Improving Your Listening Skills

Advice for Listening
Performance Level: Low
Score Range: 0–14

1. Practice listening to something in English every day and gradually increase the amount of time that you listen.
• Listen to different kinds of materials.
• Listen actively. Try to answer the "wh" questions.
• who
• what
• when
• where
• why
• how
• Listen passively to get the general idea of what's being said.
• Keep a listening log (a list of everything you listen to each day/week).
• Write a one-sentence summary to remember the main idea of what you heard.
• Write down new expressions, idioms, and vocabulary that you hear.
• Use dictations and other exercises to help your listening ability.
• Ask an English speaker to dictate an article to you. Good sources of material are newspapers, magazines, and textbooks.
• First, write down exactly what you hear
• Then only take notes on the important points that you hear
• Do information gap exercises, using unfamiliar content and complex structures.
2. Use the resources in your community to practice listening to English.
• Visit places in your community where you can practice listening to English.
• If possible, enroll in an English class.
• Go to a museum and take an audio tour in English.
• Follow a guided tour in English in your city.
• Call or visit a hotel where tourists stay and get information in English about room rates, hotel availability, or hotel facilities.
• Call and listen to information recorded in English, such as a movie schedule, a weather report, or information about an airplane flight.
• Watch or listen to programs recorded in English.
• Watch television programs.
• CNN, the Discovery Channel or National Geographic
• Watch movies, soap operas or situation comedies on television
• Do this with a friend and talk about the program together
• Rent videos (turn off the captions!) or go to a movie in English.
• Listen to a book on tape in English.
• Listen to music in English and then check your accuracy by finding the lyrics on the Internet (e.g., www.lyrics.com).
• Listen to English language recordings that come with a transcript. Listen to each recording at least three times.
• The first time, take notes about the main ideas you hear.
• The second time, read the transcript and listen for the ideas you wrote down.
• The third time, write down any words and phrases that you didn’t understand and look them up.
• Go to Internet sites to practice listening.
• National Public Radio (www.npr.org)
• CBS News (www.cbsnews.com)
• Randall’s Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com)
• BBC World Service.com Learning English (www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish)
• Practice speaking English with others.
• Exchange language lessons with an English speaker who wants to learn your language.
3. Begin to prepare for academic situations.
• Visit academic classes in English.
• Record lectures or presentations and replay them several times.
• Listen to short sections several times until you understand the main points and the flow of ideas.
• Stop the recording in the middle and predict what will come next.
• Become familiar with the organization or structure of academic lectures.
• Pay attention to the difference between main ideas and details presented.
• Listen for the general (main) ideas
• Pay attention to details
• facts
• examples
• opinions
• Pay attention to the structure.
• lecture or presentation — introduction, body and conclusion
• narrative story — beginning, middle and end
• Learn to recognize different styles of organization.
• theory and evidence
• cause and effect
• steps of a process
• comparison of two things
• Think carefully about the purpose of the lecture.
• Try to answer the question, "What is the professor trying to accomplish in this lecture?"
• Write down only the information that you hear. Be careful not to interpret information based on your personal understanding or knowledge of the topic.
• Take notes while you listen to a talk or lecture. This will help you identify the main ideas of the talk.
• Practice doing simple dictations to work on your ability to listen and write at the same time.
• Work with a partner. Listen to a talk and take notes individually.
• Compare your notes with your partner’s and check for differences (and similarities)
• Use your notes to tell your partner what you heard
• Use your notes to write an outline or summary.
• Gradually increase the length of the talks (and your summaries).
4. Listen for signals that will help you understand the organization of a talk, connections between ideas and the importance of ideas.
• Listen for expressions and vocabulary that tell you the type of information being given.
• Think carefully about the type of information that these phrases show.
• opinion (I think, It appears that, It is thought that)
• theory (In theory)
• inference (therefore, then)
• negatives (not, words that begin with "un," "non," "dis" "a")
• fillers (non-essential information) (uh, er, um)
• Identify digressions (discussion of a different topic from the main topic) or jokes that are not important to the main lecture. [It’s okay not to understand these!]
• Listen for signal words or phrases that connect ideas in order to recognize the relationship between ideas.
• Think carefully about the connection between ideas that these words show.
• reasons (because, since)
• results (as a result, so, therefore, thus, consequently)
• examples (for example, such as)
• comparisons (in contrast, than)
• an opposing idea (on the other hand, however)
• another idea (furthermore, moreover, besides)
• a similar idea (similarly, likewise)
• restatements of information (in other words, that is)
• conclusions (in conclusion, in summary)
• Pay attention to the connections between examples.
• When you hear two details, identify the relationship between them
• Write a sentence connecting the examples using the appropriate connecting word
• Pay attention to intonation and other ways that speakers indicate that information is important.
• Important key words are often
• repeated
• paraphrased (repeated information but using different words)
• said louder and clearer
• stressed
• Pay attention to body language and intonation patterns used to express different emotions.
• Emotions are often expressed through changes in intonation or stress
• Facial expressions or word choices can indicate excitement, anger, happiness or frustration
• Listen for pauses between important points.
• During a lecture, pay attention to words that are written on the board.
• Listen for numbers that you might hear in prices, times or addresses
• Listen for verbs and other expressions that show if an event is happening in the past, present or future.

