TOEFL listening practice on swimming lessons and sharks. 8 questions with video, full script, answers, and explanations.
How to use this practice: Watch the video first, try answering the questions in your head, then expand the answer key to check. Use the transcript only after you’ve attempted the questions.
Listen carefully — you'll answer questions about each clip below.
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Item 1: Conversation — swimming lessons
Answer the 2 questions about this conversation.
Q1
What is the conversation mainly about?
- A. Sarah's weekend plans.
- B. Mark's new swimming lessons.
- C. How to float on your back.
- D. The difficulty of learning new sports.
Q2
What did Mark do in his first swimming lesson?
- A. He swam across the whole pool.
- B. He learned to dive into the water.
- C. He practiced floating and kicking.
- D. He taught the teacher how to swim.
🔑 Answer key — 2 questions
Q1
B. Mark's new swimming lessons.
Q2
C. He practiced floating and kicking.
Q1: The conversation is primarily about Mark starting his swimming lessons and his experience.
Q2: The conversation says Mark's teacher showed them how to float on their backs and they also practiced kicking their legs.
Transcript
W
Hi Mark! How was your weekend?
M
Hi Sarah! It was good. I went to my first swimming lesson.
W
Oh, really? Are you learning to swim?
M
Yes, finally! I always wanted to, but I was a bit scared.
W
I understand. Is it difficult?
M
A little. The teacher is nice. She showed us how to float on our backs. That was fun.
W
Floating sounds easy. What else did you do?
M
We also practiced kicking our legs. It's harder than it looks to move forward.
W
Haha, I can imagine. Are you going again next week?
M
Yes, every Saturday. I hope to swim across the pool soon!
W
Good luck! You'll do great.
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Item 2: Conversation — science experiment
Answer the 2 questions about this conversation.
Q1
What is the conversation mainly about?
- A. How to buy ingredients for slime.
- B. A fun slime experiment in science class.
- C. The chemical properties of borax.
- D. Maria's favorite type of glue.
Q2
Why did the glue become thick and stretchy?
- A. Because the students mixed it with water.
- B. Because the teacher added glitter to it.
- C. Because the borax solution connected the glue molecules.
- D. Because it was left out in the air for too long.
🔑 Answer key — 2 questions
Q1
B. A fun slime experiment in science class.
Q2
C. Because the borax solution connected the glue molecules.
Q1: The script says Maria is telling Tom about a 'cool' and 'fun' slime experiment they did in class.
Q2: The script says, 'Our teacher said the borax helps the glue molecules connect in a different way, making it sticky and stretchy.'
Transcript
W
Hey Tom, guess what? We made slime in science class today! It was so cool.
M
Slime? Wow, that sounds fun, Maria! How did you make it?
W
It was pretty easy. First, we mixed some glue and water in a bowl. Then, our teacher added a special liquid called borax solution.
M
Borax solution? What did that do?
W
Well, when the borax solution touched the glue, it started to get really thick and stretchy. It changed from liquid to slime almost instantly!
M
That's amazing! So the borax changed the glue?
W
Exactly! Our teacher said the borax helps the glue molecules connect in a different way, making it sticky and stretchy. We could play with it and stretch it a lot.
M
I wish I was in your class for that! It sounds like a great experiment.
W
It was! Everyone loved it. We even added some glitter to make it shiny.
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Item 3: Lecture — sharks
Answer the 2 questions about this lecture.
Q1
What is the talk mainly about?
- A. The different types of sharks in the ocean.
- B. What sharks eat and how they find food.
- C. Why sharks are important for ocean health.
- D. The special teeth of sharks.
Q2
According to the talk, what helps sharks find food from far away?
- A. Their powerful swimming ability.
- B. Their very sharp teeth.
- C. Their strong sense of smell.
- D. Their ability to eat seals.
🔑 Answer key — 2 questions
Q1
B. What sharks eat and how they find food.
Q2
C. Their strong sense of smell.
Q1: The talk is about what sharks eat and the methods they use to find and catch their food.
Q2: The talk says sharks have a strong sense of smell, so they can smell food from far away in the water.
Transcript
Today, let's talk about sharks, amazing fish that live in the ocean. Sharks are top predators, which means they are hunters at the top of the food chain. So, what do sharks eat? Well, it depends on the type of shark. Many sharks eat other fish. Some bigger sharks, like the Great White, also hunt seals and sea lions. They might even eat turtles or small dolphins. Sharks have very sharp teeth to help them catch their food.
How do they hunt? Sharks are very good at finding food. They have a strong sense of smell, so they can smell food from far away in the water. They also have special senses to feel small movements in the water. This helps them find fish that are hiding. When a shark finds its prey, it swims very fast to catch it. They are powerful swimmers. Sharks are important for ocean health because they help control the populations of other animals.
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Item 4: Lecture — rainbows
Answer the 2 questions about this lecture.
Q1
What is the talk mainly about?
- A. How prisms work.
- B. The colors of the rainbow.
- C. How rainbows are formed.
- D. Why it rains.
Q2
Why do we often see rainbows after it rains?
- A. Because the sun becomes brighter after rain.
- B. Because there are many small water drops in the air.
- C. Because the light from the sun is stronger after rain.
- D. Because the air gets colder after rain.
🔑 Answer key — 2 questions
Q1
C. How rainbows are formed.
Q2
B. Because there are many small water drops in the air.
Q1: The script explains the process of how rainbows are made, from sunlight hitting water drops to the separation of colors.
Q2: The script says, 'After rain, there are many small water drops everywhere,' and that water drops are one of the two main things needed for a rainbow.
Transcript
Today, we're going to talk about something beautiful: rainbows! Have you ever wondered how they appear after it rains? It's a fun science lesson. So, a rainbow is made when sunlight shines through tiny water drops in the air. After rain, there are many small water drops everywhere. When the sun's light hits these water drops, something special happens. Each tiny water drop acts like a very small prism. A prism can split white light into different colors. You know, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The sunlight goes into the water drop, bends, and then bounces back out. As it bends, the light separates into all these different colors. We see them as a beautiful arc in the sky. So, you need two main things for a rainbow: sunlight and water drops. That's why we often see them after a rain shower when the sun comes out again. It's truly amazing, isn't it?