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TOEFL 2026 Listening

Academic Talks #1

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Published: 4.09.2026
Level 4   |   Time: 3:38
Accent: American
Source: Listen in English

Practice the Listen to an Academic Talk tasks from the new TOEFL Test (2026).


TOEFL        
TOEFL
    

triangle Directions 목표 Direcciones Instruções

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  1. READ the VOCABULARY

    If you find this task difficult, you can check the vocabulary before you take the test.

  2. LISTEN to the AUDIO

    You can either listen to all the questions continuously or play each question individually.

  3. ANSWER the QUESTIONS

    Choose the best response to each sentence or question.

  4. CHECK the SCRIPT

    You can check the whole script below or SHOW each sentence/question as you take the test.

  5. DO the ACTIVITIES

    Review the difficult vocabulary after you finish the test.

  1. LEA el VOCABULARIO

    Si esta tarea te resulta difícil, puedes revisar el vocabulario antes de hacer el examen.

  2. ESCUCHA el AUDIO

    Puedes escuchar todas las preguntas de forma continua o reproducir cada pregunta individualmente.

  3. RESPONDE a las PREGUNTAS

    Elige la mejor respuesta para cada frase o pregunta.

  4. REVISA el GUIÓN

    Puedes revisar el guion completo abajo o SHOW cada frase o pregunta mientras haces el examen.

  5. REALIZA las ACTIVIDADES

    Repasa el vocabulario difícil después de terminar el examen.

  1. LEIA o VOCABULÁRIO

    Se você achar esta tarefa difícil, pode revisar o vocabulário antes de fazer o teste.

  2. OUÇA o ÁUDIO

    Você pode ouvir todas as perguntas continuamente ou reproduzir cada pergunta individualmente.

  3. RESPONDA às PERGUNTAS

    Escolha a melhor resposta para cada frase ou pergunta.

  4. CONFIRA o ROTEIRO

    Você pode conferir o roteiro completo abaixo ou MOSTRAR cada frase ou pergunta enquanto faz o teste.

  5. FAÇA as ATIVIDADES

    Revise o vocabulário difícil depois de concluir o teste.

  1. 어휘를 읽어 보세요

    이 과제가 어렵다면, 시험을 보기 전에 어휘를 먼저 확인할 수 있습니다.

  2. 오디오를 들으세요

    모든 문제를 연속으로 들을 수도 있고, 각 문제를 개별적으로 재생할 수도 있습니다.

  3. 문제에 답하세요

    각 문장이나 질문에 가장 알맞은 답을 선택하세요.

  4. 스크립트를 확인하세요

    아래에서 전체 스크립트를 확인하거나, 시험을 진행하면서 각 문장이나 질문을 하나씩 표시할 수 있습니다.

  5. 활동을 해 보세요

    시험을 마친 후, 어려웠던 어휘를 복습하세요.

triangle Vocabulary 어휘 Vocabulário Vocabulario

  • ☐ ☐ ☐ coin [v] - introduce a new word or phrase
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a staple crop [n] - a food that forms the main part of a population's diet
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a yield [n] - the amount of something produced
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ indigenous [adj] - originally from a particular place
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ immunity [n] - the body's ability to resist a particular disease
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ an epidemic [n] - a widespread outbreak of disease affecting many people
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ sweep through [phv] - spread quickly across a place or group of people
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ catastrophic [adj] - causing sudden great damage
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ demographic collapse [n] - a sudden and severe drop in a population's size
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a commodity [n] - a raw material or product that can be bought and sold
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ profound [adj] - having a strong effect

  • ☐ ☐ ☐ replicate [v] - copy something exactly
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ biomimicry [n] - designing systems or products based on models found in nature
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ compelling [adj] - very interesting
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a beak [n] - the hard, pointed mouth of a bird
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ synthetic [adj] - not natural
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a sonic boom [n] - a loud noise caused by an object moving faster than the speed of sound
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ streamlined [adj] - shaped to move through air or water with minimum resistance
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ mimic [v] - copy; imitate
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ ventilation [n] - the movement of fresh air through a space
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ dramatically [adv] - very, really
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ conventional [adj] - traditional, standard
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ scarcity [n] - not having enough of something
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ pressing [adj] - urgent; requiring immediate attention

[n] - noun,  [v] - verb,  [phv] - phrasal verb,  [adj] - adjective,  [exp] - expression


triangle Questions 문제 Questões Preguntas

Talk 1: History



Questions hidden
Click "Show Questions" to reveal

What is the main topic of the talk?

The biography of Christopher Columbus

The consequences of European colonization for indigenous peoples

Agricultural developments in Europe and the Americas after the 15th century

The broad exchange of goods and disease between the Americas and the Old World


Why does the speaker mention the potato?

To explain why Ireland experienced a famine

To illustrate the significant impact a single crop can have

To compare European and American farming methods

To highlight the importance of caloric intake in history


According to the speaker, how did the horse affect Native American peoples?

It introduced new farming techniques.

It spread disease among indigenous communities.

It helped establish trade routes across the Americas.

It changed hunting and warfare on the Great Plains.


What does the speaker imply about disease in the Columbian Exchange?

It affected Europeans and Native Americans equally.

It was the most destructive element of the exchange for indigenous peoples.

Its effects were difficult to measure.

It was brought to Europe from the Americas.





