moving out of our off-campus
apartment into a bigger place with a whole bunch of friends next semester.
(woman) Oh, really?
(man) Yeah,
(woman) Does this mean you’ll be living by yourself next semester?
(man) Yeah, but that’s OK cause I really want to live alone next semester anyway. I
have to concentrate on my senior project for the history department. I have a lot to
write and I don’t want any distractions. The only major problem, though, is how I’ll
be getting to campus.
(woman) Oh, yeah?
(man) See, the apartment’s a little far from campus and Jim has a car and he gives me
rides to and from campus everyday. But I can’t afford a car now.
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(woman) So have you thought about taking public transportation, uh, the bus to
campus?
(man) Yeah, I have. The thing is that there’s no bus going directly to campus from that
part of town. I’d have to change buses a couple of times on the way.
(woman) I see. That could take a lot of time.
(man) Right!
(woman) Hmm, well, maybe you should move back into a dormitory on campus.
Request a single room. There’s lots of them.
(man) Yeah, I thought about that. You know, I could live alone and get my work done
but, I don’t know, I would miss my apartment.
(woman) I know, but you’ve got to make some choice.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which of the
two solutions from the conversation you would recommend. Explain the reasons for
your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a geology class.
(female professor) Rocks near the Earth’s surface are directly exposed to elements in
the environment such as air and water, and also to conditions such as temperature
change as well as to living organism. And this exposure to the environment can
actually cause even huge rocks to break into smaller pieces. This process is called
weathering. Let’s talk about a couple ways weathering occurs.
First of all, rocks are often exposed to water. In cold wet environments rocks can
break due to water freezing inside of them. How does this happen? Well, as I am sure
you know, when water freezes it expands and over time this can lead to weathering.
Um, imagine a rock with a small opening or crack in it. It rains and water gets into the
crack and stays there. Then, at night, the temperature drops and water inside the crack
freezes. This growing, expanding ice pushes outward on either side of the crack
causing it to get slightly bigger. When this happens again and again, the crack
becomes larger and eventually pieces of the rock break off.
OK, weathering can also be caused by plants, by a plant growth. If a plant seed gets
blown into the crack of a rock, it may take root. And its root will grow down into the
rock. The plant’s roots can cause the rock to break down, uh, fracture. You may have
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seen this with large trees growing on top of a rock, a great example of this. Usually
there’s enough dirt in a crack of a rock or on top of a rock to allow a tree to start
growing there. As the tree grows over the years, the tree’s roots extend downward into
the crack and crevasses of the rock in search of water and nutrients. Over time, the
roots get bigger and grow deeper, widening and enlarging the cracks, causing the rock
to break apart.
Using point and examples from the lecture, explain two ways weathering occurs.
TPO 26
#1
Think of a book that you have not read but are interested in reading. Explain why you
are interested in reading this book.
#2
Some people like to have their cell or mobile phone with them at all times. Other
people prefer not to bring their cell or mobile phone with them everywhere they go, or
they choose not to own one at all. Which do you prefer? Explain why.
#3
A student has written a letter to the university newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to
read the letter. Begin reading now.
Advisor Meetings Should No Longer Be Required
At present, students are required to meet with their academic advisors before the
beginning of every semester. The advisors help students select courses and advise
them on graduation requirements. However, I don’t see the point of required
meetings, since the necessary information about the courses is already available on
the university’s Web site, which all students have access to. In addition, eliminating
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meetings with advisors would ease the difficulty that students often have in finding a
time to schedule a meeting when both they and their advisors are free.
Sincerely,
Amy Williams
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(man) Did you see this letter?
(woman) Yeah, why?
(man) Well, I don’t agree. It’s definitely not the same thing to just go on the
university’s Web site.
(woman) You don’t think so?
(man) No, I mean, sure, the basic information is there, but that’s not all advisors help
you with. Sometimes there’re different ways you can meet a requirement for
graduation, like, different classes you can take. And if you talk to someone, they can
help you figure it out.
(woman) And you can’t get that from just reading what’s on the Web site.
(man) Right, advisors have a lot of expert information so they make it easier for you
to see what your choices are.
(woman) I see what you mean.
(man) And as for scheduling meetings, I’ve never had that kind of trouble.
(woman) Me neither.
(man) So anyone who does have problems must be waiting to the last minute to set
something up.
(woman) That’s possible.
(man) I mean, the thing is, if you call or go to the office early enough to set up an
appointment, schedules are open. It’s just that if you wait till the last possible day, it’ll
be harder cause they already have lots of students scheduled then.