Advice for Listening
Performance Level: Intermediate
Score Range: 15–21

1. Practice listening to something in English every day and gradually increase the amount of time that you listen.
• Listen to different kinds of materials.
• Listen actively. Try to answer the "wh" questions.
• who
• what
• when
• where
• why
• how
• Listen passively to get the general idea of what's being said.
• Keep a listening log (a list of everything you listen to each day/week).
• Write a one-sentence summary to remember the main idea of what you heard.
• Write down new expressions, idioms, and vocabulary that you hear.
• Use dictations and other exercises to help your listening ability.
• Ask an English speaker to dictate an article to you. Good sources of material are newspapers, magazines, and textbooks.
• First, write down exactly what you hear
• Then only take notes on the important points that you hear
• Do information gap exercises, using unfamiliar content and complex structures.
2. Use the resources in your community to practice listening to English.
• Visit places in your community where you can practice listening to English.
• If possible, enroll in an English class.
• Go to a museum and take an audio tour in English.
• Follow a guided tour in English in your city.
• Call or visit a hotel where tourists stay and get information in English about room rates, hotel availability, or hotel facilities.
• Call and listen to information recorded in English, such as a movie schedule, a weather report, or information about an airplane flight.
• Watch or listen to programs recorded in English.
• Watch television programs.
• CNN, the Discovery Channel or National Geographic
• Watch movies, soap operas or situation comedies on television
• Do this with a friend and talk about the program together
• Rent videos (turn off the captions!) or go to a movie in English.
• Listen to a book on tape in English.
• Listen to music in English and then check your accuracy by finding the lyrics on the Internet (e.g., www.lyrics.com).
• Listen to English language recordings that come with a transcript. Listen to each recording at least three times.
• The first time, take notes about the main ideas you hear
• The second time, read the transcript and listen for the ideas you wrote down
• The third time, write down any words and phrases that you didn't understand and look them up
• Go to Internet sites to practice listening.
• National Public Radio (www.npr.org)
• CBS News (www.cbsnews.com)
• Randall's Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com)
• BBC World Service.com Learning English (www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish)
• Practice speaking English with others.
• Exchange language lessons with an English speaker who wants to learn your language.
3. Begin to prepare for academic situations.
• Visit academic classes in English.
• Record lectures or presentations and replay them several times.
• Listen to short sections several times until you understand the main points and the flow of ideas.
• Stop the recording in the middle and predict what will come next.
• Become familiar with the organization or structure of academic lectures.
• Pay attention to the difference between main ideas and details presented.
• Listen for the general (main) ideas
• Pay attention to details
• facts
• examples
• opinions
• Pay attention to the structure.
• lecture or presentation — introduction, body, and conclusion
• narrative story — beginning, middle, and end
• Learn to recognize different styles of organization.
• theory and evidence
• cause and effect
• steps of a process
• comparison of two things
• Think carefully about the purpose of the lecture.
• Try to answer the question, "What is the professor trying to accomplish in this lecture?"
• Write down only the information that you hear. Be careful not to interpret information based on your personal understanding or knowledge of the topic.
• Take notes while you listen to a talk or lecture. This will help you identify the main ideas of the talk.
• Practice doing simple dictations to work on your ability to listen and write at the same time.
• Work with a partner. Listen to a talk and take notes individually.
• Compare your notes with your partner's and check for differences (and similarities)
• Use your notes to tell your partner what you heard
• Use your notes to write an outline or summary.
• Gradually increase the length of the talks (and your summaries).
4. Listen for signals that will help you understand the organization of a talk, connections between ideas, and the importance of ideas.
• Listen for expressions and vocabulary that tell you the type of information being given.
• Think carefully about the type of information that these phrases show.
• opinion (I think, It appears that, It is thought that)
• theory (In theory)
• inference (therefore, then)
• negatives (not, words that begin with "un," "non," "dis," "a")
• fillers (non-essential information) (uh, er, um)
• Identify digressions (discussion of a different topic from the main topic) or jokes that are not important to the main lecture. [It’s okay not to understand these!]
• Listen for signal words or phrases that connect ideas in order to recognize the relationship between ideas.
• Think carefully about the connection between ideas that these words show.
• reasons (because, since)
• results (as a result, so, therefore, thus, consequently)
• examples (for example, such as)
• comparisons (in contrast, than)
• an opposing idea (on the other hand, however)
• another idea (furthermore, moreover, besides)
• a similar idea (similarly, likewise)
• restatements of information (in other words, that is)
• conclusions (in conclusion, in summary)
• Pay attention to the connections between examples.
• When you hear two details, identify the relationship between them
• Write a sentence connecting the examples using the appropriate connecting word
• Pay attention to intonation and other ways that speakers indicate that information is important
• Important key words are often
• repeated
• paraphrased (repeated information but using different words)
• said louder and clearer
• stressed
• Pay attention to body language and intonation patterns used to express different emotions.
• Emotions are often expressed through changes in intonation or stress
• Facial expressions or word choices can indicate excitement, anger, happiness, or frustration
• Listen for pauses between important points.
• During a lecture, pay attention to words that are written on the board.
• Listen for numbers that you might hear in prices, times, or addresses
• Listen for verbs and other expressions that show if an event is happening in the past, present, or future

