模擬TOEFL iBT002 リスニング問題 - エイミー・タンとジョイ・ラック・クラブ

数回前の記事でエイミー・タンとジョイ・ラック・クラブでリーディング問題を作成したが、そのパッセージをちょこちょこといじくって、模擬TOEFL iBTのリスニング問題を作成してみた。リーディング問題を作って、そこからリスニング問題を作るというのは、効率の良い作業なので、今後もそのようにして問題作成をしてみたいと思う。また、似たような題材を読んで、かつ聞くというのは、Speaking や Writing の統合問題に慣れるという意味でも効果的であるように感じる。

Without a further ado, enjoy.

Question 01
What is the main topic of the lecture?
(A) The history of immigration in the United States
(B) The life and works of Amy Tan
(C) Different writing styles used by Asian American authors
(D) The social impact of the film "Crazy Rich Asians"

Question 02
According to the lecture, what caused Amy Tan to turn to creative writing?
(A) She wanted to get a good grade in a composition class.
(B) She was encouraged by her mother and grandmother to do so.
(C) She needed to express herself to process her emotions.
(D) She decided to write short stories on the side to help her family financially.

Question 03
According to the lecture, what made “The Joy Luck Club” an impactful novel? Choose two answers.
(A) Tan’s exceptional storytelling techniques
(B) Tan’s solid fanbase
(C) Successful commercial strategies
(D) Social and legislative changes

Question 04
Why did the novel "The Joy Luck Club" resonate with many readers?
(A) Because it was written in a beautiful and descriptive prose.
(B) Because it criticized the US immigration system.
(C) Because it offered a unique perspective on Chinese culture.
(D) Because it reflected the experiences of many immigrant families.

Question 05
What can be inferred about this cultural studies class?
(A) It analyzes films based on novels written by authors of varied cultural origins.
(B) It focuses on the domestic and global impacts brought about by creators from around the world.
(C) It is meant to be taken by exchange students from Asian countries, especially China, Korea, and Japan.
(D) It is intended to be a 200-level course.

オーディオ・スクリプト

Listen to part of a lecture in a cultural studies class.

This term, we’ve been discussing several artists and authors of diverse cultural origins. Today, we will be discussing the life of Amy Tan and her works, chief among them, The Joy Luck Club and its impact on American literature and society.

Let me start by providing some background on Amy Tan herself. She was born in Oakland, California, in 1952, to parents who had immigrated from China. Growing up between two totally different cultures - American and Chinese - Tan developed an innate understanding from a young age of the challenges of straddling dual identities and cultural worlds.

This bicultural upbringing would deeply influence Tan's writing and storytelling later in life. In the mid-1950s, at just 14 years old, she found herself in a predicament. Both her father and her older brother passed away from brain tumors within the span of a year. This devastating loss was indeed a shocking event, and it led her family to relocate temporarily to Switzerland before they eventually returned to the United States.

Much like her grandmother and mother, Tan herself struggled with depression and mental health issues in the aftermath of these tragedies. How did she recover? Well, she found solace and healing through the act of creative writing. It became a therapeutic outlet for processing her complex emotions.

In 1989, Tan published what would become her seminal literary work - the novel "The Joy Luck Club." This powerful multi-generational narrative delves into the intricate relationships between four Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters. Through a series of interconnected vignettes, the book explores the challenges they face navigating cultural differences, generational gaps, and what it entails to embrace multiple cultural identities.

Central to the story is the formation of the Joy Luck Club itself. The immigrant mothers formed a social group where they would gather to play the traditional Chinese game of mahjong, share stories from their journeys, and find community support as immigrants in a new land. The novel captures the mothers' struggles with assimilation, the sacrifices they've made for their families, while their daughters grapple with understanding their cultural legacy in an authentic fashion.

What made this novel so impactful? There were two important factors. Firstly, it was Tan's gift as a masterful storyteller in illuminating these universal experiences through a culturally-specific lens. Her vivid, beautifully descriptive prose brought the characters' emotional lives to life in a way that profoundly resonated across cultures. Secondly, there was this significant change in the social system. The United States Congress reformed the National Origins Quota System with the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965. Further amendments were made in 1978 to allow for a broader range of countries, including Mexico, China, and Korea. Readers at the time witnessed and experienced these social and legislative changes firsthand, and many were immigrants themselves. They saw their own experiences of family, intergenerational divides, and the tension between tradition and modernity reflected in the novel.

The novel was both a success both critically and commercially. It struck a chord with the general public, but particularly with Asian American readers who had previously lacked such authentic representation. But its impact extended far beyond, as readers globally embraced its authentic depiction of the immigrant experience - the struggles with displacement, the sacrifices of motherhood, and the complexities of forging one's identity across cultures.

Tan's unique narrative perspective resonated not only domestically but also internationally, especially in Asia. Chinese readers appreciated her sincere portrayal of the challenges faced by Chinese immigrants abroad. Similarly, people in Japan and other Asian nations related to the novel's sensitive exploration of family dynamics, cultural expectations, and dual identities.

"The Joy Luck Club" was made into a film and was released in 1993. The DVD is available in our library’s video room. There should be several copies. So, if you are interested, go check it out or watch it there. 

OK, so next week, we will shift our focus from literature to film, and we’ll discuss a couple of movies such as “Crazy Rich Asians” directed by John M. Chu, and “Parasite” directed by Oscar-winning Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, and their impact on the American movie industry as well as on the world psyche.

正答
01 (B)
02 (C)
03 (A), (D)
04 (D)
05 (B)

ちなみトップの画像はクリエイティブ・コモンズで拾ってきたもの。確かに大学生の時に、これを買わされたのを覚えている。一通り読んだうえで、当時のセクメ（セクション・メイト、クラスメイトみたいなもの）の何人かと集まってビデオを観たら、思いがけずラブシーンがあって10代男女数人でシーンとなってしまったのを思い出した。誰にでも若い頃はあったのだ。