Toefl Practice
Toefl Practice
Listening Comprehension
In this section of the test, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to
understand conversations and talks in English. There are there parts to this section
with special directions for each part. Answer all the questions on the basis of what is
started or implied by the speakers in this test. Do not take notes or write in your test
book at any time. Do not turn the pages until you are told to do so.
Part A
Directions In !art A, you will hear short conversations between to people. After each
conversation, you will hear a question
qu estion about the conversation. The conversations and
question will not be repeated. After you hear a question, read the four possible
answers in your test book and choose the best answer. Then, on your answer sheet,
find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of
the answer you have chosen.
"ere is an e#ample.
In your test book, you read %A& "e doesn't like the painting either
%(& "e doesn't know how to paint
%)& "e doesn't have any paintings
%D& "e doesn't know what to do
0. %A& They
They should
should bebe picked
picked befor
beforee they'r
they'ree ripe
ripe
%(& They should
should have been picked already
%)& They'll get picked when they turn a certain color
%D& They won't
won't be picked until ne#t year
1. %A& A two2bedroom
two2bedroom apartment
apartment many
many be too e#pensi
e#pensive
ve
%(& The woman should not move off
off campus
%)& The woman should pay the rent by check
/
%D& The university
university has a list of rental properties
3. %A& The man often
often flat
flatter
terss 4udy
4udy
%(& 4udy is thinking
thinking about getting her hair cut
%)& 5he hasn't
hasn't seen 4udy's new haircut
%D& 5he agrees with
with he man about 4udy's appearance
6. %A&
%A& atch
atchin
ing
g a movi
moviee
%(& Talking on the phone
%)& !icking up her friends
%D& Eating dinner
7. %A& 8oti
8otify
fy the
the post off
office
ice of his new
new addre
address
ss
%(& )heck to see if the mail has arrived
%)& 5end the letter by special
special delivery
delivery
%D& Answer the letters
letters after he moves
:. %A& Talk
Talk to
to Dr.
Dr. (oyd about
about an assi
assignm
gnment
ent
%(& ;eturn their
their books to the library
%)& <eet Dr.
Dr. (oyd at the
the library
library
%D& <ake an appointment with theirtheir teacher on =riday
0
/1. %A& The man may use the telephone soon
%(& The man should hurry
%)& 5he'll call eorge for the man
%D& 5he's waiting for a call
/6. %A& The e#am had more sections than she e#pected
%(& 5he was surprised that the e#am was so difficult
%)& !art of the e#am was easier than she e#pected
%D& 5he didn't have time to study for the e#am
/9. %A& The bank was closed when she got there
%(& The bank stayed open later than usual
%)& 5he was able to do her banking
%D& 5he didn't have enough time to go to the bank
1
00. %A& The woman should avoid getting cold
%(& It's easy to get sick in cold weather
%)& The woman should get more rest
%D& Dressing warmly can prevent illness
3
Part B
Directions In this part of the test, you will hear longer conversations. After each
conversation, you will hear several questions. The conversations and questions will not
be repeated.
After you hear a question, read the four possible answers in your test book and choose the
best answer. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the
space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
;emember, you are not allowed to take notes or write in your test book.
10. %A& A small school does not offer a wide range of courses
%(& "is tuition will not be refunded
%)& )hanging ma?ors involves a lot of paperwork
%D& "e may not be able to transfer all his credits
6
%D& To find ways to improve his own writing
1:. %A& To take notes for newspaper articles
%(& To keep track of the number of hours she spends writing
%)& To record ideas she has when she is not at her desk
%D& To document evidence for a police investigation
Part C
Directions In this part of the test, you will hear several short talks. After each talk, you
will hear some questions. The talks and the questions will not be repeated.
After you hear a question, read the four possible answers in your test book and choose the
best answer. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the
space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
"ere is an e#ample.
In your test book, you read %A& To demonstrate the latest use of computer graphics
%(& To discuss the possibility of an economic depression
%)& To e#plain the workings of the brain
%D& To dramatie a famous mystery story
The best answer to the question +hat is the main purpose of the program- is %)&, +To
e#plain the workings of the brain. +Therefore, the correct choice is %)&
In your test book, you read %A& It is required of all science ma?ors
%(& It will never be shown again
%)& It can help viewers improve their memory skills
%D& It will help with course work
The best answer to question +hy does the speaker recommend watching the program-
is %D&, +It will help with course work. +Therefore, the correct choice is %D&.
