TOEFL iBT のリスニング問題⑤　－PRACTICE SET 5－

ほい、というわけでTOEFLの演習／解説の実況中継の11回目、The Official Guide to the TOEFL Test Fourth Editionの Listening Practice Sets のPRACTICE SET 5に取り組んでみたいと思う。このPRACTICE SET 5は植物学の講座だが、すべてがアカデミックな問いではなく、大学教員が現実に言いそうなことをサインポストたっぷりに言うなど、非常に realistic な出来に仕上がっている。大学で非常勤講師として教えるようになってからは、なおのことそう感じる。 

Track 07   0:00 ～ 0:02

Listen to part of a lecture from a botany class. 

植物学だと聞いても「解糖系とか電子伝達系か？」やら「葉緑体とか極相とか？」などと身構える必要はない。TOEFLは基本的に一般教養レベルでしか出題されないので、ゴリゴリの理系でないと理解すら難しいという内容は出題されない。ここでは part of a lecture であって、part of a discussion ではないところに注意を払いたい。lecture ＝ 教授だけが話す、discussion ＝ 教授と学生が話す、である。ここを押さえておくだけで、リスニング聞き取り時のメモがある程度やりやすくなる。

１．What aspect of Manila hemp fibers does the professor mainly describe in the lecture?

〇 Similarities between cotton fibers and Manila hemp fibers
〇 Various types of Manila hemp fibers
〇 The economic importance of Manila hemp fibers
〇 A use of Manila hemp fibers

Track 09 全体

特に本問の正解を強く示唆する箇所はないが、全体を通じてマニラアサがロープとしての使用に適するということを語っている。その他の選択肢も消去法で除外が可能。正解は

〇 A use of Manila hemp fibers

となる。

２．Listen again to part of the lecture by playing Track 10. Then answer the question. Why does the professor mention going away for the weekend?
〇 To tell the class a joke
〇 To apologize for not completing some work
〇 To introduce the topic of the lecture
〇 To encourage students to ask about her trip

Track 10   0:04 ～ 0:27

Um, I was hoping to have your exams back today, but, uh, the situation was that I went away for the weekend, and I was supposed to get in yesterday at five, and I expected to fully complete all the exams by midnight or so, which is the time that I usually go to bed, but my flight was delayed, and I ended up not getting in until one o’clock in the morning. Anyway, I’ll do my best to have them finished by the next time we meet.

わざとらしく間投詞を多用することで「ここは設問で出そうですね？」と言ってくれている。最後のセンテンスでも next という最上級を使って、Anyway, I’ll do my best to have them finished by the next time we meet. ＝ 次に会う時までに終わらせておく ＝ 今は終わっていない、となる。ここから

〇 To apologize for not completing some work

が正解だと判断できる。

３．What does the professor imply about the name “Manila hemp”?

〇 It is a commercial brand name.
〇 Part of the name is inappropriate.
〇 The name has recently changed.
〇 The name was first used in the 1940s.

Track 09   1:04 ～ 1:26

Now, for some strange reason, many people believe that Manila hemp is a hemp plant. But Manila hemp is not really hemp. It’s actually a member of the banana family—it even bears little banana-shaped fruits. The “Manila” part of the name makes sense, because Manila hemp is produced chiefly in the Philippine Islands, and, of course, the capital city of the
Philippines is Manila.

Nowという間投詞に続いて、何度も Manila と hemp が言及されている。しっかりと聞けば、Manila hemp は hemp ではないということが分かり、そこから

〇 Part of the name is inappropriate.

が正解選択肢だと判断できる。

４．Why does the professor mention the Golden Gate Bridge?

〇 To demonstrate a disadvantage of steel cables
〇 To give an example of the creative use of color
〇 To show that steel cables are able to resist salt water
〇 To give an example of a use of Manila hemp

Track 09   2:06 ～ 2:39

Now, why was that? Well, the main reason was that steel cables degrade very, very quickly in contact with salt water. If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you know that the Golden Gate Bridge is red. And it’s red because of the zinc paint that goes on those stainless steel cables. That, if they start at one end of the bridge and they work to the other end, by the time
they finish, it’s already time to go back and start painting the beginning of the bridge again, because the bridge was built with steel cables, and steel cables can’t take the salt air unless they’re treated repeatedly with a zinc-based paint.

