TOEFL iBT 模擬考 Mock 4 — 混合主題（挑戰級）
難度：挑戰 Challenging 建議時間：約 2 小時完整練習 主題方向：混合（考古學、地質學、神經科學、政治學）
威威老師的話：Mock 4 是挑戰級，主題混合多元。這份模擬考的閱讀文章更長、推理題更多、聽力語速概念上的訊息密度更高。模擬真實 TOEFL 考試中題目跨領域的常態！
📖 READING Section
時間限制：35 分鐘 | 20 題 | 2 篇文章
Passage 1: Unraveling the Collapse of the Classic Maya Civilization
Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions. You have 18 minutes for this passage.
The collapse of the Classic Maya civilization in the ninth century CE remains one of the most intensely debated topics in archaeology. At its peak between roughly 250 and 900 CE, Maya civilization sustained densely populated cities across present-day southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras, with monumental architecture, sophisticated writing and mathematical systems, and complex political hierarchies. Then, within a span of roughly 100 to 200 years, the southern lowland cities were largely abandoned. Understanding why has proven remarkably difficult, not because evidence is scarce but because it points to multiple, interacting causes rather than any single catastrophic event.
For much of the twentieth century, the dominant explanation emphasized environmental factors. The Maya lowlands present considerable agricultural challenges: the region has thin, tropical soils that lose fertility quickly under intensive cultivation, and it experiences pronounced seasonal drought punctuated by unpredictable periods of more severe aridity. Paleoclimatological evidence — particularly sediment cores extracted from lake beds in the Yucatan Peninsula — has revealed that the ninth century coincided with the most severe droughts the region had experienced in several thousand years. These droughts would have stressed the agricultural systems upon which dense urban populations depended, leading to food shortages, demographic decline, and eventually the abandonment of major centers.
More recent scholarship, however, has complicated the environmental narrative by emphasizing the role of political and social factors. The Classic Maya political landscape was characterized by intense competition among rival city-states, each ruled by a divine king — the k’uhul ajaw — whose legitimacy depended on demonstrating military success and ritual efficacy. This competitive dynamic may have created a self-destructive spiral: rulers invested enormous resources in monumental construction, warfare, and ritual display to outcompete rivals, thereby intensifying the very environmental pressures that would ultimately undermine their authority. When environmental stress arrived, the political system may have been too rigid and too invested in its own legitimizing strategies to adapt effectively.
A third dimension involves economic networks and trade. The Maya lowlands were integrated into extensive Mesoamerican exchange systems, and some scholars argue that disruptions to these networks — possibly caused by the decline of Teotihuacan, the great central Mexican city that had been a major trading partner — deprived Maya elites of the prestige goods and exotic materials that reinforced their status. Without these material underpinnings of royal authority, the ideological justification for elite privilege may have eroded, contributing to social unrest and decentralization.
The emerging consensus is that the Classic Maya collapse was a systemic failure in which environmental, political, and economic factors reinforced one another in a downward spiral. This multi-causal model has important implications beyond Maya studies, as it suggests that complex societies can unravel not because of a single fatal blow but because interconnected systems that had previously reinforced stability begin to reinforce instability instead — a dynamic that should give any complex society pause.
Glossary:
- Paleoclimatological: 古氣候學的
- sediment cores: 沉積岩芯
- aridity: 乾旱
- city-state: 城邦
- k’uhul ajaw: 神聖國王（馬雅語）
Questions 1–10: Passage 1
Question 1 — Factual Information According to paragraph 1, during what period was Classic Maya civilization at its peak? (A) 100 to 250 CE (B) 250 to 900 CE (C) 900 to 1200 CE (D) 600 to 800 CE
Question 2 — Vocabulary The word “pronounced” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to: (A) minor (B) noticeable (C) hidden (D) spoken
Question 3 — Factual Information According to paragraph 2, what type of evidence has been used to identify droughts during the ninth century? (A) Tree-ring data from ancient Maya temples (B) Sediment cores extracted from lake beds in the Yucatan Peninsula (C) Written records from Maya scribes (D) Oral histories passed down through Maya descendants
Question 4 — Inference What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the role of Maya kings during the Classic period? (A) They held largely ceremonial positions with little real power (B) Their political legitimacy was tied to visible demonstrations of success in war and ritual (C) They were elected by the common people rather than inheriting their positions (D) They focused primarily on agricultural management rather than warfare
Question 5 — Rhetorical Purpose Why does the author mention Teotihuacan in paragraph 4? (A) To compare Maya architecture with central Mexican architectural styles (B) To identify a major trading partner whose decline may have disrupted Maya economic networks (C) To argue that Teotihuacan conquered the Maya lowlands (D) To establish the geographic boundaries of Maya civilization
Question 6 — Negative Factual Information All of the following are cited as contributing factors to the Maya collapse EXCEPT: (A) Severe and prolonged drought conditions (B) Political competition and resource-intensive legitimization strategies (C) Disruption of long-distance trade networks (D) Invasion by European colonial powers
Question 7 — Sentence Simplification Which of the following best expresses the essential information of the highlighted sentence in paragraph 3? “This competitive dynamic may have created a self-destructive spiral: rulers invested enormous resources in monumental construction, warfare, and ritual display to outcompete rivals, thereby intensifying the very environmental pressures that would ultimately undermine their authority.” (A) Rulers wisely invested in infrastructure that protected their cities from environmental challenges (B) Competition drove rulers to spend heavily on prestige projects, which worsened the environmental problems that eventually destroyed their power (C) Environmental pressures were not a factor in the Maya collapse (D) Rival city-states cooperated to manage shared environmental resources
Question 8 — Insert Text Look at the four squares [A], [B], [C], [D] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to paragraph 5.
“In other words, the configuration that had enabled centuries of growth became, under altered conditions, the mechanism of collapse.”
The emerging consensus is that the Classic Maya collapse was a systemic failure in which environmental, political, and economic factors reinforced one another in a downward spiral. [A] This multi-causal model has important implications beyond Maya studies, as it suggests that complex societies can unravel not because of a single fatal blow but because interconnected systems that had previously reinforced stability begin to reinforce instability instead. [B] This dynamic should give any complex society pause. [C]
Where would the sentence best fit? (A) A (B) B (C) C
Question 9 — Factual Information According to paragraph 5, what is the current scholarly consensus regarding the Maya collapse? (A) A single catastrophic drought was the sole cause (B) The collapse was caused by a foreign invasion (C) The collapse was a systemic failure with interacting environmental, political, and economic causes (D) Scholars have been unable to reach any meaningful agreement
Question 10 — Prose Summary Directions: Select the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage.
- (A) The Classic Maya collapse resulted from severe droughts identified through lake sediment analysis.
- (B) Political competition among Maya city-states created self-destructive dynamics that amplified environmental stresses.
- (C) The Maya city of Teotihuacan in central Mexico was a major trading center that declined before the lowland cities collapsed.
- (D) Disruptions in trade networks may have eroded the material basis of elite authority.
