VOA慢速英语2019--托福发布英语测试新应用

TOEFL Releases New App for English Test

Students around the world wanting help with the TOEFL English test have a new tool: a mobile app. The "TOEFL? official app" became available last week. Users can download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

TOEFL stands for ‘Test of English as a Foreign Language.' Students must pass the test to get into many universities in the United States and other English-speaking countries. It is made up of four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking.

Test-takers will be able to use it for everything from registration¹ and test preparation, to receiving their scores and requesting health-related accommodations.

"What we wanted to do through the app is to meet them where they are on their own terms and schedule, and on the devices they increasingly prefer to use," said Srikant Gopal. He leads the TOEFL program at the non-profit Educational Testing Service, or ETS, and recently spoke² with VOA about the new app.

After downloading the app, users can get material to help prepare them for the test. They can also register to take the test. And, the organization says, users can see their test scores and send reports to schools they wish to attend.

Students also can search for the test centers near where they are, as well as find open seats for the test. This works through Google maps.

The app will be available everywhere in the world, except China. Gopal said that TOEFL has a "very different registration system (and) a very different kind of arrangement with the Chinese authorities."

Companies in China must go through the Chinese National Education Examinations Authority. TOEFL has not decided³ yet whether it will work on such an app for China.

The TOEFL program has also introduced several test-based changes in recent months. It has been cut from three and a half hours long to three hours long. The new, shorter test started in August.

TOEFL has reduced the number of questions in three of four parts of the test. The same language skills will be tested, and scoring stays the same, as well.

The test preparation materials will be changed over the next several months. But all the existing official materials can still be used, because the test content has not changed.

Here are the changes

· The Reading section now includes three to four passages with 10 questions each. The section takes 54 to 72 minutes.

· The Listening section now has three to four lectures with six questions each, as well as two to three conversations with 5 questions each. The section takes 41 to 57 minutes.

· The Speaking section now has four questions instead of six. The section takes a total of 17 minutes.

· The Writing section remains⁴ unchanged. It has two essay questions, which take a total of 50 minutes.

Also, the 10-minute break between the Listening and Speaking parts of the test remains the same.

Test-takers will be now able to get their scores more quickly. Students taking the test after October 26 can get their scores online in six days instead of 10. The official score report will now also be sent to colleges and universities as early as nine days after the test date.

Another recent change is the so-called ‘MyBest' scores. The company permits test-takers to use the highest scores they have achieved on each part of the test. The scores must be from tests taken within the last two years. Students can use the app to send these ‘MyBest' reports to universities.

The MyBest score "shows not just the student's performance in one single (test), but their potential" over time, Gopal said.

He said MyBest scores are popular with test-takers and schools alike. Universities like the MyBest because it can increase the number of qualified⁵ applicants⁶. More than 10,000 institutions accept TOEFL test scores from foreign students.

TOEFL is offered in over 150 countries around the world. It is mostly internet-based. In places where internet connections are not strong, students take a paper version of the test.

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Have you taken the TOEFL test, or will you? How did you do, and what do you think of it? What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section below.

Words in This Story

app – n. a computer program that performs a special function

score – n. the number of points that someone gets for correct answers on a test, exam

accommodation – n. something done to provide what is needed or wanted for someone or something

schedule – n. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

prefer – v. to like (someone or something) better than someone or something else

arrangement – n. the way that things or people are organized for a particular purpose or activity : the way that things or people are arranged

potential – adj. capable of becoming real

1 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

6 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。