TOEFL IBT Listening Practice Test 05 from Barron’s TOEFL iBT Solution
Listening 1 “Professor’s office”
1.B
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. C
Listening 2 “Literature Class”
6. B
7. A
8. A: NO/ B,C,D : YES/ E: NO
9. B
10. B
11. D
Listening 3 “Geology Class”
12. B
13. B, D
14. A
15. C
16. B
17. C
Listening 4 “Professor’s Office”
18. B
19. C
20. C
21. A
22. A
Listening 5 “Music Appreciation Class”
23. A
24. C
25. A, D
26. B
27. A
28. B
Listening 6 “Botany Class”
29. A
30. A
31. D
32. A
33. C
34. A, C
Listening 7 “Library”
35. C
36. B
37. D
38. B
39. C
Listening 8 “Art History Class”
40. C
41. B
42. A, C
43. A
44. C
45. B
Listening 9 “Engineering Class”
46. C
47. A
48. A, B
49. C
50. A
51. B
TOEFL IBT Listening Practice Test 04 from Barron’s TOEFL iBT Transcripts
LISTENING 1 “PROFESSOR’S OFFICE”
Audio Conversation
Narrator: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and a professor.
Student: Professor Collins. I’m really sorry. I mean … These are my daughters. They’re twins. I wouldn’t ordinarily bring them to an appointment, but the babysitter didn’t show up. and I couldn’t leave them. I didn’t want to cancel. I hope it’s okay.
Professor: It’s okay. I have three kids of my own, and I’ve been in the same situation.
Student: Thanks. Well, this shouldn’t take much of your time. I really just have one question.
Professor: All right.
Student: I’m having a problem understanding the difference between declarative memory and procedural memory. I think from my notes that they’re both examples of . . . let me see … I have it down here . . . “Declarative and procedural memory are two broad types of memory circuits in long-term memory.”
Professor: That’s right. But you need to distinguish between them.
Student: Exactly.
Professor: Okay, well, declarative memory is a memory that links us to a fact. Like a name or a date or even an experience.
Student: So when I remember a professor’s name when I see him, that’s declarative memory?
Professor: Yes, at its most basic level, it is. But declarative memory also includes problem solving. Like today, when you decided to bring your daughters to my office, you were using declarative memory to access previous experiences and facts that would allow you to make a decision.
Student: Oh, right. I remember your example in class. That makes sense now. You were talking about problem solving by recalling experiences. But wasn’t that episodic memory?
Professor: Very good. Yes, it’s called episodic memory. But declarative memory includes episodic memory, which is the ability to access prior experiences or personal episodes in our life, usually for the purpose of making a decision or solving a problem. So episodic memory is a subcategory of declarative memory, so to speak. And semantic memory is just the storehouse of facts that we have in our memory circuits…
Student:… which is also a subcategory of declarative memory?
Professor: Precisely.
Student: Okay. Then procedural memory doesn’t include facts or experiences.
Professor: Not directly, no. Procedural memory refers to skills that we’ve learned and are now remembering in order to … to perform the skill without really thinking much about it Like, for example, riding a bike or… or do you play a musical instrument?
Student: Piano, sort of. Not really.
Professor: Okay. Well, when you ride a bike then, you aren’t thinking about the name of every part of the bike and how to use the handle bars or the pedals .. or at least not consciously.
Student: No.
Professor: But at some level, you are remembering how to do these things, so you are using your memory.
Student: And that would be procedural memory.
Professor: Yes, it would.
Student: Okay, then. That’s why you said that declarative memory can be more rapidly learned, but it can also be more rapidly forgotten – because a fact can come and go in the memory. But procedural memory takes repetition and practice, so it’s harder to unlearn I’m not saying that very well.
Professor: But you have the idea. Often with declarative memory, you’re consciously trying to remember, but with procedural memory, you’re performing a skill without consciously trying to recall how … without each step in the process.
Student: That’s what I mean But…
Professor: Yes?
Student: Well, I was thinking about language. When my girts were learning to talk …
Professor: Oh, I see where you are going. You want to know whether language learning is declarative or procedural.
Student: Yeah.
Professor: What do you think?
Student: I was thinking that maybe it’s both? Because you have to memorize vocabulary, but eventually, it’s more like a skill like riding a bike … because you don’t think about each individual word. It’s more… more automatic. Um. Do you see what I mean?
