Complete Test Preparation Toeic Test Prep_4

–SPEAKING REVIEW– Once you hear these directions, you will have 15 seconds to think about your response. Then, you will hear a prompt telling you to “Begin speaking now.” You will have one minute to give your opinion, which will be recorded. You will receive a score of zero through five for your response. To receive the highest score, your re-sponse should: clearly state your choice or opinion include details, information, or examples to support the opinion offer support that is logical, relevant, and clearly related to the opinion use speech that is clear and well-paced demonstrate understanding of the structure of the language use effective vocabulary Minor errors are acceptable, as long as they do not in-terfere with the meaning of the response. Try stating your opinion about the following prompt. Read the prompt and think about your answer for about 15 seconds. Then, begin talking. Remember, you will have 60 seconds to respond. Some people prefer not to take a job that requires them to travel for business.What is your opinion about not accepting a job that requires business travel? Give reasons for your opinion. To prepare for this question, ask yourself: How do I feel about this topic? Why do I feel that way? If I wanted to convince someone to agree with me, what would I say? What reasons or examples could be used to con- vince someone that my opinion is valid? After considering these questions, restate the topic of the prompt and give your opinion at the very begin-ning of your response. Then, go on to offer examples. A possible response to the example prompt is given below. I think it is fine to not accept a job offer that requires travel for business. One reason I think this is acceptable is that there are plenty of other job opportunities that do not require travel, and would be better suited for someone who does not want to be away from home. Accepting a job that requires travel could cause the person to not be happy, and he or she might not stay at the job very long. In this case, accepting the job would be unfair to the employer as well, because the company would have to replace the unhappy employee, and possibly spend a lot of time and money training the replacement.Another reason I believe it is fine to not accept a job that requires travel is that some people have personal reasons for being unable to be away from home. Family obligations, medical conditions, or other commitments might cause the person to need to be in town. Not everyone wants or is able to travel. I think it is acceptable to only consider job offers that are a good match to the employee’s needs. Keep in mind that an opinion is just that. It is what you think. There is no right or wrong answer. The key to doing well is to clearly state your opinion. Then, include plenty of reasons that explain why you have that belief. Make sure your reasons and exam-ples are clearly related to the opinion you state. If the topic is one that you have mixed feelings about, quickly choose a side for the sake of the test. Then, only include details that support that belief. 135 –SPEAKING REVIEW– Tips for This Section of the Test As you prepare for the TOEIC Speaking Test, keep the following tips in mind. Don’t worry about the information you will be asked about on the test. You will not be tested on your knowledge of business. It is not neces-sary to know any specialized or technical vocab-ulary. The words you are expected to know are those that you encounter in your everyday life and work experiences. Becoming familiar with the format of the test will help you become more comfortable on test day. Review the questions in this book, and get used to the types of activities you will be asked to complete. On test day, you can focus on the questions rather than the format. Speak and listen to English as much as possible. Read, watch TV shows and movies, listen to CDs and audio books, and practice speaking the lan-guage with your friends, family, and coworkers. Say as much as possible during the test. Try to keep talking until the allotted time runs out. Keep the directions in mind as you answer each question. One way to do this is to restate the main idea or topic of the prompt as the begin-ning of your response. Speak clearly and slowly enough that the person scoring the test will easily be able to understand your response. Be sure to pronounce the words distinctly. Remember to articulate each sound, and focus on the beginning and ending sounds of words. Record yourself reading aloud and talking in order to become more comfortable with this process. Listen carefully to the recording and critique yourself. Ask your friends to listen and offer suggestions or advice. If you are not already comfortable using a stan- are the first six letters displayed on the top row of keys. Ask questions. If you come across a word in a book or in conversation that you are unsure of, ask someone. The more comfortable you are with English, the better prepared you will feel for the test. Practice Read aloud the text given. You will have 45 seconds to prepare. Then you will have 45 seconds to read the text aloud. Use a stopwatch or clock to time yourself. 1. One of the most difficult aspects of beginning a new job may have little to do with the job requirements themselves. New employees often report that relationships with coworkers and being unfamiliar with office procedures are the biggest hurdles to overcome in the workplace. Obviously, it is important to build a profes-sional relationship with colleagues. But, such relationships often take time to nurture. Maintaining a polite attitude and offering a friendly smile are easy ways to set the right tone with coworkers. Learning office proce-dures is often a matter of time as well. Employee manuals, observation, and asking colleagues for assistance are likely the best sources of this information. 