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Category: Extensive Listening

TOP Tips for TOEFL

Top tips for TOEFL

Reading and Listening

  • Get used to the computer-based test, especially the 10 question types for reading and listening.

Use TEDtalks for listening practice. TED.com is a great resource for three reasons:

  • It’s got lots, and lots of materials.
  • It’s free.
  • There’s an interactive transcript.

These three reasons make it the single best resource for learning in English on the Internet.

Speaking

  • Practice audio-recording your speaking with the strict time limit.
  • And learn to maximize the time in speaking.

Writing

  • Practice writing essays that follow the standard format for each type of writing.
  • And learn to touch-type so that you can write faster on the laptop, and thereby write a long and more accurate essay.

Grammar

  • For higher scores in writing and speaking, learn how to use complex sentence structures including dependent clauses, adjective clauses, and prepositional phrases.
  • Learn how to show the connections between your ideas by using linking and reference words.

Sleep quality and well-being

  • Understand that anxiety is normal when taking tests.
  • Sleep well every night of the week before your test.
  • This will be easier if you make time for 30-minutes of intense exercise every day.

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Extensive Listening Practice — February 18, 2021

The following are links to podcasts from early 2021 about about solutions to unemployment (1), civic education (2), geopolitics (3) and climate policy (4).

The Rhodes Center Podcast, “Is Now the Time for a Federal Jobs Guarantee?”

“On this episode Mark talks with economist Pavlina Tcherneva about a policy proposal that’s bubbling under in the US policy debate: the creation of a federal jobs guarantee. Pavlina is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Bard College and author of ‘The Case for a Job Guarantee.’ As Pavlina describes it, a federal jobs guarantee isn’t just a good idea; in the face of our economic, environmental, and epidemiological crises, it may be a necessary one.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Watch her virtual visit to the Rhodes Center

theAnalysis.news, “Jan 6th, Fascistization, and Education – Henry Giroux”

“Henry Giroux and Paul Jay discuss the events of Jan 6th, the destruction of public education and degeneration of mass culture.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode website with video and transcription

CFR Events Audio, “What to Worry About in 2021”

“Panelists discuss potential and ongoing crises that may erupt or escalate in 2021, as well as their global political implications. This event explored the results of CFR’s 2021 Preventive Priorities Survey.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Episode website with video and transcription

theAnalysis.news, “Dean Baker on Beating Inequality & COVID-19: Tackle Patent and Copyright Monopolies”

“Intellectual property like pharmaceutical patents is one reason so many people face a long wait for COVID-19 vaccines says Dean Baker.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts 

Episode website with video and transcription

The JUICE Media Podcast, “The New Climate War with Michael E. Mann”

“In which we open the new year by giving the mic to climate scientist Michael E. Mann who talks about the new challenges we face in this critical decade for climate action, and as we enter an election year here in Gasland (aka Australia). Content warning: contains unusual levels of optimism.”

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Watch on YouTube

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Extensive Listening Practice — November 26, 2020

The following are links to November 2020 podcasts about about personal experience growing up in the USA (1), 2020 election results in the United States (2) and economics (3 and 4).

Unstandardized English “The Eugenicist’s Best Friend”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unstandardized-english/id1479787099?i=1000497959574

David Harvey’s Anti-Capitalist Chronicles “The U.S. Presidential Election”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-harveys-anti-capitalist-chronicles/id1442025854?i=1000499326195

The Rhodes Center Podcast “Who Owns the Economy, and Who Pays for It?”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rhodes-center-podcast/id1436607891?i=1000497440122

Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff “What “Capitalism’s Decline” Means”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/economic-update-with-richard-d-wolff/id1053981528?i=1000499317965

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Extensive Listening Practice — October 27, 2020

The following links are to podcasts from the United States about SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 and the economy:

David Harvey’s Anti-Capitalist Chronicles “Stock Market Booms While Americans Face Economic Disaster”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-harveys-anti-capitalist-chronicles/id1442025854?i=1000494010360

