TOEFL Listening Section Topic Insights

TOEFL listening conversations, discussions, and lectures could happen anywhere, but almost all of them surround a central point - student's life. It definitely helps you to improve your English ability as well as your test scores if you are getting familiar with those topics: culture background, common knowledge, real-world language, frequently used words, etc. We give you a list of topics that frequently occur in real TOEFL tests.

Campus life; It covers a wide range of topics, like:
Daily life:

Clothing (fashion, coat, pants, T-short, socket, jacket, suit, shirt, shoes, tailor, etc.);

Shopping (various stuffs, store, mall, supermarket, department store, grocery store, drugstore, purchase, for sale, on sale, down payment, trade in, bargain, deal, price, expansive, discount, 20 percent off, etc.);

Dining (restaurant, cafeteria, fast food, food court, café, snack bar, tip, bill, payment, drinking, cooking, on diet, food, rare, medium, well-done, overdone, burnt, go Dutch, split the bill, chef, etc.);

Phone call (White Pages, Yellow Pages, long distance, operator, collect call, bill, get though, connected, disconnected, cut off, busy signal, etc.);

Health (sick, symptom - toothache, stomachache, hurt, sore, sprain, indigestion, headache, broken, allergy, cough, pain, wound, cold, feverish; doctor's office, clinic, health center, hospital, health service, medical center, doctor, dentist, surgeon, physician, dermatologist, orthopedic, nurse, medical, prescription, pill, insurance, etc.);

Housing (house, apartment, rent, deposit, termination, notice, bill, utilities, roommate, dorm supervisor/superintendent, custodian, janitor, ...);

Money (budget, expense, fund, check, credit card, cash, borrow, loan, lend, fee, buck, cost, can't afford, broken, a hole in my pocket, ...);

Time (watch, clock, busy, relax, different time expression, on time, on the dot, on the nail, sharp, ...);

Haircut (hairdressing, barbershop, barber, hairdresser, beauty shop, various cut or beauty related actions ...);

Car (driving, parking, pick-up, give a lift, traffic, repair, maintenance, car insurance, gas station, license, car dealer, mechanic, fare, tire, garage, wheel, ...);

Vacation and travel (travel agency, airport, bus, cab, taxi, hotel, motel, train, book or reserve, passport, visa, trip, tour, ...);

Using something (copy machine, camera, washing machine, dryer, machine, refrigerator, microwave, oven, air-condition, hardware, ...);

Places (asking location, cap, police, locker room, gym, apartment, library, classroom, ...);

Reading (newspaper, journal, text book, ...);

Mail (email, fax, fax machine, post office, stamps, postage, postal rate, ...);
Exercise: gym, gymnasium, fitness center, physical condition, keep fit/in share, ...);
Photo (picture, photograph, camera, album, film, develop film, ...);

Weather (sunny, clear, cloudy, fair, overcast, humidity, wet, damp, dry, moist, temperature, hot, cold, air-conditioner, heating, ...);

Social: club, student group, committee, organization, association, ...;
Borrow or lend something;

banking, romance, meeting, pet, politics, lost and found, etc.
Banking, for example, if you know all the following related issues, you should have no problem to understand a banking related conversation.

People: customer, personal banker, bank officer, bank manager, teller or cashier.
Location: bank branch, office (for personal banker, or bank officer, or bank manager), counter (for teller), ATM (banking machine), telephone banking, Internet banking.
Activities: open an account, check balance, deposit or withdraw money, apply mortgage or loan, change currency, pay bills, get money order or certified check, cash a check, etc.

Terms: check, check book, money order, debit (bank) card, credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express,...), cash, saving account, check account, bill, charge, banking fee, etc.

Entertainment:
Sports: football, soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, rock climbing, cycling, volleyball, swimming, ...,

Movie: drama, horror, documentary, animation, action, romantic, ...;

TV: channel, schedule, news remote control, digital channel, picture in picture, ...;

Leisure: picnic, barbecue, exhibition, aquarium, chess, poker, bridge, party, theatre, concert, music, skating, etc.

Academic Activities:

Administration Activities:
Registration: tuition, advisor, fill a form, course sheet, signature, full, closed, sign up, curriculum, enrollment, ...;

Student office: international student office, international advisor, information bulletin, ...;

Study Activities:

Notes: take notes, write down, jot down, put it on paper, handwriting, make out, illegible, lend notes or borrow notes, ...;

Examination: midterm, final, exam, test, quiz, pop quiz, open-book, take home, written test, oral test, score, grade, mark, ...;

Courses: elective, selective, optional , introductory, basic, advanced, required, prerequisite, drop off, credit, transfer, ...;

Library: librarian, library card, borrow, return, fine, time expired, make a photocopy, ...;

Classroom: presentation, paper, discussion, participation, textbook, homework, assignment, ...;

Academic topics: These topics occur in almost all lectures and sometimes in discussions. The coverage is so wide that nobody can really know all of them. Increasing your knowledge base will definitely help you. They could be:
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, arithmetic, anthropology, archaeology, biology, ecology, geology, meteorology, psychology, sociology, zoology, botany, physiology, acoustics, aesthetics, economics, electronics, politics, physics, optics, linguistics, mechanics, pedagogics, statistics, astronomy, journalism, magnetism, anatomy, ...

Working Experience:

Occupations: electrician, plumber, carpenter, bricklayer, mechanic (technician), maintenance (crew/person), repairman, surgeon, dentist, psychologist, physician, nurse, dietitian/dietician, vet, dermatologist, pharmacist, accountant, statistician, teller, cashier, waitress, waiter, engineer, part-time/summer job, ...;

Job hunting (check the paper, Internet, ...), job search, interview, resume, cover letter, position, apply for, reference, ...;

School job: co-op, research assistant, teaching assistant, graduate assistant, ...;
Job topic: part-time, full-time, placement service, flexible, schedule, salary, base payment, tip, tax, ...;

Feelings:

In good mood: high-spirited, delighted, cheerful, in the seventh heaven, on cloud nine;

In bad mood: out of spirit, low-spirited, disappointment, depressed, worried, blues, upset, ...;

Tense: can't stand/sit/be still, on pins and needles, like a cat on hot bricks, on edge, get cold feet, ...;

Embarrassed, afraid of public speaking, ...;

Dozy, drowsy, can't see straight, can't keep my eyes open, doze off, my eyes seem to blur, ...;

Furious, down, panic, ...;

Absent-minded, go in one ear and out of the other, ...;

Keep to oneself, outgoing, open-minded, sociable, easygoing, ...;

Slip my mind, forget to do, ...;