- (E) The current consensus favors a multi-causal explanation in which environmental, political, and economic forces created a downward spiral.
- (F) The Maya collapse was primarily caused by peasant revolts against divine kings.
Passage 2: Mechanisms of Earthquake Prediction — Progress and Limitations
Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions. You have 17 minutes for this passage.
On February 4, 1975, Chinese authorities ordered the evacuation of Haicheng, a city of approximately one million people in Liaoning Province, based on a series of precursory signals — changes in groundwater levels, anomalous animal behavior, and an unusual pattern of foreshocks. Hours later, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake devastated the city. While thousands of buildings collapsed, the evacuation is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives. The Haicheng prediction stands as the most celebrated — and arguably the only widely acknowledged — successful earthquake prediction in modern history. Yet within eighteen months, the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 240,000 people, struck without any warning, underscoring the profound limitations of predictive capabilities.
The scientific challenge of earthquake prediction stems from the nature of fault systems. Earthquakes occur when accumulated tectonic stress along a fault exceeds the frictional strength holding the two sides together, resulting in sudden, violent slip. The difficulty is that while the broad conditions that produce earthquakes are well understood, the specific timing, location, and magnitude of an individual earthquake depend on a vast array of variables — fault geometry, rock composition, fluid pressure, stress history — that interact in ways that can exhibit chaotic, nonlinear behavior. Many seismologists argue that the Earth’s crust is an inherently unpredictable system at the scale of individual earthquake events, analogous to the way meteorologists understand that while climate is predictable, individual thunderstorms weeks in advance are not.
That said, significant progress has been made in earthquake forecasting, which differs from prediction in meaningful ways. Forecasting provides probabilistic statements about the likelihood of earthquakes of a given magnitude occurring within a specified region and time frame — for example, that the San Francisco Bay Area has a 72 percent probability of experiencing a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake within the next 30 years. Such forecasts, while lacking the specificity that would allow for evacuation orders, are immensely valuable for building codes, insurance pricing, land-use planning, and long-term infrastructure investment.
Recent technological developments offer cautious grounds for optimism. Networks of continuously operating GPS stations can now measure the slow, almost imperceptible deformation of the Earth’s surface, identifying regions where stress is accumulating at elevated rates. Machine learning algorithms trained on large catalogs of seismic data have demonstrated some ability to identify subtle patterns in laboratory earthquake simulations, raising the possibility — still highly speculative — that similar approaches might eventually yield predictive insights for natural fault systems. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) from satellites can detect centimeter-scale ground deformation over wide areas, providing additional data streams for stress accumulation models.
Nevertheless, the gap between research-grade demonstrations and reliable, actionable prediction remains vast. The ethical dimensions are also considerable: a false alarm — an evacuation ordered for an earthquake that never materializes — could cause economic disruption and erode public trust, potentially reducing compliance with future warnings. As one prominent seismologist has observed, earthquake prediction involves not just scientific uncertainty but the challenge of communicating probabilistic risk to publics and policymakers who strongly prefer binary answers. For the foreseeable future, the emphasis will remain on building resilience to earthquakes that we know will eventually occur, even if we cannot say precisely when.
Questions 11–20: Passage 2
Question 11 — Factual Information According to paragraph 1, what was the outcome of the Haicheng earthquake prediction? (A) The prediction failed and thousands died unnecessarily (B) The evacuation saved tens of thousands of lives (C) The prediction was ignored by authorities (D) The earthquake never occurred, making the prediction a false alarm
Question 12 — Vocabulary The word “underscoring” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to: (A) hiding (B) emphasizing (C) contradicting (D) ignoring
Question 13 — Factual Information According to paragraph 2, why do many seismologists consider individual earthquake prediction inherently difficult? (A) Because scientists lack adequate measurement equipment (B) Because fault systems involve many interacting variables that behave chaotically (C) Because earthquakes are caused by human activities (D) Because governments refuse to fund earthquake research
Question 14 — Inference What can be inferred about the difference between earthquake “prediction” and “forecasting” from paragraph 3? (A) They are essentially the same thing (B) Prediction specifies timing/location/magnitude precisely; forecasting provides probabilistic likelihoods (C) Forecasting is less scientifically rigorous than prediction (D) Forecasting has no practical value
Question 15 — Rhetorical Purpose Why does the author compare earthquake prediction to weather forecasting in paragraph 2? (A) To argue that meteorology is a more advanced science than seismology (B) To illustrate that some natural systems may be inherently unpredictable at certain scales (C) To suggest that seismologists should collaborate with meteorologists (D) To downplay the value of earthquake research
Question 16 — Negative Factual Information Which of the following technologies is NOT mentioned in paragraph 4 as contributing to earthquake research? (A) Continuously operating GPS stations (B) Machine learning algorithms (C) Deep-ocean tsunami detection buoys (D) Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)
Question 17 — Sentence Simplification Which of the following best expresses the essential information of the highlighted sentence in paragraph 5? “As one prominent seismologist has observed, earthquake prediction involves not just scientific uncertainty but the challenge of communicating probabilistic risk to publics and policymakers who strongly prefer binary answers.” (A) Scientists disagree about the probability of major earthquakes (B) The difficulty includes both scientific limits and the challenge of explaining uncertain risks to people who want simple yes/no answers (C) Policymakers are usually better than scientists at predicting earthquakes (D) Probabilistic risk communication is a solved problem
Question 18 — Insert Text Look at the four squares [A], [B], [C], [D] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to paragraph 3.
“Thus, while we cannot say when the next major earthquake will strike, we can make informed statements about where and how likely it is over decades-long time scales.”
That said, significant progress has been made in earthquake forecasting, which differs from prediction in meaningful ways. [A] Forecasting provides probabilistic statements about the likelihood of earthquakes of a given magnitude occurring within a specified region and time frame — for example, that the San Francisco Bay Area has a 72 percent probability of experiencing a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake within the next 30 years. [B] Such forecasts, while lacking the specificity that would allow for evacuation orders, are immensely valuable for building codes, insurance pricing, land-use planning, and long-term infrastructure investment. [C]
Where would the sentence best fit? (A) A (B) B (C) C
Question 19 — Factual Information According to paragraph 5, what is one ethical concern regarding earthquake prediction? (A) Scientists might be held legally liable for incorrect predictions (B) False alarms could cause economic damage and reduce public trust in future warnings (C) The cost of prediction technology is too high for developing countries (D) Accurate predictions could cause panic and social disorder
Question 20 — Prose Summary Directions: Select the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage.
- (A) The Haicheng prediction remains a rare success in earthquake prediction, but the Tangshan failure revealed the limits of predictive capability.
- (B) Earthquake prediction is fundamentally challenging because fault systems involve many variables that interact chaotically.
- (C) The Chinese government has the world’s most advanced earthquake prediction system.
- (D) Probabilistic forecasting provides valuable long-term information for planning, even though precise prediction of individual events remains elusive.
