The TOEFL test in early April has ended, let's review the offline TOEFL test in early April~
2024.4.13 Offline TOEFL test
1
2024.4.13 Offline Writing Memories
Academic discussions
In your response, you should do the following
-Express and support your opinion.
-Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Starting this week, we are going to discuss theeffect that pollution has on our environment. Specifically, we will focus on the pollution of waterways, which has caused significant health problems around the world. Large amounts of plastics, industrial waste, and trash pollute the oceans and rivers. I want you to consider the following question: How much can individuals help solve the water pollution problem compared with large institutions such as corporations and governments? Please explain your position.
Student Perspective: N/A;
Integrated Writing
In the desert of the United States there is a movable stone inside. Able to move hundreds of meters a month, scientists are studying why.
Read:
1. In the local area, the wind is very strong, and the ground is muddy, and it is particularly slippery, which is pushed by strong winds. And the direction in which these stones are moving is the direction in which these strong winds blow.
2. There is groundwater seeping out of the ground, and the temperature is very low at night, so there is a possibility of ice formation. And the whole ground is an inclined plane, so it is possible for these stones to move down these ice faces.
3. Just as crop circles are pranks by people, then the movement of rocks may also be pranks by people.
听力:
1. Strong winds can indeed push rocks, but the problem is that there are deep grooves on this muddy ground, like tire tracks. But there will also be a lot of resistance at this time. The wind shouldn't be able to blow.
2. Sometimes the ground does freeze, but it doesn't freeze in that location because it's a desert location and there isn't enough groundwater. And it's not cold long enough to freeze into ice.
3. Scientists have not found any human footprints, and no animal footprints have appeared, and it will move in muddy periods, and it is not normal without footprints.
2
2024.4.13 Offline oral recall
[The whole set repeats 2024.3.16 offline]
Task 1
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People should spend time reading the news everyday in order to know what is happening in other countries around the world.
[Repeat 2024.3.16 offline]
Task 2
Read:
The students proposed that the Literature course be cancelled for Science students.
1. Some courses are boring or redundant and want more freedom of choice.
2. Feeling too stressed academically to juggle all classes.
听力:
The girl disagreed.
1. The abolition of the curriculum weakens the comprehensive education of students and prevents them from acquiring a variety of knowledge and skills that can be important later in their careers or personal growth, for example, if I studied chemistry and took a history class in my freshman year, which I found very much.
2. Students can overcome academic pressure by arranging their time wisely, rather than simply canceling classes. Academic Ability already provides resources and support, such as tutoring services or summer programs, to help students cope with academic challenges, so canceling classes is not the best way to solve the problem.
Task 3
Read:
Transitional forms are when animals are in an intermediate form between their ancestral times and present-day species. These morphologies illustrate the evolution of animals, with the characteristics of both ancient fossils and modern animals.
听力:
Transitional forms of ancient fish, such as mudskipper. These fish live in water and use gills to breathe like ancient fish, but with the skeletal structure of land animals. Since they live in shallows close to land, the fish's fin structure is strong enough to support their body weight and use their fins to find food in shallow water. This transitional morphology shows an intermediate stage in the evolution of animals from aquatic to terrestrial organisms.
Task 4
How technology is impacting music creation and performance. In the past, the production and performance of music was limited by the level of technology. For example, before there was no recording equipment, musicians could only play live, which meant they were free to create long compositions and could repeat them during the performance. However, with the invention of recording technology, the length of music was limited because of the limited capacity of the record. This leads to a reduction in repetitive parts in a musical composition to accommodate the limitations of the recording medium.
In addition, advances in recording technology have also brought new styles and forms to music creation. In the past, players had to play loudly so that the audience could hear the music. But with the development of microphone technology, artists can use volume more flexibly and create a softer, quieter style of music. For example, some singers can use soft melodies and voices to express emotions instead of relying on high volumes.
3
2024.4.13 Offline reading memories
1. The Waterfall environment
2. Farm centralization/ centralized society
3. Considerations for animal habitat
Birds are particularly concerned about their habitat choices, as it is directly related to their success in raising their offspring. Therefore, humans need to do their best to understand birds, how to choose their habitat and some characteristics of good habitats.
Birds will first classify their bases, such as oceans, rivers or lakes, and will also classify them according to their vegetation characteristics, such as whether they are forests or meadows. Birds also try to identify the characteristics of plants in the area, such as the density of leaves, and how many places are not growing. And different tree types can also affect some of the foraging behaviors of these birds. Therefore, these birds will also pay attention to the types of insects in the entire habitat and whether they are suitable for their food.