;emember, you are not allowed do take notes or write in your test book.
7
3@. %A& The navy
%(& A government weather agency
%)& 5tate police headquarters
%D& A local shelter
9
3>. %A& )ollect some minerals as homework
%(& Identify the tools he is using
%)& Apply the information given in the talk
%D& !ass their papers to the front of the room
STOP
Section $
Strctre and %ritten &'pression
Time( $) mintes
This section is designed to measure your ability to recognie language that is appropriate
for standard written English. There are two types of questions in this section, with special
for each type.
Strctre
Directions Guestions /2/6 are incomplete sentences. (eneath sentence you will see you
words or phrases, marked %A&, %(&, %)&, and %D&. )hoose the one word or phrase that best
completes the sentence. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and
fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
&'amp"e *
:
The sentence should read, +eysers have often been compared to volcanoes because they
both emit hot liquids from below the Earth's surface. +Therefore, you should choose %(&
&'amp"e **
The sentences should read, +During the early period of ocean navigation, there was
hardly any need for sophisticated instruments and techniques. +Therefore, you should
choose %D&
/. 5ince the early />6@'s, 22222 throughout the world has more than doubled.
%A& the demand for food
%(& there is demand for food
%)& if food is in demand
%D& food, a demand that
0. Even though he did no attend school until he was twelve, Dr. 5amuel ).) Ting was
22222 the 8obel !rie in !hysics in />97.
%A& won
%(& the winning
%)& the winner of
%D& to be won
1. as particles move 22222 when the gas is hot than when it is cold.
%A& fast
%(& faster
%)& as fast
%D& fastest
3. The different colors of 22222 the different temperatures of the stars Hsurfaces.
%A& the stars indicate
%(& indicating stars
%)& the indication that the stars
%D& stars indicating that
>
%)& change
%D& changing
7. $nly a few sounds produced by insects are heard by humans 22222 most of the sounds
are pitched either too low or too high.
%A& in spite of
%(& because
%)& as a result of
%D& instead of
9. The ordinary chair 22222 in countless shapes, sies, styles, and materials.
%A& has been made
%(& to be made
%)& is making
%D& been making
:. =or /06 years after 22222 initial use at "arvard in /730, the (achelor of Arts degree
was the only degree awarded by colleges in the Fnited 5tates.
%A& its
%(& it was
%)& being
%D& when
>. 5ince the 5un illuminates half the surface of the <oon, only half the surface 22222 can
be seen from the Earth.
%A& most
%(& much
%)& with more
%D& at most
/@. The novels of )onstance =ennimore oolson, 22222, have special interest for their
regional settings.
%A& in a nineteenth2century writer
%(& a nineteenth2century write
%)& the nineteenth2century writing
%D& wrote about the nineteenth century
//. 22222 $klahoma is important as a farming state, it is even more important for its rich
oil deposits.
%A& by
%(& although
%)& in order for
%D& concerning
/@
%)& of surviving
%D& able to survive
/1. The upper part in a harmonic arrangement 22222 by mi#ed voices is usually written for
a soprano voice.
%A& to be sung
%(& as singing
%)& to be singing
%D& was sung
/3. 22222The first school was opened at old =ort Cancouver in /:10.
%A& is now
%(& is that in
%)& what is that
%D& in what is now
/6. ;adio, 22222, developed from the theories and e#periments of many people.
%A& like other many inventions
%(& like many other inventions
%)& inventions like many other
%D& many other like inventions
%ritten &'pression
Directions In questions /723@ each sentence has four underlined words or phrases. The
four underline parts of the sentence are marked %A&, %(&, %)&, and %D&. Identify the one
underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.
Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that
corresponds to the letter or the answer you have chosen.
&'amp"e *
The sentence should read, +uppies are sometimes called rainbow fish because of the
males' bright colors. +Therefore, you should choose %A&.
E#ample II
//
The sentences should read, +5erving several terms in )ongress, 5hirley )hisholm became
an important Fnited 5tates politician. +Therefore, you should choose %(&.
/7. hile attempting to fly hers plane around the world in />19, Amelia Earhart
A ( )
mysteriously disappeared.
