TOEFL- SAMPLE

READING
The Moon
The moon is the closest natural body and the single natural satellite of
the earth. The orbit of the moon around the earth is not circular but
elliptical. Thus, the distance of the moon from the earth varies from a
maximum distance of 406,685 kilometers to a minimum of 365,410
kilometers. In one day, the moon moves about 12 degrees along its orbit.
The moon completes one revolution of the earth in 27.3 days, a period
known as a sidereal month.

The moon rotates slowly on its axis, making one complete rotation in a
period of time exactly equal to its orbit around the earth. Thus, the
moon keeps the same hemisphere or face turned toward the earth at all
times. We do not, however, always see only half of the moon’s surface
from the earth. The eccentricity of the moon’s orbit allows us to see
additional lunar surface through irregular movements called librations,
which expose an extra 18 percent of the moon’s surface at one time or
another.
In 1969, the first humans landed on the moon’s surface in the Sea of
Tranquility. Subsequent lunar landings were on the Ocean of Storms
and the Sea of Serenity. Despite these watery names, the astronauts had
to cope with an environment devoid of water. The dark areas on the
moon’s surface are called seas and oceans because early observers
assumed the moon was much like the earth. We now know that the seas
are dark because they are volcanic basalt flows, mostly of iron silicate.
The brighter parts, the mountains, consist of igneous deposits of
aluminum and calcium silicates.
Like the earth, the moon has no light of its own; its daylight side deflects
the light of the sun. The moon goes through phases, apparent changes
in its shape, because it orbits the earth in nearly the same plane as the
earth orbits the sun. The eight phases of the moon arise from its
changing position in relation to the earth, so the moon cannot be seen.
A few nights later, a thin crescent hangs in the evening twilight. At this
time, the dark side of the moon is faintly visible because it is illuminated
by earthshine, the light of the sun reflected from the earth to the moon,
then back again.
The second phase is a waxing crescent moon, followed by the third
phase, when the moon forms a right angle with the earth-sun line, and a
half moon appears at sunset. During the fourth phase, the moon is more
than half but less than fully illuminated, known as a waxing gibbous
moon. The waxing gibbous moon is followed by a full moon (fifth phase0,
which occurs when the sun, earth, and moon are in opposition, or
roughly aligned.
 At full moon, the rising disk of the moon appears to balance the setting
sun in the evening sky. When the moon is just past full, a lunar twilight —
seen as a glow in the eastern sky—will precede moonrise.
After the full moon, the moon begins to wane, through a waning gibbous
moon (sixth phase), a waning half moon (seventh phase), and a waning
crescent moon (eighth phase). Toward the end of the eighth phase, a thin
crescent appears at morning twilight, again accompanied by earthshine.
Finally, the cycle ends and another begins with a dark moon: another new
moon. The lunar cycle takes 29.5 days to complete—a period known as a
synodic month or the moon’s synodic period.
At its full phase, the moon’s intensity is about one millionth that of the
sun, and it is possible to read a newspaper by the light of the moon. The
full moon nearest the autumnal equinox in September is called the
Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon ushers in a period of several
successive days when the moon rises in the northeast soon after sunset.
This phenomenon gives farmers in temperate latitudes extra hours of
light in which to harvest their crops before frost and winter come. The full
moon following the Harvest Moon is called the Hunter’s Moon and is
accompanied by a similar but less market phenomenon of early
moonrise.

1. Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the

highlighted sentence in paragraph 1? Incorrect choices change the
meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) The only object circling the earth that is not man-made is the moon, our closest
satellite.

(B) The earth has several natural satellites, but the moon has only one natural
satellite.

(C) The moon is closer to the earth's surface than are other moons to other planets'
surfaces.

(D) At some times during its orbit, the moon is closer to the earth than it is at other
times.

2. The word eccentricity in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

((A) speed

(B) beauty
(C) abnormality
(D) distance
3. The phrase devoid of in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
(A) similar

to
(B) without any
(C) covered by
(D) colder than

4. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the

naming of the dark areas on the moon’s surface?

((A) People

once thought the moon contained large bodies of water.
(B) The moon’s oceans and seas are named after places on the earth.
(C) The dark areas are the result of underwater volcanic eruptions.
(D) The first astronauts named the body of water in which they landed

5. All of the following occur during a lunar cycle EXCEPT:

(A) The
dark side of the moon faces the earth.
(B) A thin crescent moon appears in the evening.
(C) The moon forms a right angle with the earth-sun line.
(D) All sides of the moon are seen from the earth.

6. Which statement is true of a gibbous moon?

(A) A gibbous

moon cannot be seen from the earth.
(B) A gibbous moon is more than halfway full.
(C) A gibbous moon has its own source of light.
(D) A gibbous moon immediately follows a new moon.

7. The word wane in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to

(A) glow
brightly
(B) appear smaller
(C) change color
(D) rise earlier

8. The period of time between successive new moons is known as

((A) an
elliptical orbit
(B) moonrise
(C) a waxing moon
(D) a synodic month
9. At what point in the lunar cycle is the dark side of the moon faintly
illuminated?
(A) When

the moon is just past full
(B) When the sun, earth, and moon are aligned
(C) Just before and just after the new moon
(D) During the fifth and sixth phases

10. The phrase ushers in in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to

(A) prevents

(B) invades
(C) separates
(D) introduces

11. According to the passage, which of the following is a benefit of the

Harvest Moon?
(A) The
moon forecasts clear weather for several days.
(B) The moon indicates the best time to harvest crops.
(C) Farmers are able to work by moonlight.
(D) The beginning of winter is delayed.