Professor: A very good analysis. I think you’ve got this.
Student: Okay. Well, thanks a lot.
Professor: And, uh, if you ever need to ask me a question and if s… hard to get in to see me, just drop me an e-mail.
Student: I thought about that, but…
Professor: Look, I’m always glad to see you, but I answer a lot of questions like this by e-mail every day and if it’s easier for you, that’s fine with me.
Student: That’s very kind of you. Thank you so much.
LISTENING 2 “LITERATURE CLASS”
Audio Discussion
Narrator Listen to part of a discussion in a literature class.
Professor:
Today we’re continuing our discussion of Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift We left off last session at the point where Gulliver began his fourth voyage as the captain of a merchant ship. As you’ll recall, his crew had confined him and cast him ashore on an island. While making his way along a road, he was attacked by a herd of deformed beasts with brown skin and no tails, but suddenly the attack was interrupted by the appearance of a beautiful horse. And this is where we left off. So what happens next?
Student 1:
Well, another horse comes along, and they appear to be having a conversation, the two horses. I mean, and they keep using the words Yahoo and Houyhnhnm so Gulliver is able to understand that Yahoo refers to the animals that attacked him and Houyhnhnm refers to the horses. Then Gulliver goes home with the horses.
Professor:
And what is Gulliver thinking about while he’s observing the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms?
Student 2:
Oh, this was good. He starts to understand that the only difference between himself and the Yahoos is his clothing. But he’s… he’s horrified by this, so we see him trying to be more like the horses.
Professor: How do you know that he’s striving to emulate the Houyhnhnms?
Student 2: Well, he learns their language… so he can communicate with them.
Professor
Right. So this brings us to the most important part of the narrative—the comparison between the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms. First tell us how the Yahoos are portrayed. What do they eat? How do they look?
Student 3:
Well, I think the author used the word depraved several times. They eat dog and donkey meat and even garbage, and they drink, um, they drink… too much. And he says they’re filthy, and they stink.
Professor:
So their behavior… the Yahoos’ behavior… is neither rational nor moral. Now take a look at the description of the Yahoos that Gulliver has known in England. Let me refer to the book here. Okay, Gulliver explains that Yahoos in England fight wars for religious reasons, that lawyers use reason to argue for the wrong side, that the wealthy live to acquire more luxuries, and that greed makes them ill. By this, we assume that he’s referring to the rich gourmet diet that causes gout and other health problems among the upper classes. So this is in contrast with the Houyhnhnms, right? How so?
Student 1 Student 2:
Well… Yes …
Student 1: Sorry, go ahead.
I was just going to say that they eat oats, bread, and honey, but not meat not other animals. And they don’t drink.
Student 1:
I think it’s important that they don’t even understand the concept of a lie. That proves that they are … that they have a very innocent nature.
Professor
Good point You’re referring to the fact that they failed to grasp how the crew was able to initiate the mutiny that brought Gulliver to their island.
Student 1: Umhum.
Professor
Okay, so what do the Houyhnhnms think about Gulliver? And what does Gulliver conclude about him¬self?
Student 2:
Well, Gulliver isn’t really a Yahoo and he isn’t really a Houyhnhnm either. I’d say he’s kind of in the mid-dle. But, he’s trying to become a Houyhnhnm. When he goes back to England, he’s actually afraid of other humans… I mean… Yahoos.
Professor
But he cant quite achieve his transformation, can he? Even though his pride motivates him to continue the impossible pursuit of perfection So, what does this all mean?
Student 1:
I think it’s like the other chapters. The fourth voyage is … its another critique of the weaknesses in human nature.
Professor:
Then Swift is making the point that although humankind is capable of rational behavior, we seldom choose to exercise it. The very meaning of the word Yahoo in the Houyhnhnm language is “evil.” So Swift is very satirical then. And when we consider the time period for the book, the early 1700s, we must appreciate the exceptional departure from the literature of the era, which was mostly written to flatter or entertain. Swift used satire to provide the reader with a perspective that’s very different from that of other writers in an age of science and reason.
LISTENING 3 “GEOLOGY CLASS”
Listen to part of a discussion in a geology class.
Professor: The exploitation of minerals involves five steps. First, you have to explore and locate the mineral deposits, then you set up a mining operation, next, you must refine the raw minerals and transport the refined minerals to the manufacturer.
Student1: Excuse me. Sorry. I only have four steps. Could you … ?
