虽然这位英文母语人士考的是2019改版前的托福，不过这篇文章依然好， 许多心得也依然可以参照！和同学们分享： - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 一位在加拿大出生长大到20多岁，母语是英文的女生，上了SK2 冲刺班的 口说课，觉得很有收获。她觉得并不是母语人士就能轻松考到托福高分， 因此有些心得想和大家分享。 她也说她以前她考托福的成绩单上，每一次口说的comment area都会有下列 评语： - You have minor pronunciation problems - You have minor grammatical problems 但她是加拿大人啊！！ 所以提醒大家，文法和发音上很小的小错误不会影响你的分数， 不要因为文法和发音让你自己卡了，放开来讲吧！ - - - - - - - - Reflections on the TOEFL Exam Some may think that for native English speakers, getting a perfect score in standardized tests, such as IELTS or TOEFL, comes easily; however, as a native speaker who grew up in Canada, I can honestly say that that is not the case. I have taken the TOEFL exam three times: 1st attempt: R:30 L:30 S:28 W:27 = 115 2nd attempt: R:30 L:29 S:28 W:30 = 117 after attending SK2 speaking classes 3rd attempt: R:30 L:29 S:29 W:30 = 118 So here, I would like to share my own 2 cents on my own TOEFL experiences and some tips that might come in handy for other test takers. ＊＊＊READING: Simply put, reading 3 long academic passages and answering 40 questions within 60 minutes is inhumane. The first time I took the TOEFL test, I barely finished the reading section. By the time I finished the last question, I only had 3 seconds left with no time to check my answers at all. So, what I did the second time when the passage appeared was: Read the TITLE MOVE ON to the QUESTIONS! Some might suggest reading the topic sentences to get an overview of what the passage is all about, but I wouldn’t worry about that. Luckily, the questions in TOEFL reading go in the order of the paragraphs, so we don’t have to jump around looking for answers. ＊＊＊LISTENING: Again, the listening part is painfully long. The first time I took the TOEFL test, I sat through 9 listening passages trying to focus on what the people are saying and frantically taking notes. Later did I know that the last 3 listening passages would not be included in the score and was for ETS’s reference only. For those who have taken TOEFL more than once would probably be familiar with the following 3 topics: The classification of Rafflesia Writing a paper on bird migration Piano and ragtime music These 3 recordings and their questions would not be counted towards your grade! So, see this as a time to relax your brain a little bit. Of course, that’s not to say that you should just space out, but you certainly don’t need to be overstressed about not doing well in these 3 passages. So, now we know that we only need to focus on 6 listening passages, but the problem is how do we keep up with the speed of the speaker? We simply can’t take notes fast enough! First, I would suggest using some common abbreviations. Because = b/c People = ppl Students = Ss Another way to abbreviate is to take out the vowels. Hybernate = Hbrnt Colonize = Clnz If you’re comfortable with Chinese, use Chinese. Or you could also make up your own symbols. Second, take your notes vertically and not horizontally because it makes your notes easier to read. ＊＊＊SPEAKING: For those who have yet to take the TOEFL exam, you need to know what kind of questions you will encounter. The first time I took TOEFL, I went in with 0 preparations, not knowing what kinds of questions they will ask and I ended up taking a lot of notes that I actually didn’t need. So, it is very important that you know very well what each of the 6 speaking tasks is about so you will know what to look for and not be overwhelmed by too much information. Independent Speaking: Task 1 & 2 Refer to David’s Word Bank. http://sk2toefl.blogspot.tw/p/david_20.html Integrated Speaking: Task 3-6 Refer to David’s Tables For me, this is probably the most difficult section, and the only one I have yet to achieve a 30/30. Even though I have scored a 9/9 in IELTS Speaking, TOEFL Speaking is more difficult for me in terms of TIME MANAGEMENT, DISTRACTIONS, and CONTROL OF MY VOICE. 1. TIME MANAGEMENT: Unlike IELTS where the examiner usually waits for you to finish your sentence/statement, TOEFL cuts you off right away. So, my automatic reaction is to speed up when I’m about to get cut off or sometimes I start a second example or statement when I only have 10 seconds left, so obviously, my answer gets cut off. For example, one time I encountered a question like this: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People cannot remain friends when they disagree with each other. My answer went like this: “I partially disagree with this statement because when people disagree with each other, they can actually share their point of views and different perspectives. For example, when my friend and I go to the movies, we often come out having different opinions about whether the movies are good or not. My friend might think the most important thing about a movie is the CGI effect, whereas I think the most important thing is the storyline. We have a friendly debate about the movie and have fun listening to each other’s opinions. So, people can still be friends when they have different opinions. (Mind you, by this time, I only had 10 seconds left.) However, it may be true that when people disagree with each other, their tone of voice and how they express themselves may affect the outcome. Some may…” So, as you probably expected, I ran out of time and couldn’t elaborate on my second statement. I made the serious mistake of giving too much information by choosing to partially disagree. So I think for the Agree or Disagree questions, we should save ourselves the misery and simply go with either AGREE or DISAGREE, and try to avoid a neutral or partial standpoint. 