TOEFL TPO 70 Speaking Task 4 Sample: Using the examples of the vine and the bean plant, discuss two reasons that some plants avoid light.

1.Sub Scores

• Delivery: 3

• Language Use: 3

• Topic Development: 4

2.Estimated Scores

• Total Score: 23

3.Delivery The speaker's delivery is generally clear and fluid, but there are some minor issues with word choice and sentence structure. To improve, the speaker should focus on using more precise vocabulary and ensuring that sentences are well-constructed. Additionally, practicing speaking at a consistent pace and minimizing pauses will help enhance the overall delivery.

4.Topic Development The speaker does an excellent job of developing the topic by providing two reasons why some plants avoid light, along with examples of the vine and bean plant. The response is coherent and well-organized, with clear connections between ideas. To further improve, the speaker could provide more detailed explanations of the examples given, such as explaining how the vine senses darkness to find support or how the bean plant's leaf movement helps conserve moisture.

5.Language Use

Original: According to the lecture, there are two reasons why some plants avoid light. The first reason is that some plants may depend on some objects to support themselves to live. A good example of this is the winged vine plant. Some wings may live in shadow until they reach the trees or buildings to support their life. Another reason is that some plants may avoid exposure to the sun's ray. To illustrate, if the sunlight is too intense, the plants will lose so much water, thus get dried out. Therefore, to avoid the intense sunlight, the plant will change their position of leaves. A good example of this is the bean plant, which turns their leaves away when exposed to the strong sunlight.

(The word "winged" was replaced with "vine" for accuracy and clarity.)

Revised (140 words): According to the lecture, there are two primary reasons why certain plants avoid light. The first reason is that some plants rely on external objects for support in order to grow properly. A prime example of this is the vine plant, which grows in shadows until it reaches a tree or building for support. The second reason is that certain plants need to minimize exposure to sunlight in order to conserve moisture. For instance, when sunlight becomes too intense, plants risk losing excessive amounts of water and consequently drying out. To counteract this issue, these plants adjust the position of their leaves to reduce exposure. A notable example of this adaptation can be observed in bean plants, which rotate their leaves away from direct sunlight when exposed to harsh conditions. By employing these strategies, both vine and bean plants effectively avoid light for their respective reasons.

6.Mind Map

- Reasons for avoiding light
  - Support
    - Vine plant
      - Shadows
      - Trees or buildings
  - Moisture conservation
    - Bean plant
      - Intense sunlight
      - Leaf position adjustment

7.Key Words

1.子项得分 Delivery: 3 Language Use: 3 Topic Development: 4

2.预估分数 Estimated Score: 26

3.表达 从表达方面来看，这个回答的发音和语速基本上是清晰和流畅的，但偶尔有些停顿。为了提高表达能力，建议在练习时注意以下几点：1）尽量保持语速的稳定，避免在某些地方过快或过慢；2）在适当的地方加入自然的停顿，以便让听众更好地理解你的观点；3）多加练习，提高发音的准确性。

4.话题发展 From the topic development aspect, the speaker provides a coherent and well-organized response, with clear connections between ideas and sufficient support or examples. The examples of the vine and the bean plant are well-explained, and the reasons for avoiding light are clearly stated. To further improve, consider adding more details or elaborating on the examples provided to enhance the depth of your response.

5.语言使用

Original Answer: The lecture explains two reasons that some plants avoid light. The first reason is they need other objects to grow on for support. So they are attracted to a dark shadow. For instance, vines grow in dark shadows until they reach a tree or a building. After they reach there, they are grown to climb up and grow on that object. The other reason is that the plants need to conserve moisture. When they are exposed to intense sunlight, they will lose water. So they need to change their position of leaves for retaining moisture. Take a sort of bean plant for instance. When they sense the strong sunlight, they are going to change their leaf to the side way. In this case, they can avoid being dried out. These are two strategies plants use to avoid light.

Corrected Answer: The lecture discusses two reasons why some plants avoid light. The first reason is their need for other objects to grow on for support. As a result, they are attracted to dark shadows. For example, vines grow in dark shadows until they find a tree or a building. Once they reach it, they climb up and grow on that object. The second reason is the plants' need to conserve moisture. When exposed to intense sunlight, they lose water and must adjust the position of their leaves to retain moisture. Consider the bean plant as an example; when it senses strong sunlight, it changes its leaves' orientation sideways so that only the thin edge faces the sun, preventing them from drying out. (原文中的“they are grown”改为“they climb”，因为这样更自然。另外，将“a sort of bean plant”改为“the bean plant”，以保持一致性。) These are two strategies plants use to avoid light.