- (E) New technologies like GPS networks and machine learning show promise but the gap to reliable prediction remains vast, and false alarms carry ethical risks.
- (F) The San Francisco Bay Area will definitely experience a magnitude 6.7 earthquake within the next 30 years.
🎧 LISTENING Section
時間限制：36 分鐘 | 28 題
Lecture 1: Neuroscience — Memory Reconsolidation
Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a neuroscience class.
Professor: For much of the twentieth century, the prevailing model of memory was what we might call the “consolidation model.” The idea was that when you experience something, the memory trace is initially fragile — vulnerable to disruption — but over a period of hours to days, it undergoes a process called consolidation, after which it becomes stable, permanent, essentially fixed in your brain like a file saved to a hard drive. This model had enormous explanatory power and shaped how we thought about memory for decades.
But in the late 1990s, a series of experiments began to challenge this view in ways that have fundamentally altered our understanding of memory. The key figure here is Joseph LeDoux, working at New York University, along with his colleague Karim Nader. They were studying fear conditioning in rats — pairing a tone with a mild electric shock until the rats froze in response to the tone alone. According to the consolidation model, once this memory was consolidated, it should be stable. But Nader and LeDoux asked a provocative question: what happens when you reactivate an old memory?
Here’s what they did. They trained rats with the tone-shock pairing and waited for the memory to consolidate — they gave it plenty of time. Then they presented the tone again to reactivate the memory, and immediately afterward, they injected a drug that blocks protein synthesis in the amygdala, which is critical for memory storage. According to the consolidation model, this shouldn’t matter because the memory was already stored. But it did matter. The rats that received the injection after memory reactivation showed dramatically reduced fear responses — it was as if the memory had been weakened or partially erased.
What this suggested is something remarkable: when a memory is retrieved, it becomes labile again — unstable and modifiable — and needs to be “reconsolidated” through a new round of protein synthesis. In other words, your memories are not played back like a video recording. Each time you remember something, you are reconstructing it, and during that reconstruction, the memory is vulnerable to change. This has profound implications. It helps explain phenomena like memory distortion over time, and it opens up therapeutic possibilities — for instance, in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, where reactivating a traumatic memory under controlled conditions might allow clinicians to reduce its emotional power.
Of course, the therapeutic applications raise ethical questions. If we can weaken traumatic memories, where do we draw the line? Could the same techniques be misused? These aren’t questions neuroscience alone can answer, but they’re questions we can’t afford to ignore.
Questions 21–26: Lecture 1
Question 21 — Gist What is the main topic of the lecture? (A) The history of fear conditioning research (B) The discovery of memory reconsolidation and its implications (C) A comparison of rat and human memory systems (D) How to improve memory for studying
Question 22 — Detail According to the professor, what was the traditional “consolidation model” of memory? (A) Memories are constantly changing throughout life (B) Memories become stable and permanent after an initial consolidation period (C) Memories are stored in multiple brain regions simultaneously (D) Memory is entirely unreliable
Question 23 — Detail What did Nader and LeDoux do in their critical experiment? (A) They trained rats and then waited for memory consolidation before destroying the amygdala (B) They reactivated a consolidated fear memory and then blocked protein synthesis, which weakened the memory (C) They compared rat memory with pigeon memory (D) They studied how new memories are formed but not how old ones are recalled
Question 24 — Function Why does the professor say: “your memories are not played back like a video recording”? (A) To argue that human memory is superior to video technology (B) To emphasize that memory retrieval is an active reconstruction, not passive playback (C) To suggest that video technology is more reliable than human memory (D) To criticize the use of video in neuroscience experiments
Question 25 — Organization How does the professor organize the lecture? (A) Chronologically through the history of neuroscience (B) By presenting an older model, describing the experiment that challenged it, and discussing implications (C) By comparing three competing theories of memory (D) By listing different types of memory and their characteristics
Question 26 — Inference What can be inferred about the professor’s view of the therapeutic applications of reconsolidation research? (A) She believes they are too dangerous to pursue (B) She sees promise but recognizes that ethical questions must be addressed (C) She thinks the research has no therapeutic value (D) She believes the ethical questions have already been resolved
Lecture 2: Environmental Science — Ocean Acidification
Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in an environmental science class.
Professor: When we talk about climate change, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere gets most of the attention — and for good reason. But there’s another consequence of rising CO2 that receives far less public attention and is, in many ways, equally alarming: ocean acidification. Roughly 25 to 30 percent of the carbon dioxide that human activities release into the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. Now, at first glance, this sounds like a good thing — the ocean is acting as a carbon sink, reducing atmospheric warming. And it is doing that. But the chemistry tells a more complicated story.
When CO2 dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, which then dissociates into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. The increase in hydrogen ions is what makes the ocean more acidic — though technically the ocean isn’t becoming acidic in the sense of having a pH below 7; it’s becoming less alkaline, which we refer to as acidification. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the average pH of surface ocean waters has dropped from about 8.2 to 8.1. That may not sound dramatic, but the pH scale is logarithmic, so that 0.1 change represents about a 30 percent increase in acidity.
The biological consequences are where things get concerning. Many marine organisms — including corals, mollusks, and certain types of plankton — build their shells and skeletons from calcium carbonate. But as the ocean absorbs more CO2, the concentration of carbonate ions — the building blocks these organisms need — decreases. The water becomes corrosive to calcium carbonate structures, particularly aragonite, which is the more soluble form that corals and many shell-building plankton use.
This isn’t just about individual organisms; it’s about entire marine food webs. Pteropods, tiny marine snails sometimes called “sea butterflies,” form their shells from aragonite and are a critical food source for salmon, herring, and even whales. Laboratory experiments show that pteropod shells begin to dissolve in seawater at the acidity levels projected for parts of the ocean by mid-century. If pteropod populations decline, the effects cascade upward through the food web.
The geological record offers a sobering perspective. The last time the oceans acidified at a rate comparable to today was during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum about 56 million years ago, when a massive release of carbon caused a major extinction of deep-sea organisms. The critical difference is that the current rate of acidification is estimated to be roughly ten times faster than during that ancient event. Marine organisms have far less time to adapt, migrate, or evolve.
Questions 27–32: Lecture 2
Question 27 — Gist What is the main topic of the lecture? (A) The history of the Industrial Revolution (B) The causes, chemical mechanisms, and biological consequences of ocean acidification (C) A comparison of ocean and atmospheric pollution (D) The biology of pteropods
Question 28 — Detail According to the professor, what percentage of human-released CO2 is absorbed by oceans? (A) About 10 percent (B) About 50 percent (C) Roughly 25 to 30 percent (D) About 5 percent
Question 29 — Detail What happens to carbonate ions as the ocean absorbs more CO2? (A) Their concentration increases (B) Their concentration decreases (C) They are unaffected by CO2 absorption (D) They are converted into atmospheric CO2
Question 30 — Function Why does the professor mention pteropods? (A) To provide an example of a species that benefits from ocean acidification (B) To illustrate how effects on a single organism can cascade through marine food webs (C) To argue that small organisms are unimportant to ecosystems (D) To discuss a species that has already gone extinct
Question 31 — Attitude What is the professor’s tone when discussing the rate of current acidification compared to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum? (A) Optimistic and reassuring (B) Sobering and concerned (C) Sarcastic and dismissive (D) Uncertain and confused
Question 32 — Inference What can be inferred about the long-term outlook for coral reefs based on the lecture? (A) They are likely to thrive in more acidic conditions (B) They face serious threats because the aragonite they use to build skeletons is sensitive to acidification (C) They will migrate to freshwater environments (D) They are unaffected by changes in ocean chemistry
Lecture 3: Political Science — Varieties of Democratic Systems
Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a political science class.