Advice for Listening
Performance Level: High
Score Range: 22–30

Congratulations! You have excellent listening skills in English. To maintain and enhance your solid skills, here are some points to keep in mind for the future.

1. Use the resources in your community to practice listening to English.
• Visit places in your community where you can hear English spoken.
• Go to an English school, an embassy or an English-speaking Chamber of Commerce.
• Go to a museum and take an audio tour in English.
• Follow a guided tour in English of your city.
• Call or visit a hotel where tourists stay and get information in English about room rates, hotel availability or hotel facilities.
• Call and listen to information recorded in English, such as a movie schedule, a weather report or information about an airplane flight.
• Watch or listen to programs recorded in English.
• Watch television programs.
• CNN, the Discovery Channel or National Geographic
• Watch movies, soap operas or situation comedies
• Rent videos or go to a movie in English.
• Listen to a book on tape in English.
• Listen to music in English and then check your accuracy by finding the lyrics on the Internet (e.g., www.lyrics.com).
• Go to Internet sites to practice listening.
• National Public Radio (www.npr.org)
• CBS News (www.cbsnews.com)
• Randall's Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com)
• BBC World Service.com Learning English (www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish)
• Get CDs with full-length lectures. Full-length lectures/presentations are available from UC Berkeley.
• Practice speaking English with others.
• Look for a conversation partner and exchange language lessons with an English speaker who wants to learn your language.
2. Begin to prepare for academic situations.
• Visit academic classes, cultural centers, or museums where people are invited to talk in English about their work.
• Before you listen to a lecture in English, read assigned chapters or background information on academic topics.
• Visit lectures on a wide variety of topics.
• Record lectures or presentations and replay them several times.
• Listen to different types of talks on various topics, including subjects in which you have limited or little background.
• Listen to short sections several times until you understand the main points and the flow of ideas.
• Stop the recording in the middle and predict what will come next.
• Practice listening to longer lectures.
• Become familiar with the organization or structure of lectures.
• Pay attention to the structure.
• lecture or presentation — introduction, body, and conclusion
• narrative story — beginning, middle, and end
• Learn to recognize different styles of organization.
• theory and evidence
• cause and effect
• steps of a process
• comparison of two things
• Think carefully about the purpose of a lecture.
• Try to answer the question, "What is the professor trying to accomplish in this lecture?"
• Write down only the information that you hear. Be careful not to interpret information based on your personal understanding or knowledge of the topic.
• Answer questions based on what was actually discussed in the talk
• Develop a note-taking strategy to help you organize information into a hierarchy of main points and supporting details.
• Make sure your notes follow the organization of the lecture.
• Listen for related ideas and relationships within a lecture and make sure you summarize similar information together.
• Use your notes to write a summary.
3. Listen for signals that will help you understand the organization of a talk, connections between ideas, and the importance of ideas.
• Listen for expressions and vocabulary that tell you the type of information being given.
• Think carefully about the type of information that these phrases show.
• opinion (I think, It appears that, It is thought that)
• theory (In theory)
• inference (therefore, then)
• negatives (not, words that begin with "un," "non," "dis," "a")
• fillers (non-essential information) (uh, er, um)
• Identify digressions (discussion of a different topic from the main topic) or jokes that are not important to the main lecture [It’s okay not to understand these!]