Professor: Sure That’s exploration, mining, refining, transportation, and manufacturing.
Student1:Thanks.
Professor: So, each of these activities involves costs, there are costs associated with them, and the costs can be economic, but not necessarily so. Mineral exploitation also has environmental costs associated with it. For example, the exploration stage will clearly have a high economic cost because of… of personnel and technology, but the environmental cost will probably be quite low. Why would that be, do you think?
Student2: Because you aren’t actually disturbing the environment. You’re just looking, I mean, after you find a mineral deposit, you don’t do anything about it at that stage.
Professor: Right. So the environmental costs would be low. But what happens when you use up all the resources that are easy to find? Then what?
Student 2: Then the costs go up for exploration.
Professor: Which costs?
Student 2: Well, probably both of them, but I can see where the economic costs would increase.
Professor: Okay. Let’s say, for example, that some areas such as national parks or historic reserves have been off-limits to exploration. What will happen when we use up the minerals outside of these areas? Remember now that these are, uh … nonrenewable resources that we’re looking for.
Student 1: Then there will be a lot of pressure … you know … to open up these areas to exploration and exploitation.
Professor: Probably so. And that means that there could be a high environmental cost. Any other options?
Student 1: Find an alternative.
Professor: Yes. You’re on the right track.
Student 1: Okay. Fmd an alternative, I mean a substitute, something that will substitute for the mineral. Maybe something man-made?
Professor: Good. That will involve a different kind of exploration, again with economic costs. I’m talking about basic research here to find synthetics. But, uh, let’s go on to the other steps, and we’ll see if we can pull this all together. How about mining? Now, we’re looking at high environmental costs because of the destruction of the landscape and … and the accumulation … of waste products that have to be dealt with. Air and water pollution is almost always a problem…. Any ideas on refining?
Student 2: Wouldn’t it be the same as mining? I mean, you would have high costs because of labor and equipment, and there would be problems of waste and pollution, like you said.
Professor: True. True. And in refining, well that often involves the separation of a small amount of a valuable mineral from a large amount of surrounding rock. So that means that… that, uh, refining also carries the additional cost of cleanup. And don’t forget that it’s often difficult to get vegetation to grow on piles of waste. In fact, some of it, the waste piles I mean, they can even be dangerous to living creatures, including people Not to mention the appearance of the area. So the environmental costs can be extremely high. Isn’t it sad and ironic that so much of the mining and refining must take place in areas of great natural beauty?
Student 1: So you’re saying that both mining and refining have heavy costs … heavy economic and environmental costs.
Professor: Right And in both mining and refining, you would need transportation to support the movement of supplies, equipment, and personnel. But after the minerals are mined and refined, then transportation becomes even more essential.
Student 2: And I was just thinking that in addition to the economic costs of the transportation tor trucks and fuel and labor and everything, there could ba, there might be some construction too, if there aren’t any roads in and out of the area.
Professor: And that would mean…
Student 2: That would mean that the landscape and even the ecosystem for the plants and animal life could be altered, so … so thafs an environmental cost.
Professor: It is indeed. Good point That leaves us with manufacturing. After we find it mine it refine it, and transport it, we still have to manufacture it. What are the costs associated with that? Well, construction again, for factories, then there would be energy costs, technology, and labor.
Student 1: So all that’s economic. No environmental costs in manufacturing then.
Professor: Well, yes there are actually. Pollution is often a costty problem for, uh, manufacturing plants.
Student1: Oh right I was thinking of the natural landscape, and the manufacturing is often positioned near cities to take advantage of the labor pool. But, um … cities have the environmental problems associated with pollution. So. every step has both economic and environmental costs then.
Professor: Right
Listening 4 “Professor’s Office’
Audio Conversation
Listen to part of a conversation on campus between a student and a professor.
Student: Hi. I’m Ron Watson. I’m here to apply for the work-study job.
Professor: Oh, good. Um, have you ever had a work–study position?
Student: Not really. To tell the truth, I’m not exactty sure how it works.
Professor: Well, it’s like this: on work-study, you have regular hours and assigned responsibilities, but, if you get everything done, you can study. You can’t leave because there may be something else to do later, during your hours. But you should always bring your books and, oh. I’d guess that probably about 25 percent of the time, you should be able to study.
Student: This is even better than I thought. What kmd of assignments would I have. I mean, if I get this opportunity.