This Is Hell! “The COVID-19 horizon / Rob Wallace”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-hell/id73329951?i=1000495439400

The Osterholm Update: COVID-19 “Failure Is Not an Option”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-osterholm-update-covid-19/id1504360345?i=1000495659574

Chapo Trap House “Bonus: Will interviews Ollie Vargas about Bolivia”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chapo-trap-house/id1097417804?i=1000495464025

The JUICE Media Podcast “Are the Libs “Good Economic Managers”? | with Richard Denniss”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-juice-media-podcast/id1469018080?i=1000494234759

The Vegan Vanguard “Confessions of an Economic Hitman with John Perkins”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vegan-vanguard/id1316624785?i=1000486533540


Related reading:

Confessions of an economic hitman by John Perkins

http://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Money_and_Economics/confessions_of_an_economic_hitman.pdf

Super Imperialism by Michael Hudson

https://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/superimperialism.pdf

7 deadly innocent fraud of economic policy by Warren Mosler

http://moslereconomics-kg5winhhtut.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/powerpoints/7DIF.pdf

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Extensive Listening Practice — September 13, 2020

The following links are to podcasts from the United States about present and past political issues.

Pushback with Aaron Mate “US protects global empire during pandemic, not its own population”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pushback-with-aaron-mate/id1478159781?i=1000489133293

Deconstructed with Mehdi Hasan “Is QAnon the Future of the Republican Party?”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deconstructed-with-mehdi-hasan/id1354611827?i=1000489431787

theAnalysis.news “Biden Not Phasing Out Fossil Fuel, Relies on Carbon Capture – Robert Pollin”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theanalysis-news/id1497955385?i=1000489695203

Chapo Trap House “UNLOCKED: 441 – Orange Julius or Hi-C and Turkey? feat. Adam McKay (7/30/20)”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chapo-trap-house/id1097417804?i=1000487589241

Ralph Nader Radio Hour “Trump Crimes/Industrial Strength Denial”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ralph-nader-radio-hour/id874581610?i=1000490186905

Noam Chomsky “Control of the Population (Force and Opinion)” (1991 lecture)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/noam-chomsky/id1125755434?i=1000490892382

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High-stakes Testing Comments and Suggestions

Last week, I took the standardized test for United States public school teacher certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages. That’s the Praxis II designed by ETS. In the video below, I discuss my experience taking this and other exams, and the importance of simulating test conditions when preparing for these exams because time is such an important factor to success.

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Extensive Listening Practice — July 18, 2020

These podcasts feature interviews authors who discuss their research, books or journalism. 

Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff “Europe’s New Internationalist Left”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/economic-update-with-richard-d-wolff/id1053981528?i=1000481742153

Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer “Debunking deficit myths (with Stephanie Kelton)” 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pitchfork-economics-with-nick-hanauer/id1445901378?i=1000480302812

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish “Daniel Kahneman: Putting Your Intuition on Ice”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-knowledge-project-with-shane-parrish/id990149481?i=1000453588355

Scheer Intelligence “The Cynical Forces Behind America’s Forever Wars”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scheer-intelligence/id1054586928?i=1000477687948

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Extensive Listening Practice — June 27, 2020

This is the first post with recommendations for extensive listening practice to develop cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). English proficiency exams most often used in applications for admission to institutions of higher education, like IELTS, include context-low listening tasks that are meant to simulate academic lectures (as in the IELTS listening section 4). Doing extensive listening for pleasure as an exam practice strategy for advanced learners expands content knowledge and lexis. Exposure to native accents and intonation will positively affect speaking skills, as well.

The fist recommended listening is of a speaker with a British accent. The following suggestions feature American accents.

David Harvey’s Anti-Capitalist Chronicles “Race and Class”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-harveys-anti-capitalist-chronicles/id1442025854?i=1000479525700

This Is Hell! “Capitalism and collapse / Richard Hunsinger + Nathan Eisenberg”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-hell/id73329951?i=1000478366680

Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill “The Rebellion Against Racial Capitalism”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intercepted-with-jeremy-scahill/id1195206601?i=1000479399220

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