The man expresses his opinion about the proposal in the letter. Briefly summarize the
proposal then state his opinion and explain the reasons he gives for holding that
opinion.
#4
Read a passage about Epiphytes from a biology textbook. You will have 50 seconds to
read the passage. Begin reading now.
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Epiphytes
In rain forests, the canopy produced by the upper layer of branches may be so dense
that few plants can grow on the shady ground below. Even so, many plants have
adapted to life in the rain forest, developing fascinating strategies for survival. For
example, various species known as epiphytes use a host plant as a platform for
growth. Although epiphytes grow on a host tree, they take no nutrients from the tree
itself. Attached to the tree, sometimes 30 or 40 meters high, these aerial plants have
access to sunlight but not to nutrients from the soil below. As a result, they have
developed unusual mechanisms that have allowed them to overcome this problem.
Now listen to part of a lecture from a biology class.
(male professor) OK, so a good example of this type of plant, common to the
rainforest, is the Urn plant. The Urn plant wraps its roots around the branches of the
trees or sometimes around the trunk near the upper part of the tree. They use the tree
for support and this allows them to reside high in the trees, in the canopy, where they
can get plenty of sunlight.
Now, the Urn plant has a unique shape. It got its name because of the formation of its
leaves creates a kind of urn or bowl where it can store water. The Urn plant has rather
long stiff spiky leaves. The leaves are slightly overlapping and are tightly rolled into a
kind of cone shape or a funnel shape. Its flowers are held on a single stem in the
center. Anyway, as I mentioned, the arrangement of the leaves forms a kind of
receptacle or bowl at the base so that it is rainwater collects on the leaves it rolls down
into the bowl where it can be stored.
OK, so its unique shape helps it gather and store water. It also helps to gather other
nutrients. This is because insects, dead leaves from other plants or other debris land
on the leaves and then get washed down into the stored water. Gradually they
decompose. The chemical break-down creates a nitrogen-rich food source in the
stored water. So, the water supply contains a kind of liquid fertilizer that can be
released to the plant whenever it needs the food.
Using the example of the Urn plant, explain how epiphytes have adapted to life in the
rain forest.
#5
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Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman) Hey, Steve, I hear you started a band.
(man) Yeah, I play guitar and some friends and I got together to start making music.
We’ve been practicing a couple of months and I think we’re ready to have a concert.
(woman) Great, are you gonna have the show soon?
(man) Yeah, hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks. We’re all pretty busy
but I think we can squeeze in a show before summer starts and everyone goes away.
(woman) Cool! Where’s it gonna be?
(man) We wanted to do it in the campus auditorium. We play rock and roll. It’s kind of
loud so it’d sound great in there. Problem is the auditorium’s already booked for the
next few weekends.
(woman) So what are you gonna do?
(man) Well, there are no weekends left before summer but there is an opening next
Wednesday night, we could do the show then.
(woman) That could be good, I mean, concerts are usually on the weekends, but it’ll
be something fun for people to do in the middle of the week.
(man) Yeah, that’s true. It’s just that, well, there’ll probably be a smaller audience on a
Wednesday which might be kind of disappointing.
(woman) Well, yeah
(man) But there is one other option. We’re friends with people in another band.
They’re gonna be performing in the auditorium next Saturday. And they actually said
they’d be willing to let us perform with them.
(woman) Wow! That’s really nice of them.
(man) Yeah, we’d play for a little while and then they’d play the rest of the night as
scheduled.
(woman) Sounds good.
(man) Yeah, only catch is we wouldn’t have much time to perform so we wouldn’t be
able to do all the songs we’ve been preparing.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which solution
you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture from a business class.
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(female professor) When consumers are buying a product, most of the time they’re not
buying just the product itself, they’re also buying the container the product comes in.
So the design of the container is very important. It can be the deciding factor when
consumers are trying to decide which brand of the product to buy. So, let’s talk about
a couple of ways product containers can be designed to appeal to consumers.
One important design goal is to make the container as user-friendly as possible, as
convenient to use as possible. Take, for example, when companies started using
plastic containers for condiments such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. In the
past, these products came in glass containers with lids you had to screw off. And then
you had to either pour the ketchup or mustard on your food which could be messy or
scoop it out with spoon. But flexible plastic containers were much more convenient to
use and so they were more attractive to consumers. You just held the container over
your food, gave it a little squeeze and out came the ketchup or mustard, uh, much
faster and easier than having to remove a lid first.
