TOEIC Listening Skills 4: Part 4 and Review
Summary
TLDRThis video script focuses on strategies for the short talk section of the TOEIC listening test. It emphasizes the importance of active listening, quickly processing information, and understanding the format of the talk to identify key details. The speaker advises on using the beginning of the passage to focus thoughts, leveraging signal words and adverbs, and avoiding common tricks in answer choices. The script also suggests practice techniques, such as purposeful listening, engaging with different accents, and using resources like NPR and Voice of America to improve listening skills.
Takeaways
- 🎯 The video focuses on strategies for the short talk section of the TOEIC test, emphasizing the importance of active listening and quick information processing.
- 📢 The speaker discusses the challenges of eliminating answer choices due to the use of partially correct information and distractors in the test.
- 👂 The importance of paying attention to the beginning of the listening passage is highlighted, as it sets the context and helps in focusing on the rest of the passage.
- 📝 Note-taking is not allowed during the actual test, so strategies for memorizing and processing information are crucial for success.
- 🗣️ The monologue format of the short talk section is similar to everyday encounters, such as weather bulletins or business announcements.
- ❓ The questions in the test are designed to focus on important details and follow the organization and sequence of the talk.
- 🕒 Time is of the essence in this section, and the video suggests that the beginning of the listening passage can provide key information to guide the rest of the listening.
- 🔍 Active listening involves identifying key ideas and using synonyms or synonymous language, which is important for understanding the answer choices.
- 📑 The video script provides an example of a service announcement to illustrate how to approach listening and understanding in the short talk section.
- 🧐 The speaker advises against looking at the answer choices first, as they may contain common tricks like partially correct information or too many options.
- 📈 To improve listening skills for the test, the video recommends purposeful listening practice, engaging with a variety of accents, and using resources like NPR and Voice of America.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The video script focuses on strategies for solving the short talk section of the TOEIC listening test, including how to handle partially correct information and distractors.
Why is it difficult to eliminate answer choices in longer listening selections?
-It becomes more difficult due to the use of partially correct information and many distractors that can confuse the test-taker.
What is the format of the short talk section in the TOEIC test?
-The short talk section consists of a monologue by a single speaker, followed by three questions about the content, with answer choices provided.
How many times are the talks spoken in the short talk section of the TOEIC test?
-The talks are spoken only one time in the short talk section.
What is the purpose of the service announcement in the provided example?
-The purpose of the service announcement is to inform customers about ongoing power failures, expected restoration times, and to apologize for the inconvenience caused.
What is the significance of the beginning of the listening passage in the TOEIC test?
-The beginning of the listening passage helps to set the context and provides initial information that can guide the listener's focus for the rest of the passage.
Why is it important to pay attention to the format of the talk in the TOEIC listening test?
-The format of the talk helps in understanding where information will be located and aids in identifying the main points and structure of the message.
What is the role of signal words and adverbs in the TOEIC listening test?
-Signal words and adverbs help in identifying where important information will be discussed and can indicate changes in direction or connections between ideas.
How can test-takers improve their performance in the TOEIC listening test?
-Test-takers can improve by practicing active listening, focusing on key ideas, using synonymous language, and employing memory and test-taking strategies such as repeating questions and visualizing the situation.
What are some resources that can help improve listening skills for the TOEIC test?
-Resources such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, BBC, Canadian broadcasts, Australian Broadcasting, and various podcasts available on iTunes can help improve listening skills and familiarize test-takers with different accents.
What is the final advice given in the script for improving performance on the TOEIC listening test?
-The final advice is to practice purposeful and active listening daily, engage with more resources, and improve overall English language skills, including vocabulary, to enhance performance on the test.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to TOEIC Listening Strategies
This paragraph introduces the focus of the video on the short talk section of the TOEIC test, emphasizing the challenges of eliminating answer choices due to the use of partially correct information in longer listening selections. The speaker guides viewers to analyze a sample service announcement transcript from the TOEIC test, highlighting the importance of understanding the format and content of monologues commonly encountered in daily life or business settings. The paragraph also mentions the test's requirement to answer questions based on the talk without the aid of note-taking.
🔍 Analyzing the Structure and Content of a Recorded Message
The second paragraph delves into the specifics of analyzing a recorded message from a power company, discussing the importance of focusing on the beginning of the listening passage to set the context for the rest of the information. It explains how the format of the talk can assist in locating important information and suggests that the questions, while not always helpful, follow the organization and sequence of the talk. The paragraph also touches on the characteristics of a recorded message, such as an apology and information about an event, and how to use these characteristics to better understand the message's purpose and content.