D
/9. ;ichard right's Fncle Tom's )hildren, a collection of short stories, were a
A (
critical success when it appeared in />1:.
) D
/:. The principle on which the boat called a hydrofoil is designed is identically to that
A
demonstrated by an airplane wing moving through air.
( ) D
0@. During a early period in the settlement of the western Fnited 5tates, pioneers
A
claimed parts of the wilderness by marking trees to establish a boundary.
( ) D
0/. All digital computers use binary, or two2valued, digits instead than domical, or
A ( )
ten2valued, digits to represent and store data.
D
03. nowledge from the frontiers of research genetic will increasingly pose difficult
A ( )
problems for policy makers and for society in general.
/0
D
06. !ictures called glass mosaic are made by setting small pieces of colors glass into
A ( ) D
fresh plaster.
07. Appro#imately every nineteen month Cenus and the 5un reach their greatest
A (
angular separation in the solar system.
) D
09. Anthropologists recently have found evidence that centuries ago, Inuit's used to
A (
entering their subterranean homes through tunnels, which helped keep the cold out
) D
and the heat in.
0:. The tree porcupine is found in wooded areas throughout most from 8orth
A ( ) D
America.
0>. To date, only a small percentage of all glass manufactured in the Fnited 5tates is
A (
recycled, but markets for recycled glass that a re growing steadily.
) D
1@. The oceans are the ma?or source of the atmospheric moisture that is obtained
A ( )
through evaporator.
D
1/. $nly those insects with high developed, multilinked eyes have good color vision.
A ( ) D
10. The Earth's atmosphere functions much like a giant greenhouse, admitting
A
sunlight between outer space but preventing heat from escaping.
( ) D
11. The almond tree which produces the oldest species of nut and is the most widely
A ( )
grown of all nut trees.
D
/1
A ( )
completely seventy2five2million2year2old fossil egg near )hateau, <ontana.
D
16. =encing, originally developed as a sport in fourteen century, was included in the
A (
first modern $lympic ames of /:>7.
) D
17. Depth within ancient tombs, 1,@@@2year2old peanuts have been found alongside
A ( ) D
mummies.
19. Art 8ouveau developed in the /:>@'s when artists did a conscious effort to break
A ( )
with what they regarded as worn2out formulas of the past.
D
1:. The most widely cultivated all of fruit trees, the apple is second only to the grape
A (
in its importance as a temperate2one fruit.
) D
1>. !awn broking, or making loans to customers who pledge personal or household
A ( )
goods as security, is one of the oldest trade known.
D
3@. $f />@/ to />3/, acclaimed actor Douglas =airbanks appeared on stage in a series
A ( )
of light comedies.
D
This is the end of Section $
STOP
*f yo finish #efore time is ca""ed+ check yor work on Section $ on"y
Section ,
-eading Comprehension
Time( )) mintes
/3
Directions In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by
several questions about it. =or questions /26@, y ou are to choose the one best answer, %A&,
%(&, %)&, or %D&, to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the
question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.
Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or imp"ied in that
passage.
The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to draw
attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. =or as long as merchants have set out
their wares at daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been
in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value of this tradition
is today more apparent than ever. ere it not for public acceptance of a single yardstick
of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic the massive daily transfers of goods,
services, and information would proceed in fits and startsJ the very fabric of modern
society would begin to unravel.
&'amp"e *
The main idea of the passage is that societies need to agree about how time is to be
measured in order to function smoothly. Therefore, you should choose %)&.
E#ample II
The phrase +this tradition refers to the preceding clause, +people have been in rough
agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. +Therefore, you should choose %D&.
Guestions /2/@
/6
The ballpoint pen is the universal writing instrument of the twentieth century.
hen the tiny metal ball at the writing tip is drawn across a sheet of paper, it rotates
within a housing at the end of an ink reservoir and is coated with the ink, which it
transfers to the paper.
The first ballpoint pen was invented by 4ohn oud in /:::. oud had been
working on a design for a nonleaking pen to mark leather and fabrics and, although his
cumbersome design was similar in essence to the modern item, it was never
manufactured in large quantities and the patent wa s allowed to e#pire. The first workable
design was patented in />1: and became widely accepted in />30 when the Fnited 5tated
Army required a pen that would not leak in high2flying aircraft.