Another important design goal is to give the container a pleasing appearance so that
consumers will feel comfortable displaying it in their homes. Take, for example, a
company that sells cookies. Instead of selling their cookies in a plain cardboard box,
they might sell them in a nice metal box. And they might decorate that nice metal box
with beautiful pictures of some kind. That way when consumers present the cookies to
guests, for example, they look nice, they look classic. Attractive containers like that
can make a product much more appealing to consumers.
Using the examples from the talk, explain two ways that a product’s container can be
designed to appeal to consumers.
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TPO 27
#1
Talk about a popular actor, musician, or artist whose work you do not admire. Explain
why you do not like this person’s work. Use specific details and reasons in your
response.
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Parents should be involved in the process of helping their children to choose a
university.
Use specific reasons and details in your response.
#3
Read an article from the campus newspaper. You will have 50 seconds to read the
article. Begin reading now.
Switch to Electronic Textbooks
The university will begin switching from traditional-bound textbooks to electronic
textbooks early next year. University students will be able to download the content of
their required textbooks to a reading device and read the material directly from the
device’s screen. While the cost of the device is around $200, it is a one-time expense.
Considering the rising cost of textbooks, students will save money in the long run
since purchasing electronic books for their classes is much less expensive than buying
regular textbooks. Furthermore, the university believes the device will be an effective
study aid because it is simple to operate and offers feqtures such as highlighting of
text and note-taking.
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
(woman) Oh, no, did you see this?
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(man) Yeah, why? You don’t like the idea?
(woman) Not at all!
(man) How come?
(woman) Well, the cost, for one thing, they are just not being realistic.
(man) Even compare to the price of textbooks?
(woman) Well, sure, textbooks aren’t cheap, but do you think people are only gonna
use one device the whole time they are at university? What happens if yours breaks?
You have to buy a new one. Or they come out with some fancy new features.
Wouldn’t you want to get a new one then?
(man) Yeah, I see what you mean. A lot of people would probably want to replace
theirs with the latest version.
(woman) Right! Maybe even every year and that can add up.
(man) True, but, don’t you agree it’ll make studying and preparing for classes a lot
easier?
(woman) I don’t think everybody is gonna think it’s so great.
(man) What do you mean?
(woman) Well., it’s only helpful if it’s easy to use and, well, this thing is pretty small.
It’s only about 18 or 20 centimeters tall.
(man) Oh, really? So that means the screen’s pretty small.
(woman) Right, and I heard that the key pad or control buttons, they are small, too. So
if you have normal-sized fingers, it’s not so easy to select an item or get it to function
right, you know, to do stuff like highlighting or underlining.
(man) I hadn’t thought of that.
(woman) So what good are all those fancy features if it’s hard to use them? Besides, I
like the old-fashioned way of studying material: writing notes on the page and
underlining or highlighting important sections of the book. I’m more comfortable with
that.
The woman expresses her opinion about the university’s plan. Briefly summarize the
plan then state her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
#4
Read a passage from a biology textbook. You will have 50 seconds to read the passage.
Begin reading now.
Swarm Intelligence
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Some insect species live in large groups, or “swarms.” Such swarms typically include
several thousand individual insects. Living in swarms allows these insects to
accomplish complex tasks together through complex behaviors. The behavior of the
insects as a group demonstrates a greater level of complexity than the behavior of
individual group members. This complex group behavior is called swarm intelligence.
With swam intelligence, each insect performs a simple instinctual behavior that is
repeated by other individuals that results in a complex behavior. Insect swarms are
able to accomplish tasks that individual insects would not be able to achieve.
Now listen to a lecture on this topic in a biology class.
(male professor) OK, we can see a great example of this with ants. Ants live in large
groups called colonies. They normally move together to get to food sources. And
sometimes when the ants are moving toward food source, they’ll encounter, find an
obstacle in their path. So, for instance, let’s say a large number of ants are walking on
a tree toward some food on a branch. But when they reach the end of the branch they
are walking on, there’s a wide space between that branch and the next one, the branch
with the food on it. Now, none of these ants alone can cross this wide space to get to
the other branch with the food. So, how did they solve this problem?
Here’s how: one ant walks forward until it reaches the end of the branch and then
automatically holds onto the branch with its back legs. Then it stretches its body
forward into the open space. Now, this comes naturally to ants and it’s a simple action.
So then the next ant walks to the end of the branch and right across the first ant’s body.
Then it holds onto the first ant and then it stretches its body out into the open space,
just a little bit closer to the branch with the food on it.
Then, one after another, other ants do the same thing until enough ants connect
together to form a bridge between the two branches. Pretty amazing, huh? The
connected ants hold this position allowing the rest of the ants in the group to cross
over this bridge of ants to reach the food.
