0:02 What's going on test takers? My name is
0:04 Josh from TST Prep and this is a brand
0:07 new TOEFL listening practice test. The
0:10 test is changing. On January 21st,
0:13 20126, the TOEFL will look completely
0:15 different. The old books are not going
0:17 to help anymore. The old practice isn't
0:19 going to help anymore. Everything's got
0:21 to be new. This is one of the first
0:23 steps to take. Try out this TOEFL
0:25 listening practice test. Before we
0:27 start, let me tell you a tiny bit about
0:30 the new tasks. The first task is called
0:32 listen and choose. [music] It looks like
0:34 this. You get about 10 to 20 of these on
0:36 test day. You listen and you choose the
0:39 correct response. The next task is a
0:41 conversation type. A very short
0:43 conversation. It looks something like
0:45 this. And you have to answer two
0:48 questions about the conversation.
0:50 Very similar is the announcement. So
0:52 instead of a conversation, there's an
0:54 announcement. And again, it's followed
0:56 by two questions. These are really
0:57 short. the passages are less than a
1:00 minute long. And the last new task type
1:02 is similar to the old type is called an
1:04 academic talk. Uh except it's much
1:05 shorter. It used to be four or five
1:07 minutes. Now it's just 2 minutes long
1:09 and you have to answer a couple
1:11 questions about the talk. You'll have at
1:14 least one, probably two of these on test
1:15 day. Another thing to keep in mind is
1:17 that you are in control of your time on
1:19 test day. This is a YouTube video, so we
1:21 give you a set amount of time, but feel
1:25 free to pause or skip if you uh want to
1:26 control your time a bit more for this
1:29 video. And oh, answers are in the
1:32 description. A PDF version of this
1:34 complete test is in the description. You
1:36 follow the link, you get it for free. It
1:38 includes answer explanations,
1:40 transcripts, audio files. So definitely
1:43 check that out. And also visit
1:46 tsdprep.com. You can make a free account
1:48 today and you get not just this free
1:50 practice but hundreds of free practice
1:53 questions, free content that we have
1:55 weekly webinars. So if you want to get
1:57 your score as quickly and easily as
2:00 possible, check out tsdprep.com,
2:02 make an account. Again, link in the
2:04 description to that as well. But that's
2:07 it. Good luck test takers and I'll see
2:21 The deadline's coming up sooner than I expected.
3:10 would you remind me to call my sister later.
3:35 Could you water my plants while I'm away?
4:23 Have you told your parents about the trip?
5:12 Where did you put the extra copies of
5:37 to a conversation.
5:40 >> The laundry basket's overflowing again.
5:42 Didn't you say you do it yesterday?
5:45 >> I did, but I ran out of detergent
5:46 halfway through the first load.
5:49 >> You could have told me. I passed the
5:50 store on my way home.
5:52 >> I figured I'd go this morning, but then
5:54 I got caught up finishing that report
5:56 for work. I'll grab some detergent after
5:58 lunch and do a double load this afternoon.
5:58 afternoon.
6:01 >> Please do. Otherwise, we'll have nothing
6:48 to a conversation. My phone keeps dying
6:50 just a few hours after it's fully charged.
6:51 charged.
6:53 >> You probably need a new battery. How
6:55 long have you had it?
6:58 almost 4 years. It used to last all day,
7:00 but now I charge it twice before dinner.
7:03 I read online that once a battery starts
7:05 losing power, it can even damage the
7:06 phone if you ignore it for too long.
7:08 >> Then you'd better replace it soon.
7:10 There's a repair shop near the library
7:12 that does sameday service.
7:15 >> Oh, I didn't know that. I'll head over
8:01 to an announcement at a university event.
8:02 event.
8:04 >> Good morning, students. [clears throat]
8:07 The academic advising office will offer
8:09 extended walk-in hours next week for
8:11 anyone planning to register for summer
8:14 courses. Advisers will be available from
8:16 9:00 a.m. to 400 p.m. Monday through
8:19 Thursday. No appointment is necessary,
8:21 but please arrive early to avoid long
9:06 Listen to an announcement at a
9:10 university club meeting. Hi everyone.
9:11 Our club is partnering with the local
9:13 Red Cross to host a community blood
9:15 drive next Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to
9:17 3:00 p.m. in the student center
9:20 ballroom. Donors should eat beforehand
9:22 and bring a photo ID. If you'd like to
9:24 volunteer, please sign up using the link
10:11 to a talk in a biology class.
10:14 >> Every autumn, millions of monarch
10:16 butterflies travel from the northern
10:18 United States and Canada to the mountain
10:21 forests of central Mexico. Their bright
10:24 orange wings make the sky seem alive
10:26 with motion. What makes this journey
10:30 remarkable is its length and accuracy.
10:33 Monarchs travel thousands of kilome, yet
10:35 the butterflies that arrive in Mexico
10:37 are not the same ones that left the
10:39 north. The journey takes several
10:41 generations to complete with each new
10:43 group continuing the route their
10:45 ancestors started.
10:47 Scientists have been fascinated by how
10:49 monarchs know where to go. Studies
10:51 suggest they use the position of the sun
10:53 as a kind of compass.
10:55 They also appear to rely on an internal
10:57 clock that adjusts for the sun's
11:00 movement during the day. Some
11:01 experiments show that when the
11:04 butterflyy's antenna are covered, they
11:06 lose their sense of direction,
11:08 suggesting that light sensors there play
11:11 an important role. Monarchs also respond
11:14 to temperature and wind, gliding on warm
11:16 air currents to conserve energy during
11:19 long flights. Despite their endurance,
11:20 monarch populations have declined
11:22 sharply in recent years.
