TOEFL TPO -1 Writing Task 1 Sample: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to exp plain how they respond to the specific points made in the reading passage.
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Older TOEFL Format
This task is from a previous version of the TOEFL exam. The current TOEFL has a different structure. These archived samples remain available as a reference for practice.
Task Overview
Reading Passage
Amtrak is an intercity train service currently owned by the Unite ed Statesgovernment. There are a number of critics who believe that the government should not own Amtrak and that Amtrak should be sold to a priv vately-owned company. These critics put forward several arguments to support their position.First, the critics point out that the government loses mc oney on many Amtrak routes. In its effort to serve citizens in all parts of the country, Amtrak maintains routes even in remote and less populated are as. Those routes are not used by enough passengers to cover the cost of maintaining them. The amount of money lost every year due to underuse is sizeable: the government loses up to several hundred dollars per passenger on some routes, and the total losses due to underuse add up to hundreds s of millions of dollars every year. If Amtrak was privatized, these unprofitable routes could be cut.Second, government ownership of Amtrak is unfair to privately owned transportation companies such as airlines. Government funding of Amtrak means that ticket prices on Amtrak are cheaper than they otherwise would be. However, the government does not give airline companies money so they can lower their ticket prices. This situation clearl ly is unfair to airlines and other private transportation companies because they must compete against trains for customers.Third, critics maintain that t if the government wants to support national transportation, it should spend its money elsewhere. Rail travel is relatively unimportant in the Unit ted States: Amtrak currently transports less than 1 percent of the people traveling between cities. A large majority of intercity travelers use other n means of transport, such as private cars. The critics argue that rather than finance Amtrak, the government should direct its funding at maintaining and improving the highway system so that intercity car travel becomes faster and more efficient.
Question
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to exp plain how they respond to the specific points made in the reading passage.
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak should be sould to a privately-owned company. However, the person in the listening thinks Amtrak should not be sould to a privately-owned company and should be owned to the United government. First, the critics in the reading believe that Amtrak will lose money on many routes. The person in the listening thinks the purpose of the Amtrack is not profit. It provide the needed transportation to citizens in America. The travel cost for people in remote area is expensive and they can just choose to ride Amtarck. Second, The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak is unfair for privately owed companies. The person in the listening thinks that the government has paid a lot to support the airline company. The government has paid to the tower and officer and to predict the weather. Howver, the airline company fail to exsit with large finance support. Third, The critics in the reading thinks the government should direct its funding at maintaining and improving the highway system. The person in the listening thinks that the reason why train travel is less popular than car travel is that the Amtrack is out of date. If the train travel is affordable and fast, then people will leave their car at home. Therefore, the government should invest more money to improve the train service, to create a high-speed train line like that in Japen and Europe.
Evaluation Result
1.子项得分 Task fulfillment: 4 Organization: 3 Coherence and Cohesion: 3 Language Use: 3
2.预估分数 Estimated Score: 22
3.任务完成度 任务完成度方面,文章基本上涵盖了阅读和听力材料中的观点。但是,可以更详细地解释听力中的论点以及它们如何回应阅读材料。此外,注意避免拼写错误和语法错误。
改进建议示例1: 原文:The person in the listening thinks the purpose of the Amtrack is not profit. 修改后:The lecturer argues that the main purpose of Amtrak is to provide needed transportation services to citizens, rather than making a profit.
改进建议示例2: 原文:The person in the listening thinks that the government has paid a lot to support the airline company. 修改后:The lecturer contends that the government already supports the airline industry in various ways, such as funding air-traffic control towers and training air-traffic control officers.
4.文章结构与组织 In terms of organization, your essay could benefit from a clearer structure and more effective transitions between ideas and paragraphs. The introduction should provide a brief overview of both reading and listening materials, while each body paragraph should focus on one specific point from both sources.
Improvement Suggestion Example 1: Original Introduction: The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak should be sould to a privately-owned company. However, the person in the listening thinks Amtrak should not be sould to a privately-owned company and should be owned to the United government. Revised Introduction: The reading passage argues that Amtrak should be sold to a privately-owned company, while the lecturer in the listening material disagrees and believes that it should remain under government ownership.
