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TOEFL 2026 Listening

Academic Talks #5

icon
Published: 6.29.2026
Level 4   |   Time: 2:37
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 Інструкції

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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.

  1. ПРОЧИТАЙТЕ СЛОВНИК

    Якщо це завдання здається вам складним, ви можете переглянути словник перед тестом.

  2. ПРОСЛУХАЙТЕ АУДІО

    Ви можете прослухати всі запитання поспіль або відтворювати кожне запитання окремо.

  3. ВІДПОВІДАЙТЕ НА ЗАПИТАННЯ

    Виберіть найкращу відповідь на кожне речення або запитання.

  4. ПЕРЕВІРТЕ СЦЕНАРІЙ

    Ви можете переглянути весь сценарій нижче або натиснути SHOW для кожного речення/запитання під час тесту.

  5. ВИКОНАЙТЕ ЗАВДАННЯ

    Повторіть складну лексику після завершення тесту.

triangle Vocabulary 어휘 Vocabulário Vocabulario Словник

  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a commodity [n] - a raw material or product that can be bought and sold
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a middleman [n] - a person who buys goods from one party and sells them to another
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ maritime [adj] - relating to the sea
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ navigation [n] - the skill of planning and following a route
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ overland [adj] - across land rather than by sea
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ disrupt [v] - interrupt, disturb
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ abandon [v] - stop using, leave behind permanently
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ an epidemic [n] - a widespread outbreak of disease affecting many people

  • ☐ ☐ ☐ cite [v] - refer to something as an example
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a parallel [n] - a similarity between two different situations
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ displace [v] - force someone or something out of their usual position
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ cognitive [adj] - relating to thinking
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a safety net [n] - a system that protects people from hardship
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a transition [n] - a change from one state or situation to another
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ pace [n] - speed

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


triangle Questions 문제 Questões Preguntas Запитання

Talk 1: History



Questions hidden
Click "Show Questions" to reveal

What is the main topic of the talk?

The history of Chinese silk production

The role of the Mongol Empire in Asian trade

A network of ancient trade routes and their broader effects

The economic relationship between China and medieval Europe


Why does the speaker mention Buddhism and Islam?

To argue that religious exchange was more significant than commercial exchange

To explain why merchants traveled the Silk Road

To illustrate that the Silk Road transmitted more than goods

To describe the religious beliefs of Central Asian traders


According to the speaker, what contributed to the decline of the Silk Road?

The development of faster sea routes

The rise of the Mongol Empire

A decrease in demand for Chinese silk

Political conflict between China and Europe


What can be inferred about the Black Death?

Trade networks can spread disease as well as goods.

It originated in Europe and spread eastward.

It spread more quickly than any previous epidemic.

It significantly reduced the demand for silk in Europe.





Talk 2: Economics



Questions hidden
Click "Show Questions" to reveal

What is the main topic of the talk?

How AI-driven job displacement differs from past industrial automation

Why economists disagree about the long-term effects of automation

Why AI will eventually create more jobs than it eliminates

The role of government policy in managing technological change


Why does the speaker mention writing, analysis, and legal reasoning?

To show that some professions are more difficult to automate than others

To explain why educated workers are better prepared for disruption

To compare the difficulty of cognitive work with manual labor

To illustrate that AI is affecting skilled, educated workers, not just manual ones


According to the speaker, how did industrial transformation differ from AI in terms of pace?

Industrial change happened faster but affected fewer workers.

Industrial change was gradual because governments regulated it carefully.

Industrial change unfolded over generations, while AI is advancing in years.

The effects of AI are more predictable than the effects of the Industrial Revolution were.


What does the speaker imply about the people most at risk from AI displacement?

Workers who lack the political influence to shape AI policy

Workers in industries that have already been heavily automated

Educated workers who assumed their skills would keep them secure

Young workers who entered the workforce after AI became widespread





Score:


triangle Vocabulary Review 어휘 검토 Revisão de vocabulário Vocabulario revisión Огляд лексики

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.

Інструкції: Які вирази з відео мають те саме значення, що й виділені вирази в реченнях нижче?


  1. Silk was one of the most valuable [ goods, products ] traded along its routes.

    [ commodities ]



  2. Goods passed through a series of [ go-betweens ], changing hands many times.

    [ middlemen ]



  3. Advances in [ sea ] [ route-finding ] made sea routes faster and cheaper.

    [ maritime ] [ navigation ]



  4. The fall of the Mongol Empire disrupted [ land-based ] trade.

    [ overland ]



  5. By the late 15th century, the Silk Road had largely been [ left behind, given up ].

    [ abandoned ]



  6. The Industrial Revolution is often [ referred to, mentioned ] as a historical parallel.

    [ cited ]



  7. The Industrial Revolution primarily [ replaced, pushed out ] physical labor.

    [ displaced ]



  8. AI is displacing [ mental, thinking-based ] work.

    [ cognitive ]



  9. Societies had time to adapt through new schools, new industries, and new social [ protection systems ].

    [ safety nets ]



triangle Script 대본 Roteiro Guion Сценарій

Talk 1: The Silk Road

Listen to a talk in a history class.

The Silk Road was not a single road but a vast network of trade routes connecting China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. It operated for roughly 1,500 years and took its name from Chinese silk — one of the most valuable commodities traded along its routes.

Merchants rarely traveled the entire length. Instead, goods passed through a series of middlemen, changing hands many times. But trade was never purely commercial. Ideas and religions traveled alongside the goods. Buddhism spread from India into Central Asia and China along these routes, and Islam spread in a similar way. The Black Death, which killed an estimated one-third of Europe's population in the 14th century, also traveled westward along these routes.

The decline of the Silk Road came gradually. Advances in maritime navigation made sea routes faster and cheaper. The fall of the Mongol Empire disrupted overland trade. By the late 15th century, European powers had established direct sea routes to Asia, and the Silk Road was largely abandoned.


Talk 2: AI and the Industrial Revolution

Listen to a talk in an economics class.

The Industrial Revolution is often cited as a historical parallel to today's AI-driven changes in the workforce. When machines replaced manual labor in the 18th and 19th centuries, many jobs disappeared — but new ones emerged, and employment levels eventually recovered. Some economists argue the same pattern will repeat with AI.

But there are reasons to think this time is different. The Industrial Revolution primarily displaced physical labor. AI is displacing cognitive work — the kind of tasks that previously required education and training. Writing, analysis, diagnosis, and legal reasoning are all being affected. This means the disruption is hitting a much broader range of workers, including many who were told that education would protect them.

The speed of change is also a factor. Industrial transformation unfolded over generations, giving societies time to adapt through new schools, new industries, and new social safety nets. AI capabilities are advancing in years, not decades, leaving far less time for those adjustments.

Whether history repeats itself depends on choices societies make now — about education, policy, and who bears the cost of transition.

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