4. Dinosaurs
恐龙Seismosaurus没有grinding teeth,large digestive chamber,以及头上的nostril,和whales的气孔不同
5. Horses and camels in ancient China
The importance of horses and camels in trade in China during the Han and Tang eras
6. U.S. Agriculture
When scientists excavated some ruins in North America, they found that some parts of the eastern United States had been cultivating corn for hundreds of years. In addition, by measuring the carbon-12 of the bones at that time, it can be found that people at that time began to eat a lot of corn. Moreover, for the DNA measurement of plant and human bones at that time, it can be found that they ate corn for a very long time, and it is possible that they only ate it for a few generations, so the change is very fast. Moreover, for the excavation of local sites, many agricultural tools from that time have been found, which were specially used to grow corn. When these heavy farm tools are used, it means that weeding is necessary at that time, which is a very heavy labor. But in other areas, corn cultivation began much later.
7. Coins of Europe
8. Determining Earth’s age
Methods for measuring the age of the earth, such as stones, salty oceans, meteorites, etc
9. Changes in Ancient Egyptian Art Production
The variation of Egyptian art production in different periods, which may have been made for the wealthy in the past, took on a different purpose in the later period.
10. Rogue planets
11. Agriculture revolution
The origins of the agricultural revolution
12. Germanic Invasions of the Rome Empire
The invasion of the Roman Empire by Germanic tribes, and its impact on the rule of the Roman Empire
13. Satellite radar systems
4
2024.4.13线下听力回忆
Conversation
Conversation between students and Activity Center staff: I found that the Environmental Club was cancelled, but the teacher said that there was a Community Service Club, but the students did not want to tutor the children, and wanted to do activities such as recycling or raising money. The teacher suggested that the students create their own club, and then explained some of the processes and steps.
A student was shocked that a dog could understand human language, and the professor explained that the reason the student came to the professor was that the student had read a lot of articles about the bull, but he felt that he was a nobody, unable to refine and express his opinion on the bull's article. It's OK for students to summarize the article, but the professor said that this is the process of communication between you and the bull, and you must state your point of view.
3. Archimedes
维米尔绘画技巧Johannes Vermeer
4. Library scene
Borrowing books found it impossible to use, and it was suggested that the library exhibit recommended Victorian books
Lecture
1. The contribution of floating debris to the study of ocean currents, mentioning a new device;
2.Art history: Coin is able to see the changes in sculpture in a period. I talked about how the image in the coin is different in different periods (out of the exam question). He also said that the king was relatively low-key before, and the images on the coin were all someone else's, and then it was his own. Coin is important to art historians, the buildings of the previous period have long been destroyed, this coin provides the appearance of the buildings of the previous period, and secondly, the coin has the record of the artist, and the artist used to engrave his own noun on the coin.
3. The professor first explains a theory, and when multiple experiments or evidence show that the theory is correct, the hypothesis slowly becomes a theory. There was a Ph.D. who came up with a theory called Endosymbiotic theory. This theory says that complex biological cells do not appear alone, but that one organism inhabits another, and over time they merge into a single complex biological cell. There are three pieces of evidence to support this view: one is DNA, one is a type of cell reproduction, and one is a biological structure (multiple choices). At first, everyone didn't accept it, but later it turned out that this theory was correct.
4. Crustal plates and speciationThe movement of crustal plates promotes the diversity of species. A hypothesis is told that the collision of tectonic plates forms some mountains. Due to the elegance, some minerals will get into the nearby waters. First of all, the algae ingested nutrients, which made the algae very rich, and then the other species that fed on it became more diverse.
2024.4.6 Offline TOEFL test
1
2024.4.6 Offline Writing Memories
[Writing the whole set of repetition 2023.10.21 offline afternoon session]
Academic discussions
Your professor is teaching a class on sociology. Write a post responding to the professor's question.
In your response, you should do the following.
- Express and support your opinion.
- Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Professor
This week, we will be discussing space exploration. Some people think that it is a waste of money for governments to fund space exploration. Others disagree with this view, arguing that space exploration is a valuable and necessary investment for our future. They think that it is worthy for governments to fund space exploration. I want to know what you think about this topic. Do you think that governments should fund space exploration? Why and why not?
Kelly
I don't think that governments should fund space exploration, because it will be too costly to build spaceships and develop related technologies. Though space exploration tech costs billions, it doesn't offer direct benefits to most people, which makes its funding a controversial issue.
Andrew
Personally, I do think that all the costs will be worth it. The potential scientific discoveries and technological advancements could have far-reaching impacts that justify the initial investment. Imagine the new inventions that might come from this exploration. Such technology could greatly improve our everyday lives.