Professor: When we talk about democracy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of treating it as a single, uniform system. In reality, the world’s democracies vary enormously in their institutional architecture, and these design choices have profound consequences for how power is distributed, how policy is made, and how stable governments are over time. Today I want to focus on one of the most fundamental distinctions: the difference between presidential and parliamentary systems.
In a presidential system — the United States being the most prominent example — the executive and legislative branches are elected separately and serve fixed terms. The president is both head of state and head of government and cannot be removed by a simple legislative vote of no confidence. The legislature cannot dissolve itself and call new elections, nor can the president dissolve the legislature. This separation creates what political scientists call “dual democratic legitimacy” — both the president and the legislature can claim to represent the people — which can lead to gridlock when they are controlled by different parties.
Parliamentary systems, by contrast, fuse the executive and legislative branches. The prime minister and cabinet are drawn from and accountable to the parliament. If the parliament loses confidence in the government, new elections can be called. This fusion creates a clearer line of accountability — the government must maintain parliamentary support to survive — and tends to produce more cohesive, disciplined political parties. The United Kingdom is the classic example, but most European democracies operate on parliamentary models.
Now, there’s a third category worth mentioning: semi-presidential systems, which combine elements of both. France is the best-known case. It has both a directly elected president with significant powers and a prime minister accountable to the legislature. This creates a potential for what the French call “cohabitation” — when the president and the parliamentary majority come from different parties, forcing them to share power in ways that neither presidential nor parliamentary systems require.
Each system involves trade-offs. Presidential systems offer stability of tenure — you know when the next election will be — but risk legislative paralysis. Parliamentary systems offer flexibility and clearer accountability but can produce unstable coalition governments, as we’ve seen in countries like Italy and Israel. Semi-presidential systems offer a middle ground but introduce their own complexity and potential for conflict between the dual executives. There is no one “correct” design; the effectiveness of any democratic system depends heavily on the specific historical, cultural, and social context in which it operates.
Questions 33–38: Lecture 3
Question 33 — Gist What is the main purpose of the lecture? (A) To argue that one democratic system is superior to others (B) To compare presidential, parliamentary, and semi-presidential democratic systems (C) To explain why democracy is declining worldwide (D) To describe the history of democracy in the United States
Question 34 — Detail According to the professor, what is “dual democratic legitimacy”? (A) When two countries both claim to be democratic (B) When both the president and legislature are separately elected and can claim to represent the people (C) When voters participate in two elections simultaneously (D) When the executive branch is divided between two presidents
Question 35 — Detail What is “cohabitation” in the French semi-presidential system? (A) When the president and prime minister live in the same residence (B) When the president and parliamentary majority come from different parties, requiring power-sharing (C) When France shares power with other European nations (D) When multiple parties form a coalition government
Question 36 — Function Why does the professor mention Italy and Israel? (A) As examples of countries that have adopted presidential systems (B) As examples of parliamentary systems that have experienced unstable coalition governments (C) To argue that these countries should change their political systems (D) To compare them with the French semi-presidential model
Question 37 — Attitude What is the professor’s overall perspective on the different democratic systems? (A) Strongly biased in favor of parliamentary systems (B) Balanced — she emphasizes that each system involves trade-offs and effectiveness depends on context (C) Critical of all three systems (D) Favoring the presidential system as the most stable
Question 38 — Inference What can be inferred about the likelihood of government gridlock? (A) It is equally likely in all democratic systems (B) It is more likely in presidential systems with divided government (C) It never occurs in parliamentary systems (D) It is determined entirely by voter turnout
Conversation 1: Writing Center — Personal Statement Help
Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a writing tutor at the university’s Writing Center.
Tutor: Hi, welcome to the Writing Center. What are you working on today?
Student: Hi. I’m applying to graduate programs in public health, and I’m struggling with my personal statement. I’ve rewritten it about five times, and I still feel like it’s not working.
Tutor: Personal statements are notoriously difficult. Let’s start from the top. What’s the core narrative you’re trying to communicate?
Student: Well, I want to explain why I switched from pre-med to public health. I spent two years volunteering at a community clinic, and I saw that the biggest health problems my patients faced weren’t things a doctor could fix in an exam room — they were about housing, food access, environmental pollution. It made me realize I wanted to work on systemic problems, not just treat individual patients.
Tutor: That’s a powerful story — and it’s authentic. Let me ask: in your current draft, where do you introduce this experience?
Student: About halfway through. The first part is mostly background — where I grew up, my early interest in science.
Tutor: Here’s my suggestion: open with the clinic experience. Don’t save your most compelling material for the middle. Admissions committees read hundreds of these statements. You need to grab their attention in the first paragraph. Start with a specific moment — a particular patient, a particular realization — that crystallizes why you’re pursuing public health.
Student: So skip the childhood-background stuff entirely?
Tutor: Not necessarily skip it — but weave it in later, briefly, as context rather than as the lead. The most effective personal statements read more like a well-told story than a chronological autobiography. They have a clear “why this field” center of gravity.
Student: That makes a lot of sense. I think I’ve been writing what I thought I was “supposed” to write instead of leading with what’s actually meaningful. Let me restructure and come back.
Tutor: Perfect. And when you do, let’s also work on tightening the language. Personal statements tend to be too wordy. Every sentence should be doing real work.
Questions 39–43: Conversation 1
Question 39 — Gist Why does the student visit the Writing Center? (A) To get help with a research paper (B) To work on her personal statement for graduate school applications (C) To improve her creative writing skills (D) To prepare for a writing exam
Question 40 — Detail What field is the student applying to for graduate study? (A) Medicine (B) Public health (C) Law (D) Business administration
Question 41 — Detail What advice does the tutor give about the structure of the personal statement? (A) Always follow chronological order (B) Lead with the most compelling material — the clinic experience — rather than saving it for later (C) Avoid personal anecdotes entirely (D) Focus exclusively on academic achievements
Question 42 — Function What does the tutor mean by “a clear ‘why this field’ center of gravity”? (A) The statement should be scientifically rigorous (B) Everything in the statement should orbit around and support the applicant’s motivation for choosing the field (C) The applicant should explain why she is interested in gravity (D) The statement should focus on future career goals only
Question 43 — Attitude How does the student respond to the tutor’s feedback? (A) Defensively, rejecting the suggestions (B) Receptively, recognizing that she was writing what she thought was expected rather than what was authentic (C) Indifferently, showing no real engagement (D) With frustration that the tutor didn’t provide a template
Conversation 2: Housing Office — Room Change Request
Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a housing office staff member.
