(3) Listen again——(woman) In the chapter I just read, it said that the oldest tortoise whose age can be verified to some extent is the one known as Marion's tortoise.
(man) I read that Marion's tortoise was 152 years old.
(woman) Actually, I think the book said it was at least 152 years old.
Why does the woman say this:" Actually，I think the book said it was at least 152 years old."
(a) To contradict what was in the book
(b) To indicate that she is not sure what is correct
(c) To restate what the man said
(d) To correct an error by the man
(4)Listen again——(woman) Historians are satisfied with the authenticity of the records that show that Marion's tortoise died in 1918.
(man) How do they know it was the same tortoise? Could it have been a different tortoise that died there in 1918?
What does the man mean when he says this: "How do they know it
was the same tortoise? Could it have been a different tortoise that
died there in 1918?"
(a) What was said sounds plausible
(b) Marion's tortoise was not on the island of Mauritius
(c) There may be an alternate explanation
(d) There was only one tortoise on the island
(5)Listen again——(woman) Yes. So Marion's tortoise was known to have lived for 152 years on Mauritius. But because it was an adult when it was captured in 1766 and it's unclear how old it was at that time, it could have been considerably older than 152 years when it died, maybe 180 years or more. Two hundred years old for this type of tortoise isn't inconceivable.
Which sentence best describes how the woman feels when she says
this:"Two hundred years old for this type of tortoise isn't
inconceivable"
(a) It is possible for a tortoise to live for 200 years
(b) A tortoise could not possibly live to the age of 200
(c) No 200-year-old tortoise has ever been found
(d) Many types of tortoises live to be very old
(注)以上五道题目中带阴影部分皆是再次回放的内容。
(答案)(1)A (2)B (3)D (4)C (5)A
解析：
新增Listen Again题型属于测试考生Pragmatic understanding(recognize a Speaker's attitude or degree of certainty; recognize a speaker's function or purpose)即实际理解的能力。此类能力测试在整个新托福听力测试的比重占25%之多。也就是说，Listen Again题型处理好，新托福听力的总34道题目你将会解决至少6道题目。
那么到底Listen Again题型让我们考生实际理解什么?很简单，即要求考生去理解你再次听到的那段话中的：
(1)Function(purpose):
ask you to understand not just what the speaker said but why the speaker said it. For example, to determine that a speaker said sth in order to apologize, explain, clarify a point, change a topic, indicate a change of opinion, or suggest a new action.(上面样题第一题即是)
(2)Stance (attitude)
Ask you how the speaker seems to feel about a particular topic. For example, to determine if the speaker feels Positive or negative, happy or sad, impressed or unimpressed, or enthusiastic or bored about a particular Topic. Also ask about whether a speaker is doubtful or Certain about what he or she is saying.(上面样题后四道题目即是)
简单的说即对再次回放内容中讲话者讲此句话的目的或者态度进行推断。因此，考生解答此种问题时即便在全文放音过程中不知所云， 也要在Listen Again时，务必把握Listen Again内容——Listen carefully to what the speaker says in the part of the passage that is repeated and then draw a conclusion。
技巧：
其实根据上面样题所示，你也会发现：(1)勿须理解全文，只要理解Listen Again的内容你就可以对题目进行做答。(2)听再次回放内容时对讲话者的语气、语调应尤为关注。如第2题的那句That's couldn't Be…No way讲出来时语气格外激昂，可见讲话者的意图是针对第一人话语的一种不信，一种否定。(3)以往旧托福的解题技巧仍可应用，如第3题。以往在小对话中有这样一种叫做Actually的题型，即在答句开头听到Actually时，必为否定第一人观点的。第3题女方选手开头Actually，那么看哪个选项是否定男方的，D这个答案To correct the Error by the man即入选。
结论：
根据以上新增题型的解析，值得我们考生兴奋的是：此类题型应属送分题型，即便全文整体概念、信息模糊不清，但仍可只依靠再次回放的部分解决此种题型。再深入探求其本质，难道我们还能下新托福听力取消了原来小对话部分这样的定义吗?此种新增题型，不正是以往小对话所测试我们的基本所在吗(让我们去做推论)?只不过，现在的新增部分综合了95年8月前的单句题和95年8后的小对话题而已。现在的"Listen Again"题型——说它是单句题，它比单句题稍微显长显复杂;说它是小对话题，它比小对话题测试内容上要稍显更实际、更结合与学术。这不正是ETS此次托福考试改革关于听力部分的宗旨(Academic Listening Skills：The Listening section measures test takers' ability to understand spoken English from North America and other English-speaking countries. In academic environments students need to listen to lectures and conversations. )吗?