Explain how the example from the lecture illustrates the concept of swarm
intelligence.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two English professors.
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(man) Hi, Nancy, is something the matter?
(woman) Oh, I just realized that I’ve got a scheduling conflict tomorrow.
(man) What is it?
(woman) Well, the poetry class I’m teaching meets at 4 o’clock. My students have a
test next week so tomorrow’s class is the review session. It’s important.
(man) OK?
(woman) The other thing is my cousin’s retirement party. But I just realized it also
starts at 4 o’clock. I haven’t realized it was starting at the exact same time as my
class.
(man) Oh, no! Well, I’m free tomorrow at 4, if you want, I could cover your class for
you. Lead the review session.
(woman) Really? What a generous offer!
(man) I wouldn’t mind. I mean, I haven’t taught poetry for a few years. I am a little
rusty.
(woman) Well, I have some materials prepared and you could certainly use them. So it
might be tough but you could do it.
(man) I’ll try anyway.
(woman) Well, my other option is to go to the class. Do the review session myself and
arrive late at the retirement party.
(man) So you could prepare your students for the test yourself.
(woman) I could and I know it’d be good for my students. It’s just that I’d miss a lot
of the party. My cousin and some others are giving speeches and I think it’ll be really
interesting. It’ll be a shame to miss it.
Briefly summarize the problem the professors are discussing. Then state which of the
two solutions form the conversation you would recommend. Explain the reasons for
your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a history class.
(female professor) So, most cities of the ancient world tended to be small, often
limited to the banks of a river. They had very little means to expand. These old cities
couldn’t really cross natural barriers like rivers or be located very far from water
sources. But Roman cities, on the other hand, grew much larger. How did this happen?
Well, for one thing, the Romans had more advanced technology. Let’s look at a couple
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of Roman developments that allowed its cities to expand.
One development that’ll allow Roman cities to grow was their advanced building
materials. The Romans developed a special kind of concrete, a building material that
would harden under water. And this concrete made new kinds of structures possible.
Take their bridges for example. Because of this special concrete, they could build
better bridges, bridges that could go across wide rivers, bridges that were big enough
to transport equipment and materials with wagons and carts. So with these strong
bridges, Roman cities could grow on both sides of the river, creating larger cities than
would have been possible otherwise.
Another development that helped Roman cities expand was an improved way to move
fresh clean water. People need access to fresh water and the Romans created an
especially effective way to bring it to them. They built structures called aqueducts.
Now, aqueducts are series of open channels, waterways that stretch from water
sources high in the mountains to cities. They were carefully planned and built so the
steady drop in altitude provides the steady flow of water to cities. These aqueducts
could move tremendous amount of water over great distances and even bring fresh
water to places far from rivers. Because of this, people could have clean water for
drinking and bathing without being located near a river. So cities were able to grow
larger in new locations.
Using the examples from the lecture, explain two developments that allowed ancient
Roman cities to expand.
121
TPO28
#1
Students have to complete various types of academic assignments in school. Choose
one of the assignments below and explain why you think it is beneficial for students.
 Research paper
 Class presentation
 Group project
#2
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
To protect the health of young children, advertisement for candy and junk food should
not be shown on television.
Use specific reasons and details in your response.
#3
Read a student letter in the campus newspaper. You will have 50 seconds to read the
letter. Begin reading now.
Keep the Music Building Open Later
Currently, the campus music building – which has practice rooms students can reserve
for playing instruments – closes nightly at nine p.m. I think the university should keep
the building open until midnight. Often, student musicians want to practice their
instruments later at night, and right now there’s no good place for them to do that.
Also, lots of students want to use the practice rooms, so it’s often difficult to reserve
one. If the building were open more hours, though, it would be easier to accommodate
the large number of students who want to reserve rooms.
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman): Jim, did you see this letter in the paper today?
(man): Yeah, I did.
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(woman): That would be great for us music students. Because I mean, what happens is,
students keep practicing in the dorm room because they don’t have anywhere else
they can go.
(man): Yeah, I’ve done that myself a bunch of times playing my violin.
(woman): Me too, and I always feel kind of bad about it, because even if you try to
keep the volume down, it’s still pretty noisy, and other students are nearby in their
rooms trying to sleep or study.
(man): That’s true.
(woman): And we really could use more time slots, especially just before the big
concerts: the winter concert and the spring concert, because everybody from all
sections of the orchestra needs to practice then.
(man): I know, I tried to make a reservation to practice before the winter concert, but I
couldn’t, because other people from the orchestra had already booked every single
time slot.
(woman): Exactly, so this would really help.
