二、案例分析 下面是一个天文学的经典案例：TPO 21 Part 2-Lecture 1 (Geocentric & Heliocentric theory)听力原文： Professor: Ok, we have been talking about how throughout history, it was often difficult for people to give up ideas which have long been taken for granted as scientific truth, even if those ideas were false. In Astronomy, for example, the distinction between the solar system and the universe wasn’t clear until modern times. The ancient Greeks believed that what we called the solar system was in fact the entire universe, and that the universe was geocentric. Geocentric means Earth-centered, so the geocentric view holds that the Sun, the planets, and the stars, all revolve around the Earth, which is stationary. Of course, we now know that the planets, including Earth, revolve around the Sun, and that the solar system is only a tiny part of the universe. So, why did the ancient Greeks believe that the Earth was the center of the universe? Well, it made sense to them. Observations of the sky make it appear as if the Sun, the moon, and the stars all revolve around the Earth everyday, while the Earth itself stayed in one place. And this view is also supported by their philosophical and religious beliefs about the origin and structure of the universe. It was presented in the works of well-known Greek philosophers as early as the fourth century B.C.E., and the geocentric theory continue to prevail in Western thought for almost 2,000 years, until the 17th century. 分析：这一段是描写古希腊人对地心说的信仰，这两段中划线部分为考点。托福专家提醒广大考生，80%的段子前三句必出主旨题。因此，听到第一处划线部分，应马上记笔记（当然，这里有个小例外：考生会认为have been是迂回型主旨句，即在复习上节课的内容，重点在后面；但要注意have been talking是指一直在谈论的内容）。然后下文有一个重要概念的出现：geocentric。基础好的考生可根据词根词缀猜测，但若听不到也不要慌，因为段子中只要出现新概念，下文一定会解释。比如这里随后出现了earth-centered一词。 下文又出现两点原因。这当然是记笔记的重点，会考细节题。提醒考生，一个段子6分钟左右，不可能一直保持精力高度集中。因此应该舍弃不该听的，比如文稿中出现的of course。这个表达对推动理论的发展没有什么作用，一般情况下可以略听。此外，重听的应该是文段中的黑体字，即同位，因果，递进。有所取舍，才能将段子题攻克。推荐笔记如下： diff → 弃 ideas-古eg. 天文 geo-心why?1) 绕地2) 哲 + 宗
三、考点追踪从上面这个例子可以看出，天文类的听力话题具有以下特点：☆ 主题概念的引出。往往考察主旨题。☆ 某种理论。比如上面例子中的地心说和日心说。一定要注意新词的解释，留心各种形式的同位语。☆ 转折，矛盾和列举。由于篇幅有限，上例未将所有考点罗列出来。这个段子还考察了含有强转折的矛盾点，原文中用了problem一词；列举提到了一句话：Let me mention two objections.☆ 生词。记笔记时用大写字母记下即可。只关注与主题有关的细节。知道这个词的含义并不重要，重要的是知道这个词与其他关键考点的联系和作用。 托福专家建议，广大考生在备考新托福听力的过程中一定要下足功夫。这包含两个方面：词汇和语感。词汇就是要求会读、反应快、辨音率高。另一个方面就是要求考生多听段子找感觉，尤其是对于天文学这种难度较大的话题。上次提到过，新托福是不会考察过于专业的内容，涉及到的概念也一般是考生接触过的话题。适当补充此类学科的背景知识，了解ETS的出题点也是需要长期努力的。