Improvement Suggestion Example 2: Original Transition: First, the critics in the reading believe that Amtrak will lose money on many routes. Revised Transition: To begin with, the reading passage claims that Amtrak loses money on many routes due to underuse, but the lecturer counters this argument by stating that...
5. 语法批改
The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak should be souldsold to a privately-owned company. However, the person in the listening thinks Amtrak should not be souldsold to a privately-owned company andbut should be owned toby the United government.
First, the critics in the reading believe that Amtrak will lose money on many routes. The person in the listening thinks the purpose of the AmtrackAmtrak is not profit. It provide theprovides needed transportation to citizens in America. The travel cost for people in remote area is expensiveareas is expensive, and they can just choose to ride Amtarck.Amtrak. Second, The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak is unfair forto privately owedowned companies. The person in the listening thinks that the government has paid a lot to support the airline company. The government has paid to the tower and officerfor the towers and officers and to predict the weather. Howver,However, the airline company fail to exsitfails to exist with large financefinancial support. Third, The critics in the reading thinksthink the government should direct its funding at maintaining and improving the highway system. The person in the listening thinks that the reason why train travel is less popular than car travel is that the Amtrack is out of date.Amtrak is outdated. If the train travel is affordable and fast, then people will leave their carcars at home. Therefore, the government should invest more money to improve the train service, to create a high-speed train line like that in JapenJapan and Europe.
Section Title: 6.文章修订
The reading passage argues that Amtrak should be sold to a privately-owned company, while the speaker in the listening passage disagrees and believes that Amtrak should remain under government ownership.
Firstly, the critics in the reading claim that Amtrak loses money on many routes, making it financially inefficient. However, the speaker counters this argument by stating that the primary purpose of Amtrak is not to generate profit but to provide essential transportation services to American citizens, including those living in remote areas. Although maintaining these routes may be expensive, it is crucial for ensuring equal access to government services for all citizens.
Secondly, the reading suggests that government ownership of Amtrak is unfair to privately-owned transportation companies such as airlines. In contrast, the speaker points out that the United States government already supports the airline industry in various ways, including funding air-traffic control towers and training officers as well as providing weather satellite information. Thus, private airlines and other forms of mass transportation rely heavily on financial support from the government.
Lastly, critics in the reading argue that instead of financing Amtrak, the government should focus on maintaining and improving highway systems for intercity car travel. The speaker disagrees with this notion by stating that train travel's current unpopularity in comparison to car travel is due to Amtrak's outdated system. If train services were more affordable and efficient, people would likely opt for trains over cars for intercity travel. The speaker suggests that investing more money into Amtrak could lead to an improved high-speed train system similar to those found in Japan and Europe, ultimately increasing its popularity among travelers. (273 words)
The critics in the reading believe passage argues that Amtrak should be sould sold to a privately-owned company. However, the person company, while the speaker in the listening thinks passage disagrees and believes that Amtrak should not be sould to a privately-owned company and should be owned to the United government. remain under government ownership (clarifying the contrast between the two positions).
First, Firstly, the critics in the reading believe that Amtrak will lose claim that Amtrak loses money on many routes. routes, making it financially inefficient. However, the speaker counters this argument by stating that the primary purpose of Amtrak is not to generate profit but to provide essential transportation services to American citizens, including those living in remote areas (explaining why financial efficiency is not a priority). Although maintaining these routes may be expensive, it is crucial for ensuring equal access to government services for all citizens (highlighting the importance of accessibility).
Secondly, the reading suggests that government ownership of Amtrak is unfair to privately-owned transportation companies such as airlines. In contrast, the speaker points out that the United States government already supports the airline industry in various ways, including funding air-traffic control towers and training officers as well as providing weather satellite information (providing examples of government support for private companies). Thus, private airlines and other forms of mass transportation rely heavily on financial support from the government (emphasizing that government involvement is not unique to Amtrak).
