托福听力考试技巧——场景法指的是考生通过对话揭示的场景关键词,判断磁带上的对话或演讲发生的实际生活场景,再根据这一生活场景答题。场景法可行的原因在于托福考试的目的。托福测试的是外国学生在美国学习和生活要用到的基本语言能力,所以托福听力在内容上永远离不了学习和生活这一主题。学生生活的圈子不大,典型的仍然像中国的5点式,即宿舍-教室-食堂-图书馆-购物。而托福听力已经考了几十年了,学校里的几乎每一个角落上都被考过了。只要考生能熟悉学校里的各个场所经常发生的学生生活场景,仅凭几个词就可以知道整个对话或演讲的大体内容,从而得出(甚至猜出)正确答案。
在场景法的后面,我们将归纳美国大学生活的各个场合及其典型的对话内容。在这里,我们的先介绍一下如何利用场景法。
为什么要用托福听力考试场景法?
很多做过托福听力题的考生都有这种感受:即有些对话里的词全都听懂而且明白单词的意思,就是选不出答案。更离谱的是,即使让你看文字答案答题,你也未必会有很高的正确率。为什么会出现这种情况呢?原因在于场景,即英语里常说的situation。我们平时碰到有人试图安慰心情不好的自己时,经常会说“你不是我,你不会明白的”,就是这个道理。在托福的听力中,“清”的肯定不是“旁观者”,而只有“当局者”才会最清楚对话到底说的是什么。而要成为“当局者”,你必须熟悉托福听力的大学生活背景。下面的例子列举了熟悉场景的重要性:
He got in and pushed the button for the forth floor.Question: What did he do?
(A) He took the elevator.
(B) He sewed the buttons on.
(C) He dropped something on the floor.
(D) He made him go upstairs.
这个单句题(现在的听力部分没有这种单句题),如果你不熟悉电梯的话,你会一头雾水,根本不知其所云何事。但是,如果你一听到就想到了电梯的话,那么这根本不是问题。
所以,托福的听力中的有些题目仅凭听清楚每个单词的字面意思是不够的(很多时候甚至是不必要的),你还必须生动地想象出对话所发生的具体生活场景。
托福听力场景法的魅力
例如学生入学时登记注册的场景。如果你平时记住了关于register的 词汇 ,如registration,course enrollment form,signed by academic advisor,get the department's approval,tables set up aIl the way around,stamp your form,approved,pay for,tuition,officially enrolled,pick up identification card。
那么,即使你听力能力较差,对话的具体细节没能听懂,你也能答对题。如果你不相信的话,请试着仅根据注册这一大学里发生的场景,而不根据对话的内容,做下面两道题。
1.When would this talk be given?
(A) At the beginning of a semester.
(B) During the mid-semester vacation.
(C) At final examination time.
(D) Just before a gymnastics event.Q
2.swheresare the students going tomorrow?
(A) To registration office.
(B) To a class reunion.
(C) To their classes.
(D) To a track meet.
第1题:该对话肯定发生在学期初。答案确实唾手可得。
第2题:既然是讲注册,那肯定是去registration office。
此外了解对话内容及相关词句和美国的大学生活对听力考试也有帮助。
(1)对话内容及相关词句
以下是我们总结的针对对话内容的词句,记住这些词句有助于你对对话内容和场景的判断,从而正确地答案。即使你没有完全听懂对话,你也可能根据判断得出的对话场景正确地答题。
1、东西丢了:lost the key,can't found the note
2、剃头:hardly bald, hairstyle change for not covering the eyes, cut curl hair
3、搭车:pick up the third one at the airline, give me a ride to the office
4、穿衣:a jean and T-shirt for interview is casual, clothes is wet before the concert
5、花需要光:put the flower to the window, the bookcase will prevent the sunlight, need the fresh
6、忘了:slip my mind, forgot to give the note to someone
7、图书馆:spend the whole day in the library, make the photocopy at library, meet at the library, return the booksto the library, library is a better place to study
8、室友:looking for a roommate, roommate should apologize, roommate is too noisy
9、吃的:fish can't be eat, berry is a bush even for a bird, bread is over toasted, vegetables are over cooked, bread may be in the refrigerator
10、借东西:lend me calculus book(calculator), borrow the money from check, borrow car for shopping
11、天气:clean up for picnic, cold enough for skating, snowing too much to fly, so hot that we need an air conditioner
12、作业能否完成:wait till the last minute, chemistry test without time for reading, fill out the financial aid form without thepriority, paper extended to the next week
13、第三者:have done it for me
14、排队:magazine to kill the time, read the magazine twice, go early for not queue
15、得病看医生:need another doctor, it is open till 10 at the health center, take the pill the doctor assigned