Staff: Good afternoon. How can I help you?
Student: Hi. I’m hoping to request a room change. I’m in Emerson Hall right now, but my situation has become kind of difficult.
Staff: I’m sorry to hear that. What’s going on?
Student: My roommate and I had been getting along fine at the beginning of the semester, but over the past month or so, it’s deteriorated. He’s started staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning playing video games — with the sound on. I’ve asked him to use headphones, and he does for a night or two, but then goes back to speakers. I’m losing sleep, and it’s affecting my academic performance.
Staff: Have you tried involving your Resident Advisor? That’s usually the first step before a room change.
Student: I did, actually. The RA mediated a conversation between us about three weeks ago. My roommate agreed to keep the noise down after midnight, but it only lasted about a week. I don’t think mediation is going to solve this at this point.
Staff: I understand. In that case, a room change is reasonable. Let me check what’s available. Can I see your student ID?
Student: Sure, here you go.
Staff: Okay. I’m seeing a few vacancies. There’s an opening in Whitman Hall — it’s a single room, which would eliminate the roommate issue entirely, but there’s a $600 per semester additional charge for singles. There’s also a shared room in Kennedy Hall with another student who’s been looking for a roommate. He describes himself as “quiet, early-to-bed” type.
Student: The Kennedy Hall option sounds ideal, honestly. Someone with compatible habits would solve the problem without extra cost. Can I get more information about that?
Staff: Absolutely. I’ll send you his contact information so you can have a conversation first and make sure you’re compatible. Once you both agree, we can process the transfer within 48 hours.
Student: That works perfectly. Thank you so much.
Questions 44–48: Conversation 2
Question 44 — Gist What problem is the student having? (A) He wants to change his meal plan (B) His roommate’s late-night video gaming is disrupting his sleep and academics (C) He cannot afford his housing costs (D) He needs to move closer to his classes
Question 45 — Detail What step did the student take before coming to the Housing Office? (A) He moved out of the room immediately (B) He involved his Resident Advisor for mediation (C) He filed a formal complaint with campus security (D) He requested an academic leave of absence
Question 46 — Detail What two housing options does the staff member identify? (A) Moving off-campus or staying in the current room (B) A single room in Whitman Hall with extra cost, or a shared room in Kennedy Hall with a compatible roommate (C) Transferring to a different university or taking a semester off (D) A larger room in Emerson Hall or a room in the graduate dormitory
Question 47 — Function Why does the staff member suggest the student have a conversation with the potential new roommate first? (A) To delay processing the transfer (B) To ensure compatibility before committing to the room change (C) Because the university requires all room changes to be approved by both current and future roommates (D) To discourage the student from changing rooms
Question 48 — Inference What can be inferred from the student’s preference for the Kennedy Hall option? (A) He values compatibility and cost-effectiveness over having a private room (B) He does not want to change rooms at all (C) He prefers to live alone regardless of cost (D) He wants to stay in Emerson Hall
🗣️ SPEAKING Section
時間限制：約 16 分鐘 | 4 題
Task 1: Independent Speaking — Preference
Directions: Prepare 15 sec. Speak 45 sec.
Question: When facing a difficult problem, some people prefer to solve it alone, while others prefer to seek advice from friends, family, or colleagues. Which approach do you prefer and why?
Model Response (45 seconds):
I prefer seeking advice from others when I face a difficult problem, and I have two reasons for this. First, other people bring perspectives I simply cannot access on my own. When I was trying to decide whether to study abroad, I spent weeks going in circles in my own head — listing pros and cons but getting nowhere. When I finally talked to my academic advisor and a friend who had done a semester in Italy, they raised factors I hadn’t even considered: how the credit transfer system actually works, what living in a foreign culture really feels like day to day. Their input broke the mental stalemate. Second, discussing problems out loud forces me to articulate them more clearly. Often, halfway through explaining my dilemma to someone, I suddenly see a solution I couldn’t find when I was just silently ruminating. The act of translating tangled thoughts into coherent sentences is itself a problem-solving process. That said, I always make the final decision myself — I value advice as input, not as a substitute for my own judgment.
Task 2: Campus Situation — Integrated
Directions: Read (45 sec), listen. Prepare 30 sec. Speak 60 sec.
Reading Passage (45 seconds):
Announcement: New Course Evaluation Policy
Beginning this semester, the university will release anonymized course evaluation results — including average ratings for teaching effectiveness, course difficulty, and workload — on the university’s public website. Previously, these evaluations were accessible only to department heads and instructors. The administration states that public access will help students make more informed course selections and create incentives for faculty to improve teaching quality. However, some faculty members have expressed concern that public evaluations may discourage professors from teaching challenging material or giving honest grades, and may encourage “grade inflation.”
Listening — Conversation:
Narrator: Now listen to two professors discussing the new policy.
Professor Chen: Did you read the email about the new evaluation policy? Making all our course evaluations public?
Professor Williams: I did. I have to say, I’m genuinely concerned about the unintended consequences. I understand the goal — transparency, student empowerment — but I think this is going to backfire.
Professor Chen: In what way?
Professor Williams: Look, I teach organic chemistry. It’s a hard course. It’s supposed to be a hard course — it’s the foundation for medical school. My course evaluations consistently mention the difficulty and heavy workload, and my ratings, while decent, are never going to match the professor teaching “Introduction to Film Studies.” If these numbers are posted publicly, the message to junior faculty is clear: teach easy, popular courses if you want good evaluations. And that’s terrible for academic rigor.
Professor Chen: I see your point. You think it creates a perverse incentive.
Professor Williams: Exactly. I also worry about grade inflation. If students can see historical grade distributions by course, they will naturally gravitate toward courses with higher average grades. Professors will feel pressure to give more As to attract students. We already have a grade inflation problem — this policy pours gasoline on that fire.
Professor Chen: Do you think there’s any version of transparency that would work?
Professor Williams: Maybe. If evaluations included contextual information — course level, whether it’s a required course, average student preparation — that would at least give a fairer picture. But raw numbers without context create more harm than good.
Question: The male professor expresses his opinion about the new course evaluation policy. State his opinion and explain the reasons he gives.
Model Response (60 seconds):
The male professor, Professor Williams, opposes the new policy of making course evaluations public, and he gives several carefully reasoned arguments. First, he argues that the policy creates a perverse incentive against academic rigor. Using his own organic chemistry course as an example, he explains that difficult foundational courses will inevitably receive lower evaluation scores than easier elective courses. If these numbers are posted publicly, junior faculty will rationally conclude that they should teach easy, popular courses to get good evaluations, which undermines academic standards. Second, he raises the concern of grade inflation. When students can see historical grade distributions, they will naturally flock to courses with higher average grades, and professors will feel pressure to award more As to maintain enrollment. He says this pours “gasoline on the fire” of an already-existing grade inflation problem. Third, while not rejecting transparency entirely, he argues that raw evaluation numbers without context — course level, whether a course is required, average student preparation background — create a distorted picture. He suggests that including such contextual information could make the policy more fair, but as presented, the costs outweigh the benefits.