Lastly, critics in the reading argue that instead of financing Amtrak, the government should focus on maintaining and improving highway systems for intercity car travel. The person in the listening thinks the purpose of the Amtrack is not profit. It provide the needed transportation to citizens in America. The travel cost for people in remote area is expensive and they can just choose to ride Amtarck. Second, The critics in the reading believe that Amtrak is unfair for privately owed companies. The person in the listening thinks that the government has paid a lot to support the airline company. The government has paid to the tower and officer and to predict the weather. Howver, the airline company fail to exsit speaker disagrees with large finance support. Third, The critics in the reading thinks the government should direct its funding at maintaining and improving the highway system. The person in the listening thinks that the reason why this notion by stating that train travel is less popular than travel's current unpopularity in comparison to car travel is that the Amtrack is out of date. due to Amtrak's outdated system (identifying a reason for train travel's unpopularity). If the train services were more affordable and efficient, people would likely opt for trains over cars for intercity travel is affordable and fast, then people will leave their car at home. Therefore, the government should invest (suggesting a potential solution). The speaker suggests that investing more money to improve the train service, to create a into Amtrak could lead to an improved high-speed train line like that in Japen and Europe.system similar to those found in Japan and Europe, ultimately increasing its popularity among travelers (proposing a specific improvement and its potential benefits).
8. Mind Map
1. Introduction
- Reading passage: Amtrak should be sold to a private company
- Listening passage: Amtrak should remain under government ownership
2. Financial Efficiency
- Reading: Amtrak loses money on many routes
- Listening: Primary purpose is to provide essential transportation services
3. Unfair Competition
- Reading: Government ownership is unfair to private transportation companies
- Listening: Government already supports airline industry in various ways
4. Focus on Highways
- Reading: Government should focus on maintaining and improving highway systems
- Listening: Train travel's unpopularity due to outdated system; investing in Amtrak could lead to high-speed train system
5. Conclusion
- Speaker's arguments outweigh the reading passage's points; Amtrak should remain under government ownership
9. Keywords
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak | /ˈæmtræk/ | Noun | A government-owned passenger train service in the United States | 美国政府拥有的客运列车服务公司 | The debate over whether Amtrak should be privatized continues. |
| financially inefficient | /faɪˈnænʃəli ɪnɪˈfɪʃənt/ | Adjective Phrase | Not generating enough revenue or profit relative to expenses and investments made | 财务效益低下的 | Critics argue that Amtrak is financially inefficient due to its losses on many routes. |
| essential transportation services | /ɪˈsɛnʃəl trænsˌpɔrteɪʃən ˈsɜrvɪsəz/ | Noun Phrase | Necessary services that enable people to travel from one place to another | 基本交通服务 | Amtrak provides essential transportation services to citizens in remote areas. |
| unfair competition | /ʌnˈfɛr kəmˌpɛtɪʃən/ | Noun Phrase | A situation where one business has an advantage over its competitors due to unequal circumstances or support | 不公平竞争 | Government ownership of Amtrak creates unfair competition for private transportation companies. |
| intercity car travel | /ˌɪntərˈsɪti kɑr ˈtrævəl/ | Noun Phrase | Traveling between cities using cars as the mode of transportation | 城际汽车旅行 | Critics suggest that the government should focus on improving highway systems for intercity car travel. |
| outdated system | /aʊtˈdeɪtəd ˈsɪstəm/ | Noun Phrase | An old and inefficient method or structure that is no longer effective or useful | 过时的系统 | The unpopularity of train travel is due to Amtrak's outdated system. |
| high-speed train system | /haɪ spi:d trein sístem/ | Noun Phrase | A railway network with trains operating at significantly faster speeds than traditional rail traffic, usually on dedicated tracks. | 高速铁路系统 | Investing in Amtrak could lead to an improved high-speed train system similar to those in Japan and Europe. |
| popularity | /päpyə'lärədē/ | Noun | The state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people. | 受欢迎程度 | If train services were more affordable and efficient, their popularity among travelers would increase. |
| remote areas | /rɪˈmoʊt ˈɛriəz/ | Noun Phrase | Locations that are far away from densely populated or urban regions | 偏远地区 | Amtrak serves citizens living in remote areas, ensuring equal access to transportation services. |
| government services | /ˈɡʌvərnmənt ˈsɜrvɪsəz/ | Noun Phrase | Programs and assistance provided by the government to its citizens | 政府服务 | Maintaining Amtrak routes is crucial for ensuring equal access to government services for all citizens. |
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