🎧 Active Listening and Processing Information in TOEIC
This paragraph discusses the concept of active listening in the context of the TOEIC test, stressing the need to quickly identify key ideas and synonymous language as they relate to the answer choices. It explains the importance of rephrasing information in one's own words to better remember and understand the passage. The speaker also warns about common tricks in the test, such as using partially correct information and providing too many options, and advises on how to avoid these pitfalls by focusing on the main points and using memory and test-taking strategies effectively.
📉 Dealing with Tricky Questions and Answer Choices
The fourth paragraph continues the discussion on how to handle tricky questions and answer choices in the TOEIC listening test. It provides insights into how to process information quickly and logically, using the example of a service announcement to illustrate how to infer and deduce the correct answers. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of not being misled by the exact words from the listening passage and instead focusing on the broader meaning and context to select the best response.
🌐 Expanding Listening Skills and Resources for TOEIC Preparation
The final paragraph offers advice on how to improve listening skills for the TOEIC test, suggesting purposeful listening activities and engagement with various resources. It encourages the use of different accents in practice and highlights the importance of daily practice. The speaker also recommends several resources, such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, and international broadcasts, to familiarize oneself with various accents and listening contexts. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that improving English proficiency is key to test success and that listening is an active, not passive, activity.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡TOEIC
💡monologue
💡distractor
💡active listening
💡synonymous language
💡format
💡signal words
💡adverbs of time
💡memory strategies
💡test-taking strategies
💡practice
Highlights
Part 4 focuses on the short talk section of the TOEIC test, which involves listening to monologues and answering questions based on the content.
The talks are not printed in the test book and are spoken only once, requiring active listening and quick information processing.
Speakers are advised to focus on the beginning of the listening passage to help them focus their thinking for the rest of the passage.
The format of the talk, such as a recorded message, can help predict where information will be located and identify the characteristics of the message.
Questions in the short talk section tend to focus on the main points rather than minor details, guiding listeners to concentrate on key information.
Active listening involves processing the content quickly, identifying key ideas, and thinking about synonyms or synonymous language for the answer choices.
The use of signal words, adverbs of time, and intensifiers can help identify important information within the listening passage.
Test-takers should be aware of common tricks in the answer choices, such as partially correct information or words that are similar in meaning but not exact.
The importance of not looking at the answer stem first to avoid confusion, and focusing on the questions to understand the format and problem of the talk.
Repeating questions and answer choices quietly while listening can help with memory retention and quick response.
Closing eyes during the listening passage and visualizing the situation can enhance concentration and understanding.
Engaging in more purposeful listening outside of the test, such as listening to news broadcasts or podcasts, can improve listening skills and vocabulary.
Keeping a journal of new vocabulary words encountered during listening practice can reinforce learning and retention.
The necessity of practicing with different accents to prepare for the variety of English accents that may be present on the TOEIC test.
The reminder that listening is a purposeful activity requiring discipline and active attention, and that daily practice is essential for improvement.
Resources for improving listening skills, such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, BBC, and podcasts available on iTunes, are recommended for practice.
The final thoughts emphasize the importance of continuous practice, active listening, and improving overall English proficiency as the key to success on the TOEIC test.
Transcripts
in the previous video we looked at part
three conversations and discuss the
strategies necessary to solve that part
of the test we also learned that as the
listening selections become longer the
ability to eliminate answer choices
becomes more difficult due to the use of
partially correct information and many
of the distractors and we'll see this
again in part 4 so in our final video
we're looking at the short talk section
of the test now once again we'll be
using sample information from the TOEIC
download but please do not look at the
download right now we'll be analyzing
the transcript a little bit later in
this video
also remember that there's no
note-taking on the actual test so the
directions of this section you will hear
some talks given by a single speaker you
will be asked to answer three questions
about what the speaker says a nice jog
select the best response to each
question and mark the letter a B C or D
on your answer sheet again the talks
will not be printed in your test book
and will be spoken only one time now
we're going to go ahead and jump right
into this listening activity so go ahead
and find a piece of paper and number 71
through 73 on that paper on that piece
and we will place the questions and
answer choices on the screen during the
listening passage so that way you'll get
the full experience of what it's like on
the test so here are the questions I'll
give you just a couple of seconds to
look at them
now let's begin thank you for calling
central electric services your local
power company we are still experiencing
problems with power failures caused by
the recent storm we expect service to be
back up in most areas early this evening
although some homes and the Northwest
will be without electricity until
tomorrow morning and it may be tomorrow
evening before service is fully restored
in all areas we apologize for the
