托福听力揭秘 识别“问答原则”

由于托福听力考试要求的特殊性，与雅思的听力考试不同，托福考生不能通过预览听力考题来对听力材料中的重要内容作一个预先判断，故而，掌握如何在托福听力材料中定位重要信息的能力对于托福考生来说显得至关重要。

除了听力中几乎百发百中的转折原则外，问答原则也是在听力材料中定位出题信息的一个重要原则。无论是在对话还是讲座当中，问答情境的出现通常都是对听力材料中涉及的重要问题的明确与深入探讨，对于问题的回答往往就是对听力主线内容的进一步阐释说明，故而一问一答的内容往往就是出题点所在，此部分的信息是考生解题的重要线索与依据，需要重点关注。

下面将以TPO真题中的具体实例说明问答原则如何能够帮助考生在托福听力中定位重点出题信息。

Conversation篇

托福听力中conversation涉及的主要是学生求助他人解决实际问题或授课内容疑难点的场景，问答原则在对话中的主要体现在于一、明确学生的主要问题 --- conversation必考的主旨题往往是在学生与教授或工作人员的问答中得以体现，其中：对话的目的主旨往往直接就是学生的问题所在，对话的大意主旨也都是在对话双方的不断应答中得以揭示的;以及二、探讨、解决问题过程中的重要环节与步骤，在对话中基于不同问题或疑惑的解答往往是涉及对话主线的重要信息，通常在听力中会以细节题的形式进行考察。

例1： TPO6 Conversation1当中，学生因不明确校园招聘会具体面向什么学生群体而特意前去咨询，此处涉及的是对对话目的主旨的考察。

TPO-6 Conversation-1

Narrator

Listen to a conversation between a student and an employee in the universitys

career services office.

Student

Hi, do you have a minute?

Employee

Sure, how can I help you?

Student

I have a couple of questions about the career fair next week.

Employee

OK, shoot.

Student

Um ...well, are seniors the only ones who can go? I mean, you know, they are

finishing school this year and getting their degrees and everything. And, well, it

seems like businesses would wanna talk to them and not first year students

like me.

Employee

No, no, the career fair is opened to all our students and we encourage anyone

whos interested to go check it out.

1. Why does the student go to the career services office?

● to confirm the date and time of the career fair

● to learn the location of the career fair

● to find out he is allowed to attend the career fair

● to get advice about interviewing at the career fair

例2： TPO8 Conversation1当中，学生去办理学位证，但因不明白办理的具体要求，学生遇到了一些麻烦。

TPO-8 Conversation-1

Stu

Hi, Id like to drop of my graduation form; I understand you need this in order to process my diploma.

Reg

Ok, I will take that. Before you leave, lets me check our computer. Looks like you are OK for graduation, and actually, I am getting a warning fly on your academic record here.

Stu

Really?

Reg

Yeah. Lets see was what. Are you familiar with your graduation requirements?

Stu

Yes, I think so

Reg

Then you know you need 48 credits in your major field to graduate and at least 24 credits in the intermediate level or higher. Also, after your second year, you have to meet with your department chair to outline a plan for the rest of your time here.(Q2) In the past, we also issue letters before students final year began to let them know what they needed to take in the final year to be OK, but we dont do that anymore.

Stu

I definitely met with my chair person 2 years ago; he told me that I need 8 more courses at the intermediate level or higher in the last 2 years to be OK. So I am not sure what the problem is, I make sure I got these credits.

2.According to the registrar, what step is currently taken to ensure that students fulfill their graduation requirements?

●Academic records are regularly checked by the registrars office

●Students meet with a department chairperson to plan their course work

●Students receive letters listing the courses that they still need to take

●Warning letters are sent to students who have fallen behind in their course work

例3： TPO14 Conversation2当中，学生想转资讯专业，老师向其解释学校并没有设置资讯专业，且就读资讯专业并不是要成为记者的必要条件。

Student:

Yeah anyway, I am glad you schedule this meeting because I want to change my

major to journalism now.

Advisor:

Um，the university doesnt offer a major in journalism.

Student:

Oh no

Advisor:

But.

Student:

I I mean should I transfer to another school, or major in English?

Advisor:

Er wait a minute. Let me explain why the major isnt offered. Editors at newspapers editors um I mean when you apply for a reporting job, editors look

at the two things(Q2)--- they want to see clips, you know, some of your published articles(Q3), though also want you to try out, though give you an assignment like covering press conferences of some other event, then see if you can craft the story about it, accurately, on dead line(Q3).

3. According to advisor, how do newspaper editors evaluate an applicant for a

reporting position?

Clickon 2 answers.

They ask the applicant to present ideas for news stories.

They ask the applicant to write a news story.

They review the applicants university course work.

They review a sample of the applicants published articles.

Lecture篇

在以答疑解惑为逻辑主线的lecture当中，问答原则的作用显得尤为突出。无论是在讨论型还是独白型的lecture当中，问答情境出现的地方往往都是涉及课程主题重难点的重要信息，通常是老师针对学生的疑问进行详细阐明的情境，因这些重要的概念与说明往往围绕上课主线展开，故而也都是出题点密集分布的精华部分。

例1: TPO6 Lecture1 教授询问学生是否知道郁金香的原产地，在学生回答错误之后，最终给出了正确的答案。

TPO-6 Lecture-1

Professor

Exactly. For instance, do you have any idea where tulips are from? Originally I

mean.

Student

Well, the Netherlands, right?

Professor

Thats what most people think, but no. They are not native to the Netherlands,

or even Europe. Tulips actually hail from an area that Chinese call the Celestial

Mountains in Central Asia.

8. According to the professor,where did tulips originate

● the mountains of central Asia

● the region around Istanbul in Turkey

● the sandy soils of the Netherlands

● the forests of northern Europe

例2： TPO6 Lecture4学生因对教授的一处推理过程有疑，教授在解答学生疑问的过程中，列举了三个使推理成立的重要依据。

TPO-6 Lecture-4

Student

But how is that proved that the Sahara used to be a lot wetter? I mean the

people who painted those hippos, well, couldnt they have seen them on their

travels?

Professor

Okay, in principal they could, Karl. But the rock paintings arent the only

evidence. Beneath the Sahara are huge aquifers, basically a sea of fresh

water, thats perhaps a million years old filtered through rock layers.

Anderand then there is fossilized pollen, from low shrubs and grasses that

once grew in the Sahara. In fact these plants still grow, erbut hundreds of

miles away, in more vegetated areas. Anyway, its this fossilized pollen along

with the aquifers and the rock paintings, these three things are all evidence

that the Sahara was once much greener than it is today(Q13), that there were hippos

and probably elephants and giraffes and so on.

13.Not long ago, the Sahara had a different climate. What evidence does the professor mention to support this(3)

● Ancient pollen

● Bones from large animals

● Rock paintings

● Agriculture in ancient Egypt

● Underground water

例3： TPO15 Lecture4教授在课上解释一本看起来平凡无奇的书在拍卖会上拍得天价的真实原因。

TPO-15 Lecture-3

Professor

But in 1998, a book of prayers from the Middle Ages(Q9) sold in an art auction for a lot of

money, more money than anyone would pay for a damaged book from the 12th century. Beautiful or not, why? It had been discovered that the book was a palimpsest, and beneath the surface writing on the manual script laid, guess what? Mathematical theorems and diagrams from Archimedes(Q9)

9. What type of book became known as the Archimedes palimpsest?

A history book.

A physics book.

A prayer book.

An artists book.