Integrated Writing
Read: Three hypothesises about the structure of a stone labyrinth
1. The maze is designed as a fishing trap
2. Have an astronomical purpose;
3. Labyrinths played an important role in the burial customs of the ancients and in the rituals of the dead
听力反驳:
1. There are labyrinths all over the world, many are still in the inland area, these labyrinths can't be fish traps, so this one in Russia, probably not either
2. This megalith maze has 14 entrances, each entrance points in a different direction, if its function is line up with sun/star, then these should be in the same direction
3. At the burial site, human remains, such as bones, tools, jewels, etc., will be nearby, but no human remains have been found around this labyrinth
Read the original reference:
An island located a few kilometers off the northeastern Russian coast is home to fourteen stone labyrinths-circular or spiral mazes-dating to around 3000 B.C.E. Situated in a small area of the island near the ocean, the labyrinths range in diameter from 6 meters toabout 25 meters, with walls about 40 centimeters tall (see illustration). To this day, the purpose of these structures remains unknown, although several hypotheses have been advanced.
One possibility is that the labyrinths were designed as fishtraps. The sea level was high enough back then for seawater to flow into the structures. Fish would enter the labyrinth, and, as they swam toward the center of the maze, they would become confused and unable to swim their way out. Trapped within the stone walls, these fish would have been easy for people to catch.
Another hypothesis is that the labyrinths had an astronomical purpose. Ancient peoples often built stone structures that were designed to record astronomical observations such as the position of the Sun during different times ofthe year. The way the stones in these structures usually line up corresponds with the position ofthe Sun or some other astronomical object or event. In asimilar way, the Russian labyrinths may have been built to line up with astronomical phenomena.
A third hypothesis is that the labyrinths played animportant role in an ancient people's burial practices andits rituals for the dead. Other ancient stone structures, suchas Stonehenge, a famous stone circle in England, played arole in such rituals. According to this hypothesis, the labyrinths were built as passages to the afterlife. The passage ways would ensure that after entering the labyrinths, the spirits of recently deceased people would be guided from the land of the living to the land of the dead.
2
2024.4.6 Offline oral recall
Task 1
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People's social skills have declined as their use of technology has increased. 【重复2022.8.21/2023.9.16线下原题】
Task 2
Read:
The school has created a networking evening, a science museum, where science students can give lectures and make money selling tickets.
Listening students agree that:
1. Because it will be beneficial to students who will work in education in the future;
2. Profits can be earned by charging fees;
Task3
The "decoy effect" is when people choose two options that are comparable, because the addition of a third new option (decoy) makes an old option more attractive.
Reading: When companies price products, they actually have a lot of thinking, of course, in order to let consumers spend more money, companies will do some tricks on pricing, and will set up some erbium-luring products to induce consumers to choose more expensive goods.
Listening: In the beginning, the theater only offered two sizes of popcorn, the small one was $3 and the large one was $6, because there were only two options, and most customers would choose to buy the small size. During the survey, customers reported that the small size of popcorn was enough to eat, and the large one was still a bit pricey; So researchers added an option to the menu: medium size, priced at $5.5, but in fact it was only a little more than the small size of popcorn, and the interesting results came: more customers chose large size popcorn; When I did the research again, the feedback from customers was that they thought the large size of the popcorn was better value (the best deal); Because it seems to be only $0.5 more expensive, but pop corn is a lot more.
Task 4
There are two reasons why animals have not evolved in their adaptation environment:
1. There are some animals that do not need to change their physical form because it is safe to exist in the environment.
Example: A fish that lives inside a hole in a coral reef. Because they are safe without predators, they have basically not evolved any other functions since the time of the dinosaurs;
2. Another creature, possum, a rodent, eats everything, and now it can also eat the garbage in the city, so it has not changed much since it has survived.
3
2024.4.6 Offline reading memories
1.the decline of color reefs
Corals and algae are symbiotic, and algae help corals survive through photosynthesis, but temperature affects this relationship, and rising water temperatures lead to a decrease in corals.
2. New England Agricultural Technology
The terrain of England is not suitable for agriculture, but productivity has been greatly increased through the development of innovative farming techniques and farm tools. As well as crops such as corn are more suitable for traditional British cereals.
3.butterfly wing patterns and predator defense
Butterflies have a unique set of survival strategies, one of which is camouflage. This biological phenomenon allows butterflies to survive and reproduce in a variety of environments.
First of all, butterflies have the ability to become one with their environment. This adaptive trait allows them to hide themselves in a variety of habitats and avoid detection by predators. For example, some butterflies have wings that closely resemble leaves, bark, or ground in color and texture, and when they are stationary, it can be difficult to distinguish them from their surroundings. This protective coloration is an important defense mechanism developed by butterflies over a long period of evolution, helping them to avoid predators and improve their chances of survival.