inconvenience this has caused our
customers and we thank you for your
continued patience as we work to resolve
these problems this service announcement
will be updated throughout the day it
was last updated at 6 o'clock a.m. on
Sunday April 3rd number 71 where would
this announcement be heard
number 72 what is the purpose of the
announcement
number 73 when is the problem expected
to be completely resolved okay let's go
ahead now and check the answers so
number 71 where would this announcement
be heard
well again the idea here is that this
was a recorded announcement so most
likely we would hear this on the
telephone and calling the company number
72 the purpose of the announcement was
to provide information about electric
services which is choice B and number 73
when is the problem expected to be
completely resolved again the key word
here is completely and the answer is d
tomorrow evening
so first off let's talk about what we
notice the talk itself is a monologue
which means basically one person
speaking and it's something that we
could possibly encounter every day so
for example a weather bulletin a traffic
alert perhaps again a phone message from
a company it also could be involving a
business event we're attending so for
example if it's a meeting where one
person is speaking perhaps a conference
or a lecture given at a business
conference or a sales talk perhaps given
by a manager to his or her sales team
now the questions themselves if you
notice the questions didn't necessarily
give us a lot of information they really
were there just to help focus our
thinking so they kind of focus more on
just the important details of the
passage so for example what type of
announcement but notice we were not
asked about the company's name so minor
details this would be an example of a
minor detail and we noticed that they
also follow the organization and
sequence of the talk now this brings us
to our first TOEIC hint and the idea
here is that time of course is very
precious on this part of the test so we
will notice that it's the beginning of
the listening passage that will really
help give us some information to help
focus our thinking during the rest of
the passage so often what I tell
students is to pay attention
specifically to the beginning now this
kind of connects back to something we
discussed in the Reading Series for the
TOEIC which is kind of the idea that the
format of the talk will also help us
understand where information will be
located so in this case we should be
able to guess that from the first couple
of lines at the beginning of the passage
now the questions themselves may also
help but I think you will find that they
will not always help so it really would
be helpful to kind of think about those
first two lines so what we're going to
do now just for a moment is listen again
just to the first two lines and see
again if we can discuss what's the
format of the talk thank you for calling
central electric services your local
power company we are still experiencing
problems with power failures caused by
the recent storm
so as we noticed and noted in the
answers to the questions
it is a recorded message from a power
company now the question is for us to
kind of help us in the video is to think
about what are the characteristics of a
recorded message and what specific type
of recorded message is this well first
off we have to really think that it
actually was an apology of sorts as well
as explaining information about a
particular event so if we think about
how do we actually organize an apology
message well let's look again and think
about the organization of the format so
actually I'm going to go ahead and put
the transcript up on the screen but
listen again as we read it and as we
follow along we're going to be
highlighting specific things that are
being indicated in the format thank you
for calling central electric services
your local power company we are still
experiencing problems with power
failures by the recent storm we also
expect service to be back up in most
areas early this evening although some
homes in the Northwest will be without
electricity until tomorrow morning
and it may be tomorrow evening before
service is fully restored in all areas
we apologize for the inconvenience this
has caused our customers and we thank
you for your continued patience as we
work to resolve these problems this
service announcement will be updated
throughout the day it was last updated
at 6 o'clock a.m. on Sunday April 3rd
now as we mentioned earlier the
questions follow the order of the
conversation but since we can't take
notes the idea here is that it would be
unfair for the test to have us focus on
too much unnecessary or unimportant
information so really we need to start
thinking about where the problem and the
solutions are being discussed well let's
kind of think about in terms of format
where do we put important information
well we have to think about those
important places and ideas where
information will be given so for example
we need to
think about that there will be a sort of
formal beginning a middle and some sort
of end or conclusion to the talk also
signal words will be very helpful in
having us identify where important
information will be and along with that
we're kind of separating out adverbs
especially adverbs of time or any
intensifiers that we might see so as we
go back through the transcript again
notice that the idea here is the
beginning middle and end are certain
places where questions were being asked
and part of that is because of our
attention span obviously a question
given at the beginning will address
something at the beginning of the
passage we might have a question that
will address information given in the
middle and this part this one is
probably going to be one of the most
difficult ones because oftentimes this
is where students lose attention during
the passage and then of course the end
well it would make sense that maybe the
last question will ask about something
after that now let's look a little more
carefully though notice for example we
have a lot of these transition words
words that might change direction or
indicate how things connect although
some homes in the Northwest so we can
notice this is kind of a trick tomorrow
evening before service is fully restored
so notice it says tomorrow evening is
when those that service will probably be
fully restored now notice some of the
adverbs still experiencing problems we
