相辅相成的托福听力与阅读

　　一、 熟悉美式发音的特点，纠正自身发音。

　　充分熟悉美音的特点，把握住美音和其它主流发音的典型差异是攻克托福听力的一个重要因素和关键前提。试想如果一个考生习惯于英式发音，很少接触美式发音的听力材料，那么在应对托福考试时将有很大的不适应感，也会由于一些发音的不同而造成理解的障碍，例如：schedule(英式发音)(美式发音)，bath(英式发音)(美式发音)。

　　除了所给出的例子，新托福听力中还有很多存在英美音差异的单词，对于这些单词的发音特点是否熟悉一定程度上决定了听力理解的过程是否顺畅。除此之外，导致听力过程中出现问题的另一个普遍存在的现象是很多学生自身的单词发音不正确或不准确，因此朗阁海外考试研究中心建议考生在练习听力的过程中，可以使用跟读，模仿来熟悉新托福听力中的实际美式发音，同时修正自身的发音，进而避免在实际考试时由于语音问题而造成的失分。事实上，语音的改善和提高不仅益于听力测试，对于口语也有很大的好处，可谓“一石二鸟”。

　　二、 阅读和听力相辅相成。

　　新托福听力完全围绕学术场景展开，在每次测试的4到6个LECTURE中，检测内容含盖了四个大方面(Arts, Life Science, Physical Science, Social Science)的近50个TOPICS， 如cave/rock art, fish and other aquatic organisms等。由此可见，如果考生对考察点的背景知识了解很少，对和背景知识相关的学术词汇了解很少，听力过程中将会出现很大的理解障碍。例如下面这段听力材料：

　　There have been several influential studies in pain management. Some of the most interesting of these study endorphins, the body’s own natural painkillers. For example, we now know that exercise stimulates the production of endorphins. Lack of exercise, on the other hand, not only shuts down endorphin production, but can also lead to muscle deterioration. This is why you see a lot of pain specialists prescribing exercise for patients with chronic pain. Another interesting area involves the power of the placebo effect. We’ve known for some time that a sugar pill or other inactive placebo can sometimes make a sick person feel better. Somehow, the power of suggestion….of faith in the doctor, or the drug…will start a process of healing. We now think a neurochemical component—what may actually happen is the placebo effect allows some people to sort of tap into the supply6 of endorphins in their own brains.