The ball of the pen is fitted into a socket so that it rotates freely. 5everal internal
ducts in the socket feed ink to the ballJ the other end of the socket is fitted onto a metal or
plastic tube that contains the ink. hen the ball is pressed on paper and moved, the
capillary action draws the ink from the reservoir. In effect, the ball functions as a valve to
prevent overflow, and on rotation it acts as a suction pump drawing out the ink.
$ne problem was that as some of the ink ran out, a partial vacuum was formed
between the back of the ball and the ink reservoir, which cut off the supply. This was
solved by making a small hole at the far end of the reservoir. As the ink at the tip is
sucked out, more ink from the tube is drawn into the socked to fill its place, the vacuum
being prevented by air that is drawn in through the vent.
Disposable ballpoints have improved considerably in efficiency and reliability
since />1:. =urther improvements made recently include the production of a pen that
writes at any angle, even upside down, and the development of a new ink that is erasable.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that there was interest in designing a new type of
pen because the old ones
%A& were too big
%(& were e#pensive
%)& leaked
%D& cracked
/7
%)& copy
%D& e#pand
6. It can be inferred that the ballpoint pen first gained popularity among
%A& military personnel
%(& businesspeople
%)& scientists
%D& artists
>. hat was the purpose of the small hole mentioned in line /: -
%A& to drain off e#cess ink
%(& to improve ink flow to the tip of the pen
%)& to reduce the amount of air in the pen
%D& to allow the reservoir to be refilled
Guestions //20@
(y the />0@'s in the Fnited 5tates, great changes had been made in daily life by
an accumulation of inventions that had been produced in increasing numbers since the
)ivil ar. These technological innovations created what, in effect, was a social
revolution.
/9
Improvements in communications served to knit more closely citiens of diverse
ethnic and political backgrounds. ;apid printing presses, typesetting devices, and page2
plate processes made printed matter more widely accessible. The telephone simplified
person2to2person communication. The phonograph, the silent motion picture, the radio,
and the sound picture for the first time made auditory and visual impact simultaneously
possible over the whole country and had the inevitable, and perhaps undesirable, effect of
establishing a trend to nation conformity in thought and feeling. $ne could call this
revolution the nationaliation of thought and taste.
Improvements in transportation made all parts of the country less remote from
each other when measured by the time required to go from one place to another. (icycles
and trolleys put the nation on wheels. Then the automobile provided the means for speed
and mobility, now so dear to Americans, and brought a demand for better highways. (y
the />0@'s cargo trucks were beginning to cut into railroad revenues, and he latest
wonder, the airplane, was a fairly common sight.
The transport revolution was made possible by the development and perfection of
new engines and motors. The internal2combustion engine, using gasoline or oil, could be
built in compact power units admirably suited to automobiles, aircraft, and boats. The use
of electricity, generated by water power or coal2burning plants, simplified the problems
of mechanical power for industrial use and made electrical illumination commonplace in
cities, indoors and out. Electricity also powered an increasing variety of domestic
appliances.
//. The passage focuses on the Fnited 5tates in the />0@'s primarily in terms of the
%A& creativity of American inventors
%(& decline in social relationships
%)& influence of technology on society
%D& negative side of technological progress
/:
/6. The word +each other in lines /02/1 refer to
%A& improvements in transportation
%(& parts of the country
%)& bicycles and trolleys
%D& better highways
/9. According to the passage, which of the following modes of transportation was
negatively affected by motor vehicles-
%A& trolleys
%(& bicycles
%)& trains
%D& airplane
/:. The passage suggests that a ma?or advantage of the internal2combustion engine was
its
%A& safety
%(& sie
%)& durability
%D& price
/>. The author identifies all of the following as contributors to the +social revolution of
the />0@'s EK)E!T
%A& improved communication
%(& improved transportation
%)& improvements resulting from electricity
%D& improvements in the arts
0@. here in the passage does the author give an e#ample of a technological advance that
led to a demand for improvement in another area-
%A& lines 627
%(& lines /32/6
%)& lines />20@
%D& lines 01203
Guestions 0/21@
/>
measured accurately, and can preserve information over a long period o f time, providing
a record that an astronomer at a later time can e#amine. "owever, even thought long time
e#posures increase the amount of light striking the p late so that very faint ob?ects in the
sky eventually show up clearly, even the most sensitive plates convert only a small
percent of the photons striking them into an image. =or this reason, photography cannot
make very efficient use of short time e#posures on a telescope. Despite this inefficiency,
photograph is still very useful because it works as a two2dimensional detector covering a
large area at a telescope's focus. "ence, the information contained in a single photograph
can be enormous, especially when the photograph is taken with wide2field telescopes.
