Reading time: 50 seconds
History Seminars Should Be Shorter
Currently, all of the seminar classes in the history department are three hours long. I would like to propose that history seminars be shortened to two hours. I make this proposal for two reasons. First, most students just cannot concentrate for three hours straight. I myself have taken these three-hour seminars and found them tiring and sometimes boring. Also, when a seminar lasts that long, people stop concentrating and stop learning, so the third hour of a three-hour seminar is a waste of everyone’s time. Two-hour seminars would be much more efficient.
Sincerely,
Tim Lawson
Main idea of the reading passage:
Major points in the reading passage:
Now listen to the passage. On a piece of paper, take notes on the main points of the listening passage.
[audio|src:'/listening/toefl_ETS/ETS_V1_T3SQ3_056.mp3'|quiz]
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(Narrator)
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Now listen to two students discussing the letter.
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(Female student)
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I totally disagree with Tim’s proposal.
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(Male student)
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Why?
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(Female student)
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Well, look. Tim’s my friend, but he’s not your typical student. He stays up late partying every night – weeknights too.
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(Male student)
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If he parties every night, no wonder he can’t pay attention.
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(Female student)
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Yes, and most students aren’t like that. They come to class prepared and rested, and they can concentrate.
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(Male student)
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So you’re saying the problem is really Tim.
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(Female student)
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Yes. He was in one of my classes last year and whenever I looked at him, he was actually sleeping.
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(Male student)
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I guess if he’s sleeping, he can’t really know what’s happening, what other people in class are doing.
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(Female student)
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Right. And you want to know what does happen in that last hour of seminar? In a lot of seminars that I’ve been in, that’s when things get interesting.
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(Male student)
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Really?
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(Female student)
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Yes. That’s usually when students get really involved in the discussion and start exchanging important ideas. And if the history department actually did what Tim suggests, well, if they did that, what would happen is you’d lose what might be the most worthwhile part of a seminar.
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(Narrator)
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The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal described in the letter. Briefly summarize the proposal. Then state her opinion about the proposal and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
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Main idea of the listening passage:
Major points in the listening passage:
The woman expresses her opinion about the proposal described in the letter. Briefly summarize the proposal. Then state her opinion about the proposal and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
Preparation time: 30 seconds
Speaking time: 1 minute