Reading Comprehension
There
are many different kinds of reading. For instance, you might study a chapter in
a textbook, or skim a magazine article. The question is, how should you read on
the TOEFL?
Since
time is limited, you have to read efficiently. Reading efficiently on the TOEFL
is a three-step process:
Step
1 – Strategically Skim
Imagine
you are reading a newspaper. You don’t have a lot of time to spare, but you
still want to see what is in the news. So what do you do? You probably read
over the headlines, look at the photos, and skim the lead paragraphs. You
certainly do not start at the top of the newspaper page and read every single
word until you get to the bottom of the page. You can find out what’s in the
news without reading every word on the page.
You
need to employ a similar strategy when reading a TOEFL passage. Skimming is a
quick techinique – it takes only a few seconds. It gives you a general idea of
the passage and the important topics that will be discussed. It puts you in the
right frame of mind when you begin Step 2.
How you skim depends on the passage
type:
If
the passage type is one long paragraph – You should skim the first two
sentences and the last sentence.
If
the passage type is two or more paragraphs – You should skim the first sentence
of each paragraph and the last sentence of the last paragraph.
Step
2 – Read Ideas
How
you handle Step 2 is crucial. If you read too closely, you may run out of time.
If you read superficially, your comprehensioan of the passage might be poor. So
how should you read on the TOEFL?
1.
Read Ideas, Not Words
To
pace yourself accurately on the TOEFL, you need to read ideas, not words.
Compare reading to eating a bowl of rice. It would take forever to eat the
whole bowl one grain at a time. Similarity, It would take forever to read a
whole book, or reading passages in the TOEFL, if you read every single word.
What
you should read are clumps of words. A skilled reader reads phrases, sentences,
and ideas; recognizes subjects, their actions, and their result; and finds main
ideas and sees how they are supported and organized.
2.
Handle Confusion
One
of greatest challenges in reading is dealinb with confusion. The TOEFL’s
passage are supposed to be confusing. Most likely, there are going to be
sentences in the passages that don’t make any sense to you. Chances are, you’re
not going to be the only test-taker that confused. However, what will set you
apart from the other test-takers is the way you handle your confusion.
A
skilled reader reads a confusing sentences and figures, “I’ll keep reading –
that sentence in either unimportant or the next few sentences will explain it
better”. The unskilled reader reads the same sentence and panics. “Oh I don’t
know what the sentence means! I better read it over and over until it makes
sense”.
When
you’re faced with a confusing sentence on the TOEFL, keep reading the passage.
The topic discussed in that sentence will probably make more sense once you’ve
read the entire passage, or you might find that the topic is not important to
your overall understanding of the passage
3.
Stay Focused
Have
you ever been reading a book and, after you’ve complete page, forgotten what you have just read? It
happens to all of us when we lose focus.
Since
time is limited, don’t loe your focus on the TOEFL. As you’re reading the
passages, do not think about time running out, how you’re doing on the test, or
how you’re going to celebrate when the TOEFL is over. You concentration will
suffer, you will not understand the passage, and you may have to waste precious
time re-reading it.
Step
3 – Scan for Key Words
Scanning
is not the same as reading. When you scan, your eyes move very quickly over the
sentences and paragraphs. You have only one purpose: find the key word. Once
you find the key word, you can read around that word for information you need
to answer that question. So how can you tell which words are key word? It’s
easy. They are usually the main nouns and action verbs of the question.
Example for Reading Comprehension:
The technology of the North American colonies did not
differ strikingly from that of Europe, but in one respect, the colonists
enjoyed a great advantage. Especially by comparison with Britain, Americans had
a wonderfully plentiful supply of wood. (Paragraph 1)
The first colonists did not, as many people imagine,
find an entire continent covered by a climax forest. Even along the Atlantic
seaboard, the forest was broken at many points. Nevertheless, all sorts of fine
trees abounded, and through the early colonial period, those who pushed
westward encountered new forests. By the end of the colonial era, the price of
wood had risen slightly in eastern cities, but wood was still
extremely abundant. (Paragraph 2)
The availability of wood brought advantages that have
seldom been appreciated. Wood was a foundation of the economy. Houses and all
manner of buildings were made of wood to a degree unknown in Britain. Secondly,
wood was used as fuel for heating and cooking. Thirdly, it was used as the
source of important industrial compounds, such as potash, an industrial alkali;
charcoal, a component of gunpowder; and tannic acid, used for tanning leather.