Today, the technology of newer radio and #2ray telescopes has allowed
astronomers to view images otherwise invisible to the eye, and direct photography is now
used less often to gather images. Today's astronomers can study an enhanced view of a
telescope's focus on a television monitorJ and in most cases, the data can later be
converted by computer into digital form. This procedure, called image processing, plays a
central role in astronomy today. Fsing false colors, the computer can display images of
information otherwise undetectable to the unaided eye. These colors are false in the sense
that they are not the actual colors of the ob?ect in the visual range of the spectrum. ;ather,
they are codes to a specific property, such as the #2ray emissions from stars.
0@
06. Astronomers most probably use direct photography less frequently today than in the
past because
%A& glass plates are no longer available
%(& only a small amount of information is contained in a single photograph
%)& alternate ways of observing images have bee developed
%D& photographic data deteriorates quickly
0>. hy does the author mention +#2ray emissions I line 01-
%A& To discuss the measurement of energy flow
%(& To emphasie the precision of direct photography
%)& To provide an e#ample of what false colors represent
%D& To compare the properties of color and movement
1@. here in the passage does the author mention a disadvantage of photography-
%A& ines /21
%(& ines 72//
%)& ines /920@
%D& ines 01203
Guestions 1/21>
The artistic movement known as Impressionism was first identified in /:93 when
a group of artists, dissatisfied with the reception of their works by the academic art
establishment of their period, chose to hold a separate e#hibition of their paintings.
Despite obvious differences in style, all of these painters were connected by an
ability to catch a moment and preserve in on canvas, and in their belief in the importance
of that moment. They readily accepted and made use of the technological advances
available to them, and in the end became recognied as proponents of one of the most
0/
significant movements in the history of art, a movement that produced an aesthetic
revolution in art.
5everal technological breakthroughs were responsible, to some d egree, for the
creation and e#ecution of the new impressionist style. $ne of these was the invention of a
new brush that gave artists greater control. Another useful invention was the collapsible
tin tube. This easily reclosed container preserved the oil paint in a stable condition
without altering the color. It was a great improvement over animal bladders, which had
been used for centuries to hold oil paint. The new tube was portable and made it possible
for artists to work outside. This freedom made it possible for impressionist paintings to
+capture the moment, giving them a feeling of immediacy.
Another innovation was color. 8ineteenth2century chemists had created a new
palette of colors, derived from cola tar and other substance. These were first used by
te#tile manufacturers and then adopted by artists. They included some of the brighter
colors2new shades of blue, green and yellow, whose tones gave the Impressionist
paintings their characteristic shimmering quality.
00
17. hich of the following words does 8$T refer to something that holds paint-
%A& (ladder
%(& Tube
%)& )ondition
%D& )ontainer
1:. It can be inferred that Impressionist paintings differed from other nineteenth2century
paintings in terms of which of the following-
%A& The sie of the canvas
%(& The brightness of the colors
%)& The value of the painting
%D& The talent of the artist
1>. here in the passage does the author mention two new technologies available to
artist in the nineteenth century-
%A& =irst paragraph
%(& 5econd paragraph
%)& Third paragraph
%D& =ourth paragraph
Guestion 3@26@
01
no ring at all. In this way a fossil record is imprinted for as long as the wood remains
intact. =rom this pattern a historical template can be constructed to correlate one set of
growth rings in one tree with a set of growth rings I another tree or piece of timber.
Another important factor is that tress2ring growth varies with the age of the tree.
As the tree matures, the rings become narrower, and this results in the central rings being
wider than those on the outer part of the tree.
37. According to the passage, the production of rings from year to year in any given tree
is
%A& random
03
%(& predetermined
%)& variable
%D& accelerated
39. The word +reflect in line /: is closest in meaning to
%A& indicate
%(& affect
%)& confuse
%D& limit
3:. A narrow growth ring between two wide growth rings would probably indicate
%A& an unusually warm winter
%(& the death of an old tree
%)& unfavorable climatic conditions during a single year
%D& wood cells that had grown to be very large
STOP
06