Practice these TOEFL iBT listening tests to help you score high in the TOEFL Listening Section. Check the correct answers and audio transcripts below. This video is in the series of NEW TOEFL iBT Tests 2015.
PASSAGE THREE
Questions 5 and 6. Listen to some students having a discussion.
(woman 1) OK. Let’s see where we are on this project for geography class. Our presentation’s in two days, and I hope we’re almost ready.
(man) I hope so, too. We were each going to look up information about a different lake—with an emphasis on how each lake was formed—and we’ll each present information on that lake to the, to the class. My job was to look up information on Lake Superior, and I’ve done that.
(woman 2) I've done my research on the Caspian Sea.
(woman 1) And I’m ready with information about Lake Baikal.
(woman 2) Great. I'll go first. I’ll be discussing the Caspian Sea, which is the largest inland body of water in the world. The Caspian Sea is a saltwater lake between Europe and Asia. It is believed that this lake was originally connected to the world’s oceans, which would account for its
saltwater content. As the earth’s plates moved, this arm of the ocean was cut off.
(man) Well, here's what I found on Lake Superior. Lake Superior is, of course, one of the Great Lakes in North America, and it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world. Along with the other Great Lakes, it was formed by glaciers. Glaciers covered the northern part of North America until 10,000 years ago and were responsible for carving out the Great Lakes, including Lake Superior.
(woman 1) OK, now for Lake Baikal, which is the lake I’ll be discussing. Lake Baikal's in Russia, and it was formed when the earth’s crust broke apart at a fault. Because Lake Baikal formed over a split in the earth’s crust, it’s a very deep lake, the deepest lake in the world. Lake Baikal’s so deep that, even though its surface area is much smaller than the surface area of Lake Superior, it could hold the water of all the Great Lakes combined.
(man) Well, it looks like we’ve all found information about each of these lakes, and, in particular, how they were formed. Now we need to talk about how we can present the information to the rest of the class.
Correct Answers of PASSAGE THREE
5. A
6. C
PASSAGE FOUR
Questions 7 and 8. Listen as a professor leads a class discussion.
(professor) Today, instead of lecturing, I’m going to start out by taking questions. You all know that the exam's tomorrow, so today I’d like to spend time talking about whatever’s unclear to you. Yes, Anne, what’s your question?
(Anne) I’ve got a question about the theories of Redfield and Espy. I understand that they were meteorologists, American meteorologists in the nineteenth century, and that they had different theories about how storms behave, but I’m . . . um, not quite sure I really understand the two theories. Could you explain them again?
(professor) OK. It’s true that William Redfield and James Espy were two nineteenth-century meteorologists and they had different theories on the behavior of storms. Espy argued that centripetal force was at work in storms. Anne, do you understand what direction the winds would be moving if centripetal force were involved?
(Anne) I think so. Centripetal force would cause winds to move inward from all directions toward the center of the storm. But that’s not what really happens during a storm, is it? Winds don't move inward toward the center of the storm.
(professor) That’s right, Anne. Espy s theory was that centripetal force pushed the winds of a storm inward toward the center from all directions, but this theory hasn’t proven very accurate. . . . Now, the other meteorologist was Redfield. Did Redfield agree or disagree with Espy?
(Anne) I know that Redfield disagreed with Espy, but I’m not quite sure how.
(professor) Can someone else explain what Redfield believed? What about you, Chris?
(Chris) Sure. Redfield argued that the winds in a storm rotated around the center of the storm, so the winds would be moving in a circular path. And he believed that the winds moved in a counterclockwise direction, which means that they move in the opposite direction from the direction that a clock moves.
(professor) Yes, that’s correct. Is that clear to you, Anne?
(Anne) So, Espy believed that centripetal force caused winds to move inward toward the center of a storm, and, um, Redfield believed that the winds in a storm moved in a counterclockwise direction.
(professor) Exactly. Now, for the most important question . . . We've already said that Espv’s theory on how the winds in a storm behave wasn't very accurate. What about Redfield's theory? Was his theory accurate or inaccurate? Anne?
(Anne) I think Redfield’s description was quite close to what actually happens in a storm.
(professor) That’s right. Now, . . . who has another question?
Correct Answers of PASSAGE FOUR
7. A
8. D