2. DISTRACTIONS: Unlike the IELTS test where you are in the room alone with the examiner, in TOEFL test, you’re usually speaking with a handful of other test takers simultaneously. It is so hard not to be distracted, given that you can’t wear ear plugs during the speaking section. So, if you can, try practicing under a lot of distractions to get used to it. 3. VOICE CONTROL: Yes, you do need to speak in a roomful of people. Some may feel uncomfortable speaking in a high voice in this kind of environment whether it is because they feel embarrassed about letting others hear their answers or they don’t want to distract others. Coming from my own experience, I realize that this is a crucial barrier that I have to conquer as well. When I lowered my voice, I noticed that my intonation was not as recognizable. Intonation can really help us deliver our messages in a more effective way and help engage our listeners. So, for people who are having the same trouble, we should try to speak in a louder voice with more intonation even if it makes us feel a little bit uncomfortable. ＊＊＊WRITING: Part 1: Integrated Writing I’m guessing most of you are using a template for this integrated writing, and I think it works just fine as long as your general outline is like this: Introduction: The reading passage is about (TOPIC). The lecturer in the listening AGREES/DISAGREES with the writing and offers the following reasons to support his view. Body 1/2/3: The reading says XXX, but the professor argues YYY because… Conclusion: In conclusion, the professor believes/doesn’t believe the point stated in the reading passage to be valid. Part 2: Independent Writing I think in TOEFL Writing, more than 70% of the time you will encounter these types of questions. AGREE or DISAGREE SUPPORT or OPPOSE Do you choose A or B I’m sure there is more than 1 way to get a 30/30. However, I found one kind of structure particularly useful and helped me score 30/30 two consecutive times. Introduction: Make your standpoint – AGREE or DISAGREE Body 1: WHY do you agree or disagree? Support with your most powerful reason and example. Body 2: Try to think like your ‘opponent’, meaning talk about why some people may disagree with you. Then, COUNTER their argument with supporting example. Body 3: Build upon your reason 1 with more support. Conclusion: For reasons stated in Body 1/3, I believe… You may wonder why I would choose to structure essay like this as oppose to the normal “I agree/disagree with this statement because of reasons 1, 2, and 3.” This is because I think if we only mention one side of opinion, we fail to make comparisons and point out WHAT makes this side better than the other. And, the reason why I choose to mention the other side of argument in the 2nd body paragraph is because our 1st and 3rd body paragraphs should be the strongest, giving the reader a strong start and a strong finish. So, it would be much more effective to argue for our own side in body 1 and 3 rather than 1 and 2. To clarify, let’s look at the following: STRUCTURE 1 Introduction Body 1: I agree with this statement because XXX Body 2: I agree with this statement because YYY Body 3: Some people may disagree because ZZZ. However, I believe… So, ZZZ is not as good as XXX and YYY. Conclusion STRUCTURE 2 Introduction Body 1: I agree with this statement because XXX Body 2: Some people may disagree because ZZZ. However, I believe… Body 3: So we understand that ZZZ is not as effective as XXX mentioned in Body 1. In addition, we can also use YYY in support of XXX. Conclusion So, as we can see, when the reader finishes reading STRUCTURE 2 essay would have a stronger memory of why XXX and YYY are better than ZZZ. I hope this reflection can help you a little bit~~~~ Until next time ☺ 相信大家读完，也感到练了一次英文阅读， 也可以看看加拿大人考托福的心得、建议，从中学习。 也欢迎来听加拿大人都感到受益的SK2 托福公开课！ http://sk2toefl.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_20.html -- 台北最多人托福高分、课後资源最完善、顾问最专业的 SK2 TOEFL Consultant Group. http://SK2toefl.blogspot.com A dream you dream alone is just a dream, a dream we dream together is reality --

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