2026年托福听力口语真题

2026年托福听力口语真题

ListeningSection

Conversation1

Narrator:Listentoaconversationbetweenastudentandaprofessor.

Professor:Hi,Sarah.Youwantedtoseemeaboutyourproposalforthehistoryproject?Comeonin.

Student:Thanks,ProfessorMiller.Yes,Idid.I’vebeenthinkingaboutthetopicyousuggestedlastweek,regardingtheindustrialrevolution’simpactonlocaltrade.Buthonestly,I’mhavingsecondthoughts.

Professor:Oh?Whyisthat?Itseemedtoalignwellwithyourinterestineconomichistory.

Student:Itdoes,butIwenttothecityarchivesyesterdaytolookforprimarysources,specificallytheshippingmanifestsfromthe1890s.Theproblemis,asignificantportionofthosedocumentswasdamagedinabasementfloodbackinthe1950s.Mostofthepagesareillegible.

Professor:Thatisunfortunate.Thosemanifestsarecrucialfortrackingthevolumeofgoods.Withoutthem,itwouldbehardtosubstantiateyourclaimsabouttheincreaseintextileexports.

Student:Exactly.So,IwaswonderingifIcouldpivottoadifferenttopic.IstumbleduponsomefascinatinglettersinthespecialcollectionswhileIwasthere.TheyarecorrespondencebetweenalocalmerchantandhissupplierinLondon,datingbacktothe1820s.

Professor:The1820s?That’sabitearlierthantheindustrialperiodwe’refocusingon,butitcouldworkifyouframeitcorrectly.What’sthesignificanceoftheseletters?

Student:Well,theydiscussthemerchant’sdifficultiesinimportingluxurygoodsduetothetraderestrictionsofthatera.Itoffersareallypersonalperspectiveonhowmacro-politicalpoliciesaffectedindividualbusinessesonamicrolevel.

Professor:Thatsoundspromising.Itshiftsthefocusfrommanufacturingvolumetotradepolicyandconsumerbehavior.It’sabitofanicheangle,butwehaven'thadapaperonthatinawhile.Doyouhaveenoughletterstobuildasolidargument?

Student:Thereareabouttwentylettersspanningtwoyears.IthinkIcanusethemtoanalyzethefluctuationinpricesandavailabilityofitemsliketeaandporcelain.

Professor:Thatseemssufficient.Justmakesureyoudon'tgettooboggeddowninthenarrativedetails.Remember,thisisahistorypaper,notaliteraturereview.Youneedtocontextualizetheletterswithinthebroadereconomicclimateofthe1820s.

Student:Iunderstand.I’llfocusontheeconomicimplications.So,you’reokaywiththeswitch?

Professor:Absolutely.It’sbettertoworkwithviablesourcesthantostrugglewithincompletedata.JustsendmeanupdatedoutlinebyFridaysoIcanensureyou’reontherighttrack.

Student:Thankyousomuch,ProfessorMiller.I’llgetthattoyoubyFriday.

Questions:

1.Whydoesthestudentvisittheprofessor?

A.Toaskforanextensiononherpaperdeadline.

B.Todiscussaproblemwithheroriginalresearchtopic.

C.Togetpermissiontoaccessthecityarchives.

D.Tosubmittheoutlineforherhistoryproject.

2.Whatproblemdidthestudentencounterwithheroriginaltopic?

A.Thetopicwastoobroadandneededtobenarroweddown.

B.Thebookssheneededwerecheckedoutbyanotherstudent.

C.Primarysourcedocumentsweredamagedandunreadable.

D.Shefoundthetopictoodifficulttounderstand.

3.Whatisthestudent'snewproposedtopic?

A.Themanufacturingprocessoftextilesinthe1890s.

B.Theimpactoftradepoliciesonalocalmerchantinthe1820s.

C.AcomparisonoftradebetweenthecityandLondoninthe20thcentury.

D.Thesociallifeofmerchantsduringtheindustrialrevolution.

4.Whatdoestheprofessoradvisethestudenttodoregardingthenewtopic?

A.Focusonthenarrativestyleoftheletters.

B.Avoidgettingtoodetailedabouttheeconomicclimate.

C.Contextualizetheletterswithinthebroadereconomicsituation.