• Listen for signal words and phrases that connect ideas in order to recognize the relationship between ideas.
• Think carefully about the connection between ideas that these words show.
• reasons (because, since)
• results (as a result, so, therefore, thus, consequently)
• examples (for example, such as)
• comparisons (in contrast, than)
• an opposing idea (on the other hand, however)
• another idea (furthermore, moreover, besides)
• a similar idea (similarly, likewise)
• restatements of information (in other words, that is)
• conclusions (in conclusion, in summary)
• Pay attention to intonation and other ways that speakers indicate that information is important.
• Listen for emotions expressed through changes in intonation or stress.
• Facial expressions or word choices can indicate excitement, anger, happiness, frustration, etc.
• Listen how native speakers divide long sentences into "thought groups" to make them easier to understand. (A thought group is a spoken phrase or short sentence. Thought groups are separated by short pauses.)
• Listen to sets of thought groups to make sure you get the whole idea of the talk
• Listen for important key words and phrases which are often ...
• repeated
• paraphrased (repeated information but using different words)
• said louder and clearer
• stressed
• Listen for pauses between important points.
• In a lecture, pay attention to words that are written on the board.

Note: References to other sources and Internet sites are provided as a service and should not be understood as endorsements of their content.

Sumber : 

http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/improve/

http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/improve/advice_listening_low

http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/improve/advice_listening_inter

https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/improve/advice_listening_high

Direct and Indirect

Direct :

“The execution is delayed due to some technical problems. There is no intervention or pressure from foreign country. Even if there are pressures, we will not fear and do it anyway. It is not a problem for us,” said Attorney General HM Prasetyo at the attorney general’s office on Monday (23 /2/2015).

Indirect :

Monday ( 23/2/2015 ) , the Attorney General HM Prasetyo at the Prosecutor General's Office said that: "The execution was delayed not because of some technical problems . No intervention or pressure from foreign country . there is pressure , he will not be afraid and will continue to do so.

PAPAH

In memory of my life God has to give in the form of a handsome prince angel sent from heaven to keep me when I was born into this world. He is my father I'm very love him and I love exceeds myself. He was the one who would sacrifice anything for the happiness I and his family without thinking about himself how or how tired he had been trying to always give the best for their children.

Although I admit I was very often against him denied his orders even still often whine and spoiled like a child in front of him, but he remained dear and very careful to keep me like pearls that are in shells. Oh my God I was not able to beatify him now but I ask for now keep protect him, healthy he continues and protect him from any harm o god, give it a long life so that he could see me continue until I really successful. His smile is the spirit and breath to me, O God. There are no words can I reveal for the greatest person in my life other than "I really love him”. A father is a very greats in the eyes of me and all the children in this world.

Father, I really love you..

Father, thank you already gives the best for us..

father, forgive me because I was a lot wrong to you ..

father, you are the greatest man that I have until to the end of my life  ..

I LOVE YOU PAAAAAAHHHHHHH….

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH PAAAAAAAAHHHHHH….

TOEFL

Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL /ˈtoʊfəl/ TOH-fəl, is a standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers wishing to enroll in U.S. universities. The test is accepted by many English-speaking academic and professional institutions. TOEFL is one of the two major English-language tests in the world, the other being the IELTS.