Revised Answer (140 words): The lecture discusses two reasons why some plants avoid light. The first reason is their need for other objects to grow on for support. As a result, they are attracted to dark shadows. For example, vines grow in dark shadows until they find a tree or a building. Once they reach it, they climb up and grow on that object, gaining the necessary support. The second reason is the plants' need to conserve moisture. When exposed to intense sunlight, they lose water and must adjust the position of their leaves to retain moisture. Consider the bean plant as an example; when it senses strong sunlight, it changes its leaves' orientation sideways so that only the thin edge faces the sun, preventing them from drying out. By employing these strategies, plants can successfully avoid excessive light and adapt to their environment.

6.思维导图

- Reasons for Plants Avoiding Light
    - Need for Support
        - Attracted to dark shadows
        - Example: Vines
            - Grow in shadows until finding a tree or building
            - Climb up and grow on the object
    - Conserve Moisture
        - Adjust position of leaves when exposed to intense sunlight
        - Example: Bean plant
            - Changes leaves' orientation sideways
            - Prevents drying out by facing thin edge towards the sun

7.关键词

1.Sub Scores

• Delivery: 3

• Language Use: 3

• Topic Development: 3

2.Estimated Scores

• Total Score: 23

3.Delivery The speaker's delivery is mostly clear and fluid, with a consistent pace and only occasional pauses. However, there are some instances where the speaker could improve their pronunciation and reduce the number of pauses. To improve, the speaker should practice speaking more confidently and focus on pronouncing words accurately.

4.Topic Development The speaker provides a coherent and well-organized response, with clear connections between ideas and sufficient support or examples. They effectively discuss the two reasons why some plants avoid light, using the examples of the vine and the bean plant. To further improve topic development, the speaker could work on providing more detailed explanations and elaborating on their examples to create a more engaging response.

5.Language Use

Original Answer: In the biology lecture, the professor talks about two reasons that some plants avoid light. The first is they need other objects to grow up, and so before they touch another object, they just grow in the dark shadow. For example, some kind of vines, they grow in the shadow until they reach the object, and then they grow straight on. Also, the second reason is that they need to conserve the moisture because the intense sunlight will decrease the water contained in the in the plant, so it is dangerous for the plant to dry out, so they usually change position. For example, a kind of bean, when they sense that the sun is too strong, they just change their side of the leaf to make it face to the sunlight, and it helps to avoid to dry out and to contain the water, so this is two reasons that some plants avoid light.

Corrected Answer: In the biology lecture, the professor talks about two reasons that some plants avoid light. The first is they that these plants need other objects to grow up support their growth(to make it clearer), and so before they touch another object, they just grow in the dark shadow dark shadows(to maintain consistency). For example, some kind of vines types of vines(to sound more natural), grow in shadows until they reach an object and then grow straight on. Also Additionally(to improve transitions), the second reason is that they need to conserve moisture because intense sunlight will decrease the water contained in the plant, making it dangerous for the plant to dry out. To prevent this, they usually change position. For example, a species of bean plant senses when the sun is too strong and adjusts the position of its leaves to face away from the sunlight, helping to avoid drying out and retain moisture. These are two reasons why some plants avoid light.

Revised Answer (140 words): In the biology lecture, the professor discusses two reasons why some plants avoid light. Firstly, these plants require other objects for support during growth. They grow in dark shadows until they find a suitable object, such as a tree or building. For instance, certain types of vines follow this pattern, growing in shadows until they can climb an object for support. Secondly, some plants need to conserve moisture due to intense sunlight causing water loss. To prevent drying out, these plants adjust their positions accordingly. A species of bean plant exemplifies this behavior by changing the orientation of its leaves when sensing strong sunlight, allowing it to avoid excessive water loss and maintain moisture levels. These examples demonstrate two key reasons behind certain plants' tendency to avoid light.

6.Mind Map

- Biology Lecture
  - Two reasons plants avoid light
    - Support during growth
      - Dark shadows
      - Example: Vines
        - Grow in shadows until finding object to climb
    - Conserve moisture
      - Intense sunlight causes water loss
      - Example: Bean plant species
        - Adjusts leaf orientation to avoid strong sunlight
        - Maintains moisture levels

7.Key Words