The woman expresses her opinion of the proposal. Briefly summarize the proposal,
then state her opinion about the proposal, and explain the reasons she gives for
holding that opinion.
#4
Read a passage from a business textbook. You will have 45 seconds to read the
passage. Begin reading now.
Refute-and-Persuade
Sometimes companies realize that consumers may have developed a negative
impression of a product. One way in which they can resolve this problem is by using
an advertising technique known as refute-and-persuade. Refute-and-persuade means
that in advertising a product, the company first indicates its awareness of the product’s
disadvantage. But then the company refutes or challenges that disadvantage by
demonstrating how the advantage of buying and using the product makes up for any
limitation it may have. In this way, companies can persuade consumers to purchase a
product despite its drawbacks.
Now listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
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(male professor): Ali right, so I actually saw a good example of this just the other day:
I watched an advertisement on television about a well known companies pots and
pans, and in the advertisement there was a woman, a professional cook, talking about
how she uses the companies pots and pans in her own kitchen. Now the woman in the
advertisement began by saying that this company’s pots and pans were expensive. She
just came right out and admitted to the audience that they cost a lot more than most
other companies pots and pans. And she also said that she realized that when people
went shopping for new cookware, they might feel that they just didn’t want to spend
all that money on such expensive pots and pans since there were so many in the store
that cost a lot less.
But then, she went on to explain that the extra cost was worthwhile, because, although
these pots and pans cost more to begin with, they actually saved you money in the
long run. How? Well, they came with a special lifetime warranty, which meant that
the company would replace them free if anything ever went wrong, and that’s
something most companies that make pots and pans couldn’t say about their products.
Explain how the example of the television advertisement for pots and pans from the
lecture illustrates the technique of refute and persuade.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(woman): Hey mike, did you finish that article you were writing for the campus
newspaper? The one about the school play.
(man): Not yet. Remember how I was going to interview the student who’s directing
it?
(woman): Yeah, you said that was going to be a big part of the article.
(man): Right! And I was going to make my article about what the director said, since
she knows about picking the play, choosing the cast, designing the set…everything!
But I just called and it turns out that she’s got a bad cold…she’s sick!
(woman): So you can’t interview her?
(man): Not today…no…but I have a couple of options. I could wait until she feels
better, and interview her then…it’s just that then the article wouldn’t be done in time
to go in this week’s paper.
(woman): Oh…so you’d have to put it in next week’s paper then?
(man): Yeah, and the play’s opening this weekend…I mean, it’s running next weekend
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too, but it’d make more sense to have the article come out before the play opens.
(woman): I see what you mean. So, what’s your other option?
(man): Well…I could interview an actor instead of the director. I talked with one of
the lead actors, and he said he’d be happy to do an interview today.
(woman): Sounds good! Then your article would come out before the play opens.
(man): I know, but it’s just that he probably wouldn’t have as much to say as the
director, I mean, he wouldn’t know about everything that went into planning the play
the way the director does.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which of the
two solutions from the conversation that you would recommend. Explain the reasons
for your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture from a geology class.
(female professor) So, when we look at lakes, they seem to be permanent, we assume
they’ll be around forever. But in fact, lakes aren’t permanent; they can actually
disappear. Sometimes they disappear through natural processes, and sometimes
because of human activities.
First let’s look at one way that lakes can disappear naturally, and that is, by gradually
getting filled in with organic sediment. This often happens with lakes that have lots of
plants growing in them. When the plants die, they break down into a muddy substance,
which falls to the bottom of the lake, they’re then replaced by new plants, which
eventually also die and fall to the bottom. And over the years, all this dead plant
material builds up on the bottom of the lake, and as builds up, it starts to fill up the
lake, and there’s less and less room for water, and eventually the lake gets completely
filled in, and disappears.
OK, lakes can also disappear, pretty rapidly sometimes, as a result of human activities.
For example, we know that farmers need water to irrigate their crops. And sometimes
to get that water, they pump that water out of a nearby lake. They install pipes that run
from the lake to their farms, and they pump the water out of the lake and into their
fields. Now that’s ok if the lake is continually being refilled with rainwater or with
water from streams that run into the lake, but if there isn’t enough rainwater or stream
water to replace the water the farmers take out of the lake, the lake will eventually dry
125
up.
Using points and examples from the lecture, describe two ways that lakes can
disappear.
TPO29
#1
Which of the following jobs or careers do you think would be most rewarding?



University professor
Environmental scientist
Newspaper journalist
Choose One career and explain why you think it would be most rewarding.l Use
details and examples to support your answer.