11:25 The biggest threats are habitat loss and
11:28 the disappearance of milkweed plants,
11:29 which are the only food source for
11:31 monarch caterpillars.
11:33 Conservation groups now encourage people
11:35 to plant milkweed and create resting
11:38 spots along the migration route. These
11:40 efforts highlight how fragile and
11:42 connected natural systems can be, even
11:44 when they depend on something as small
13:52 If you want to get your score as quickly
13:54 and as easily as possible, check out the
13:57 TOEFL emergency course from TST Prep. It
14:00 includes test practice questions,
14:02 courses, everything you need for the old
14:05 and new version of the TOEFL. It
14:07 includes study plans for two days, one
14:09 week, two weeks, and one month. So
14:11 everything you need in one place. Check
14:13 out the TOEFL emergency course today.
14:15 Link in the description to a [music]
14:18 exclusive offer only for the YouTube
14:20 audience. So you get a discount that
14:22 nobody else gets. So please, if you want
14:24 to support the channel, check out the
14:26 tsst prep.com [music]
14:28 emergency course. And let's get back to
15:51 Listen to a conversation.
15:53 The shipment of office supplies still
15:54 hasn't arrived.
15:56 >> Seriously, [sighs]
15:58 it's been almost a week since we placed
15:59 that order.
16:01 >> I called the supplier this morning and
16:03 they said the delivery truck broke down
16:04 outside the city. They're sending
16:07 another one tomorrow. That explains it.
16:09 I'll let the team know to go easy on the
16:55 listen to a conversation. [sighs]
16:56 [sighs]
16:58 >> I canceled my gym membership last month
16:59 and now I regret it.
17:00 >> What happened?
17:02 >> I thought I'd save money and just work
17:04 out at home, but I haven't exercised
17:05 once since then.
17:08 >> You could always rejoin. Sometimes they
17:10 let you skip the sign up fee if you were
17:11 a recent member.
17:13 >> That's good to know. I'll stop by this
17:14 weekend and ask.
17:16 >> Do it. It's easier to stay motivated
18:03 listen to a talk in a marine biology class.
18:04 class.
18:06 >> In the dark depths of the ocean, where
18:10 sunlight never reaches, many organisms
18:11 have developed the ability to produce
18:15 their own light. This natural glow known
18:17 as bioluminescence serves a variety of
18:20 purposes. Some species use it to attract
18:23 prey, while others rely on it to hide
18:25 from predators. But one of the most
18:28 intriguing uses is communication. For
18:31 many deep sea creatures, light is their
18:34 language. Certain squid, for example,
18:36 flash rhythmic pulses of blue light from
18:38 their bodies to signal to potential
18:41 mates or to coordinate movement within a
18:43 group. In one species, these light
18:45 displays become more complex during
18:48 mating season, almost like a visual
18:50 conversation. Other animals, such as the
18:52 lantern fish, have glowing spots
18:55 arranged along their sides that may help
18:56 them recognize members of their own
18:59 species in the darkness. Each pattern
19:02 acts like an identification badge in a
19:04 place where vision is limited.
19:06 Researchers studying these organisms
19:08 have discovered that light production is
19:11 not always controlled by the animal
19:14 alone. In some cases, bacteria living
19:17 inside the creature's body produce the
19:20 glow. This cooperation between host and
19:22 microbe shows how even in extreme
19:25 environments, life depends on
19:27 partnerships. Next, let's look at how
19:29 these biological light systems might
19:32 inspire new forms of communication
19:34 technology such as underwater signaling
21:44 listen to a talk in an ancient history class.
21:46 class.
21:48 >> Around 10,000 years ago, in a region of
21:50 the Middle East once known as the
21:52 Fertile Crescent, a group of people
21:54 began an experiment that would change
21:56 human history. They were not building
21:59 cities or empires yet. They were simply
22:00 trying to survive in a landscape of
22:02 grasslands and rivers that flooded each
22:04 spring. Archaeological evidence from
22:06 sites near the Tigris and Euphrates
22:08 rivers shows that small communities
22:10 began gathering wild grains that grew
22:13 after the floods. Over time, they
22:15 noticed that seeds dropped near their
22:18 camps again the next season. This
22:20 observation marked the beginning of
22:22 agriculture. One of the best studied
22:24 settlements from this period is Jericho.
22:27 located near the Jordan River. The
22:29 people there constructed circular houses
22:31 from mud and built stone walls to
22:33 protect their crops from animals and
22:35 seasonal floods.
22:37 Storage pits found beneath the floors
22:38 suggest that they were saving food from
22:41 one harvest to the next. This ability to
22:43 store grain gave them security through
22:46 harsh seasons and allowed the population
22:47 to grow.
22:49 Families no longer needed to move
22:51 constantly in search of food, and social
22:54 roles began to change as some members
22:55 specialized in tool making and food
22:58 preparation. These early farmers could
22:59 not have known the long-term
23:01 consequences of their innovation. Yet,
23:03 their decision to plant and protect
23:05 grain set in motion the rise of complex
23:08 societies. In the next section, we will
23:10 look at how similar communities laid the
25:19 Good job making it to the end. Really
25:20 hard to do this TOEFL stuff. It's
25:22 annoying. You know, it takes focus and
25:25 energy. So, be proud of yourself. And if
25:27 you want some more practice, you can
25:29 check out this video here. Good luck and