Professor: Clerical mostly, I’m afraid. Nothing too demanding, but it isn’t the most interesting work either. Filing, copying, delivering mail, uh, some grading, but only multiple–choice tests, and we use a grading machine for that.
Student: Would someone show me how to operate the gracing machine? I’m sure I could do it if someone showed me once or twice.
Professor: No problem. We have a secretary here in the department and she’ll be the main person you’d report to. She’d show you how to do everything.
Student: Okay. Great
Professor: Now, let’s see whether your hours will fit in with the hours we need. Could you work Monday through Thursday from ten to two?
Student: That’s sixteen hours a week?
Professor: To start We may actually want to extend that to Fridays, so, if that happens, it would be twenty hours. You’ll notice that the hours include the usual lunch break. That would let Nancy … she’s the secretary … so she could get you started on the work, and then take her lunch from noon to one, and be back for the last hour of your day. in case you had any questions.
Student: Okay.
Professor: Oh, and I should tell you about the phone. While Nancy’s gone for lunch, we’ll want you to answer the phone.
Student: Sure. I can do that. Uh, will there be any work on the computer? I’m familiar with most of the basic office programs. I used to help my Dad in his office when I was in high school. He’s a lawyer.
Professor: Oh. Well, we hadn’t planned to include anything like that in the job, but it’s a plus.
Student: Sorry to ask, but … how does the pay work? Do I get paid for the time I work minus the study time or …
Professor: Oh no. You get paid for sixteen hours a week whether you’re working or studying. This is a special program for students.
Student: It seems too good to be true.
Professor: Well, you need to have an interview with Nancy. Since you’ll be working dosely with her, she’ll make the final decision.
Student Okay. Should I make an appointment or …
Professor: No. Just go over to her desk and tell her who you are. She’s expecting you. We want to get the position filled as soon as possible.
Student: Well, thank you for seeing me. I hope I’ll be working here.
Professor : Good luck…. Oh, yes, be sure to tell Nancy about the computer experience.
Student: I will.
Professor: And let her know I’ve already interviewed you, and I referred you to her.
Student Thanks again. I really appreciate your taking the time to explain everything to me.
Professor: You’re welcome.
LISTENING 5 “MUSIC APPRICIATION CLASS”
Audio Lecture
Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a music appreciation class.
Professor:
As you know, tonight’s the concert that I want you to attend so I’ll keep the class short today. Let me tell you a little bit about the history of chamber music so you’ll be prepared to appreciate the music that you hear tonight. The University Quartet is one of the best in the region so you’ll be hearing an excellent example … anyway … about chamber music. From medieval times through the eighteenth century, musicians in Europe had basically two options for employment—the church or the nobility. So … when they weren’t creating pieces for religious occasions and performing at church functions … musicians were playing in the chambers of stately homes. Now a chamber is the name for a room where guests may be assembled, kind of like a hall. And because of their association with this room, this chamber, the musicians who played for the wealthy patrons came to be known as chamber players.
Chamber music is written to be performed by a relatively small group … more than one, but fewer than a dozen musicians. I should tell you that pieces for more than eight players are unusual though, and it’s very rare to see a conductor. It may surprise you to know that any combination of instruments can be used for chamber music. The strings, woodwinds, and piano are so often associated with cham¬ber music and — uh — they remain the most popular, even today, but chamber music has been written for other instruments as well.
Well, the history of chamber music is usually divided into three distinct periods. In the Classical Period . . . and that extends from the mid seventeen hundreds to around 1820 … so in the classical period, chamber music, like many other expressions of the arts . . . it reacted to the extravagant Baroque style by creating new structures, and these structures expressed simplicity, balance, and order. It was the age of the Enlightenment with the ideals of logic and reason. So this translated into compositions with one melodic line. Uh, the line … the melody … it was usually written for the violin and all other instruments provided an accompaniment. Early chamber music in the Classical tradition often included the recorder, the harpsichord, and the viola.
Vienna was a … a … hub … of activity … for chamber music, and three composers dominated the artistic scene. Franz Joseph Haydn is generally credited with organizing the string quartet, and he produced more than 80 pieces for it the quartet. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also composed cham¬ber music, including not only quartets but also quintets, and trios with clarinet, and even piano sonatas. Since the music was relatively simple, many amateurs played for their own enjoyment This was new, but by then, music was being printed and more people had access to it. So music rooms became popu¬lar and people played chamber music as a social activity.