#2
Some people like to study in public places where there are other people around.
Others prefer to study in places where there are few or no people around. Which kind
of place do you prefer? Explain why.
#3
A student has written a letter to the school newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to
read the letter. Begin reading now.
Remove Old Bicycles from Campus Racks
I noticed that there are bicycles locked to the campus bicycle racks that have not been
moved for a long time. I think the university should remove these bikes from the racks
and dispose of them. I recommend this action because, first of all, they will not be
missed by anyone, since they apparently have been forgotten by their owners. More
important, removing the bikes would help to fee up space o n the racks, thereby
benefiting people who are actually using their bikes and need places to park them.
126
Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
(woman) He’s totally right about this, you know?
(man) Well, I agree they should do it, but maybe it’s not fair.
(woman) What? Just assuming no one wants them? Well, judging from the conditions
some of them are in, I think it’s probably a safe assumption. I mean, some are missing
parts like handlebars or wheels, and others are really rusty like they’ve been left
outside in the rain for years.
(man) Yeah, the ones with missing parts sure don’t look like they are being used but
what if some are?
(woman) Well, to be sure, the university could always attach notes to them and say
give the owners two weeks to remove them or they’d be removed by campus security.
(man) Yeah, that’ll probably work.
(woman) Anyway, it’ll be really big help if they were gone.
(man) Oh, I know
(woman) Because, I mean, especially like in front of the dining hall, there are lots of
them there and it can be really hard to find a space. All the spaces are always taken
there.
(man) Yeah, it’s bad. Lots of people ride bikes these days.
(woman) And since the university doesn’t allow us to tie them to signposts, or fences
or anything like that to park them, I always have to lock mine up in another building
and walk over to the dining hall cause there’s hardly ever a space.
The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal in the letter. Briefly summarize
the proposal. Then state her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that
opinion.
#4
Read a passage on Scatter Hoarding from a biology textbook. You will have 50
seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Scatter Hoarding
Many animals live in environments where food is plentiful during certain times of the
year and scarce during other times of the year. In such environments, some animals
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collect and prepare food when it is plentiful, then hoard it – store it – for future use.
Some types of hoarders engage in scatter hoarding. Unlike other types of hoarders,
scatter hoarders do not store the food all in once place; instead, they scatter it – divide
it up and hide it in many different places. Later, at a time when food is scarce, the
hoarders return to these hiding places and recover the food.
Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a biology class.
(male professor) OK, so we sometimes see this with animals that live in parts of the
world where it gets very cold in the winter. For example, in the northeaster United
States, there’s a species of squirrels that does this. This squirrel, like many species of
squirrel, loves to eat nuts. Nuts are one its primary sources of food. Now, nuts are
very difficult to find in the winter. But in the autumn, they are lying all over the place
because that’s when they fall from the trees.
So, what this squirrel does is in the autumn it spends a lot of time finding nuts. After it
finds a nut, it prepares it. It takes off the outer shell and cleans it. This preparation
may in some way help preserve the nut and or may make it easier to eat later on. The
squirrel then digs a little hole in the ground and buries the nut. In one autumn, this
squirrel may bury hundreds of nuts.
But it doesn’t just dig a big hole and put all the nuts in it and cover them up. No, it
digs hundreds of holes all over the place. And it puts just one nut in each hole. Now,
why would it do that? Well, probably primarily because even if other animals happen
to find some of the holes, some of the nuts, the squirrel will still have a lot of other
holes with nuts in them so it’ll still have enough food to survive the winter.
Explain how the example from the professor’s lecture illustrate the practice of scatter
hoarding.
#5
Listen to a conversation between two students.
(man) How’s it going, Marie? Weren’t you away this past weekend?
(woman) Yeah, I flew out to see my family in Boston for the weekend, just got back
from the airport actually. What a mess! My flight was delayed several hours cause of
the bad weather.
128
(man) Oh, yeah, there was that big storm out East, huh?
(woman) Right, so I was at the airport like all night waiting for my flight to leave. I
was supposed to arrive back to campus last night, but, instead, I got in early this
morning.
(man) You must be exhausted.
(woman) I am. I hardly got any sleep, just a short nap on the plane. And I am
supposed to, I can’t believe it, I am supposed to give a presentation in my history
class today, an hour from now.
(man) What kind of presentation?
(woman) It’s a ten-minute presentation on a paper I wrote. And then there’s an answer,
a question-and-answer session afterward, where the professor and other students ask
me questions about my history paper and stuff.
(man) Well, I bet if you told your professor what happened, how the flight was
delayed and you didn’t get any sleep, I bet your professor would let you do the
presentation on a different day.