Nowという間投詞の直後にお馴染みの Well が来ることで、直後がヒントになるということを示している。steel cables degrade very, very quickly in contact with salt water. ＝ 鋼線は塩水に触れるとすぐに劣化してしまう、ということを聞き取らなければならない。ここから

〇 To demonstrate a disadvantage of steel cables

が正解だと導き出せなくてはならない。その他の選択肢が結構紛らわしいが、80点以上を目指すなら、本問は正解したい。

５．According to the professor, what was the main reason that many ships used Manila hemp ropes instead of steel cables?

〇 Manila hemp was cheaper.
〇 Manila hemp was easier to produce.
〇 Manila hemp is more resistant to salt water.
〇 Manila hemp is lighter in weight.

Track 07   1:26 ～ 2:06

Now, as fibers go, Manila hemp fibers are very long. They can easily be several feet in length and they’re also very strong, very flexible. They have one more characteristic that’s very important, and that is that they are exceptionally resistant to salt water. And this combination of characteristics—long, strong, flexible, resistant to salt water—makes Manila hemp a great material for ropes, especially for ropes that are gonna be used on oceangoing ships. In fact, by the early 1940s, even though steel cables were available, most ships in the United States Navy were not moored with steel cables; they were moored with Manila hemp ropes.

Now という間投詞後に、 very looooong と、やたら「長い」ということを強調してくる。他にも、long, strong, flexible, resistant to salt waterを短時間でリピートしている。最上級の most を使う箇所でも In fact, by the early 1940s, even though steel cables were available, most ships in the United States Navy were not moored with steel cables; they were moored with Manila hemp ropes. という具合に、軍艦もマニラアサを使っていたと強調している。長い、丈夫、柔軟、塩水に耐性ありのいずれかに言及しているのは

〇 Manila hemp is more resistant to salt water.

という選択肢のみで、これが正解だと分かる。

６．According to the lecture, what are two ways to increase the strength of rope made from Manila hemp fibers? Choose 2 answers.

□ Coat the fibers with zinc-based paint
□ Combine the fibers into bundles
□ Soak bundles of fibers in salt water
□ Twist bundles of fibers

Track 09   2:56 ～ 3:46

OK. So how do you take plant fibers that individually you could break with your hands and
turn them into a rope that’s strong enough to moor a ship that weighs thousands of tons? Well, what you do is extract these long fibers from the Manila hemp plant, and then you take several of these fibers, and you group them into a bundle, because by grouping the fibers, you greatly increase their breaking strength—that bundle of fibers is much stronger than any of the individual fibers that compose it. And then you take that bundle of fibers and you twist it a little bit, because by twisting it, you increase its breaking strength even more. And then you take several of these little bundles, and you group and twist them into bigger bundles, which you then group and twist into even bigger bundles, and so on, until eventually, you end up with a very, very strong rope.

間投詞 Well 以降に6回 bundle と言われている。その後も twist が短時間で4回言及されている。繰り返しというのは単純ではあるが、有力なサインポストであることが実感できる。

□ Combine the fibers into bundles
□ Twist bundles of fibers

以上より、上の二つが正解だと比較的容易に判別できるはず。

TOEFL iBTの Listening の難易度としては標準的。聞こえてくる順番と設問の順番が多少前後しているところがあるので、そこだけは少し注意が必要かもしれない。個人的にはこの voice actor（と言っていいのかどうか）の女性の声は、非常に聞き取りやすくて気に入っている。なんとなく大学時代のアドバイザーの先生の声に似ているようにも感じる。まあ、そのアドバイザーはブリティッシュだったけれども。

次は Listening Practice Setsの PRACTICE SET 6を実況予定。乞うご期待。