TOEFL Listening Page 360/361 Astronomy

​TOEFL Listening Page 360/361

Track 50/51/52

Multiple Choice

What is the lecture mainly about?

• various theories explaining why Mars cannot sustain life

•  various causes of geological changes on Mars

•  the development of views about the nature of Mars

• why it has been difficult to obtain information about Mars 

Multiple Choice

According to the professor, what was concluded about Mars after the first spacecraft flew by it in 1965?

•  it had a few geological features of Interest

•  it was similar to Earth but colder

•  it had at one time supported life

•  it had water under its surface 

Multiple Select

What does the professor imply about the conditions on Mars billions of years ago?

 choose two answers

 

•  Mars was probably even drier than it is today

• the atmospheric pressure and the temperature may have been higher than they are today

• Mars was inhabited by organisms that have since become fossilized

• large floods were shaping the planet's surface 

Multiple Choice

What is the possible significance of the gullies found on Mars in recent years?

•  it may indicate current volcanic activity on Mars

•  they may indicate that the surfaces Mars is becoming increasingly drier

•  they may indicate  the current existence of water on Mars

•  they may hold fossils of organisms that once existed on Mars 

Listen to Track 51

Multiple Choice

Why does the professor say this?

•  to stress that Mars is no longer interesting to explore

•  to describe items that the spacecraft brought back from Mars

•  to share his interest in the study of fossils

•  to show how much the view of Mars has changed based on new evidence 

Listen to Track 52

Multiple Choice

Why does the student say this?

•  to ask for clarification of a previous statement

•  to convey his opinion

•  to rephrase an earlier question

•  to express his approval