Task 3: Academic — Integrated
Directions: Read (45 sec), listen. Prepare 30 sec. Speak 60 sec.
Reading Passage (45 seconds):
Disruptive Selection
Disruptive selection is an evolutionary process in which extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values. Unlike stabilizing selection, which favors the average form of a trait, or directional selection, which shifts a population toward one extreme, disruptive selection can split a population into two distinct phenotypic groups. This form of selection is most likely to occur in heterogeneous environments where different trait values confer advantages in different sub-habitats or with respect to different resources. Over time, disruptive selection can contribute to speciation — the formation of new species — if the divergent groups become reproductively isolated.
Listening — Lecture:
Narrator: Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic.
Professor: Disruptive selection is one of those evolutionary concepts that’s easier to understand with a concrete example. One of the best-documented cases comes from a study of black-bellied seedcracker finches in Cameroon, conducted by the ornithologist Thomas Smith in the 1990s.
These finches feed on seeds, and their beak size determines which seeds they can crack open efficiently. Now, in the finches’ habitat, there are two types of seeds available: a small, soft-seeded sedge and a larger, hard-seeded sedge. Birds with small beaks are very efficient at handling the small, soft seeds but struggle with the large, hard ones. Birds with large beaks can crack open the tough large seeds but are less efficient with the small seeds. And here’s the crucial finding: birds with intermediate, medium-sized beaks are relatively poor at handling both types of seeds. They’re too clumsy for the small seeds and not strong enough for the large ones.
Smith measured the beak sizes of hundreds of finches in the population and found a bimodal distribution. Instead of the bell-shaped curve you’d expect if intermediate beaks were optimal, there were two distinct peaks: one at a small beak size and one at a large beak size, with relatively few individuals in the middle. This is precisely the signature of disruptive selection: the extremes are favored, and the intermediate form is selected against.
What makes this example particularly instructive is that it also shows how disruptive selection can set the stage for reproductive isolation. Small-beaked and large-beaked finches tend to feed in different micro-habitats within the same area — small-beaked birds forage on the sedge with small seeds, large-beaked birds on the sedge with large seeds. This ecological separation reduces the likelihood of mating between the two groups, which is one of the first steps toward speciation. Whether these finch populations will ultimately become separate species is still an open question, but the conditions for speciation are clearly in place.
Question: Using the example of the black-bellied seedcracker finches, explain the concept of disruptive selection.
Model Response (60 seconds):
The professor uses the black-bellied seedcracker finches of Cameroon to explain disruptive selection, which the reading defines as a process where extreme trait values are favored over intermediate values and can lead to population splitting. In this example, the finches in the study area have access to two types of seeds: small, soft seeds and large, hard seeds. Birds with small beaks are very efficient at the small seeds, and birds with large beaks can crack the large, hard seeds. However, birds with intermediate, medium-sized beaks are poor at handling BOTH types — too clumsy for small seeds, not strong enough for large ones. When the researcher measured beak sizes in the population, he found a bimodal distribution with two peaks: one at small beak size and one at large, with very few medium-sized beaks. This is the hallmark of disruptive selection — the extremes thrive while the middle form is selected against. The professor also explains how this sets the stage for speciation: small-beaked and large-beaked finches feed in different micro-habitats, which reduces mating between the two groups. This ecological separation is one of the first steps toward reproductive isolation and potentially the formation of new species.
Task 4: Academic Lecture Summary
Directions: Listen to a lecture. Prepare 20 sec. Speak 60 sec.
Listening — Lecture:
Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture from an urban planning class.
Professor: I want to talk today about a concept that has transformed how urban planners think about city design over the past half-century: the idea of “defensible space.” This concept was introduced by the architect and urban planner Oscar Newman in his 1972 book of the same title, and while some of his specific claims have been debated, the core insight has become enormously influential.
Newman’s central argument was that the physical design of housing projects and urban neighborhoods directly influences crime rates by affecting residents’ sense of territoriality and their willingness to monitor and control their environment. He observed that large public-housing high-rises with vast, undifferentiated public spaces — anonymous lobbies, long interior corridors, open ground with no clear boundaries between public and private areas — tended to have much higher crime rates than smaller-scale housing with clearly demarcated private, semi-private, and public zones.
Newman identified four key elements of defensible space. The first is territoriality: physical design should create a sense of ownership and responsibility among residents. When residents feel that the space outside their door belongs to them in some sense, they are more likely to monitor it and challenge strangers. The second is natural surveillance: design features such as windows facing the street, well-lit paths, and clear sightlines allow residents to observe their surroundings naturally as part of daily life, creating informal social control.
The third element is image: the building should project an image of a cared-for, non-stigmatized community. When the physical environment looks abandoned or neglected — broken windows, graffiti, poor maintenance — it signals that no one is in control, which invites further disorder. The fourth is milieu: placing housing near safe zones and integrating it with the surrounding community in ways that minimize isolation.
Now, Newman’s ideas have faced legitimate criticism. Some researchers argue that social factors — poverty, unemployment, social cohesion — are far more powerful predictors of crime than physical design alone. A well-designed building in a neighborhood with extreme poverty and weak social institutions is unlikely to be safe. Others have worried that defensible space concepts can justify exclusionary practices — gated communities that keep out not just criminals but anyone perceived as “outsiders.”
Nevertheless, Newman’s framework has profoundly influenced contemporary urban design. The principles of clear territorial boundaries, natural surveillance through design, and maintenance of the physical environment as a signal of community control are now standard components of what’s called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, which is incorporated into planning guidelines in cities around the world.
Question: Using points and examples from the lecture, explain Oscar Newman’s concept of defensible space and discuss both its influence and the criticisms it has received.
Model Response (60 seconds):
The professor explains Oscar Newman’s concept of defensible space, which argues that the physical design of neighborhoods directly affects crime by influencing residents’ territorial behavior and willingness to monitor their environment. Newman identified four key elements. First, territoriality: design should create a sense of ownership so residents monitor and challenge strangers. Second, natural surveillance: features like street-facing windows and well-lit paths allow residents to observe surroundings naturally. Third, image: buildings must project a cared-for appearance because neglected environments signal no one is in control, inviting disorder. Fourth, milieu: housing should be integrated near safe zones rather than isolated. Newman observed that massive high-rise projects with anonymous public spaces had much higher crime than smaller-scale housing with clear private-to-public boundaries. The professor then discusses criticisms: some researchers argue that social factors like poverty and unemployment predict crime more powerfully than design; a well-designed building in extreme poverty won’t necessarily be safe. Others worry the concept justifies exclusionary gated communities. Despite these criticisms, Newman’s framework has been enormously influential. The principles are now embedded in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, which is incorporated into urban planning guidelines in cities worldwide.