Second, many butterflies display a kind of camouflage when their wings are closed, while they display bright and eye-catching colors when their wings are spread. This stark color contrast is an aposematic coloration that is used to intimidate potential predators. These bright colors are often accompanied by poisonous or palatable properties, and predators learn to recognize these colors through experience, thus avoiding preying on these butterflies that are harmful to them. This strategy effectively reduces the risk of butterflies being preded.
Finally, the wing patterns of some butterfly species even mimic the shape of the eyes, a behavior known as mimicry. When the wings are unfurled, this eye-like pattern can attract the attention of predators, causing them to attack non-lethal parts of the butterfly's body, such as the edges of the wings. This self-sacrificing strategy protects the butterflies' vital organs, such as the head and abdomen, thus improving their chances of survival.
4. Colonization of Greece
5. The development of the Ecuadorian economy: cacao and babana
Cocoa beans, as the main ingredient in making chocolate, have long been an important cash crop in many tropical countries. Farmers in these areas rely on the export of cocoa beans to earn income and sustain their livelihoods. However, the cocoa tree is susceptible to various diseases, such as the well-known Cocoa swollen shoot virus or Cocoa pod rot. An outbreak of these diseases can not only severely damage crop yields, but can also lead to the destruction of entire cocoa orchards.
Faced with such challenges, farmers and agribusinesses must adapt to ensure economic sustainability. In some cases, this may mean switching to other, more stable crops. Bananas, as a fruit with a short growth cycle, strong disease resistance and stable market demand, have become an ideal alternative.
Compared with cocoa bean production, banana cultivation requires less technical and financial investment, and the growth cycle is shorter, allowing it to enter the market quickly. In addition, banana trees are adaptable to soil and climate and can grow in a variety of environments, making bananas a relatively safe choice. Farmers can maintain their income by growing bananas while reducing economic losses due to disease.
4
2024.4.6线下听力回忆
Conversation
1.Cafe business project
Students ask a business professor about the law of diminishing marginal returns, which states that if you improve one aspect of production, your earnings will increase, but only to a certain extent. After that, the earnings will start to decrease. Students were concerned about the coffee shop's schedules and considered whether they should add more staff to cope with the busy fall semester, but were concerned about overcrowding and staff colliding with each other. The professor advises students to talk to their boss and explore if there are other reasons why they need to increase the number of employees.
*Refer to TPO 40
2. The student came to the dormitory office to report the cracked dormitory window, and he described that the window was not completely cracked, but that there were some cracks and that there were no signs of external impact. He said he was not sure of the cause of the cracks in the windows, but suspected that the glass itself might be defective. He was unable to reach him because his roommate had left campus. The student mentioned that he needed to go to class and rehearsal and was not expected to be able to return to the dorm before the evening. The staff in the office said that they needed to be sent for repairs immediately, but since students were unable to be present, it was recommended to use the maintenance person's pass to enter the room. The student understood, but apologized for the extra work for the maintenance staff.
3. About a student who wants to do the teacher's research, but the teacher is not willing, and then the student proposes that his aunt is also studying this, bacteria can survive in concrete, and can also help deal with cracks in concrete
Lecture
1. British novel, the rental serialization of previous novels
Speaking of the high price of publishing classic novels, usually in three volumes, the price is equivalent to a week's salary of a worker. Most people borrow novels through rental libraries, the largest of which is Mudie's, which has an impact on the content of publications. In addition, the lecture also mentions the serialized publication of novels, most of which are serialized through magazines or newspapers, to which Dickens contributed. Although some people have criticized the serialized novel for being too suspenseful and exaggerated, Dickens's arrangement of the storyline is more delicate and ingenious.
2. American political topics in the context of the Revolutionary War
3.art History: A study of two works by one person
4. Paleontology Why a dinosaur can avoid predators + strange ways to study fossils
5. Chemical science talks about metal combustion, the change of metal Instruments and equipment are expensive, and the periodic table
6. Archaeology, the archaeological significance of banquet culture and garbage heaps in prehistoric times. Residues from garbage heaps can tell us about prehistoric people's eating habits, trade practices, and social structure. By analysing food residues and utensils, among other things, we can understand how food is prepared and distributed, as well as connections and social status within the community. Feasts are not only about eating, drinking, and merrymaking, but also a display of social structures and relationships, highlighting the importance of wealth and events through the waste and destruction of valuables, deepening people's emotional memories of events, and in turn, strengthening friendships and alliances within the community.
The above is a review of the TOEFL offline test in early April 2024~