2003.

01 TOEFL Listening Comprehension

2003.01 Corrected by PandaParty*, Edited by Merlion, based on sausage's original work

Part A
1.
M: Do you think I could use your computer to type my research paper?
W: If you dont mind waiting a couple of hours.
What does the woman imply?
2.
W: Look I got a letter from my cousin Jeff in Alaska.
M: Can I get the return address from the envelope?
What will the man probably do?
3.
W: This book is two weeks overdue,
and I see from our records that another borrower has already come in looking for it.
M: I am terribly sorry, but I was called out of town unexpectedly for a few weeks.
What does the man imply?
4.
M: I just saw Larry from our chemistry study group,
and he said the grades we got on the mid-exam, theyve finally been put up.
W: They have? Where?
What does the woman want to know?
5.
W: Have a good trip! I hope you wont have too long a walk from the car to the check in area.
Thats a lot of luggage for you to carry by yourself
M: Well, Ill get the driver to give me a hand.
What does the man mean?
6.
W: I dont know what to think. Which outfit should I wear to my job interview,
the black dress or the navy blue suit?
M: Well, Jane, youve got to consider the image you want to present,
and I say the suit is more professional looking.
What does the man imply?
7.
M: Now that youve finished writing your thesis, do you think you will have time to sit back and
take it easy? Maybe take a little bit vacation?
W: Believe me, thats exactly what I intend to do.
What does the woman mean?
8.
W: Did you hear? They are moving Kathy to the New York office.
M: They are? Thats news to me.
What does the man mean?
9.
M: Please excuse the mess I havent had any time to clean.
W: What mess? You should see how I left my room this morning.
What does the woman imply?
10.
W: $200 to fix my computer? I thought you said you could do it for 50.
M: I did, but its not the keyboard after all.
Thats the major part inside the machine that will cost a lot more to replace.
What does the man mean?
11.
M: What a great television program. That was really stimulating. Don't you think?
W: Well, only if you like politics.
What does the woman imply about the television program?
12.
W: Hi, Dan, I just came by to see if you want to workout at the gym with me this afternoon.
M: Id love to but I dont think Im up to it today. I m coming down with a cold.
What does the man mean?
13.
W: The research project from my political science course on the presidency is due in just
two weeks. But theres so much to talk about, I dont know how to even begin to pick a subjec
t
M: You know, Mary is doing her graduate work in political science. She would certainly know
how to narrow the topic down.
What does the man suggest the woman do?
14.
M: You wouldnt have to have an extra blank cassette I could buy off you, would you?
W: As a matter of fact, I do.
What will the woman probably do next?
15.
W: My cousin Lisa said she mailed me some books, but they never came.
M: Well, you just moved into a new dormitory.
She probably sent them out before she had your new address.
What does the man imply?
16.
W: A light jacket like this ought to be warm enough for today, don't you think? It's been pretty
mild the last couple of days.
M: Ur, I go back in and get something heavier.
If you don't need it when you get to campus, you could always just leave it in the car.
What does the man suggest the woman do?
17.
M: Excuse me. Prof, since we are having a test next Wednesday on Chapter 4,
I was wondering if there are any more problems I can work on to review for it.
W: Well. The ones I have Ive already given out in class,
but it probably wouldnt hurt to go back and redo a few of them.
What does the Prof say about problems that can be used for review?
18.
M: This is incredible! Only the first day of our Modern American History course
and weve already been assigned to read three chapters by the next time we meet.
W: If that surprises you, then obviously you never had a class before with Prof Smith.
What does the woman imply?
19.
M: Excuse me. This roommate-matching questionnaire is so long and I am kind of in a hurry.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
W: Just the first side, the one on the back are optional.
What does the woman mean?
20
M: Isnt this a terrific painting? It looks great on the wall in my office.
W: To be honest, I dont know what you see in it.
What does the woman mean?
21.
W: Did you hear what George did last night? He was cooking dinner for the members of the
drama club and he spilled spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen.
M: Doesnt surprise me one bit, he did the same thing last semester,
only was the Spanish club and chocolate syrup.
What does the man imply about George?
22.
M: You are not planning to transfer to a different U. next year, are you?
W: If I were, youd be the first to know.
What does the woman imply?
23.
M: There is nothing I hate worse than straightening up my apartment before a party.
W: Its not so stressful if you dont wait until the last minutes.
What does the woman imply the man should do?
24.
M: What are you doing cooped up here in the lounge on such a beautiful spring day?
I cant understand why everyone isnt out there in the fresh air, getting some sunshine.
W: You won't be saying that if you have my allergies.
What does the woman imply?
25.
W: Youve made enough soup to feed an army.
M: This way well have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow.
What does the man mean?
26.
M: Im really torn. I need a new bicycle, and I just cant decide which one to get.
There are just too many different kinds to choose from.
W: Dont ask me. As far as I am concerned, a bike is a bike; its just transportation.
What does the woman mean?
27.
M: I was surprised to see Ed in the job center today. Do you think hes unhappy over
admissions? Hes about the best worker they have over there.
W: I know. But I hear that his bosss never said a thing to him to acknowledge that.
And how would you feel if youve been there 3 years and still made the same salary?
What does the woman imply?
28.
M: Did you get caught driving in that downpour after work yesterday?
Everyone had their lights on and I could hardly see where I was going.
W: That must have been a local storm. I go home in the office direction and it was fine.
What does the woman mean?
29.
W: Now that was a delicious meal, shall we order dessert?
M: Not if we expect to make it back in time for our two-oclock lecture.
What does the man mean?
30.
M: Matthews just told me he is moving to a new apartment, way over in Oakville.
Thats so far away. Can you believe it?
W: Oh, so thats why hes trying to buy a car.
What can be inferred about the woman?