TOEFL is a trademark of ETS (Educational Testing Service), a private non-profit organization, which designs and administers the tests. The scores are valid for two years; then they are no longer reported.

In 1962, a national council made up of representatives of thirty government and private organizations was formed to address the problem of ensuring English language proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at U.S. universities. This council recommended the development and administration of the TOEFL exam for the 1963-1964 time frame. 

The test was originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction of Stanford University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson .
The TOEFL test was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association financed by grants from the Ford Foundation and Danforth Foundation.

In 1965, The College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for the continuation of the TOEFL testing program.

In 1973, a cooperative arrangement was made between ETS, The College Board, and the Graduate Record Examinations board of advisers to oversee and run the program. ETS was to administer the exam with the guidance of the TOEFL board.

To the present day, college admission criteria for international students who are Commonwealth of Nations nationals are exempted from taking the TOEFL exam - nations which are part of the Anglosphere (from Commonwealth realms to former British colonies e.g. Hong Kong SAR or former protectorates of the United States) where English is the de facto official language automatically grants a TOEFL exemption with some restrictions (e.g. residents of Quebec are required to take TOEFL while the rest of Canada is exempt - also inclusive of Commonwealth nations where English is not a official language e.g. Mozambique or Namibia (English is co-official but spoken by 3% of the population).

Internet – Based Test

Since its introduction in late 2005, the TOEFL Internet-based Test (iBT) format has progressively replaced the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests (PBT), although paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The TOEFL iBT test has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September 2006 and these scores are no longer valid.

Initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to wait for months. It is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple skills), and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the TOEFL iBT test. The test cannot be taken more than once every 12 days.

1. Reading

The Reading section consists of questions on 4–6 passages, each approximately 700 words in length. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the TOEFL iBT test require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.

2. Listening

The Listening section consists of questions on six passages, each 3–5 minutes in length. These passages include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. The conversations involve a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. The lectures are a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each conversation and lecture passage is heard only once. Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.

3. Speaking

The Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent and four integrated. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the two remaining integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are digitally recorded, sent to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN), and evaluated by three to six raters.

4. Writing

The Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting and consists of two tasks: one integrated and one independent. In the integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss it. The test-taker then writes a summary about the important points in the listening passage and explains how these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, the test-taker must write an essay that states their opinion or choice, and then explain it, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and evaluated by at least 3 different raters.

Paper-based Test

The TOEFL paper-based Test (PBT) is available in limited areas. Scores are valid for two years after the test date, and test takers can have their scores sent to institutions or agencies during that time.

1. Listening (30 – 40 minutes)

The Listening section consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.

2. Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)

The Structure and Written Expression section has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.

3. Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)

The Reading Comprehension sections has 50 questions about reading passages.

4. Writing (30 minutes)

The TOEFL PBT administrations include a writing test called the Test of Written English (TWE). This is one essay question with 250–300 words in average.

English toefl test consists of two types namely computer-based testing and paper-based testing.The computer-based testing is a test using the computer.A rating score this model to be around 216-677.The company is using community-based testing test paper as its media.The judgment with this model to be around 450-550 upward.The test scores ranging from 310 ( toefl, the minimum ) to 677 ( the maximum ) for a paper-based pbt ( test ).

Since 1998, toefl test is held online, using computers ( cbt ), computer-based testing / and since 2005 called internet-based ibt ( test ).In places that cannot exercise cbt or ibt ( since there was a computer and the internet ) toefl test is still held by manually using paper and potlot paper-based pbt ( a ). Fuller information about the cbt and paper-based toefl pertaining to admission; the site, a fee, and the preparation tests be seen at the official site toefl, http: / / www.toefl.org ( toefl test scores of the cbt have ranged between 0 and 300, while the value of ibt is from 0 to 120 ).

Recently the tests are also toefl test of twe ( test of written english ) that the results of a separate from its toefl test scores.This test within 30 minutes, and they will be asked to write a short of describing the ability to express and pour an idea or ideas; and supports the idea that the examples are in everyday life using standard english.If twe ( test of written english ) includes parts are, usually the test is held before an exam listening comprehension.

Sumber :

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Test_of_English_as_a_Foreign_Language

http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOEFL

 

Nama : Nurul Fitri Awalia
NPM : 25212536
Kelas : 3EB09