11. According to the passage, which of the following is a benefit of the

Harvest Moon?
(A) The
moon forecasts clear weather for several days.
(B) The moon indicates the best time to harvest crops.
(C) Farmers are able to work by moonlight.
(D) The beginning of winter is delayed.

12 . An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is

provided bellow. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer
choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some
sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that
are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This
question is worth 2 points

Several important features characterize the moon

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
 Answer Choices
(A) The
moon makes one complete rotation on its axis in the same time it
makes one revolution around the earth.
(B) The moon’s librations are revealed through systematic mapping of the
moon during a lunar month.
(C) The
first astronauts walked on the moon’s surface in the Sea of
Tranquility in 1969.
(D) The same hemisphere of the moon always faces the earth, although it
changes in appearance during a lunar cycle.
(E) The
moon’s different phases are a result of its changing position in
relation to the earth.
(F) The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon nearest the
autumnal equinox.

TOEFL - SAMPLE

LISTENING
1. The Bell Jar was

1. about her father

2. her first novel
3. a very successful collection of poems
4. her last poem

2. Sylvia Plath’s ‘Collected poems’

1. won
the Pulitzer Prize twenty years after it was published
2. were written during the last year of her life
3. won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982
4. were never published

3. Sylvia’s husband

1. made

movies
2. died in 2003
3. was also a poet
4. had a movie made about him
4. Susan Bassnett thought Sylvia’s work

1. was
about her husband
2. wasn’t very good
3. was about work life
4. was of great interest to women

5. Sylvia’s brother

1. was

two years older than her
2. was born two years after her
3. was a professor at Boston University
4. was a highly educated academic

6. Sylvia Plath’s time at college was difficult because

1. she
got bad grades
2. she won a scholarship
3. boys didn’t like her
4. she was short of money

7. In 1953 Sylvia

1. left
New York to get a job as an editor
2. rejected an offer to teach creative writing
3. worked as a guest editor in New York
4. returned to new York because she was depressed

8. What does the lecturer imply when she says “Very few modern poets have
captured the popular imagination as much as Plath”

1. Plath was able to understand the hopes of ordinary people.

2. Plath has become very popular
3. It is unusual for a modern poet to become popular with ordinary
people.
4. Plath’s writing was about modern people and their imagination.
9. What does the lecturer imply when she says “This domineering father
figure became a common theme that recurred throughout Plath’s writing.”

1. The
image of her father appears in many of her poems.

2. Plath often wrote of her love for her father.

3. Plath writings were dominated by the image of her father.
4. Plath’s father often told her what to write about.
10. Which THREE sentences best summarise the passage?

1. What's remarkable about Plath's work is that it addresses many

women's issues that were ahead of her time.
2. Plath's father was one of her guiding influences and he supported and

mentored her until he died in 1940.

3. Plath's

early life was spent living happily by the sea with her mother
who had a part time job to support the family.
4. The

real significance and the greatness of work was never recognised

within in her lifetime.

5. Plath's academic path to success was secured by winning an early
scholarship.

After this she never looked back.

6. Plath's work reflects the many of the personal difficulties that she had
whilst growing up and later as a wife and mother.
 SPEAKING

What game do you enjoy playing?

Describe the game, and explain why
you like to play it. Include details
and examples in your explanation.

Some people drive their own car to

school or work. Others ride a bus, train,
or other form of public transportation.
Which do you think is better and why?
Include details and examples in your
explanation.

In this question, you will read a short passage about a campus situation, listen to a
conversation, and then speak in response to a question about what you have read and
heard. After you hear the question, you have 30 seconds to prepare your response and
60 seconds to speak.

DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES

Distance education courses at Valley Community College are

regularly scheduled classes that must be completed by the end
of the quarter. All online courses are taught by college faculty in
conjunction with the related academic departments. Students will
be required to participatein a "virtual classroom" online, conduct
research, and complete assignments. Students must have daily
access to a parsonal computer with word processiong software
and connection to the internet. Students should expect to spend
approximately 12-15 hours a week for any online course.

In this question, you will read a short passage, then listen to a lecture on the same topic,
and then speak in response to a question about what you have read and heard. After
you hear the question, you have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to
speak.

HOMEOSTASIS
​
Homeostasis is the tendency toward balance. In zoology,
homeostasis is an animal's ability to maintain body equilibrium
by adjusting its physiological processes. It is the body's
continuous balancing and re-balancing of the processes that
maintain stability and restore the body's normal state when it has
been disturbed. Homeostatic systems keep an animal's internal
environment within acceptable limits, even though the external
environment may change. Homeostatic systems protect an
animal's body from harmful changes, such as changes in
temperature or water level.

The professor describes the large ears of a rabbit. Explain how

the rabbit's ears are used in homeostasis

In this question, you will listen to a conversation. You will then be asked to talk about the

information in the conversation and to give your opinion about the ideas presented.
After you hear the question, you have 20 seconds to prepare your response and 60
seconds to speak.

The students discuss possible solutions to the man's problem.

Describe the problem. Then state which solution you prefer and
explain why.

In this question, you will listen to a short lecture. You will then be asked to summarize
important information from the lecture.
After you hear the question, you have 20
seconds to prepare your response
and 60 seconds to speak.

Using points and examples from

the lecture, explain how the

communication between babies and mothers is musical in

nature.