Borrow the woman’s car and drive to class. b. Run as fast as he can to class. Skip class and stay with the woman. d. Call a taxi.

A speaker will often announce his or her main points at the beginning of a lecture, as in the following example: Freud divided the personality into three distinct levels or forces: the id, the ego, and the superego. This key sentence tells us the main idea and lays out the structure of the lecture the professor will dis- cuss each of the three levels in turn. To help you distinguish between main ideas and their support, listen for clues. Speakers often use the following phrases to introduce specific examples: for example others furthermore in part in addition for instance specifically some L ISTS Another organizational strategy speakers use is lists. As you listen, be on the lookout for verbal clues like the following: ■ There are four main events that led to the French Revolution. ■ There are five points that Brauer makes in his argument. ■ The three symptoms of bipolar disorder are . . . ■ Animals mark their territory in several distinct ways. The introduction to the lecture about Freud’s theory of the personality is another good example. The speaker lists the three levels of the personality that she will discuss in the lecture. K EY W ORDS AND C ONCEPTS Speakers also organize their thoughts by key words andor concepts. These are easy to spot because they are typically offered with a definition or some elaboration of what they mean. The introduction to the Freud lec- ture, once again, is a good example. The professor lists the three key terms that will be defined and described in the lecture. Listen carefully for key words and concepts. They will often be unfamiliar words, and the speaker will often immediately follow the word with a definition. Here are some other verbal clues: “X, which means” “X, which refers to . . . ” “This important conceptideaterm” “This idea is central to X ’s argument . . . ” – L I S T E N I N G C O M P R E H E N S I O N – 1 0 0 T h e B e s t Te s t - P r e p S t r a t e g y : L i s t e n , L i s t e n , L i s t e n The best way—indeed, perhaps the only way—to prepare for this section of the TOEFL exam is to put your- self in situations where English is spoken and practice active listening. The more you listen to spoken Eng- lish, the more you will understand. Go to movies and watch TV shows in English. Go to places like parks and museums where you will hear English being spoken around you. Ask English-speaking friends and relatives to speak to you only in English. The more you practice, the more you will understand. Listen to audio books in English. They are ideal for when you are traveling or exercising, or whenever you have a few extra moments. This will not only improve your listening comprehension but also help you become more comfortable with listening to audiotapes. And there’s a wonderful variety of books now available on tape, including both fic- tion and non-fiction choices. Practice To make the most of this practice section, ask someone who speaks English fluently to read the passages, ques- tions, and answer choices into a tape recorder. Be sure your reader speaks at a normal, conversational pace. If that is not possible, read the passages aloud to yourself and answer the questions that follow. You will find the Answer Key in Appendix A. P ART A: S HORT C ONVERSATIONS Woman: Roger, is this your notebook? Roger: No. That looks like Jennifer’s handwriting. 1. What does Roger imply about the notebook?

a. It belongs to him. b. It belongs to the woman.

c. It belongs to Jennifer. d. He doesn’t know whose notebook it is.

Man: I’m thinking of switching majors. I don’t think I’m cut out to be an engineer after all, and for two semesters now English has been my favorite class. Woman: I’d talk to your advisor before you make any changes. 2. What does the woman suggest the man should do?

a. Stick with his engineering major. b. Discuss his situation with his advisor.

c. Switch majors, then tell his advisor. d. Double major in engineering and English.

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