TOEFL LISTENING : ANSWERING OVERVIEW QUESTIONS ABOUT MINI-TALKS 16.1 Br

Focus : Answering detail and inference questions based on specific points in Part C talks.
Directions: You will hear three talks, each one divided into several short portions. After each portion, there will be a number of questions based on that part of the talk. Mark the best answer choice-(A), (B), or (C)-for each question. The first one is done as an example.
Now start the audio.
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Questions 1-2: Listen to Portion 1 of Talk A.
M1: I'd like to welcome all of you to what is, I think, the most unusual course offered by the biology department-the Ecology of Coral Reefs. This course is unique because of our research methods. We don't just collect data from the library. Instead, we go to a coral reef in the Virgin Islands to do field studies.

1. What does the speaker imply about the course?

M1  : To prepare you for this trip, we'll first do some formal classroom work in biology. We'll also be going to the university pool to practice scuba diving and to learn the basics of underwater photography. And we'll be talking about precautions you must take to avoid damaging the reef. A coral reef is a very fragile environment, as you'll see.
3. Which of the following will be studied in a formal classroom setting?

M1: Because of the nature of this course, it does require a certain financial commitment on your part. The department can only provide basic equipment for you. You have to pay for your own airfare to the Virgin Islands as well as for your food and lodging. There are a few limited scholarships available for those who might have financial problems. See me after class if you're interested in applying for one of these. Any questions?

5. What will the department provide the students in this class?

F1: The largest American land mammals are bears. Maybe because bears can stand up and walk on two legs, we humans have always found them fascinating. Another characteristic bears have in common with humans is their range of appetite. As a matter of fact, they'll eat almost anything: berries, roots, nuts, meat, fish-and of course, they're particularly fond of honey.

7. The speaker suggests that bears are interesting to humans for what reason?

F1: The largest bear is the giant Kodiak of Alaska. When this giant stands up, it may reach a height of ten feet, and it may weigh up to fifteen hundred pounds. Ten feet tall and weighing three-quarters of a ton-what a sight they must be! Outside of Alaska, the largest bear in the United States is the grizzly bear. There aren't many of these bears left in North America-probably only a few thousand. Most of those live in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

9. How tall can kodiak bears be when they are standing?

F1: Now, the most common bear in the United States is the black bear, which you'll see in many parts of the country. These bears are smaller than grizzlies and may seem friendly, but watch out! Like all bears, they are unpredictable and can be dangerous.

11. What is the most common type of bear in the United States?

F2: The skies above Earth are turning into a junkyard, according to space scientists. Ever since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite, way back in 1957, virtually every launch has contributed to the amount of debris in Earth's orbit. Luckily, most of this junk burns up after it reenters the Earth's atmosphere, but some will be up there in orbit for years to come.

13. When did orbital debris first become a problem?

F2: Today, there are about 8,000 bodies in orbit being monitored from Earth. Out of all those, only around 3 to 4 hundred are active and useful. There are also probably half a million pieces of debris too tiny to be monitored.

15. How many orbital bodies are being monitored today?

F2: Some orbital debris is as big as a bus, but most are in the form of tiny flecks of paint or pieces of metal. The
debris also includes food wrappers, an astronaut's glove, the lens cap from a camera, broken tools, and bags of
unwashed uniforms. The largest pieces-mostly empty booster rockets are not necessarily the most dangerous
because they can be detected and spacecraft can maneuver away from them. And the smallest particles generally cause only surface damage. However, a collision with a piece of metal only an eighth of an inch in diameter-say about the size of an aspirin-could puncture the hull of a spacecraft or space station and cause a catastrophic depressurization. That's because these particles are moving so incredibly fast!

17. Which of the following is probably most dangerous to astronauts on a spacecraft?

F2: So what can be done about this problem? Well, two engineers recently proposed a novel solution to the problem of orbital junk, a device that consists of an array of water-spraying cones lined with plastic fibers to collect the debris and canisters to store it in. I brought a model of this device along with me so you could see what it looks like. Although this invention is still in its conceptual stage, two possible uses have been proposed. It could be launched as a free-flying satellite that actively seeks out debris or it could be launched into orbit with a spacecraft and serve as its shield.

19. What did the speaker bring with her?