D.Expandthetimeperiodtoincludethe1830s.

5.Whatdoestheprofessorimplyaboutthenewtopic?

A.Itistoosimilartootherstudents'papers.

B.Itisnotrelevanttothecoursematerial.

C.Itisafreshperspectivethathasn'tbeencoveredrecently.

D.Itwillbemucheasiertowritethantheoriginaltopic.

Conversation2

Narrator:Listentoaconversationbetweenastudentandauniversityemployee.

Student:Hi.Iwastoldtocomeheretosortoutmyhousingcontractfornextsemester.I’mintheNorthCampusdormsrightnow,butIrequestedatransfertotheGraduateStudentApartments.

Employee:Letmepullupyourfile.Name?

Student:DavidChen.

Employee:Okay,David.Iseetherequesthere.You’recurrentlyinasharedroominWilsonHall,andyouappliedforasinglestudiointheGraduateApartments.Isthatcorrect?

Student:Yes,that’sright.I’vebeenacceptedintothemaster’sprogramfornextyear,soI’meligibleforthegraduatehousing.Ijustwanttoconfirmthatmyapplicationwasprocessedintime.

Employee:Lookingatthedates...yousubmitteditonthe15th,whichwasthedeadlineday.Youmadethecutoff,butbarely.Theprioritylistwasfinalizedyesterday.

Student:Oh,wow.Thatwasclose.So,didIgetaspot?

Employee:Youarecurrentlynumber12onthewaitinglist.TheGraduateApartmentsareinhighdemandthisyear.Wehadarecordnumberofreturningstudents.

Student:Number12?That’sprettyfardown.IsthereanychanceIcouldgetaspotbeforethesemesterstarts?

Employee:It’shardtosay.Usually,there’ssomemovementinAugustwhenpeopledecidetostudyabroadormoveoff-campus.Butbeingnumber12,I’dbepreparedforthepossibilitythatyoumightnotgetinimmediately.

Student:That’saproblem.Ireallyneedaquietplacetostudy,andtheundergraddormsare...abittoolively.Doyouhaveanyotheroptions?

Employee:Well,thereisaspecificwinginWilsonHallthatisdesignatedas"QuietLiving."It’smostlyseniors,buttheysometimesmakeexceptionsforgradstudentsifthere’sspace.It’snotguaranteed,butitmightbeagoodbackupplan.

Student:Thatsoundsbetterthanmycurrentsituation.HowdoIapplyforthat?

Employee:IcanaddanotetoyourfileindicatingthatiftheGraduateApartmentsdon'tcomethrough,you’dliketobeconsideredfortheQuietLivingwing.Youwon'tloseyourspotonthewaitinglistfortheapartments.

Student:Thatwouldbegreat.Pleasedothat.Also,whataboutthedeposit?Ialreadypaidforthedorms.

Employee:Thatdepositcarriesover.Ifyougettheapartment,thefeeisadjustedautomatically.IfyouendupintheQuietLivingwing,there’snochangeinthebillingcyclesinceyou’restayinginthesamebuilding.

Student:Perfect.Thanksforyourhelp.

Questions:

6.Whatisthestudent'smainpurpose?

A.Topayhishousingdepositforthenextyear.

B.Toinquireaboutthestatusofhishousingtransfer.

C.Tocomplainaboutthenoiseinhiscurrentdormitory.

D.Toapplyforapositionasaresidentadvisor.

7.Whyisthestudentconcernedaboutthewaitinglist?

A.Heneedsaquietenvironmentforhisgraduatestudies.

B.HecannotaffordtherentfortheGraduateStudentApartments.

C.Hewantstolivewithhisfriendswhoarealreadythere.

D.Heisworriedhewilllosehisdeposit.

8.Whatdoestheemployeeimplyaboutthestudent'sapplicationtiming?

A.Hesubmittedtheapplicationtoolate.

B.Hesubmittedtheapplicationjustintime.

C.Hewasthefirstpersontoapply.

D.Heneedstoresubmittheapplicationwithmoreinformation.

9.Whatalternativedoestheemployeesuggest?

A.Movingtoaprivateoff-campusapartment.

B.Applyingforaroominthe"QuietLiving"wing.

C.BecomingaresidentadvisorinWilsonHall.

D.SharingastudiointheGraduateApartments.