Well, it was Ludwig Von Beethoven who probably bridged between the Classical Period and the Romantic Period, and I say that because his works were longer and… and perhaps more complex than his predecessors. And I find this amazing since the later quartets were all created when he was totally deaf. In any case, composers and performers were beginning to… to break free of the formal confines of the Classical Period. Their works became increasingly more difficult, expressing some of the high emotions of the nineteenth century, which, as you will recall the backdrop of that century… the French and the American revolutions . . . they were defining moments. So Chopin, Liszt, and Wagner wrote very little chamber music … because they preferred the emotional power of the full orchestra … or, uh, the personal expression in a piano solo. It was also at about this time that Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, and Antonin Dvorak made their contributions, and they wrote melodic, passionate compositions for chamber players But now the music was more difficult to play, and the patronage system was declining anyway, so … so most chamber music moved from the great homes of the wealthy and into the concert halls, which were frequented by a growing middle class. And it was a very creative period for chamber music, and professional chamber groups emerged during this time. The composers probably felt a new freedom because they weren’t so much pressed to please their patrons and they could explore their art.
Well, at the turn of the century, the Modem Period ushered in an opportunity for even greater exper–imentation. Painters were bringing Impressionism to the forefront of the artistic consciousness, and this was reflected musically in the work of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Their chamber music was considered revolutionary … Debussy and Ravel… because, unlike previous composers, their compositions had recurring themes instead of a continuous melody. And there are a number of other composers who wrote chamber music in the Modem Period but… but whether they’ll be remembered is. well, a question to be answered by future historians. What we do know is that the Modernists gave chamber music new combinations of instruments and arrangements. And as the music became more … more … unexpected, often with unusual tonality, well, it also became even more difficult to play and that meant that the scores for modem chamber music had to be played by very skilled ensemble musicians.
This evening, at the concert, the University Quartet will perform one of the Classical pieces by Hayden. You’ll hear the Quartet in D Minor, Opus 76, Number 2, Third Movement. There are two violins, one cello, and one viola. So. that said … I’ll see you tonight.
LISTENING 6 “BOTANY CLASS”
Audio Discussion
Narrator: Listen to part of a discussion in a botany class. The professor is talking about hydroponics.
Professor:
Although the recent interest in hydroponics may lead you to believe that it’s a relatively new idea, the process probably originated in ancient times. In fact, the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon may well have been one of the first successful attempts to grow plants in water, that is, hydroponically. Early agriculture in Pakistan and India as well as other areas throughout the Middle East included water crops, and we also have evidence that the Egyptians were growing plants in water along the Nile … and that was without soil. Asia and the South Pacific were prime locations for earty hydroponic gardens. And, in the Western Hemisphere, we know that the Aztecs had developed an advanced system of water agriculture along the marshlands– of Lake Tenochtitlan in the Central Valley of Mexico because, when the Spanish arrived, they made drawings in their journals of “floating islands of trees and vegetation,’ in other words, hydroponic agriculture.
Okay, wed, this isn’t a history class. It’s a botany class. But I think it’s important when we’re talking about scientific discoveries that we understand how science works. Sometimes we’re rediscovering and refining methods that have been used for a very long time, and that’s certainly the case of hydroponics. Through the years, it’s been called nutricutture, chemiculture, acquiculture, soilless culture, but the current term is hydroponics, and that encompasses the modem science of growing plants without soil by using an inert medium such as sand, peat, gravel, or… or even sawdust or Styrofoam. Of course, you have to add a solution of nutrients.
Clearly, good soil has the nutrients necessary for plant growth, but when plants are grown without soil, all the nutrients must be provided in another way. So, why do you think that we would go to all of this additional effort to replace soil?
Student 1:
Well, I think the book mentioned something about keeping the growing medium more sterile.
Professor.
Umhum. Soil–borne diseases and pests and even weeds can be … virtually eliminated … by using a soil alternative.
Student 1:
So I was thinking probably you wouldn’t require as much labor, to get rid of the pests and weeds.
Professor
Good thought. Now tell me what you know about fertilizer and water.
Student 2r.
Oh, right Less fertilizer and water are required per plant since they’re constantly reused, and aren’t the results more uniform because of the highly controlled conditions?
Professor
Right on both counts. But probably the most important advantage is the ability to cultivate a larger number of plants in a limited space…. Where would this be important do you think?
