Peterson’s master toefl reading skills part 2 pdf

viii Before You Begin www.petersons.com Tip Tips draw your attention to valuable concepts, advice, and shortcuts for tackling the reading passages. Summing it up The review chapter ends with a point-by-point summary that captures the most important concepts. They are a convenient way to review the chapter's key points. Practice tests The three practice tests, including the diagnostic test, are designed to help you prepare with little anxiety. YOU’RE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS Remember that knowledge is power. By using Peterson's Master TOEFL Reading Skills as a supplement to your other TOEFL test preparation, you will fine tune your reading comprehension skills. GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK Peterson's publishes a full line of resources to help guide you and your family through the college admission process. We welcome any comments or suggestions you may have about this publication and invite you to complete our online survey at http://www.petersons.com/booksurvey. Or you can fill out the survey at the back of this book, tear it out, and mail it to us at: Publishing Department Peterson's 2000 Lenox Drive Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Your feedback will help us to provide personalized solutions for your educational advancement. 00_TOEFL Reading FM,i-x 7/29/06, 11:478 Before You Begin ix www.petersons.com Top 10 Strategies to Raise Your Score 1. As with other sections of the TOEFL, be familiar with the directions and examples so you can begin work immediately. 2. For each passage, begin by briefly looking over the questions (but not the answer choices). Try to keep these questions in mind during your reading. 3. Scan passages to find and highlight the important facts and information. 4. Read each passage at a comfortable speed. 5. Answer the questions, referring to the passage when necessary. 6. Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or do not answer the question. If more than one option remains, guess. 7. Mark difficult or time-consuming answers so that you can come back to them later if you have time. 8. Timing is an important factor. Don’t spend more than 10 minutes on any one passage and the questions about it. 9. Concentration is another important factor. The reading section is one of the longer sections of the test. Your practice and hard work will help you. 10. Relax the night before the exam. 00_TOEFL Reading FM,i-x 7/29/06, 11:479 00_TOEFL Reading FM,i-x 7/29/06, 11:4710 P ART I TOEFL READING BASICS CHAPTER 1 All About TOEFL Reading 01_TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7/29/06, 11:461 01_TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7/29/06, 11:462 chapter 1 3 All About TOEFL Reading OVERVIEW • What does the reading section contain and how long does it last? • To read or not to read • Summing it up WHAT DOES THE READING SECTION CONTAIN AND HOW LONG DOES IT LAST? The Reading section contains passages on a variety of subjects. Following each passage are several questions about the passage. You will answer from 36 to 70 questions in this section, and you will have 60 to 100 minutes to read the passages and answer the questions. Before you begin this section, you will be shown how to answer the questions with the computer screen and mouse. The reading passages are similar to the ones you will probably read and study in North American universities and colleges. There are three important differ- ences between the Reading section and the other sections of the exam: • The Reading section is not computer adaptive. When you answer question number 1, the computer does not select a more difficult (or less difficult) question for number 2. • In the Reading section, you are allowed to return to questions you have already answered and can change your answers. You are also permitted to skip a question and return to it later, which you can’t do in the other sections of the exam. • You will see the Reading passage and the question on the monitor screen at the same time. The Reading passage will appear on the left side of your screen, and the questions will appear on the right side of the screen. 01_TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7/29/06, 11:473 4PART I: TOEFL Reading Basics www.petersons.com TO READ OR NOT TO READ You will not be scored on whether you read the entire passage. You will be scored on whether you answer the question correctly. It is not only probable that you can answer all questions correctly without reading the entire passage; it is imperative that you read only what is necessary to answer the questions. So that you do not underestimate the importance of this advice, it will be repeated: DO NOT READ THE ENTIRE PASSAGE BEFORE YOU START ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS! Most questions will indicate which part of the reading passage is being asked about. Work through each passage answering the questions, using the process we describe in the following pages. Read the First Sentence of Each Paragraph and the Last Sentence in the Passage In the following passage, read only the sentences in boldface. The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles Hambitzer. He was so impressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons for free. Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most important job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the sheet music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in stores. At that time, sheet-music sales were the measure of a song’s popularity, and song pluggers had to work long hours for the music publishers who employed them. As a result of his hard work, Gershwin’s piano technique improved greatly, so much so that, while still in his teens, Gershwin became known as one of the most talented pianists in New York City. As a result, he worked as an accompanist for popular singers and as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway musicals. His knowledge of jazz and popular music grew quickly, and one of his songs was included in the Broadway musical The Passing Show of 1916. George became friends to many prominent Broadway composers. He particularly admired the music of Irving Berlin whom Gershwin called “America’s Franz Schubert.” Jerome Kern, another Broadway composer, demonstrated to George how popular music was inferior to material in Broadway shows. In 1919, enter- tainer Al Jolson performed Gershwin’s song Swanee in the musical Sinbad. The song became a hit, and Gershwin became an overnight celebrity when his song sold more than 2 million recordings and a million copies of sheet music. (5) (10) (15) (20) (25) 01_TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7/29/06, 11:474 . 7 /29 /06, 11:4710 P ART I TOEFL READING BASICS CHAPTER 1 All About TOEFL Reading 01 _TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7 /29 /06, 11:461 01 _TOEFL Reading Ch 1,1-14 7 /29 /06, 11:4 62 chapter 1 3 All About TOEFL Reading OVERVIEW •. power. By using Peterson's Master TOEFL Reading Skills as a supplement to your other TOEFL test preparation, you will fine tune your reading comprehension skills. GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK Peterson's. The reading section is one of the longer sections of the test. Your practice and hard work will help you. 10. Relax the night before the exam. 00 _TOEFL Reading FM,i-x 7 /29 /06, 11:479 00 _TOEFL Reading