(man) The largest artificial rock-climbing wall in the United States is located on the campus of Cornell University. This thirty-foot-high climbing wall is made of natural rock that’s embedded into concrete blocks, and is sculpted to imitate a variety of elements found on real cliffs. Cornell recently hosted the nation’s largest intercollegiate rock-climbing event. Nearly one hundred students from fifteen universities participated in the two-day festival, sponsored by Cornell’s Outdoor Education Department.
Now listen to a sample question.
(narrator) Why is Cornell a good place for climbing?
In your book, you will read:
(A) The wall is designed with elements of real cliffs.
(B) The natural rocks are embedded into the cliffs.
(C) The sculpted concrete blocks are varied.
(D) The cliffs are challenging.
The best answer to the question, “Why is Cornell a good place for climbing?” is (A), “The wall is designed with elements of real cliffs.” Therefore, the correct choice is (A).
Now listen to another sample question.
(narrator) What recently happened at Cornell University?
In your book, you will read:
(A) A wall was constructed.
(B) A festival took place.
(C) An outdoor education course was offered.
(D) A variety of cliff elements were found.
The best answer to the question, “What recently happened at Cornell University?” is (B), “A festival took place.” Therefore, the correct choice is (B).
Remember, you should not take notes or write in your book.
Now we will begin Part С with the first talk.
39. (A) Facts about saffron.
(B) How important saffron is.
(C) How saffron is produced.
(D) The cost of saffron.
40. (A) It is produced in Spain.
(B) The finest variety comes from La Mancha.
(C) It is one of the world’s most prized foodstuffs.
(D) It is obtained from the Crocus sativus.
41. (A) India and Iran.
(B) Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
(C) The United States and Italy.
(D) Middle Eastern countries and France.
42. (A) Saudi Arabia.
43. (A) Thomas Watson’s intervention.
(B) Reynold B. Johnson’s invention.
(C) Johnson’s childhood pranks.
(D) IBM’s success.
44. (A) To demonstrate his mechanical abilities.
(B) To show what a difficult child he was.
(C) To exemplify his teaching abilities.
(D) To explain how he got his idea.
45. (A) Develop graphite pencils.
(B) Hire Reynold Johnson.
(C) Develop a test-scoring machine.
(D) Produce standardized exams.
46. (A) Scratch spark plugs.
(B) Cause engines to fail.
(C) Detect pencil marks.
(D) Use No. 2 pencils.
47. (A) The toxic effects of pesticides.
(B) The natural toxins in our foods.
(C) The importance of pesticides in preventing cancer.
(D) The use of experiments with rats.
48. (A) To show how they may be good for our health.
(B) To inform the class that natural toxins exist.
(C) To explain that rats consume these natural chemicals.
(D) To inform the class that they have been approved for consumption.
49. (A) As an invalid method forjudging the risk of pesticides.
(B) As a useful form of research.
(C) As a cruel method of research.
(D) As a reliable way forjudging rat behavior.
50. (A) Farmers should continue using them.
(B) The testing of pesticides should be stopped.
(C) People should eat fewer kinds of fresh food.
(D) Scientists should conduct further experiments with rats.
39. (A) The talk is about saffron in general. Therefore, it
includes many facts about saffron.
40. (C) Saffron is referred to as the “king of spices”
because it is one of the world’s most prized and expensive foodstuffs.
41. (A) In the lecture, it is stated that “India and Iran [are]
the only other producers of note (of importance).” See Exercises L52-L56.
42. (С) It is stated in the lecture that “Not only is Spain
the largest producer ... but it is also the largest consumer.”
43. (B) The talk mainly discusses Reynold B. Johnson’s
invention of the test-scoring machine.
44. (D) Johnson’s childhood pranks later gave him the
idea of how a scoring machine could work.
45. (C) The talk states that IBM was trying to produce a
46. (C) The prototype machine could detect the graphite
left by pencil marks.
47. (C) The speaker begins the talk with a statement
concerning pesticide use and cancer. The talk continues by giving details of how pesticides may actually prevent cancer.
48. (B) The speaker mentions that there are natural
chemicals which are associated with several kinds of cancer.
49. (A) The speaker suggests that the rat studies do not
use realistic methods of testing. This indicates that the speaker regards the results of the tests as invalid.
50. (A) The speaker states that pesticide use increases
fresh food consumption and this directly saves lives. This indicates that the speaker is advocating the continued use of pesticides.
Used material: Cambridge Preporation for the TOEFL Test, Second Edition 1996, Jolene Gear, Robert Gear, Cambridge University Press.