Student 1:
Well, small or isolated environments or very arid climates with limited fresh water supplies probably. Students Or regions with poor soils, for instance, in developing countries where the weather conditions aren’t dependable and… and famine might… could happen.
Professor. So hydroponics is limited to developing regions then.
Student 3:
I’m not sure about that Even in highly industrialized nations, populations are growing and … and isn’t the total acreage in cultivation dropping to accommodate the expansion of urban areas?
Professor:
Well stated. As agricultural land is sold for development, hydroponics has become a viable option for, well, for almost every country in the world.
Now earlier, I said that we’re often rediscovering ancient methods in science, but we’re also adapt-ing them by using improvements from other scientific research. In the case of hydroponics, there are probably two modem discoveries that have supported progress in hydroponics. Okay. First, the devel-opment of plastics… that allowed growers to abandon the old concrete beds, which were costly to con-struct and problematic because … because they leached into the nutrient solution. But, plastic beds are cheap, they’re light, and sterile … an ideal replacement for concrete. And many of the greenhouses themselves are even built of plastic panels. Okay. The other important advancement is the knowledge we’ve accumulated about plant nutrition. Of course, like I said, good soil has the nutrients necessary for plant growth, but when plants are grown without soil, all the nutrients must be provided in another way. And now we have a much better idea of what we need to use in the solution to obtain the best results.
So… all of that said, let’s talk about the lab experiment that we’ve set up here. This solution contains potassium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, and calcium sulfate. Don’t try to write down all of that now. You can refer to your lab workbook for the list of substances and the proportions needed for proper plant growth.
For now, just look at this diagram. The drawing in your lab workbook should look more or less like this one. As you know, for plants grown in soil, the roots absorb water and nutrients, but they also serve to anchor the plant. That’s why the roots of our hydroponic plants aren’t placed directly in the water and nutrient solution. We used sterile gravel held in place by wire mesh to anchor the plants and that allowed us to suspend the roots in the tank below. Remember, the tank contains the water and nutrient solution. So … because oxygen is also taken in by the roots, we had to attach an air pump to mix oxygen into the solution. Remember, a constant source of oxygen is one of the major problems with hydroponics tanks of this kind. And you can see the way that the pump is attached to the tank.
Okay, it’s almost time for our break this morning, so I’d like you to come over to the hydroponics area and examine the experiment dose up. I’d also like you to take a doser look at this spedmen of nutrient solution. What do you notice about this? Can you draw any conclusions? Today is Day 1 for you to record your observations on the chart in your workbook.
LISTENING 7 “LIBRARY”
Audio Conversation
Narrator. Listen to part of a conversation between a librarian and a student.
Student Excuse me.
Librarian: Yes?
Student Are you the reference librarian?
Librarian: Yes. How can I help you?
Student Well, I’m looking for a book that compares Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Librarian: Okay. What exactly are you trying to compare?
Student I’m not quite sure. How about the cost of living?
Librarian: Oh. Well cost of living is, uh, not very specific. I mean, what aspects of the cost of living do you need to find? Cost of living is a fairly broad topic.
Student It is?
Librarian: Well, yes. Do you want this for personal information or is it for a class?
Student It’s for my economics class.
Librarian: Unhuh.
Student With Professor Brooks.
Librarian: Oh, okay. Well, do you just need numbers … or is it a report… a narrative ?
Student Just the numbers. I’m supposed to make a chart. It can be either a pie chart or a bar graph And I have to have some demographic information, you know, in order to do the chart. So you want a general comparison. I’m trying to imagine what you’ll put on the graph. Student Well, I’m not too dear about that. I was thinking I might make several graphs, you know, one for each country, with the cost of basic things on it and then I could compare the graphs.
Librarian: Was that the assignment? Maybe if you could explain the assignment to me …
Student Okay. I, uh. I have it right here … somewhere. Just a minute Okay, here it is. Uh.
it says, “make a pie chart or a bar graph with at least four parts, it should be large enough to share with the class.
Librarian: That’s it?
Student Unhuh. But if s for an economics class, and we have to be able to explain it to every one. So that’s why I was going for the cost of living and my major’s international business so I was interested in comparing several countries.
Librarian: But the professor really only asked you for one chart.
Student I guess so … but I’m trying to figure out how to compare those countries on one chart and ifs not that easy. •
Librarian: Okay. Well…
Student You think I should just do the one chart then?
