本文从听力的环节入手与大家分享新托福听力的“三斑”（即：新托福听力的形式、内容和出题原则），目的只在“抛个砖，引个玉”，势未能引领大家观“全豹” 仍期望借过“抛砖泛起的水花，望穿其神秘的面纱”。在波退水平之际，你会发现：新托福听力－－道是有变却无变……
一、形式上
共六篇，平均每篇600字左右，5分钟读完。前两篇：对话（conversations）; 后四篇：课堂演讲（lectures）
这是新托福中变化最大的一点。不过这种形式上的变化无论是在89年或在95年都有过类似的发生。所以这种屡见不鲜的变革对于我们来说是无足轻重的。因为无论是单句变对话，还是对话加段子，事实上我们都能很快地适应并取得令ETS发指的成绩。
那么，这次的形式上取消了小对话，加长了长段子，增大了信息量，但无论怎样，势必会：来之、安之、定之……
二、内容上
1.对话内容（共三种）：
(1) instructors’ office hours
对话人物为教授与学生。对话地点在教授办公室。对话内容可为学术讨论或有关询问课程等问题。例如：要求教授延期交作业（此为非学术讨论）；要求教授解释讲座内容（此为学术讨论）
(2) service encounters
对话人物为学生与工作人员。对话地点在校园某办公室。对话内容为非学术的询问。例如：询问房租；怎样注册、怎样选课等
(3) student interactions
对话人物为学生甲乙。对话地点为教室以外相遇。对话内容可为学术讨论（一门专业课程内容、准备演讲）；非学术讨论（借笔记、实习感受）
通过查对以上新对话部分的内容，不难发现三种对话的内容都是旧托福PartB 部分的频繁测试点，无论是选课、注册、找房、借笔记、交作业等等这些都可以归结到以上三种新托福对话内容上。只是这里更系统的做了一些分类。一句话：万变不离其宗。
2.演讲内容：
演讲皆摘录于真实的课堂演示。有的是教授独白；有的是教授演讲中夹杂学生提问、教授提问。这种演讲的内容同旧托福段子PartC 的内容都是一样的。天文，地理，生物，历史等等也都是旧托福惯用的测试内容。一句话：黔驴只待技穷。
综上，既然在内容上对话部分和演讲部分都与旧托福如出一辙，那么我们现在备考的最有效的材料，还是来源于旧托福的段子。而需要我们格外注意的只是平时训练一些技能（主要为拓展听记的存储空间）去适应它的形式上的不同而已。
三、出题原则上：
[原则一] basic comprehension（50%以上的题目）
此类题型要求考生理解全文主要观点（understand important main ideas）和支撑观点的具体细节（supporting details）。
细分为两种：
（1）A main idea(gist) question requires the listener to understand critical vocabulary 、phrases or facts from several points in a text and to interpret them or synthesize them to identify the key points of the text 问文章谈论的主题（gist question）。这就需要考生有基本的概括主题以及从上下文提示中概括的能力。
（2） Detail questions require the listener to understand and remember explicit details or facts that are important as an explanation or an example of the main idea 问文章细节(detail question)。需要考生理解并存储文中围绕主题而陈述的重要事实
基本问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）：
（1）what problem does the man have?(此为细节理解)
（2）what are the students mainly discussing?(此为主题理解)
（3）what is the main topic of the talk?(此为主题理解)
样题问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）
（一）问主题（gist question）
What is the lecture mainly about?
What is the talk mainly about?
What is the main topic of the lecture?
What is the main purpose of the lecture?
What is the professor mainly discussing?
(二) 基本理解后问细节（detail question）
1、According 类
（1）According to the professor, where might there be a conflict in an organizational structure based on both projects and function?
（2）According to the conversation, why are transposons sometimes called “jumping genes”?
（3）According to the conversation ,what are two ways in which bacteria cells get resistance genes?
（4）According to the professor, what information should the student include in her statement of purpose?