Part B
31-34 new students on campus

M: I see you still got all your suitcases with you too. We must have the same problem.
W: Let me guess. Your rooms been given to someone else?
M: Yep.
W: I dont get it! They sent me my room number a long time ago.
M: Me too. Well, at least there is room in another dorm, Bundy Hall.
W: Thats where theyre putting me too. But youll realize that unless you have a car, Bundy is
at least at 25 minutes walk from the center of campus. And dont count on taking the campus
bus, it runs at really inconvenient time.
M: Great way to start your college career. But, I dont know, maybe there is a positive side of
all these. Since well be so far away from everything, well be forced to use our time wisely.
W: True. Ive heard lots of first year students get into trouble because they hang out every
day in the student center till it closes.
M: Exactly! And not only that, we will get plenty of exercise from all that extra walking.
W: Yeah. And that is not exactly easy walking either.
Around here you just about need a pair of hiking boots, and to enjoy mountain climbing.
M: You count to get avoid there. But at least there are great vistas from some of the buildings
, not to mention the possibility of some serious sled riding when it snows.

31. What problems do the students have?

32. What does the woman imply about the campus?
33. What is one disadvantage of living in Bundy Hall?
34. According to the man, what mistake do many first year students make?

35-38 social psychology

M: One of the most common questions we ask about peoples behavior is why.
Why she says this? Why he do that? Sometimes the reason is obvious, for example,
someone is driving down the street, the light turns red, they stop, why?
W: Because they have to, legally I mean.
M: Exactly! In this case the reasons obvious, so we usually dont question it.
But when the reasons are not so obvious and especially when the behavior could have
negative consequences, well more likely to feel a need to explain the causes of the behavior.
Social psychologists have a term for this, for the process of explaining the causes of behavior,
its called causal attribution.
And one theory suggests theres a pattern in the way we go about attributing causes to
peoples behavior.
According to this theory, there are two categories of reasons:
internal factors and external factors. Again, Lisa, say youre driving down the road and all of
a sudden some guy turn into the lane right in front of you,
and you have to slam on your brake to avoid an accident. How do you react?

W: Ill probably get very angry.

M: Because.
W: Well, hes not paying attention, hes a bad driver.
M: So you automatically attribute the drivers behavior to an internal factor.
He himself is to blame because he is careless.
W: So if I said it was because of heavy traffic or something,
Id be attributing his behavior to an external factor, something beyond his control.
M: Good. Now how do we usually explain our own negative behavior?
W: We blame external factors.
M: Thats right.

35. What is the main topic of the discussion?

36. According to the Prof, when are people likely to try to explain someone elses behavior?
37. The Prof mentions an example of a driver who stops at a red light. What does he use the
example to demonstrate?
38. According to the discussion, how do most people explain their own negative behavior?

