Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class. The professor is discussing animal communication. 'Today we're going to look at a fascinating example of animal communication: the waggle dance of honeybees. When a forager bee finds a good source of nectar, she returns to the hive and performs a series of movements on the vertical surface of the honeycomb. This dance conveys information about the direction and distance of the food source. The direction is indicated by the angle of the dance relative to the sun's position. For example, if the bee dances straight up, it means the food is in the same direction as the sun. If she dances at a 90-degree angle to the left, the food is 90 degrees to the left of the sun. The distance is encoded in the duration of the waggle phase – the longer the waggle, the farther the food. Recent research has shown that bees can also adjust their dance in response to wind conditions, suggesting a more complex cognitive process than previously thought.'
❓ Question What does the professor say about the waggle dance of honeybees?
A. A. The dance is performed only by worker bees that are older than a certain age.
B. B. The angle of the dance indicates the distance to the food source.
C. C. The duration of the waggle phase communicates the distance to the food.
D. D. Bees do not adjust their dance based on environmental conditions.
✅ Correct Answer
C. The duration of the waggle phase communicates the distance to the food.
TOEFL Listening Tips
Skim the questions first to predict the content
Watch for signal words in lectures and conversations (however, actually, in fact)
For main idea questions, focus on the beginning; for detail questions, focus on examples and data
For attitude questions, pay attention to the speaker's tone and word choice
Take notes on keywords; don't try to write down every word