Librarian: If s usually better to follow the instructions for an assignment unless …
Student Oh. Even if it’s more than, uh, more than the professor asked for?
Librarian: If s usually better to check with me professor first if you want to change the assignment.
Student Okay then. I guess I need to choose one country and compare several factors for the one country.
Librarian: Or. if you want to compare several countries, you probably need to zero in on one factor.
Student Yeah.
Librarian: Like the average income for a family of four or…
Student Oh I see Maybe I could compare the cost of a home.
Librarian: Right.
Student So I could find that in an encyclopedia then.
Librarian: Well, maybe, but you want current data and I’m not sure that you’d find demographics on income and home prices in an encyclopedia Anyway… look, why don’t I show you where you can find some reference materials in economics? Then, you can browse for a while Maybe you’ll find something that sparks an idea. But if you don’t, then just come back to my desk and I’ll look with you.
Student Thanks. That’s great.
LISTENING 8 “ART HISTORY CLASS”
Audio Discussion
Narrator: Listen to part of a discussion in an art history class. The professor is talking about action art.
Professor:
In the 1950s, Abstract Expressionism emerged among a group of painters that, uh, came to be known as the New York School, although the members included artists from many regions of the United States and several European countries as well. In any case, we know that the brushstrokes were a significant feature of the work of Impressionist and Post Impressionist painters, and like them, the Abstract Expressionists were interested in the expressive qualities of paint, and particularly in the case of action painters or gesture painters … they were sometimes called gesture painters … and they developed new methods for applying the paint. They dripped, threw, sprayed, and, uh, splattered … paint on the canvas … with a view to expressing artistic… actions or gestures… as part of the creative process.
Now, according to your textbook, probably the best-known of the action painters was… who?
Student 1: Pollock.
Student 2r. Jackson Pollock.
Professor.
No doubt about ft. Pollock was a highly individual artist. He’s famous for huge mural–sized works. And … to create them, he’d spread his unstretched canvas on the floor, and he’d approach the work from all four sides, walking around it and attacking it with commercial house paint in cans that he earned with him.
He dripped the paint from sticks or brushes that he dipped in the cans or…or he threw the paint and splashed it in patterns… that, uh,… that reflected the motion of his arm and, uh,… and his body, as he engaged in his so-called action painting. I think you can see how the name applies to this method. So Pollock claimed that this process allowed him to be in the painting, not apart from it.
Let me show you a picture of Pollock with a work in progress.
As you can see .. – and this is Pollock… he’s stepping right onto the canvas, splattening and drip-ping the paint. He’s focusing on the act of painting and he’s using grand, rhythmic gestures . of similar to a dance. In fact, some critics referred to the work as a performance or a choreographed activity He also used to pour the paint directly out of the can, and occasionally threw sand, broken glass uh … pebbles, and string, and other objects … he would throw them onto the canvas^
So, how much of the action art was a result of decisions and how much was pure chance? What do you think?
Student 3: Well, there was probably a little bit of both going on there.
Probably so But Pollock contended that he could control the flow of the paint with the motion of his arm and body … and that his work was not accidental. And it certainly was spontaneous in the sense that it happened very quickly and the decisions that he made were, uh were… of necessity, split second choices So, I would say you’re right, that action art. and Pollock’s work in particular, is a combination of, uh, … of chance, of artistic intuition, and, uh and control. And I should point out that he was known to retouch a drip with the brush on occasion.
Now let me show you an example of the paintings themselves.
Professor What do you see?
Student 2: There’s no visual center of attention Professor Which means… ?
Student 2r. Which means … the image has no foreground, no background, no focus of attention.
Professor
I see. However, I think you’ll agree that it does have a, uh a complex unity, a balance of form and color. Look at the patterns. Wouldn’t you agree that they’re caused by the separation and weaving of one pigment in another? And it was this this … weaving that produced a number of tones from a minimal palette of paints Have any of you ever seen an original Pollock?
Student 3: I have. I wenl to the Guggenheim Museum when I was in New York last year.
Professor Could you tell the class a little about it?
Student 3:
Sure. I thought that the work looked like skeins of yam. Because the dripping and the small objects produced… uh… uh . „
Professor Texture?
Student 3:
Yeah. Texture as well as form, like yam. And I also remember the light that seemed to be in the canvas.
