Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class. The professor is discussing animal communication.
Professor: Today we're going to explore how animals communicate, and I want to focus on a fascinating example: the honeybee's waggle dance. When a foraging bee returns to the hive, it performs a series of movements that convey information about the location of a food source. The dance consists of a straight run, during which the bee waggles its abdomen, followed by a turn to the right, then back to the straight run, and a turn to the left, forming a figure-eight pattern. The direction of the straight run relative to vertical indicates the angle of the food source relative to the sun. For instance, if the bee runs straight up, the food is directly toward the sun; if it runs straight down, the food is away from the sun. The duration of the waggle run indicates the distance—the longer the run, the farther the food. Interestingly, this dance is not innate; young bees learn it by observing older foragers. This discovery challenged earlier assumptions that all communication is purely instinctive. So, the dance is a remarkable example of symbolic communication in the animal kingdom.
❓ Question What does the professor say about the waggle dance of honeybees?
A. A. The dance is performed only by young bees that have never foraged.
B. B. The direction of the dance indicates the type of food found.
C. C. The duration of the straight run indicates the distance to the food.
D. D. The dance is an innate behavior that does not require learning.
✅ Correct Answer
C. The duration of the straight run indicates 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