10.Whathappenstothestudent'sdeposit?

A.Itisrefundedbecausehewantstomove.

B.Itistransferredtohisnewhousingassignment.

C.Itisforfeitedifhedoesnotgettheapartment.

D.Hemustpayanadditionalfeeforthetransfer.

Lecture1-EnvironmentalScience

Narrator:ListentopartofalectureinanEnvironmentalScienceclass.TheprofessorisdiscussingUrbanHeatIslands.

Professor:We’veallexperiencedthatstiflingfeelingwhenwalkingthroughacityonahotsummerday,steppingoffthecoolbusortrain,andfeelinglikewe’vewalkedintoanoven.ThisphenomenoniswhatwecalltheUrbanHeatIsland,orUHIeffect.Itdescribeshowurbanareasaresignificantlywarmerthantheirruralsurroundings.Now,whydoesthishappen?It’snotjustglobalwarming,thoughthatcontributes.It’slargelyaboutthematerialsweusetobuildourcitiesandthelackofgreenery.

First,let'stalkaboutsurfacematerials.Inruralareas,youhavesoilandvegetation.Thesesurfacesarepermeable;theyabsorbwaterandreflectagoodportionofthesun’ssolarradiation.Thisreflectivityismeasuredbysomethingcalledalbedo.Snowhasahighalbedo,reflectingmostlight.Asphaltanddarkrooftops,ontheotherhand,haveverylowalbedo.Theyabsorbthesun'senergyduringthedayandreleaseitslowlyatnightasheat.Thiscreatesareservoirofheatthatpreventsthecityfromcoolingdownevenafterthesungoesset.

Secondly,there’stheissueofwhatwecall"canyongeometry."Tallbuildingscreatenarrowcanyonsthattrapheat.Insteadofthewindcirculatingfreelyandcarryingheataway,theheatgetsreflectedoffthewindowsandwallsofthesebuildings,bouncingbackandforth.Thismultipliestheradiationexposure.Furthermore,thelackofvegetationmeanslessevapotranspiration.Yourememberfrombiologythatplantsreleasewatervapor,whichcoolstheair.Withouttreesandgrass,welosethisnaturalcoolingmechanism.

So,whataretheconsequences?Well,highertemperaturesincreaseenergyconsumptionaspeoplecrankuptheirairconditioning.This,ironically,releaseswasteheatintotheoutsideairfromACunits,makingtheproblemworse.Italsodegradesairqualityandwaterquality,andposesserioushealthriskslikeheatstroke.

Tocombatthis,cityplannersarelookingatmitigationstrategies.Greenroofsareapopularsolution.Bycoveringrooftopswithplants,weincreasethealbedoandevapotranspiration.Anotherstrategyisusingcoolpavements—reflectivematerialsforsidewalksandroads.Wecanalsoincreaseurbanforestry,plantingmoretreesalongstreets.

Let’slookatacasestudy.InChicago,amassiveinitiativewaslaunchedtoinstallgreenroofsonpublicbuildings.Datacollectedovertenyearsshowedthatbuildingswithgreenroofswere,onaverage,3to4degreesCelsiuscoolerthanstandardbuildings.Notonlydidthisreduceenergycosts,butitalsomanagedstormwaterrunoffbetterbecausethesoilabsorbedtherain.

However,implementingthesesolutionsisn'tcheap.Itrequiresinvestmentandmaintenance.Butwhenwefactorinthelong-termsavingsinenergyandthepublichealthbenefits,theargumentbecomesmuchstronger.Thechallengeisretrofittingoldcities.It’smucheasiertodesignanewcitywiththeseprinciplesinmindthantofixanexistingconcretejungle.

Questions:

11.Whatisthemaintopicofthelecture?

A.Theeffectsofglobalwarmingonruralagriculture.

B.ThecausesandsolutionsoftheUrbanHeatIslandeffect.

C.ThehistoryofurbanplanninginChicago.

D.Thebiologicalprocessofevapotranspirationinplants.

12.Accordingtotheprofessor,howdo"canyongeometry"andsurfacematerialscontributetoUHI?

A.Theyallowwindtocooldownthebuildingsquickly.

B.Theyabsorbandtrapsolarradiation,preventingcooling.