（5）Based on information in the lecture, indicate whether the statements below about human emotion reflect beliefs held by Plato.
（6）According to the professor, what are two problems associated with removing water from an underground system?
2、Why 类
（1） Why does the student go to see the professor?
（2） Why does the professor talk about Plato’s description of society?
（3） Why does the professor explain Bode’s Law to the class?
（4） Why does the man go to see his professor?
（5） According to the professor, why did one scientist grow a rye plant in water?
[原则二]Pragmatic understanding (25%左右的题目)
此类题型主要考察考生对语言交流的实际掌握能力。听出讲话者讲某句话的目的（purpose）;听出讲话者所呈现的态度（stance）
细分为两种：
(1)Purpose understanding tests understanding of the intended function of an utterance, that is, the speaker’s purpose. Examples of functions include such speech acts as apologizing, describing, and suggesting.
问目的（purpose）是从不同角度去测试考生对语言功能的实际把握能力。需要考生能直接概括出讲话人的目的，并确定讲话人的感情基调是如何强调的。
(2)Stance understanding tests understanding of a speaker’s attitude. There are Two kinds of stance questions: attitudinal stance and epistemic stance. Attitudinal stance (attitude) questions generally probe the student’s understanding of speaker affect, for example, like, dislike, anxiety, and amusement. Epistemic stance questions probe the student’s recognition of the degree of doubt or certainty that the speaker expresses, whether his statements are intended as fact or opinion.
问态度（stance）要求考生根据讲话者所言确定讲话者的态度或立场。这是在basic understanding 的基础上对字里行间的一种理解能力的考察。
真题举例：
Examples of ways that students can demonstrate understanding of the function of an utterance
(一)问目的（Purpose）－－Directly identify the function of the utterance, i.e, the speaker’s purpose
以下材料摘录于部分对话，对话双方针对房租问题展开讨论。
（Excerpt from a conversation between a male student and a female housing office secretary. They are discussing his dorm fees.)
（narrator） listen again to a part of the conversation. Then answer the question.
(Secretary) But let me ask you this, are you um in a single room or a double room?
(Student) I’m in a double
(Secretary) You’re rooming with someone?
(Student) Oh, I should’ve been－－nobody was assigned though, but yeah it’s open, it’s available.
(Secretary) OK, because they’re charging you for a double, I mean for a single. They’re charging for the whole room. Um
（narrator） Why does the secretary say this: They’re charging you for a double, I mean for a single. They’re charging you for the whole room.
(A) To apologize for her mistake
(B) To explain why the problem happened
(C) To warn the man about future payments
(D) To suggest that the man find a roommate
Examples of ways that students can demonstrate understanding of the speaker’s stance
(二)问态度（stance）－－Identify a paraphrase of a speaker’s utterance that expresses or implies the speaker’s stance
以下材料摘录于教授与学员的对话
（Excerpt from a conversation between a female professor and a male student. They have been discussing what material will be included on an upcoming test)
(Narrator) Listen again to a part of the conversation. Then you will be asked to select the statement that is closest in meaning to what the man says.
(Professor) You’ll do fine on this if you’ve read and －－underlined and thought about the important issues. But I want you to be sure that you understand from the beginning, um…what if means to ask you to do this. Cause this is where you could go wrong if you interpret this too simplistically…um…“identify” means what?
(Student) You mean, like, who said what, right?
(Professor) Yes…and the title of this story, its author…
(Student) [worried, sounding somewhat indignant] So we’ve got to know all that stuff－for all the stories?
(Narrator) Select the sentence that best expresses how the student probably feels.
(A) “I’m worried about remembering so much information.”
(B) “I appreciate your taking the time to explain this to me.”
(C) “I’m relieved to be learning about what will be on the rest.”
(D) “I don’t understand what you mean.”
问法举例：
基本问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）：
（1）Listen again to part of the lecture, then answer the question
（2）Why does the woman say this:……
样题问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）：
（1）Why does the professor tell a story about his friend who went medical school?