(Paragraph 3)
The supply of wood conferred advantages but had some
negative aspects as well. Iron at that time was produced by heating iron ore
with charcoal. Because Britain was so stripped of trees, she was unable to
exploit her rich iron mines. But the American colonies had both iron ore and
wood; iron production was encouraged and became successful. However, when
Britain developed coke smelting, the Colonies did not follow suit because they
had plenty of wood and besides, charcoal iron was stronger than coke iron. Coke
smelting led to technologic innovations and was linked to the emergence of the
Industrial Revolution. In the early nineteenth century, the former colonies
lagged behind Britain in industrial development because their supply of wood
led them to cling to charcoal iron. (Paragraph 4)
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The advantages of using wood in the colonies
(B) The effects of an abundance of wood on the
colonies
(C) The roots of the Industrial Revolution
(D) The difference between charcoal iron and coke iron
Answer: B
2. The word strikingly in the first paragraph
is closest in meaning to
(A) realistically.
(B) dramatically.
(C) completely.
(D) immediately.
Answer: B
3. Which of the following is a common assumption about
the forests of North America during the colonial period?
(A) They contained only a few types of trees.
(B) They existed only along the Atlantic seaboard.
(C) They had little or no economic value.
(D) They covered the entire continent.
Answer: D
4. According to the passage, by the end of the
colonial period, the price of wood in eastern cities
(A) rose quickly because wood was becoming so scarce.
(B) was much higher than it was in Britain.
(C) was slightly higher than in previous years.
(D) decreased rapidly because of lower demand for
wood.
Answer: C
5. What can be inferred about houses in Britain during
the period written about in the passage?
(A) They were more expensive than American houses.
(B) They were generally built with imported materials.
(C) They were typically smaller than homes in North
America.
(D) They were usually built from materials other than
wood
Answer: D
Structure and Written Expression
Examples for Part A - Structure
Choose the one word or phrase that best completes the
sentence.
1. The North Pole___________ a latitude of 90 degrees north.
A. it has
B. is having
C. which is having
D. has
Answer: D
2. The city of Beverly Hills is surrounded on ________ the city of Los
Angeles.
A. its sides
B. the sides are
C. it is the side of
D. all sides by
Answer: D
3. ________ greyhound, can achieve speeds up to thirty-six miles per hour.
A. The
B. The fastest
C. The fastest dog
D. The fastest dog, the
Answer: D
4. Marmots spend their time foraging among meadow plants and flowers or
________ on rocky cliffs.
A. gets sun
B. sunning
C. the sun
D. sunny
Answer: B
5. The greenhouse effect occurs ________ heat radiated from the Sun.
A. when does the Earth’s atmosphere trap
B. does the Earth’s atmosphere trap
C. when the Earth’s atmosphere traps
D. the Earth’s atmosphere traps
Answer: C
Examples for Part B – Written Expression
Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be
changed in order for the sentence to be correct.
6. Guppies are sometimes call rainbow fish because of
the males' bright colors
A B
C
D
Answer: A
7. On the floor of the Pacific Ocean is hundreds
of flat-topped mountains more than a
mile
A
B C
D
beneath sea level.
Answer: B
8. Because of the flourish with which John Hancock signed
the Declaration of Independence,
A
his name become synonymous with
signature.
B C
D
Answer: C
9. Segregation in public schools was declare unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court in 1954.
A
B
C
D
Answer:
B
10. Sirius, the Dog Star, is the most brightest star in the
sky with an absolute magnitude about
A
B
twenty-three times that of the Sun.
B
D
Answer: A
Sources:
Bailey,
Richard X. 2002. The Very Best Preparation Testbuster for the TOEFL CBT: Research
and Education Association.
Gear, Jolene
and Robert Gear. 2006. Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test: Cambridge
University Press
Hinkel, Eli.
2004. TOEFL Test Strategies: Barron’s Educational Series.