C.Theyincreasetheamountofrainfallinthecity.

D.Theyreducetheneedforairconditioning.

13.Whydoestheprofessormentionalbedo?

A.Toexplainwhysnowiscolderthanasphalt.

B.Todescribethereflectivityofdifferentsurfaces.

C.Tocalculatetheenergyconsumptionofacity.

D.Tomeasuretheheightoftallbuildings.

14.WhatresultdoestheprofessorhighlightfromtheChicagocasestudy?

A.Greenroofsreducedbuildingtemperaturesandmanagedstormwater.

B.Coolpavementseliminatedtheneedforairconditioning.

C.Urbanforestryincreasedtheriskoffires.

D.Thecitybecametooexpensivetomaintain.

15.Whatistheprofessor'sattitudetowardretrofittingoldcities?

A.Itisimpossibletoachieve.

B.Itischeaperthanbuildingnewcities.

C.Itischallengingbutnecessary.

D.Itshouldbeavoidedinfavorofbuildingnewsuburbs.

16.WhatdoestheprofessorimplyabouttherelationshipbetweenairconditioningandtheUrbanHeatIslandeffect?

A.Airconditioninghelpstocooltheoutsideaireffectively.

B.Airconditioningisnotusedenoughinurbanareas.

C.ThewasteheatfromairconditioningworsenstheUHIeffect.

D.AirconditioningunitsaretheprimarycauseofUHI.

Lecture2-Astrophysics

Narrator:ListentopartofalectureinanAstrophysicsclass.TheprofessorisdiscussingExoplanets.

Professor:Untiltheearly1990s,ourknowledgeofplanetswasconfinedtoourownsolarsystem.Wehadatheoreticalunderstandingofhowplanetsformed,butwehadnoconcreteproofthatplanetsexistedaroundotherstars.Thatallchangedwiththediscoveryofexoplanets—planetsorbitingstarsoutsideoursolarsystem.Today,weknowofthousandsofthem.Buthowdowefindsomethingthatissosmallanddimcomparedtothestaritorbits?It’sliketryingtospotafireflynexttoasearchlightfromathousandmilesaway.

ThetwomostprolificmethodsaretheRadialVelocityMethodandtheTransitMethod.

Let’sstartwiththeRadialVelocityMethod,oftencalledthe"wobblemethod."Aplanetdoesn'tjustorbitastar;theplanetandthestaractuallyorbitacommoncenterofmass.Becausethestarissomuchmoremassive,itbarelymoves,butitdoeswobbleslightly.Wecandetectthiswobblebylookingatthestar'slightspectrum.Asthestarwobblestowardsus,itslightshiftsslightlytowardstheblueendofthespectrum;asitwobblesaway,itshiftstowardsthered.ThisistheDopplereffect.Bymeasuringthemagnitudeofthisshift,wecancalculatetheplanet'sminimummass.

Theformulausedtodescribetheradialvelocitysemi-amplitudeKisgivenby:

K=

WhereGisthegravitationalconstant,Pistheorbitalperiod,isthemassoftheplanet,isthemassofthestar,eiseccentricity,andiistheinclination.Youdon'tneedtomemorizethis,butjustunderstandthatKtellsushowfastthestarismovingduetotheplanet'spull.

ThesecondmethodistheTransitMethod.Thisworksbymonitoringthebrightnessofastarovertime.Ifaplanet'sorbitisalignedjustrightfromourperspective,itwillpassdirectlyinfrontofitshoststar.Whenthishappens,itblocksatinyfractionofthestar'slight.Weseeadipinthelightcurve.Thesizeofthediptellsusthesizeoftheplanetrelativetothestar.

Now,theTransitMethodisincrediblypowerfulbecauseitallowsustostudytheplanet'satmosphere.Whentheplanettransits,someofthestar'slightfiltersthroughtheplanet'satmosphere.Byanalyzingthislightwithaspectroscope,wecandetectthechemicalcompositionoftheatmosphere.Thisishowwe'vefoundwatervapor,methane,andcarbondioxideonotherworlds.

However,bothmethodshaveabias.Theyaremuchbetteratfindinglargeplanetsthatareclosetotheirstars—so-called"HotJupiters."Asmall,rockyplanetlikeEarthcausesamuchsmallerwobbleandblocksmuchlesslight,makingitincrediblydifficulttodetectwitholderinstruments.That’swhyspacetelescopeslikeKeplerandTESSweresovital;theyweresensitiveenoughtodetecttheseminutevariations.