✍️ WRITING Section
時間限制：29 分鐘 | 2 題
Task 1: Integrated Writing
Directions: Read (3 min), listen, write ~150-225 words (20 min).
Reading Passage (3 minutes):
Genetically modified (GM) crops — plants whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques — have been cultivated commercially since the 1990s. Despite their widespread adoption in countries including the United States, Brazil, and India, GM crops remain controversial. Proponents argue that genetic modification offers critical solutions to global food security challenges.
First, GM crops can be engineered for higher yields. By introducing genes that confer resistance to pests, diseases, and drought, scientists can create crop varieties that produce more food per hectare than conventional varieties. In a world where the population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, increasing agricultural productivity is not a luxury but a necessity.
Second, GM crops reduce the need for chemical pesticides. Crops engineered to produce their own insecticidal proteins, such as Bt cotton and Bt corn, require fewer applications of synthetic chemical pesticides. This benefits the environment by reducing chemical runoff into waterways and lowering farmers’ exposure to toxic substances. Studies in India have documented dramatic reductions in pesticide use on Bt cotton compared to conventional cotton.
Third, GM technology can enhance the nutritional value of food. The most prominent example is Golden Rice, which has been genetically modified to produce beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency affects millions of children in developing countries and is a leading cause of preventable blindness. Golden Rice could address this deficiency through a staple food that people already consume.
Listening — Lecture:
Narrator: Now listen to part of a lecture on the same topic.
Professor: The case for GM crops has been made very effectively by their advocates, but the reality is considerably more complex than the reading passage suggests.
On the yield question, the evidence is mixed at best. A major 2016 report by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences reviewed decades of data and found that GM crops have not, on average, produced higher yields than conventional breeding approaches. What GM crops have done very effectively is simplify pest and weed management, which reduces labor — but that’s not the same as increasing intrinsic yield. The dramatic yield improvements in agriculture over the past century have come overwhelmingly from conventional breeding, not genetic modification. If we are relying on GM crops to feed 10 billion people, we are betting on unproven technology.
Regarding pesticide reduction, the picture is similarly complicated. While it is true that Bt crops require fewer insecticide applications, the companion technology — herbicide-resistant crops — has led to a massive INCREASE in herbicide use. Crops engineered to tolerate glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, have enabled farmers to apply this herbicide more broadly, which has contributed to the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds. Farmers are now using more herbicides, not fewer, and in some cases turning back to older, more toxic chemicals to control resistant weeds.
On Golden Rice and nutrition, the timeline undermines the argument. Golden Rice was first developed in 1999 — over two decades ago — and it still has not been deployed at scale. The reasons are complex: regulatory hurdles, opposition from anti-GM advocacy groups, and the logistical challenges of distributing a novel product through existing supply chains. Meanwhile, conventional vitamin A supplementation programs — distributing vitamin A capsules — have been highly effective and inexpensive. The argument that conventional approaches are insufficient and genetic modification is necessary is contradicted by the success of those programs.
Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they challenge the specific claims about GM crops in the reading passage.
Model Essay (~260 words):
The reading passage claims that GM crops offer three major benefits: higher yields, reduced pesticide use, and improved nutrition. The lecturer challenges each of these claims with counter-evidence, arguing that the reality is more complicated.
First, the reading asserts that GM crops increase agricultural yields — an urgent priority for a growing global population. The lecturer counters by citing a 2016 U.S. National Academies of Sciences report, which found that GM crops have not, on average, produced higher yields than varieties developed through conventional breeding. While GM technology simplifies pest management and reduces labor, intrinsic yield gains have come from traditional breeding methods. Betting global food security on unproven yield improvements would be a mistake.
Second, the reading claims that GM crops such as Bt cotton reduce synthetic pesticide applications, benefiting the environment and farmer health. The lecturer acknowledges that Bt crops do reduce insecticide use but introduces a critical complication: herbicide-resistant GM crops have led to a massive increase in herbicide application. The widespread use of glyphosate-tolerant crops has accelerated the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds, forcing farmers to apply more herbicides and sometimes to return to older, more toxic chemicals. The net environmental effect is therefore ambiguous, not clearly beneficial.
Third, the reading highlights Golden Rice as a solution to vitamin A deficiency. The lecturer points out the temporal problem: Golden Rice was developed in 1999 but still has not been deployed at meaningful scale due to regulatory barriers, activist opposition, and logistical challenges — over two decades later. Meanwhile, conventional vitamin A supplementation programs have proven highly effective and cost-efficient, undermining the argument that GM technology is the necessary solution to nutritional deficiencies.
Task 2: Academic Discussion
Directions: Read the discussion. Write a contribution (~120 words).
Discussion:
Professor Okonkwo: This week, we are considering the relationship between technology and social isolation. Some researchers argue that digital technology — smartphones, social media, video conferencing — has made us more connected than ever before, enabling us to maintain relationships across vast distances and to find communities of like-minded people online. Others contend that these same technologies have paradoxically made us more isolated, replacing the depth of face-to-face interaction with the shallowness of texting and “likes.” In your experience and observation, has digital technology increased or decreased meaningful human connection? Use specific examples.
Rachel (Student): I believe digital technology has decreased meaningful connection. I see it every day on campus — people sitting together in the dining hall, all staring at their phones instead of talking to each other. The quality of interaction matters more than the quantity. Texting and social media create the illusion of connection without the substance: you cannot read tone of voice, body language, or facial expression through a screen. Research backs this up — studies have found that the presence of a smartphone on the table during a conversation, even if no one touches it, reduces the quality of the interaction and the level of empathy people feel. We are more “connected” in a technical sense but lonelier than ever, and the rising rates of anxiety and depression among young people are partly a symptom of this.
Tom (Student): I think Rachel is romanticizing the past. Before digital technology, people who didn’t fit into their local communities — LGBTQ+ youth in small towns, people with rare medical conditions, hobbyists with niche interests — had no way to find others like them. Online communities have literally saved lives by providing support networks that didn’t exist before. Digital technology has also made it possible to maintain deep relationships across distance. I video-call my grandmother every week — she lives in another country, and without that technology, we would barely have a relationship. The problem isn’t the technology; it’s how we use it. Mindless scrolling is bad; intentional connection is good.
Your Response (~120 words):
Model Response:
Rachel and Tom both identify real dynamics, but I believe the question is misframed: digital technology neither increases nor decreases meaningful connection inherently — it amplifies whatever relational habits we bring to it. Tom is right that digital tools enable life-saving connections for marginalized individuals and maintain bonds across distance that would otherwise wither. But Rachel’s observation that passive consumption and performative interaction corrode real connection is equally valid. The people in the dining hall ignoring each other existed before smartphones — they were reading newspapers. The difference is that digital technology is engineered to be more addictive. I believe the most productive framework is not to debate whether technology is good or bad for connection but to teach intentional use. Digital literacy education should include not just how to use tools but when to put them down. The technology is neutral; our discipline in using it is what determines whether we end up more connected or more isolated.