expect them to be back up in most areas
early this evening until tomorrow
morning and maybe tomorrow evening now
of course the sequence of ideas is what
we have to follow it's tomorrow evening
which seems logical that all service
would be restored and this would be
sense because it's a later time than the
two times mentioned before so this kind
of brings us back to the idea of active
listening
if you recall in the previous video we
discussed that active listening involves
processing the content of the passage
quickly so really for this section of
the test it means that we need to
identify three to four key ideas while
thinking about Sennett synonyms or
synonymous language and that's
especially important when we look at the
answer choices so if we think about the
three or four key ideas that were being
discussed in the passage well first off
the basic idea was we have an electric
company that's still having power
failures because of a storm service will
be back up this evening but some homes
not until tomorrow full service and
that's the key full service is tomorrow
evening
so as we're listening we could pick up
on those particular words and they're
sorry and they're trying to fix the
problem now notice as we're trying to
remember these ideas we're rephrasing
them as we listen in other words we're
trying to get a lot more active using
the vocabulary that's given in the
passage but then having us kind of
paraphrase information in our own words
so we can notice for example apologize
well instead of saying apologize let's
think about well we're sorry for this
it's an inconvenience and we work to
resolve the problem
so notice resolving the problem
basically means to fix it now why is
this helpful
well because as we saw in the previous
video the answer choices don't always
involve words that are the same so
that's why we're trying to use synonyms
or synonymous ideas to keep us more
active as we're listening because the
answers themselves may not always have
the same words or language so this gets
us to think about the tricks again we
said in the previous video don't look at
the answer stem the answer stem itself
is probably going to include a lot of
these common tricks that we've seen now
as we mentioned in part 3 you are
allowed to see the questions and the
answer choices but and the question
should help you focus on the most
important information and in fact could
give you a quick way to identify the
format and problem of the talk though
not always
but remember there are these the common
the usual TOEIC ways that they're going
to try to confuse or trick you look
again at the questions and answer stems
so notice one of the most common tricks
again is to use partially correct
information so notice here in the
underlined words these were all words
and ideas they directly stated in the
passage so again notice in 71 they did
mention company as a power company they
did mention that there was a storm but
again the power company wouldn't tell
you about a storm that's approaching the
storm already happened notice apologized
that was the almost the exact same word
they used it was the exact same were
they used in the passage shortages or
shortages were not referring to staffing
they were referring to electrical
shortages or shortages in power and then
of course again the word company was
mentioned so part of the ideas we have
to kind of guess the information using
our own sort of thought process so for
example in 71 we have to sort of infer
the idea that it's from the telephone
and that's because we do hear the idea
that it's a service announcement it
sounds very much like a recorded message
and B notice it says just to provide
information about electric services and
remember that's because this is the more
expansive idea we said in the previous
video that the answer choice is going to
be more expansive not just using the
same words but using words that are kind
of similar in meaning so again sometimes
the answers themselves are going to be
the expansive answer choices words that
don't necessarily involve specific words
but kind of explain the basic idea in 73
notice in this one and this is a fairly
common trick on this part of the test
we're almost given too many options in
the comp and the talk
and then 473 this is a pretty common
trick on this part of the test is to
think about the fact that they gave us
too many options in the talk they gave
us all of these or at least most of them
the question was could we processed the
information quickly now even just by
looking at the answer choices we could
probably guess first off in 73 they say
that it needs to be completely resolved
well again they did not use the words
completely resolved they just said that
they hope to have have full service or
to have complete service so in this case
we had to kind of think about well what
would make the most sense well it seems
as we follow the listening the last idea
that was mentioned was tomorrow evening
and that does seem to be a pretty good
choice but we had to actively process
that information so for example perhaps
they didn't eat what if they didn't even
mention tomorrow evening we would still
have to be able to guess from the
information given here so again part of
the problem is we have to be able to
process information quickly as we listen
so as you can see looking at the answer
stem first can confuse and even distract
you but the questions almost always
address the most important points of the
talk and finally if you see many dates
days times or numbers these are probably
there to trick you so it's likely that
at least one of the questions will
involve this situation so as we
mentioned in the first video and have
been discussing throughout the series
there are four parts to the listening
comprehension section the photograph
section the question and response
conversations and the short talks and
all of this will take basically around
45 minutes to complete in the
photographs section we mentioned that
you have to be able to see information
in a photograph and recognize
information that you can prove not
necessarily what we think might be
important in the picture memory or
test-taking strategies are going to be
necessary because information is not
repeated
and remember the most common tricks
involves similar sounding words or parts
of words and partially in partially
correct information that can be seen in
the photo itself and recall that you
cannot see the questions or answer
