托福听力要提前做好听写练习准备工作
多听之前的准备。这里的准备，不是指的硬件的准备，什么磁带啦、收音机啦、听力通啦什么的，尽管这些一个都不能少。这里的准备是指托福听力备考的积累准备，比如词汇量、比如一定的语法基础。要想听懂雅思的听力，你至少总要掌握类似英语四、六级的词汇量。要听懂美国之音的新闻广播这个托福听力材料，那 VOA提供的 1500词，总要事先浏览一遍，不会的挑出来，熟悉一下。如果语法的工夫比较扎实，能够根据上下文的大意猜测词汇、判断句型，那么这些准备都是有益的。
托福听力除了多"听"，还是"多听"。要达到"条件反射"的目标，一定要在"听"字上下工夫，而且是要"多听"。多听，是形成"条件反射"的必要条件。多听，是要多注音发音，做到能自然辨音的结果，一听就知道发的哪个词。多听，可以使你在听上一句的时候，已经知道下一句的大体内容了。多听，可以"精听"，也可以"返听"，两者缺一不可。很多人对"多"的理解很不够。以为听懂几篇文章，就达到了目的。要知道，语言的学习不是一日工夫。尤其是缺乏语言环境的非母语的学习，尤其需要"量"的铺垫。没有这个认识，想通过"速成"突破听力，是不可能。但我们可以借助工具、借助科学的方法，缩短这个时间。
坚持听写练习。这个方面的重要性，已经在其它文章中反复强调了，不再赘述。
提高听力，工夫在"听"外。这里的"听"外一方面是指听之前的一些基本工夫(如一所述)。更重要的还是指学英语的目的、动力、恒心等这些主观的因素。这些问题不解决，光是前期痛苦的听写这一项工夫就会使很多人望而却步。一定要经常给自己鼓劲，给自己奖励。坚持，对语言学习，怎么强调都不为过。"汝今能持否?"
通过上面的介绍可以发现不少托福听力备考时要做好的事情，很多人对于托福听力材料已经训练到能下意识反应出答案的地步，如果是这样那还有什么可担心托福听力不好的呢?
托福听力练习对照文本
Now, you've been reading articles about the tremendous damage done to life and property by earthquakes.
现在，你们已经阅读了由地震造成的生命和财产的巨大损失。
That's why seismologists have been working so hard to develop methods of earthquake prediction.
这是为什么地震学家一直努力的工作以发展地震预测的方法。
We can now predict earthquakes fairly well, but the predictions only locate potential areas of danger.
我们现在能把地震预测的相当好，但是预测只能定位潜在的危险区域。
They don't predict the specific time and location at which an earthquake is likely to occur.
他们不能预测一场地震可能会发生的具体时间和地点
Today I want to introduce to you three prediction models that have been developed.
今天我想介绍给你们已经发展出来的三种预测模型。
The first prediction model looks along earthquake faults, those cracks in the Earth's crust, to find what are known as seismic gaps.
第一个预测模型沿着地震断层看，那些地壳里的裂缝，寻找所谓的地震空白地带。
Seismic gaps are places where the fault has shown little or no seismic activity for a long time.
地震空白地带是断层很长时间显示很少或者没有地震的活动。
This theory postulates that such places are due for a major shock.
这种理论假设这样的地方应该受到一次大震。
The second model relies on phenomena, like ground tilt.
第二个模型依靠现象，比如地面倾斜。
Using long cylindrical tubes containing water, observers noted that ground tilt tended to occur before major earthquakes.
使用装水的柱形管，观察者注意到大地震前有发生地面倾斜的倾向。
That led them to correctly predict the big Haicheng quake of 1975, the first successful earthquake prediction scientists have ever made.
那使他们正确预测了1975年海城大地震，科学家作出的第一次成功的地震预测。
A million people were evacuated from that Chinese city before the earthquake struck.
在地震袭击前，一百万人从那个中国城市转移。
Unfortunately, this method hasn't worked consistently, so we can't say it's been perfected.
不幸地是，这种方法不是始终有效，所以我们不能说它是完美的。
The third model is based on the theory that major earthquakes closely follow a series of minor ones.
第三个模型基于一系列小地震紧随大地震之后。
Starting with the measurements and timing of the smaller quakes, a complex formula calculates the "times of increased probability" of a much larger quake.
以小地震的测量值和时间开始，以一个复杂的公式计算一个大得多的地震的“增加可能性的时间”。
Right now, this method, like the first method, cannot predict specific times and places, but that may change as it is further developed.
现在，这种方法，像第一种方法一样，不能预测具体的时间和地点，
但是当它进一步发展后可能会有变化。
For the moment, none of these models can predict with reasonable levels of confidence.
