Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class. The professor is discussing animal communication. Professor: Today we're going to look at how some animals use signals to convey information, and we'll focus on a specific example: the honeybee's waggle dance. You might have heard that bees dance to tell other bees where to find nectar. But what's really interesting is the precision of this communication. The angle of the dance relative to the sun indicates the direction of the food source, and the duration of the waggle run signals the distance. However, recent studies have shown that bees adjust their dance based on the quality of the nectar. If the nectar is exceptionally rich, they dance more vigorously and for a longer time, which recruits more foragers. Conversely, if the nectar is low quality, the dance is shorter, and fewer bees are recruited. This suggests that bees are not just sending a simple message, but they are also encoding value judgments about the food source. So, the dance isn't just a map; it's also an advertisement.
❓ Question What does the professor emphasize about the honeybee's waggle dance?
A. A. The dance is always performed in a straight line.
B. B. The dance encodes both spatial information and the quality of the food source.
C. C. The dance is only performed when the nectar is low quality.
D. D. The dance is used to communicate with other species of insects.
✅ Correct Answer
B. The dance encodes both spatial information and the quality of the food source.
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
