【听力素材】托福巴朗听力原文——Professor’s Office

在托福听力的备考中，选择一个适合自己的听力素材是非常重要的。而巴郎听力则是很多学生冲刺高分听力的必备选择。由于他的内容基本可以跟国外讲座水平接轨，所以是非常适合作为托福听力考前练习素材。那么在以下内容中我们就为大家带来巴朗听力原文，希望能为大家的备考带来帮助。

Student: Professor James. Do you have a minute?

$ Professor: Sure. Come on in. What can I do for you?

$ Student: Well, I did pretty well on the midterm . . .

$ Professor: You sure did. One of the best grades, as I recall.

$ Student: But I missed a question, and I’d appreciate it if you could help me understand what I did wrong. I have the test right here, and I just can’t figure it out.

$ Professor: Okay. Fire away.

$ Student: It’s question 7 . . . the one on biotic provinces and biomes.

$ Professor: Oh, that one. Um, quite a few people missed it. I was thinking that we should go over it again in class. But anyway, let’s look at your answer.

$ Student: Thanks. Here’s the thing. I said that a biotic province was a region with similar life, but with boundaries that prevent plants and animals from spreading to other regions. So an animal, for example, a mammal . . . it may have a genetic ancestor in common with another mammal. But a biome is a similar environment, an ecosystem really, like a desert or a tropical rainforest. So, in the case of a biome, well, the similar climate causes the plants and animals to evolve . . . to adapt to the climate, and that’s why they look alike.

$ Professor: That’s good, very good . . . as far as you went. But there’s a second part to the question. Look, right here. "Include an explanation of convergent and divergent evolution." So . . . I was looking for a more complete answer. Next time, be sure to include both parts of a question . . . when there are two parts like this one. . . . Do you know how to explain convergent and divergent evolution?

$ Student: I think so. Isn’t it . . . like when a group of plants or animals . . . when they’re separated by mountains or a large body of water . . . then subpopulations evolve from a common ancestor and they have similar characteristics but their development diverges because of the separation, so that’s why we call it divergent evolution.

$ Professor: Right. Even when the habitat is similar, if they’re separated, then they diverge. . . . How about convergent evolution then?

$ Student: Well, that would be a situation where a similar environment . . . a habitat . . . it may cause plants and animals to evolve in order to adapt to the conditions. So a species that isn’t really related can evolve with similar characteristics because . . . it can look like a species in another geographic region because of adaptation . . . and that would be convergent evolution?

$ Professor: Right again. So temperature and rainfall, proximity to water, latitude and longitude all combine to determine the climate, and if we know the climate of an area, then we can actually predict what kind of life will inhabit it.

$ Student: Okay. And I really did know that. I just didn’t put it down. To tell the truth, I didn’t see the second part. Not until you pointed it out to me.

$ Professor: That’s what I thought. Well, Jerry, it’s a good idea to double-check all the questions on a test . . . not just my test . . . any test . . . to make sure you’ve answered each part of the question completely. Otherwise, you won’t get full credit.

$ Student: I see that. Well, live and learn.

$ Professor: Jerry, you’re one of my best students.

$ Student: Thanks. I really like biology. In fact, I’m thinking of majoring in it.

$ Professor: Good. That means you’ll be in some of my upper-level classes.

$ Student: And I’ll be watching out for those two-part questions on your exams.

$ Professor: And all the rest of your exams. I’ll be honest with you. My questions usually have two parts so the students will have an insight into the grading system . . . and a lot of professors do that. In an essay question, it’s difficult to know what to include and how much to write. Just read the question carefully, and be sure to include all the parts. There may be three or four in some essay questions. This is the way that the professor helps you organize your answer. I’m giving my students a hint about what I’m looking for by including several parts to the question. But if you miss one of the parts, then it lowers your score.

$ Student: That makes sense. I think I was just trying to finish within the time limit, and I didn’t read as carefully as I should have. On the final, I’ll spend more time reading the questions before I start to answer them.