Part C
39-43 geology

Today, Id like to talk about some of the changes land can undergo, specifically desertification,
thats the process through which land becomes part of a desert.
Now a desert is defined as a place that receives a certain maximum amount of rainfall.
But you may not know that it usually takes more than just a lack of water to turn productive
land into a desert. There are several specific human activities that when combined with a lack
of rainfall encourage desertification.
For example, over cultivation, growing more crops than the soil can support.
The soil loses its nutrients, so it needs either to be fertilized or to be left unused for at least
a season.
But if neither of these things happens, if these nutrients in the soil dont get replaced,
the damaged soil stops producing. Another cause of desertification is overgrazing.
Thats when the grasses and trees and shrubs of an area are expected to feed more animals
than they reasonably can. Too many animals eating in the same area will kill the vegetation.
And because its the roots of this vegetation that hold much of the soil together,
when too much of the vegetation dies, the soil erodes. But maybe the most ironic example of
human behavior that can lead to desertification is irrigation.
It may seem to run counter to common sense to say that introducing water into an area can
cause it to become more like a desert. But there are plenty of bad irrigation practices that do
just that. Bringing in too much salty water and then not providing adequate drainage for it will
fill the soil with salt, and turn the area into a desert.

39. What is the main topic of the talk?

40. How is the soil damaged by over cultivation?
41. What is over grazing?
42. How does over grazing damage soil?
43. According to the speaker, what is the main problem with irrigation?

44-47 biology
Ive mentioned how DNA has solved many mysteries in biology.
And today I want to talk about how it might relate to hypothesis about the travels of the green
turtle. Every winter some green turtles make a 2000-km journey from Brazil to Ascension
Island in the middle of Atlantic, where they mate and lay eggs. But the question is why do
they travel so far to lay their eggs?
One researcher hypothesized that there are two parts to the explanation.
One is natal homing, the instinct that drives green turtles to always return to the beach where
they were hatched.
The second part has to do with continental drift, the theory that the positions of earth
continents have changed considerably overtime.
Brazil and Ascension Island were once much closer together and continental drift drove them
apart.
But the turtles kept on going back to the island where they hatched.
However another scientist question this explanation on the ground that it would be very
unlikely that conditions would allowe generations of turtles over hundreds of millions of years
to keep going back to the same nesting ground every single year.
So, what is the connection to DNA? Well, there are groups of green turtles that nest in
locations other than the Ascension Island.
If green turtles always return to the place where they were hatched, then the turtles that have
been going to the Ascension Island to nest wouldve been genetically isolated long enough to
have DNA that was very different from the green turtles that nest else where.
But when scientists examine DNA from these turtles, their DNA wasnt that different from the
DNA of the turtles that go to Ascension Island. Do you have a shock?
Well, we still dont know the answer to the question about why a certain group of turtles go to
Ascension Island,
but this study was a nice example of the usefulness of DNA analysis to biology.

44. What does the Prof mainly discuss?

45. What do green turtles do when they get to Ascension Island?
46. According to one hypothesis, why do green turtles go to Ascension Island?
47. How is DNA used in research on green turtles?

48-50 history
As I am sure you are aware, history is full of people who were so admired that over the
centuries they become almost mythical figures. George Washington is a good example.
Everyone knows this story about his chopping down the cherry tree when he was young and
bravely confessing to his mischief later. People greatly admired Washingtons integrity.
And so, out of that, this story evolved, even though no one knows for sure whether the incide
nt ever occurred. Then there is the American Indian, Pocahontas,
beloved by history for making peace between the English Colonies and the American Indians.
The history of her life has also become somewhat mythical.
At the historical society exhibit next week, well see many artistic works depicting the major
events of her life. And while we are there, keeping in mind that much of what youll see in the
paintings reflects how much she was admired, but not necessarily the fact of her life.
For instance, one painting shows her saving the life of Jon Smith, an English Colonist,
who had been captured by her tribe. Smith, so the story goes, was about to be executed
when twelve-year-old Pocahontas lay her head on top of his.
Tells you a lot about her courage. But Jon Smith himself related this story only years after
Pocahontas had become famous, which suggests that he may have embellished the truth
a little bit, as many of the works that well see in next week may have done. Something else t
o remember: paintings portrait her physical appearance in many different ways,
but always flattening ways. Yet only one picture of her was ever painted while she was living.

48. Why does the speaker mention the story about George Washington and the cherry tree?
49. According the speaker, why is Pocahontas famous?
50. What does the speaker imply about most of the paintings of Pocahontas?