Questions:

17.Whatisthelecturemainlyabout?

A.TheformationofstarsintheMilkyWaygalaxy.

B.Methodsusedtodetectexoplanets.

C.Thechemicalcompositionofplanetaryatmospheres.

D.ThehistoryoftheDopplereffectinastronomy.

18.Whydoestheprofessormentionafireflyandasearchlight?

A.Todescribethebrightnessofasupernova.

B.Toillustratethedifficultyofseeingaplanetnearitsstar.

C.Toexplainthebehavioroflightinavacuum.

D.Tocomparethesizeofthesuntootherstars.

19.Accordingtotheprofessor,whatdoestheRadialVelocityMethodmeasure?

A.Thedipinastar'sbrightness.

B.Thechemicalcompositionofaplanet'satmosphere.

C.Theshiftinastar'slightspectrumcausedbyitswobble.

D.Theangleofaplanet'sorbitrelativetoEarth.

20.Whatinformationdoestheformulaprovidedbytheprofessorhelpdetermine?

A.Theexactageofthestar.

B.Thespeedofthestar'smovementcausedbytheplanet.

C.Thetemperatureoftheplanet'ssurface.

D.ThedistancebetweenthestarandEarth.

21.HowdoestheTransitMethodallowscientiststostudyaplanet'satmosphere?

A.Bymeasuringthewobbleoftheplanet.

B.Byanalyzingstarlightthatpassesthroughtheatmosphere.

C.Bysendingaprobetotheplanet'ssurface.

D.Byobservingthereflectionoflightofftheplanet'sclouds.

22.WhatdoestheprofessorimplyaboutHotJupiters?

A.Theyarethemostcommontypeofplanetintheuniverse.

B.TheyareeasiertodetectthanEarth-likeplanets.

C.TheyhaveatmospheressimilartoEarth's.

D.Theycannotsupportlifeofanykind.

Lecture3-ArtHistory

Narrator:ListentopartofalectureinanArtHistoryclass.TheprofessorisdiscussingDadaism.

Professor:Intheearly20thcentury,theworldwasengulfedinthechaosofWorldWarI.Manyartistsbecamedisillusionedwiththesocietythatcouldallowsuchdestructiontohappen.Theyrejectedthelogic,reason,andaestheticismofmoderncapitalistsociety.Instead,theyembracedchaos,irrationality,andtheanti-art.ThismovementwascalledDadaism.

Dadaismwasn'tjustaboutaspecificvisualstyle;itwasanattitude.ItemergedinZurich,Switzerland,aneutralcountryduringthewar,butquicklyspreadtoBerlin,Paris,andNewYork.TheDadaistsheldperformances,stagedpoetryreadingsthatmadenosense,andcreatedartthatchallengedtheverydefinitionofart.

OneofthemostfamousfiguresofDadaismwasMarcelDuchamp.Heintroducedtheconceptofthe"readymade."Hewouldtakeordinary,manufacturedobjects—aurinal,abottlerack,asnowshovel—anddesignatethemasartsimplybychoosingthemandsigningthem.Hismostinfamousreadymadewas"Fountain,"whichwasjustastandardurinalturnedonitsback.

Now,whydidhedothis?Duchampwasn'tclaimingthattheurinalwasbeautifulinatraditionalsense.Hewasaskingaphilosophicalquestion:"Whatisart?"Ifanartistsayssomethingisart,doesitbecomeart?Byremovingthehandoftheartistfromthecreationprocess—hedidn'tmaketheurinal—hewasattackingtheideathatartisticskillandcraftsmanshipwerethemostimportantqualitiesofart.Hewassayingthatartisabouttheidea,theconcept,ratherthantheobjectitself.

AnotherkeyaspectofDadaismwasphotomontage,especiallypopularamongtheBerlinDadaists.ArtistslikeHannahHöchandRaoulHausmannwouldcutupphotographsfromnewspapersandmagazinesandgluethemtogethertocreatejarring,oftenpoliticallychargedimages.ThesecollagescritiquedtheWeimarRepublicandthere-emergenceofmilitarisminGermany.Bytakingfragmentsofmassmediaandreassemblingthem,theyweretryingtomakesenseofthefragmentedrealityofpost-warEurope.