choices in the question and response we
basically discussed a lot of the same
tricks similar sounding words or words
or ideas that make sense in other
contexts we also mentioned that since
these are questions we have to be able
to recognize the specific
characteristics of each type of question
and that refers to yes-or-no questions
question words and tag questions and
remember you cannot see anything on this
part of the test
so those memory test-taking strategies
will definitely be needed here
in part 3 in the conversations we recall
that they are not actually real
conversations they're mainly
opportunities for one speaker to help
explain a problem or situation and the
other speaker to help kind of move the
conversation along the questions that we
were given often involve the main ideas
or details about the conversation and
the correct answers often involve
choices that use synonymous language not
the exact words from the listening and
remember you can see both the questions
and the answer choices during the
listening but it's probably better to
focus only on the questions before you
listen and think about that many of the
same tricks from the first two parts
apply here as well in our video today we
talked about the idea that this part of
the test really involves your ability to
process information quickly in the order
you hear it the format of the talk will
also help you in identifying where
important information will be located
and in signal words and adverbs will
also help remember the questions will be
about the main points of the
conversation not minor or unimportant
details and the correct answers will
often involve choices that use
synonymous language not exact words from
the listening now we discussed memory
and test-taking strategies well again
two problems that the test presents at
this point is that we cannot take notes
and the listening passage and questions
and answers are given only one
so our traditional sort of process of
elimination strategies will not
necessarily apply here instead we have
to use a combination of memory and
alternative test-taking strategies to
improve performance now recall that we
said one strategy was to repeat the
questions and answer choices to yourself
quietly in the order that you hear them
as they're being given and this is
especially true for parts 1 & 2 since we
can't see the questions or answers now
while doing this one idea we discussed
was positioning your pencil over the
answer choices to help focus your
attention and to move the pencil each
time the answer choice is given this way
you'll be able to fill in the answer
quickly because you don't have a lot of
time in between questions now another
strategy one that we haven't discussed
and this is especially helpful I think
for parts 2 through 4 is to actually
close your eyes during the listening
passage and visualize the people in the
situation now at this point in the
series it's probably a good idea to
discuss how we can continue to improve
for this part of the test well part of
the idea is students often think that
listening is just turning on a TV or
radio in the background that's not true
we really need to engage in more
purposeful listening because listening
does require discipline and active
attention so take time out of the day to
listen to not just to watch the news on
the radio or on the internet there are
lots of resources that contain both a
listening event and the transcript and
then try listening to the event even
before you look at the transcript you
also might want to think about testing
your ability to remember and summarize
what is being said in this listening
activity so you know for example if
after you listen just take a few minutes
and talk to yourself however I do think
that it might be helpful to take notes
now obviously we can't do this for the
test but I do think that this skill will
help you in learning about which
information is important which is not
another idea is to keep a separate
journal of new vocabulary words that you
learn every day we need to be more
purposeful in the words that we're
learning
and make sure you're practicing with
different accents obviously I couldn't
do different accents on this video
series but the truth is on the TOEIC you
will hear speakers from different
countries British English American
English Australian English even Canadian
English so don't just focus on American
English and try to engage in more
conversation with other people
and finally this is the most important
thing this is something you have to
practice again listening is a purse but
purposeful activity so try to do this a
little bit every day so practice
practice practice
now some resources and I will list these
below the video as well on the YouTube
channel
National Public Radio is a good resource
they are available you can listen to
them obviously from your local radio
station or from WWMT org or you can
download the NPR app from iTunes or the
Android Market you can also obtain
transcripts of almost all the stories
you hear on NPR Voice of America is
another good resource especially there
learn English link and they also do have
a new mobile app that you can use on
your smart phone there are also a lot of
great international websites the BBC for
example Canadian broadcasts and even
Australian Broadcasting just to help you
get used to the different accents you
may hear on the test and finally iTunes
has a lot of podcasts that might be
helpful that you might want to listen to
so our final thoughts improving
listening can occur a little bit faster
than reading obviously we have to listen
almost every day so it becomes even
easier when you get more comfortable
with the accents of the speakers now the
one thing I need to stress and I stress
this in the reading series as well is
that learning more English is ultimately
the only way to improve on the test
improving your vocabulary improving your
listening skills there's only so much
test preparation that you can do and
remember listening is not a passive
activity it does require attention and
active thought
finally to remind you that there are
lots of great materials out there for
preparing for the test
the official TOEIC website the great
series by grant true from Oxford
University Press and our new TOEFL TOEIC
preparation website thanks for watching
this video series we'll see you in 2013
for the TOEIC speaking skill series
you
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