(woman) Yeah, she’d probably let me reschedule. I just don’t know if I want to put it
off. I’ve got a lot of other stuff coming up, big assignments.
(man) Oh!
(woman) I could just give the presentation today, I mean, I did prepare a lot for it last
week. So, I don’t know, maybe I should just grab a cup of coffee or something and go
through with it.
(man) Well, if you feel OK with that,
(woman) Well, I’m definitely tired. I wouldn’t be as quick or sharp as I normally am
but I’ve got an hour to go over my notes and the coffee should help wake me up.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which of the
two solutions from the conversation you would recommend. Explain the reasons for
your recommendation.
#6
Listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
(female professor) OK, so, of course, businesses want to sell as many of their products
as possible. Often a business sells mostly one type of product. But sales of this
product may stop increasing because most potential customers have already bought it.
In this situation, many companies will try to diversify, um, to develop or diverse
product in order to increase sales. There are a couple of efficient ways that a company
129
can diversify using some of their existing resources.
One way a company can diversify is to use an existing technology, uh, technology that
they already have to develop a new product. If a company already has some machines
and technology to make a certain product, sometimes it can efficiently use that same
technology to make a different product. For example, a company that makes
televisions might start making computer monitors because the technology used to
make these two products is very similar. So the company can use its existing
technological resources to make the monitors. But with the monitors, it can reach new
customers, people that wouldn’t buy television screens, like businesses that need to
buy monitors for their employees’ computers.
Another way a company can diversify is to try to appeal to its existing customers, its
customer base with a new product. One of a company’s most important resources is
its existing customers and these customers might have other needs that the company
could fulfill with a different product. For example, a company that sells skis might
have a large customer base that enjoys winter sports like skiing down snowy
mountains. So they might start making ski jackets. The same customers that buy skis
would also need warm ski jackets to wear while they are skiing. And since they like
the company’s skis, they might be more likely to buy the jackets with the company’s
name on them.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain two ways a company can
diversify.
TPO30
#1 A friend of yours is looking for a new place to live and has asked for your advice. What
do you think is the most important characteristic of a good neighborhood? Use details and
examples to explain your answer.
130
#2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Parents should be involved in the process of helping their children to choose a career.
Use specific examples and details to support your opinion.
#3) Read a student letter from the campus newspaper. You will have 45 seconds to read the
letter. Begin reading now.
Campus Construction Should Happen During the Summer
I’ve noticed that small construction projects on campus – like fixing sidewalks and parking
lots – often take place during the regular school year, when classes are in session. I propose
that whenever possible the university should schedule such construction projects to take
place during the three-month summer break. One reason is that construction projects can be
so disruptive; they create inconveniences and can make it hard to get where you need to go
131
on campus. And, second, construction projects would be more likely to be completed
quickly if they were scheduled for the summer when the weather is usually good.
Sincerely,
Eric Hughes
Now listen to two students discussing the letter:
Man: So, Jane, what do you think of Eric’s proposal?
Woman: I’m all for it.
Man: So you think it’s true? What he says about the problems about the way it’s being done?
Woman: Yeah, I do. Take his first reason. Like, I know you don’t drive, but I do drive here
everyday, so I need a place to park my car. And remember last year when they decided to
repair some of the parking lots?
Man: Oh yeah, I remember that, there was a lot of work going on, wasn’t there? Starting in
December.
Woman: Right, at least four lots were closed, and that meant there weren’t enough parking
spots for students and professor’s cars. I usually had to circle around looking for parking on
one of the streets. And then walk from the street all the way to my classes.
Man: That’s annoying.
Woman: Yeah, and it happened to a lot of other people in my classes too! People were
always arriving late because of the trouble they had parking. Sometimes even my professors
were late.
Man: Yeah.
Woman: And also, his second point? That makes sense too. I mean, for instance, part of the
reason those parking lot repairs last year took so long was because of the big snowstorms.
They had to keep stopping, sometimes for a week or two at a time, because of snow and ice
on the ground
Man: Yeah, I remember that, we had a bunch of snowstorms in a row last year.
Woman: Yeah, so with all that starting and stopping cause of the weather, the problem took
them a lot longer to finish.
The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal in the letter. Briefly summarize the
proposal, then state her opinion about the proposal and explain the reasons she gives for
holding that opinion.