（2）Why does the man talk to the woman about the “Poetry Kitchen”?
（3）What is the woman’s attitude toward participating in the poetry club?
（4）What is the professor’s opinion of the motor theory of thinking?
[原则三]Connecting information(25%左右的题目)
此类题型考察考生对上下文以及文章脉络、前后语言信息关联的掌握的能力。这种考察就要求考生更具备一定的听力实力，比如整合文中信息、根据前文下结论更会考到做推导的能力。总体上考察考生概括和推论的能力。
再细分为两种：
（1）Organization questions
（2）Content questions
(1) Organization questions: question about the organizational aspects of the text may require students to identify the structure of the text. These questions ask students to identify the organization or rhetorical structure of the text or a portion of the text.
基本问法举例：
（问） How does the professor organize the information that she presents to the class?
（答）In the order in which the events occurred.
（问） How does the professor clarify the points he makes about Mexico?
（答） By comparing Mexico to a neighboring country
(2) Content questions: Some content questions require students to demonstrate understanding of the substantive relationships between or among ideas in a text. Tasks of this type typically require students to identify relationships that either are explicitly presented in a stimulus or are clearly inferable. The task might ask students to respond to or organize information in a different manner from the way the information was presented to them in the stimulus. Some content questions require students to link content (i. e Explicit and/or implicit information) in order to perform an action. Task of this type will in some instances presuppose recognition of a particular relationship, but they will always require students to perform some action on information. These action include predicting outcomes, drawing conclusions or logical inferences, drawing accurate generalizations, extrapolating inferring a cause and effect relationship, specifying a sequence of events, and so on.
(注) 文章关联信息类原则不考察学生对对话主题的概括。只是考察根据上下句去概括，去推理的能力。
真题举例：
(Student) There’re a couple of people that’re interviewing me and one of the guys really liked me. He and I just hit it off perfectly and then the－girl－the woman who I’d probably be working for, she didn’t much care for me for some reason. Hmm, so I was wondering……
（professor）You want……
(Student) …about a recommendation…
（professor）It’s not too late?
(Student) They said, “Drop it off this week.”
（professor）This week. Ok.
(student) Yeah. The thing is…it’s pretty competitive so any help I can get（professor）I’m glad to do what I can, no problem
(student) Great.
(Narrator) What does the student want the professor to do?
(A) Talk to his supervisor
(B) Help him prepare for another interview
(C) Write a letter of recommendation
(D) Offer him a job
基本问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）：
(1) What is the likely outcome of doing procedure 1 before procedure 2?
(2) What can be inferred about X?
(3) What does the professor imply about X?
样题问法举例（以ETS官方给出的两套样题为准）：
（1）What will the students do in the summer?
（2）Why does the professor mention the Golden Gate Bridge?
（3）How does the professor introduce Bode’s Law?
（4）The professor describes a magic trick to the class, what does the magic trick demonstrate?
（5）The professor mentions houseplants that receive too much water, why does mention them?
（6）Indicate whether each sentence below describes functional organization or project organization
综合以上新托福的形式、内容以及出题原则，正是我们所看到的ETS的科学性之所在。ETS任意的一项测试或一次改动，都是遵从着科学规律的。而我们都知道科学的产生发展都是建立在为人类服务的基础之上的。科学的变是为了迎合人类的变；科学的进步是为了适应人类的进步。注重科学的美国人，无论是在其国内本科升学考试恒定尺的SAT考试05年的变化上；抑或即将推出的衡定非英语母语国家人英语水平的TOEFL变脸上；更或早在03年美国研究生入学测试的 GRE加试作文上，都是因为固有的考试不再能科学的分析人的必备能力后才“改易的旗帜”。
那么，无论是何种考试，无论是何等变化，我们只需牢记一点：考试的本质是科学。抓住考试本质上的科学性方可拥有解决它的“破竹之势”。它的形式是科学的，它的内容是科学的，它的出题途路是科学的，无论从哪里着手，你是否已经蓄“势”待发？
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