2. Have you been considering new furniture for your home or office? Well, now is a great time to take advantage of the closeout prices at Seat Yourself Furniture! Our entire stock is on sale from now until the end of the month.We have executive desks, swivel chairs, and file cabinets for the workplace.We have sectionals, ottomans, and recliners for the living room. Whether your style is comfortable or elegant, dard English-language computer keyboard, casual or professional, we have the pieces to practice typing on one. This device is known as a QWERTY computer keyboard, because these 136 suit your life. Buy individual pieces, or buy the entire room. Either way, everything is on sale! –SPEAKING REVIEW– 3. As the holidays are approaching, we would like 6. to inform all employees of changes to the work schedule during the next few weeks. Beginning November 15, all employees will have the option of a four-day work week through the end of the year. Employees taking advantage of this opportunity will be expected to report to work one hour earlier than their current eight-hour daily schedule, and stay one hour later each day, Monday through Thursday. This will allow them to continue working 40 hours per week, while being able to take Fridays off. Employees choosing to continue with their current schedules may do so. Describe the picture in as much detail as you can. You will have 30 seconds to prepare your response.Then you will have 45 seconds to speak about the picture. Use a stopwatch or clock to time yourself. 4. 7. 5. Read the text provided and then answer three questions about that text. No preparation time is allowed. You will have 15 seconds to respond to the first two ques-tions, and 30 seconds to respond to the third. Use a stop-watch or clock to time yourself. 137 –SPEAKING REVIEW– Imagine that a travel agency is conducting a sur-vey. You have agreed to answer several questions about your travel habits. 8. How often do you travel, either for work or for pleasure? 9. What is your preferred method of travel? 10. Describe the best vacation you have taken for pleasure. Imagine that a marketing firm is conducting re- 12:00–1:30 PM. 1:30 PM. 3:00 PM. 4:00–5:00 PM. Lunch (Enjoy lunch on your own. A list of nearby restaurants is available at the registration tables.) Home and Auto Policies OR Health Policies Updates on Continuing Education Requirements Questions and general discussion (ending time is approximate, depending on the number of questions and length of discussion) search about how you receive the news. You have agreed to answer several questions about your pre-ferred method of staying aware of current events. 11. How do you learn of current events and news? 12. What is your preferred method of getting the news? 13. Explain what you feel are the advantages and disadvantages of television news. In this section, you will answer three questions based on information provided. You will have 30 seconds to read the information before the questions begin. For each question, begin responding immediately after you hear a beep. No additional preparation time is provided.You will have 15 seconds to respond to the first two ques-tions, and 30 seconds to respond to the third. Tri-State Insurance Carriers Annual Conference Date: March 24 Schedule of Events 8:00 A.M. Registration and Breakfast* 9:00 A.M. Changing Trends in Insurance Registration Fees: Individual Agents—$45 each Groups of three or more—$35 each *registration fees include breakfast Hello, I’m calling about the insurance confer-ence on March 24. I’m a new insurance agent, and was hoping you could give me some information about the conference. 14. Could you tell me what time the conference begins and how long it will last? 15. Will breakfast and lunch be provided? 16. I’m new to the insurance business.What sessions will be available that might be helpful for new agents selling health policies? Washington Heights College Course Schedule, Spring Semester January 14–April 30 Fees: $145/semester hour Fees due by second class meeting 10:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M. Increasing Sales OR Tips for New Agents Helping Customers Choose a Policy Writing for Business I—Monday and Wednesday 6:30–9:00 PM. Instructor: Dr. J. Diaz Classroom: 104 C 138 –SPEAKING REVIEW– Writing for Business I—Tuesday and Thursday 5:00–7:30 PM. Instructor: K. Franklin Classroom: 212 B Writing for Business II—Monday and Thursday 6:30–9:00 .M. Instructor: A. Wong Classroom: Auditorium A Advertising and Marketing—Tuesday and Friday 7:00–9:30 PM. Instructor: Dr. J. Diaz Classroom: 225 G Advertising and Marketing II—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5:00–6:45 .M. Instructor: Dr. B. Moffett Classroom: 117 C Accounting—Tuesday 3:00–8:00 PM. Instructor: M. Lopez Classroom: 330 B Hello, I’m calling about the classes being offered dur-ing the upcoming semester.Would you be able to give me some information? 17. Could you tell me what the costs of the classes are, and when fees are due? 18. I have enjoyed classes taught by Dr. Diaz in the past.What courses will he be teaching? 19. I need to be finished with classes no later than 8:00 each evening. Could you give me informa-tion about the classes that end by that time? In this section, you will be presented with a problem and asked to propose a solution. You will have 30 sec-onds to prepare.Then you will have 60 seconds to speak. 20. Respond as if you work at the gas station with the car wash. In your response, be sure to: show that you recognize the problem propose a way of dealing with the problem Now, listen to Track 162. 21. Respond as if you work at the delivery service. In your response, be sure to: show that you recognize the problem propose a way of dealing with the problem Now, listen to Track 163. 22. Respond as if you work at the florist shop. In your response, be sure to: show that you recognize the problem propose a way of dealing with the problem Now, listen to Track 164. In this part of the test, you will give your opinion about a specific topic. Be sure to say as much as you can in the time allowed.You will have 15 seconds to prepare.Then you will have 60 seconds to speak. 23. Some people prefer to hire people they know to work in their offices.What is your opinion about bosses hiring friends and family to work for them? Give reasons for your opinion. 24. When it comes time to hire managers or supervisors, some companies hire a person from outside the company; others promote from within.What is your opinion about whether these positions should be offered to new people or current employees? Give reasons for your opinion. 25. Some people prefer to take a job that does not pay well, but does offer benefits such as health insurance and a retirement fund.What is your opinion about taking a job with a low salary that has good benefits? Give reasons for your opinion. 139 ... - tailieumienphi.vn