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READING Section Answers
| Question | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Paragraph 1: “at its peak between roughly 250 and 900 CE.” |
| 2 | B | ”Pronounced” in context means marked, noticeable, conspicuous. |
| 3 | B | Paragraph 2: “sediment cores extracted from lake beds in the Yucatan Peninsula.” |
| 4 | B | Paragraph 3: kings’ “legitimacy depended on demonstrating military success and ritual efficacy.” |
| 5 | B | Paragraph 4: Teotihuacan was “a major trading partner” whose decline may have disrupted networks. |
| 6 | D | European colonization came centuries after the Classic Maya collapse and is never mentioned as a cause. |
| 7 | B | The competition drove resource-intensive prestige projects that worsened environmental stresses. |
| 8 | B | The sentence restates the idea at [B], fitting after “interconnected systems” statement. |
| 9 | C | Paragraph 5: “systemic failure in which environmental, political, and economic factors reinforced one another.” |
| 10 | A, B, D, E | Best combination: droughts (A), political competition (B), trade disruption (D), and multi-causal consensus (E). Align = A+B+E or A+D+E. |
| 11 | B | Paragraph 1: “the evacuation is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives.” |
| 12 | B | ”Underscoring” means emphasizing or highlighting the point. |
| 13 | B | Paragraph 2: variables “interact in ways that can exhibit chaotic, nonlinear behavior.” |
| 14 | B | Paragraph 3: forecasting gives “probabilistic statements” vs. prediction’s spécific timing/location/magnitude. |
| 15 | B | The comparison illustrates that some systems may be inherently unpredictable at certain scales. |
| 16 | C | Deep-ocean tsunami detection buoys are NOT mentioned. GPS, ML, and InSAR ARE mentioned. |
| 17 | B | Two-part difficulty: scientific uncertainty AND communication challenge of probabilistic risk. |
| 18 | B | The sentence summarizes the forecasting concept, fitting at [B] after the SF Bay Area example. |
| 19 | B | Paragraph 5: false alarms “could cause economic disruption and erode public trust.” |
| 20 | A, B, D/E | Best: Haicheng/Tangshan contrast (A), chaotic systems challenge (B), value of forecasting (D), and technological promise with limits (E). |
LISTENING Section Answers
| Question | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | B | Main topic: the reconsolidation discovery that challenged the consolidation model and its therapeutic/ethical implications. |
| 22 | B | Professor: after consolidation, memory was seen as “stable, permanent, essentially fixed.” |
| 23 | B | They reactivated a consolidated memory then blocked protein synthesis; the memory was weakened. |
| 24 | B | The professor uses this to emphasize that memory retrieval is active reconstruction, not passive playback. |
| 25 | B | Structure: older consolidation model, the Nader-LeDoux experiment, implications for therapy and ethics. |
| 26 | B | Professor notes both therapeutic promise and that the ethical questions “we can’t afford to ignore.” |
| 27 | B | Covers CO2 absorption, chemical reaction forming carbonic acid, and biological consequences for marine organisms. |
| 28 | C | Professor: “roughly 25 to 30 percent of the carbon dioxide…is absorbed by the oceans.” |
| 29 | B | Professor: “the concentration of carbonate ions…decreases” as CO2 increases. |
| 30 | B | Pteropods illustrate how effects cascade upward through food webs from a single vulnerable species. |
| 31 | B | She calls the geological record “sobering” and notes current rates are “roughly ten times faster.” |
| 32 | B | Corals use aragonite, which is sensitive to acidification; lecture implies serious threats. |
| 33 | B | Compares presidential, parliamentary, and semi-presidential systems and their trade-offs. |
| 34 | B | Professor: “both the president and the legislature can claim to represent the people.” |
| 35 | B | Professor: “when the president and the parliamentary majority come from different parties.” |
| 36 | B | Italy and Israel are examples of “unstable coalition governments” in parliamentary systems. |
| 37 | B | Professor: “each system involves trade-offs” and “effectiveness…depends heavily on context.” |
| 38 | B | Presidential systems risk “gridlock when they are controlled by different parties.” |
| 39 | B | Student: “I’m struggling with my personal statement” for graduate programs. |
| 40 | B | Student: “applying to graduate programs in public health.” |
| 41 | B | Tutor advises opening with the clinic experience rather than saving it. |
| 42 | B | The statement should center on the applicant’s core motivation for the chosen field. |
| 43 | B | Student: “I think I’ve been writing what I thought I was ‘supposed’ to write.” |
| 44 | B | Roommate’s late-night gaming with sound on is ruining sleep and academics. |
| 45 | B | Student: “The RA mediated a conversation between us about three weeks ago.” |
| 46 | B | Single in Whitman Hall (+$600) or shared in Kennedy Hall with a compatible roommate. |
| 47 | B | ”So you can have a conversation first and make sure you’re compatible.” |
| 48 | A | He prefers Kennedy Hall because compatible habits solve the problem without extra cost. |
📊 Score Conversion Guide
Reading (Raw Score → Scaled Score)
| Raw (out of 20) | Scaled (0–30) |
|---|---|
| 20 | 30 |
| 18–19 | 28–29 |
| 16–17 | 26–27 |
| 14–15 | 24–25 |
| 12–13 | 21–23 |
| 10–11 | 18–20 |
| 8–9 | 15–17 |
| 6–7 | 12–14 |
| 0–5 | 0–11 |
Listening (Raw Score → Scaled Score)
| Raw (out of 28) | Scaled (0–30) |
|---|---|
| 28 | 30 |
| 26–27 | 28–29 |
| 23–25 | 26–27 |
| 20–22 | 23–25 |
| 17–19 | 20–22 |
| 13–16 | 16–19 |
| 9–12 | 12–15 |
| 5–8 | 8–11 |
| 0–4 | 0–7 |
✅ 自我評量清單 Self-Evaluation Checklist
- Reading: 答對 ___ / 20 (目標: 16+)
- Listening: 答對 ___ / 28 (目標: 22+)
- Speaking Task 1: 是否有清楚偏好和兩個具體例子？
- Speaking Task 2: 是否摘要了教授的觀點及多個反對理由？
- Speaking Task 3: 是否連結了 disruptive selection 定義與 seedcracker finch 例子？
- Speaking Task 4: 是否涵蓋了 defensible space 的四元素、影響與批評？
- Writing Task 1: 是否對應了閱讀三個論點和聽力反駁？
- Writing Task 2: 是否回應教授、參考兩位同學、提出自己的架構？
- 時間管理: 每個 section 在規定時間內完成了嗎？
威威老師小提醒： Mock 4 混合了考古、地質、神經科學和政治學四個完全不同領域的話題。真實 TOEFL 就是這樣跨領域的，不要因為主題陌生就慌張——文章結構和邏輯才是關鍵！
Mock 4 結束。最後一份 Mock 5 在等著你——堅持下去！