目前，这些模型没有一个能做有合理水平的预测。
托福听力练习对照文本
We're going to start today talking about congressional aides, that is, the people who work for our congressional representatives, both in Washington and in the representatives' local districts.
今天我们将要开始谈谈国会助手，也就是说，为我们国会代表工作的人，既在华盛顿，又在代表当地的区域。
It used to be that members of Congress had a relatively small staff of people working for them, and the role of these people wasn't of primary importance.
过去曾经是国会议员们有一个相对小的员工(规模、群体、数量)为他们工作，这些人的角色不是最重要的。
But now there are thousands of congressional aides, and they've profoundly affected the way the whole government works.
但现在有成千上万的国会助手，而且他们已经深深地影响到了整个政府工作的方式。
Congressional aides work in two different locations: one, in the congressional representatives' local offices, the districts from which they were elected, and two, in Washington.
国会助手在两个不同的地点工作：一，在国会代表的当地办公室，在他们被选举的地区，二，在华盛顿。
Staff in the local offices help members of Congress stay in touch with citizens in their districts.
在当地办公室的职员帮助国会议员与他们区域内的市民保持联系。
These citizens can bring problems in in person, or by mail or phone.
这些市民能亲自带问题来，或者通过邮件或电话。
This personal connection between the aides and the local people can be helpful when the next election comes around.
助手和本地人之间的人际关系在当下个选举到来时会有帮助。
People remember the help they get from the office of their local congressional representative.
人们会记得他们得到的来自他们本地国会代表办公室的帮助。
But as you know, members of Congress have to spend most of their time in Washington taking care of their legislative duties.
但正如你所知道的，国会议员必须把他们大部分时间放在华盛顿，应付他们的立法职责。
Over six thousand new laws are introduced in Congress each session.
每次会议会有超过六千(项)新法被引入国会。
Without help, representatives would have trouble keeping up with the proposed laws that directly affect their districts.
没有帮助的话，代表们会在跟上直接影响他们区域的法案(这件事)上有困难。
So that's why the congressional aides play a major role in Washington.
所以这是为什么国会助手在华盛顿扮演了一个主要角色。
They keep their bosses informed about pending legislation, organize hearings, and just keep their local congressional representatives up-to-date and informed on what's going on in other parts of Congress.
他们随时通知他们的老板关于悬而未决的法案，组织听证会，并且保持他们的本地国会代表跟上并被知会国会其他部分正在发生什么事。
Now another thing congressional aides do is to help develop ideas for laws that their bosses can eventually propose to Congress.
现在国会助手们做的另一件事是帮助在法案上出主意，使他们得老板能最终能(将之)提交给国会。
This can be called the staff's entrepreneurial function, a bit like a business executive trying to find out what products are most popular.
这能被称作员工的创业功能，有点像一个商业经理试图找出那些产品最受欢迎。
Congressional aides promote or encourage laws they think will be popular with the public.
国会助手们促进并鼓励他们认为将会受到公众欢迎的法律。
You've also got other employees that work for the whole Congress, not just for individual members.
你们还会了解其他为整个国会工作的雇员，不只是为个体的议员。
We'll talk about these people next.
下次我们将会谈到这些人。
托福听力练习对照文本
That's an interesting question, Tom.
那是个很有意思的问题，汤姆。
Women did participate in the early days of motion-picture making.
女性的确参加了早期的电影制作。
One of the most outstanding is Lois Weber.
其中最突出的一个是Lois Weber。
She is credited as the first consistently successful woman film director.
她被赞颂为第一个始终成功的女性电影导演。
In the early 1900's, when she first arrived in Hollywood, Ms. Weber made a series of experimental sound films.
在二十世纪早期，当它第一次到达好莱坞时，Weber女士制作了一个实验性的有声电影系列。
Now this was almost 20 years before modern "talking pictures" were developed.
这个几乎领先了当代“有声电影”的发展20年。
The dialogue for her movies was recorded on phonograph records and then synchronized with the action on the movie screen, very innovative for that time.
她的电影的对话被录在唱片上，然后与电影屏幕上的表演同步，对于那个时代来说非常有创新性。
In addition, Weber felt that movies should be educational as well as entertaining.
另外，Weber感觉电影应该教育性和娱乐性并重。
She made several highly controversial movies that dealt with the moral and social issues of her day.
她制作了几个非常有争议的电影，涉及了她那个时代的道德和社会问题。
And some of her most controversial work addressed issues of particular interest to women.
并且几个她最具争议的作品讨论了对女性特别感兴趣的问题。
Unfortunately, Weber died in 1939, just as Hollywood was beginning to make films aimed primarily at female audiences, which brings me to my next point.
不幸地是，Weber死于1939年，正当好莱坞开始主要瞄准女性观众制作电影。