Talk 2: Biology



Questions hidden
Click "Show Questions" to reveal

What is the talk mainly about?

How natural systems inspire human design and engineering

How industries use the environment to create innovation

The environmental impact of modern architecture

The similarities in how animals and industries adapt to extreme environments


Why does the speaker mention George de Mestral?

To explain the history of synthetic materials

To provide an early example of biomimicry in everyday products

To illustrate the importance of microscopic observation

To discuss the commercial success of a new technology


According to the speaker, what problem did the kingfisher-inspired design solve?

Excessive energy consumption on rail lines

Structural instability in the train's body

A loud noise produced when trains came out of tunnels

High air resistance during high-speed travel


What can be inferred about biomimicry's future relevance?

It is likely to become more important as A.I. advances.

It is primarily useful for architectural projects.

It may offer solutions to pressing environmental challenges.

It has already solved most major engineering problems.





Score:


triangle Vocabulary Review 어휘 검토 Revisão de vocabulário Vocabulario revisión

Directions: What expressions from the video have the same meaning as the highlighted expressions in the sentences below?

Instrucciones: ¿Qué expresiones del video tienen el mismo significado que las expresiones destacadas en las oraciones siguientes?

Instruções: Quais expressões do vídeo têm o mesmo significado que as expressões destacadas nas frases abaixo?

지시 사항: 아래 문장에서 강조된 표현과 같은 의미를 가진 표현을 영상에서 찾아보세요.


  1. The term [ was introduced ] by historian Alfred Crosby in the 1970s.

    [ was coined ]



  2. The potato became a [ main food ] in Europe because of its high caloric [ output ].

    [ staple crop ] [ yield ]



  3. [ Native ] populations in the Americas had no [ resistance ] to European diseases.

    [ Indigenous ] [ immunity ]



  4. [ Health crises ] [ moved rapidly through ] Native communities with [ severe, disastrous ] results.

    [ Epidemics ] [ swept through ] [ catastrophic ]



  5. This [ population-related ] collapse had [ significant ] social, political, and economic consequences.

    [ demographic ] [ profound ]



  6. He [ duplicated, repeated ] this mechanism using [ artificial, man-made ] materials.

    [ replicated ] [ synthetic ]



  7. Another [ interesting, striking ] example comes from the Japanese bullet train.

    [ compelling ]



  8. The kingfisher bird dives from air into water with a [ tiny, hardly any ] splash because of its streamlined [ bird mouth ].

    [ minimal ] [ beak ]



  9. It was designed to [ copy, imitate ] the ventilation system of termite mounds.

    [ mimic ]



  10. The building uses [ much ] less energy for cooling than [ standard ] structures.

    [ dramatically ] [ conventional ]



  11. Climate change and resource [ shortage ] are becoming more [ urgent ].

    [ scarcity ] [ pressing ]



triangle Script 대본 Roteiro Guion

Talk 1: The Columbian Exchange

Listen to a talk in a history class.

The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the Americas and the Old World — Europe, Africa, and Asia — following Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492. The term was coined by historian Alfred Crosby in the 1970s, and it fundamentally changed life on both sides of the Atlantic.

From the Americas to Europe, the exchange introduced crops that would transform diets around the world. Potatoes, tomatoes, maize, cacao, and tobacco were among the most significant. The potato, for example, became a staple crop in Europe, particularly in Ireland, where populations grew rapidly because of its high caloric yield. Tomatoes, now central to Italian and Spanish cuisine, were entirely absent from Europe before the late 15th century.

The exchange also moved in the other direction. Europeans brought wheat, rice, horses, cattle, and pigs to the Americas. The introduction of the horse dramatically changed the lives of many Native American peoples, particularly on the Great Plains, where it transformed hunting and warfare.

However, the most devastating element of the Columbian Exchange was disease. Indigenous populations in the Americas had no immunity to European illnesses such as smallpox, measles, and influenza. Epidemics swept through Native communities with catastrophic results, killing an estimated 50 to 90 percent of the indigenous population in some regions. This demographic collapse had profound social, political, and economic consequences that shaped the Americas for centuries.


Talk 2: Biomimicry

Listen to a talk in a biology class.

Nature has had billions of years to solve problems. Biomimicry is the practice of looking to the natural world for design inspiration — studying biological systems and processes and then applying those principles to human engineering and technology. The word itself comes from the Greek bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning imitation.

One of the most well-known examples of biomimicry is Velcro. The inventor, George de Mestral, noticed how burr seeds stuck to his dog's fur after a walk. Under a microscope, he observed tiny hooks that caught on loops in the fur. He replicated this mechanism using synthetic materials, and Velcro was born.

Another compelling example comes from the Japanese bullet train. Engineers noticed that the train created a loud sonic boom each time it exited a tunnel, due to differences in air pressure. The lead engineer, who was also a birdwatcher, proposed reshaping the front of the train after the beak of the kingfisher bird, which dives from air into water with minimal splash because of its streamlined beak. The redesigned train not only eliminated the noise problem but also became 15 percent more energy efficient.

Biomimicry is also being applied in architecture and materials science. The Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe, for example, was designed to mimic the ventilation system of termite mounds, which maintain a stable internal temperature despite extreme outside heat. The building uses dramatically less energy for cooling than conventional structures.

As climate change and resource scarcity become more pressing, biomimicry offers a promising approach — one that works with nature rather than against it.

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