#4) Read a passage about Emotional Intelligence from a Psychology textbook. You will have
45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Emotional Intelligence
We often think of human intelligence as the mental ability to analyze and understand
132
complex ideas. However, many psychologists believe that there is a different type of
intelligence called emotional intelligence. People with emotional intelligence have the
ability to recognize their true feelings and understand what is causing them. This ability to
understand their own feelings enables them to better control their emotional responses,
changing or correcting them when necessary. Emotional intelligence helps people to behave
appropriately in social situations, which allow them to maintain good relationships with
others.
Now, listen to part of a lecture in a Psychology class.
Professor (man): So, here’s an example: my daughter had a friend over to our house recently
and they decided to watch a movie together, only they got into an argument because they
couldn’t decide on what movie to watch. My daughter started to get quite upset during the
argument, which wasn’t like her at all. But then, my daughter stopped, and thought about
why she was so upset. She realized her reaction was inappropriate, and she also realized she
wasn’t really upset with her friend…there was something else bothering her.
See, she’d just gotten this summer job as a camp counselor for children, and she was feeling
a lot of worry and stress about how well she would do, she said she’d never worked with
children before, so she figured out that she wasn’t upset about what movie to watch with her
friend, but about starting her new job. She really wanted it to go well. She wanted the kids to
like her. And when she understood this, she stopped arguing with her friend, and apologized
to her. She told her friend how anxious she felt about starting the job, and how sorry she was
about getting upset with her, and her friend encouraged her, saying she’d do great at the job!
So my daughter felt better, and they relaxed and had fun together, same as always.
Explain how the example from the lecture illustrates the concept of emotional intelligence.
5) Listen to a conversation between two students.
Man: Hey Julie, what’s up?
Woman: Oh, hi George. I’m just waiting for my friend Amy. We’re supposed to drive into
133
town together to see a film at one of the movie theaters there.
Man: Sounds great!
Woman: Yeah, our professor from film class wants us to go see it. It’s a film by one of the
directors we’ve been studying and we’ll be discussing the film next week in class.
Man: Cool!
Woman: Yeah, but I’m the one with the car, and we were supposed to meet like 15 minutes
ago, and Amy hasn’t shown up. She’s really late, if we don’t leave in like the next few
minutes we’re going to miss the beginning of the movie.
Man: Have you tried calling her?
Woman: Yeah, I’ve called her several times and left voice mails. She hasn’t responded to any
of my messages, so, anyway, I don’t know what I should do.
Man: Well, I know Amy’s your friend and everything, but if you need to see the film, and
you’ve already been waiting 15 minutes for her, I mean…maybe you should just go by
yourself?
Woman: You mean, just leave now, without her? Yeah, I guess she could see it another time.
They are showing the film again tomorrow, so Amy could still go see it then, but I’ll be busy
tomorrow, so I need to go today.
Man: Maybe you could just leave Amy a voicemail saying that you had to leave without her.
Woman: That’s true, but…I don’t know, maybe I should just wait 10 more minutes and go
late to the film. She might be on her way over here right now! She did mention that she had
a lot of other things to do first before she met me…and besides, Amy’s often late for stuff.
Man: But if you wait another 10 minutes for her, you’ll be late for the movie, right?
Woman: Yep.
Briefly summarize the problem the speakers are discussing. Then state which of the two
solutions from the conversation you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your
recommendation.
6. Listen to part of a lecture from a Biology class.
134
When we humans walk from place to place, we move on the Earth’s surface, across
the Earth’s surface. Many animals of course do the same thing. Horses and dogs and cows
and so on, all move on the surface, across the surface of the Earth. There are also, there are
quite a few animals that have the ability to move from place to place underground, beneath
the Earth’s surface. This moving around underground is called subsurface locomotion. Sub
surface location has a number of benefits.
One benefit of subsurface locomotion is that it enables animals to minimize their
exposure to extreme temperatures. This is very helpful to animals that live in areas with
harsh climates, where it could be very dangerous to spend large amounts of time on the
surface. For example, in the Sahara Desert, in Africa, there’s a type of lizard that’s able to
move beneath the surface, through the sand, very quickly. Because this lizard can move so
easily and so quickly underground, it doesn’t have to travel on the surface, where it would be
exposed to dangerously high temperatures.
Another benefit of subsurface locomotion is that it can help animals capture prey.
That’s because animals on the surface can’t see predators approaching underground. Our
lizard in the Sahara Desert is again, a good example. The way it works is, when an insect is
walking nearby on the surface, it produces very subtle vibrations in the sand. When the
lizard senses these vibrations, it moves very quickly. Underground, where it can’t be seen,
toward the source of the vibrations. It then pops up directly under the insect and catches it by
surprise.
Using the example of the lizard form the lecture, explain two benefits of subsurface
locomotion.
135
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