Professor
And precisely because of the texture and light, it’s really a disservice to see this as a flat slide.
Student 3: Oh another thing. A lot of the paintings were identified by numbers instead of names.
Professor
Oh, thanks for bringing that up. Some people think he did that because he didn’t want to limit the imag-ination. He wanted others to view a painting, without prejudice, so to speak But one piece has come to be called “Lavender Mist’ I’m not really sure whether Pollock actually named it or not, but it’s particu-larly interesting because the artist marked the image with his handprints. I think it’s in your textbook, but again, seeing it with the texture of the paint is a different experience.
Okay. so. after the process of creation, we see beauty, order, unity, perhaps even rhythm in an incredible light emanating from the canvas. Pollock wanted to express his feelings rather then to merely illustrate them, and I think he did achieve that. And, whether you like them or noL and many critics argued and continue to argue their merits, but it’s undeniable that works by PoBock are unique and recognizable … and virtually impossible to copy. It’s also dear that he had a remarkable influence on later artists. Uh, later artists … color–field painters who adapted the paint–pouring methods… and modem artists who chose to work with allover patterns … and the performance artists who continue to push the envelope on activity and process.
LISTENING 9 “ENGINEERING CLASS”
Audio Lecture
Narrator. Listen to part of a lecture in an engineering dass.
Professor
Because every earthquake presents us with unique conditions, it’s difficult to anticipate the stresses that will ultimately affect the structures we design and build So our challenge is to try to design a building that will be as … safe as possible … for all types of earthquakes. Besides that, during the past decade, the expectations for earthquake-resistant structures have changed. Whereas in the past, it was consid-ered adequate for a building not to collapse during an earthquake, now insurance companies and … and even clients .. . they’re demanding buildings that will be able to maintain their structural integrity through an earthquake and, uh remain sound after the earthquake subsides.
So, in recent years we’ve developed several techniques for building more earthquake-resistant structures. For relatively small buildings, all we have to do, really, is bolt the buildings to their founda-tions and, uh provide some support walls. Remember these walls are referred to as shear walls in your textbook. They’re made of reinforced concrete, and by that I mean concrete with steel rods embed-ded in it. This not only strengthens the structure but… but it also diminishes the forces that tend to shake a building during a quake. And in addition to the shear walls that surround a building, shear walls can be situated in the center of a building around an elevator shaft or a stairwell. This is really an excel¬lent reinforcement. It’s commonly known as a shear core, and it contains reinforced concrete, too.
Okay. Let’s talk about walls. Walls can also be reinforced, using a technique called cross–bracing. Imagine steel beams that cross diagonally from the ceiling to the floor… and this happens on each story in a building. So before the walls are finished, you can see a vertical row of steel x’s on the structure. And this cross-bracing tends to make a building very rigid, and consequently, very strong
But besides steel reinforcements, engineers have also devised base isolators, which are positioned below the building, and their purpose is to absorb the shock of the sideways shaking that can undermine a building and cause it to collapse. Most of the base isolators that are currently being used are made of alternating layers of steel and synthetic rubber. The steel is for strength, but, uh … the rubber absorbs shock waves. In higher buildings, a … a moat… of flexible materials allows the building to sway during seismic activity. Or… or large rubber cylinders support all of the comers of the building, and in between each floor, and they allow the building to sway during an earthquake So, you can see that these alternatives are quite different from cross-bracing or shear walls.
So the combination of reinforced structures and flexible materials has been proven to reduce earth-quake damage. But even these engineering techniques are insufficient if the building has been constructed on filled ground. Soil used in fill dirt can lose its bearing strength when subjected to the shock waves of an earthquake, and the buildings constructed on it can literally disappear into the Earth. So, in areas where earthquakes are known to occur, it’s important to understand the terrain, and you have to be sure that the ground is either solid or it’s been adequately prepared.
Okay, let’s assume that we do everything right… we choose and prepare the construction site and we design a building with plenty of reinforcements and flexible materials. With cross-bracing, we probably have a building with the strength to hold up under earthquakes, even those of relatively high magnitudes. And while this is great for the building, what about the occupants? Well, the structure may be strong, but the furniture will probably be overturned or shifted during the earthquake and that could result in major injuries for the people inside. So, now that we’ve made progress in solving the problem of how to preserve the buildings, uh … one of the more recent areas of research is how to better protect the occupants during an earthquake.