Dadaismwasshort-livedasacohesivemovement,dissolvingbythemid-1920s.However,itsinfluencewasprofound.ItpavedthewayforSurrealism,whichexploredtheunconsciousmind,anditlaidthegroundworkforConceptualArt,wheretheideaisparamount.ItalsoinfluencedPerformanceArt.TheDadaiststaughtusthatartdoesn'thavetobepretty;itcanbeprovocative,disturbing,andintellectual.

Questions:

23.Whatisthemainpurposeofthelecture?

A.TocomparetheartmovementsinZurichandBerlin.

B.ToexplaintheoriginsandphilosophyofDadaism.

C.ToanalyzethetechnicalskillsofMarcelDuchamp.

D.TodiscusstheimpactofWorldWarIonarchitecture.

24.HowdoestheprofessorcharacterizetheDadamovement?

A.Asacelebrationoftraditionalbeautyandlogic.

B.Asareactionagainstthechaosofthewar.

C.Asanattempttoimproveartisticcraftsmanship.

D.Asamovementfocusedsolelyonlandscapepainting.

25.WhatpointdoestheprofessorillustratewiththeexampleofDuchamp's"Fountain"?

A.Thatmass-producedobjectscanbebeautiful.

B.Thatartrequiresimmensetechnicalskill.

C.Thatthedefinitionofartisaconceptualchoice.

D.Thatplumbingfixturesarethebestsubjectsforart.

26.Accordingtotheprofessor,whywasphotomontagepopularamongBerlinDadaists?

A.Itallowedthemtocritiquepoliticsusingmassmedia.

B.Itwastheonlyartstyleallowedbythegovernment.

C.Theywantedtocreaterealisticdepictionsofthewar.

D.Itwaseasiertocreatethanpainting.

27.WhatdoestheprofessorsuggestaboutthelegacyofDadaism?

A.Itwasafailureandhadnoinfluenceonfutureart.

B.ItdirectlyledtotheRenaissancestyle.

C.ItinfluencedlatermovementslikeSurrealismandConceptualArt.

D.Itwasprimarilyaliterarymovementwithlittlevisualimpact.

28.WhydoestheprofessormentionZurich?

A.Toexplainwherethemovementbegan.

B.TocontrastitwiththeartsceneinParis.

C.TodescribethesceneryinHannahHöch'swork.

D.TopointoutthatSwitzerlandwasinvolvedinthewar.

SpeakingSection

Task1

Somepeoplebelievethatuniversitystudentsshouldberequiredtoattendclasses.Othersbelievethatattendingclassesshouldbeoptional.Whichviewdoyouagreewith?Usespecificreasonsandexamplestosupportyouranswer.

Task2

ReadingPassage:

Theuniversityadministrationhasannouncedaproposaltorenovatetheoldgymnasiumbuilding.Thebuilding,whichwasbuiltinthe1960s,currentlyhousestheindoorpoolandbasketballcourts.Theproposalsuggestsconvertingthespaceintoahigh-techresearchcenterandstudentinnovationhub.Theadministrationarguesthatthecurrentgymfacilitiesareoutdatedandthatthenewresearchcenterwouldbetterservetheacademicneedsoftheuniversityandattractmoreresearchgrants.

ListeningPassage:

Amanandawomandiscusstheproposal.

Man:Didyouseethenewsabouttheoldgym?Theywanttoturnitintoaresearchcenter.

Woman:Yeah,Ireadthat.I’mnotsureit’sagoodidea.

Man:Whynot?Wecouldusemoreresearchspace.

Woman:Maybe,butthinkaboutthestudents.Themaingymisalwaysovercrowded,especiallyinthewinter.Ifwelosetheoldgym,therewillbenowhereelsetoplaybasketballorswim.

Man:True,Iusuallygotheretoavoidthecrowdsatthemainfacility.

Woman:Exactly.Plus,alotoftheclubsandintramuralsportsusethatspace.Wherearetheysupposedtogo?Itseemslikethey’reprioritizinggrantsoverstudenthealthandrecreation.

Question:

Thewomanexpressesheropinionabouttheuniversity'sproposal.Stateheropinionandexplainthereasonsshegivesforholdingthatopinion.

Task3

ReadingPassage:

The"IKEAEffect"isacognitivebiasinwhichconsumersplaceadisproportionatelyhighvalueonproductsthattheypartiallycreatedthemselves.ThetermisderivedfromtheIKEAfurniturestore,wherecustomersassembletheirownfurniture.Thisphenomenonoccursbecausetheeffortputintobuildingaproductleadspeopletoovervalueit,regardlessoftheactualqualityoftheresult.Thelaborofassemblyconnectstheindividualtotheproduct,increasingtheirsenseofownershipandpride.

ListeningPassage:

Professor:So,let'slookatanexampleoftheIKEAEffect.Imagineacompanythatsellsasimpletoykit,likeamodelcar.Theyselltwoversions:onethatisfullyassembledandreadytouse,andanotherthatisinaboxwithpartsandinstructionsforassembly.Evenifthepre-assembledcaristechnicallybuiltbetterbecauseitwasdonebyamachine,peoplewhoboughtthekitandbuiltitthemselveswilloftenclaimtheircarissuperior.Theymightsaytheylikethedesignbetterorthatitrunssmoother,evenifit'sactuallyabitwobbly.Theyvalueitmorehighlybecausetheyinvestedtheirtimeandeffortintocreatingit.Thismakesthemmorelikelytokeepthetoyandlesslikelytoreturnit,comparedtosomeonewhojustboughtthefinishedproduct.

Question:

ExplainhowtheexampleusedbytheprofessorillustratestheconceptoftheIKEAEffect.

Task4

ListeningPassage:

Agricultureprofessor:Today,Iwanttotalkabouttwostrategiesplantsusetosurviveinarid,ordry,environments.Waterisscarceindeserts,soplantshaveevolvedadaptationstominimizewaterlossandstorewater.

Thefirststrategyisreducingwaterlossthroughtranspiration.Transpirationistheprocessofwaterevaporatingfromtheleaves.Tostopthis,somedesertplantshaveextremelysmallleavesornoleavesatall.Forexample,thecactushasspinesinsteadofleaves.Spineshaveaverysmallsurfacearea,soverylittlewaterevaporatesfromthem.Photosynthesisoccursinthegreenstemsinstead.Thisstructuralchangedrasticallyreducestheamountofwatertheplantlosestothehot,dryair.

Thesecondstrategyisstoringwater.Manydesertplantsactlikereservoirs.Theyhavethick,fleshytissuesthatcanexpandtoholdlargeamountsofwaterwhenitrains.Aclassicexampleisthesaguarocactus.Afteraheavyrain,asaguarocanabsorbhundredsoflitersofwater,itsribsexpandingtoaccommodatethevolume.Then,duringthelongdroughtsthatfollow,theplantslowlyusesthisstoredwatertosurviveuntilthenextrain.

Question:

Usingpointsandexamplesfromthelecture,describetwoadaptationsplantsusetosurviveinaridenvironments.

AnswerKeyandExplanations

ListeningSection

1.B

Explanation:Thestudentstartstheconversationbysaying,"I’vebeenthinkingaboutthetopicyousuggested...Buthonestly,I’mhavingsecondthoughts."Sheexplainsthattheprimarysourcesaredamaged,soshewantstodiscussswitchingtopics.

2.C

Explanation:Thestudentstates,"asignificantportionofthosedocumentswasdamagedinabasementfloodbackinthe1950s.Mostofthepagesareillegible."Thisisthespecificproblemwithheroriginalplantouseshippingmanifests.

3.B

Explanation:Thestudentproposesanalyzing"correspondencebetweenalocalmerchantandhissupplierinLondon...regardingthemerchant’sdifficultiesinimportingluxurygoodsduetothetraderestrictionsofthatera."ThisalignswithoptionB.

4.C

Explanation:Theprofessoradvises,"Remember,thisisahistorypaper...Youneedtocontextualizetheletterswithinthebroadereconomicclimateofthe1820s."Thismeanssheneedstoexplainhowthelettersrelatetothegeneraleconomicsituationofthetime.

5.C

Explanation:Theprofessorsays,"It’sabitofanicheangle,butwe