Best Podcasts and Audio Resources for TOEFL® Listening Practice
"Check out our selection of the best podcasts and audio resources designed to boost your listening comprehension and prepare you for TOEFL success."
Key Highlights
The TOEFL listening section is a crucial part of the exam, requiring a strong grasp of English comprehension and the ability to interpret various accents and speech patterns. To excel in this area, immersing yourself in high-quality audio content is essential. Podcasts and other audio resources offer an excellent way to practice, providing exposure to real-world English in diverse contexts.
In this blog, we will highlight some of the best podcasts and audio resources tailored for TOEFL® listening practice. From educational content to engaging stories, these recommendations will help you enhance your listening skills and prepare effectively for the TOEFL iBT®Test . Dive in and discover how you can make your study sessions both productive and enjoyable!
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Top 9 Podcasts for TOEFL Listening Practice
Practicing your listening skills for the TOEFL Listening iBT can be both enjoyable and educational if you choose the right podcasts. Here are nine podcasts that provide excellent content to help you enhance your listening abilities:
1. TED Talks Daily
TED Talks Daily features short talks on various subjects, delivered by experts from around the world. The topics range from science and technology to personal growth and storytelling.
Why it’s helpful: The diversity of subjects and speakers helps you get accustomed to different accents and terminologies.
2. NPR News Now
This podcast delivers the latest news in five-minute segments, several times a day.
Why it’s helpful: Regular exposure to current events helps you stay updated and improves your ability to understand spoken English in a news format.
3. BBC Learning English
This podcast provides a variety of episodes focusing on English language learning, including news reports, grammar tips, and vocabulary lessons.
Why it’s helpful: It is specifically designed for English learners, making it an excellent resource for TOEFL practice.
4. Freakonomics Radio
Hosted by Stephen Dubner, this podcast explores the hidden side of everything, using economics as a lens to examine various phenomena.
Why it’s helpful: The engaging content and intellectual discussions help improve comprehension and critical thinking.
5. This American Life
This podcast features long-form storytelling and journalism, focusing on different themes and real-life stories.
Why it’s helpful: The narrative style and diverse topics can help you get used to understanding different contexts and storytelling techniques.
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6. The Daily by The New York Times
A twenty-minute daily news podcast that covers significant stories in-depth.
Why it’s helpful: It provides detailed discussions on current events, helping you to improve your ability to follow complex narratives and arguments.
7. Radiolab
Radiolab is a show about curiosity, where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.
Why it’s helpful: The blend of storytelling and scientific exploration makes it a great tool for practicing comprehension of intricate topics.
8. The Moth
The Moth features people telling true, personal stories without notes.
Why it’s helpful: Listening to a variety of storytelling styles and personal anecdotes helps improve listening comprehension and empathy.
9. Scientific American 60-Second Science
This podcast offers quick, daily episodes that cover the latest developments in science.
Why it’s helpful: Short episodes make it easy to fit listening practice into a busy schedule while learning scientific vocabulary and concepts.
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9 Best Audio Resources for TOEFL Listening Practice
Enhancing your listening skills is crucial for taking the TOEFL exam. Below are nine top-tier audio resources that offer a range of content to help you improve your comprehension and get accustomed to various English accents and styles.
1. Audible
Audible offers a vast collection of audiobooks across different genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and academic texts.
Why it’s helpful: Audiobooks provide extensive listening practice, allowing you to focus on different speech patterns, intonations, and vocabulary.
2. LibriVox
LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain, read by volunteers from around the world.
Why it’s helpful: Access to classic literature read by diverse speakers helps in understanding different accents and improving vocabulary.
3. Google Play Books
Google Play Books offers a wide range of audiobooks and e-books, including educational materials and bestsellers.
Why it’s helpful: The platform's integration with Google services makes it easy to access and listen to books on various devices.
4. VOA Learning English
Voice of America (VOA) Learning English provides slow and clear audio news stories and educational reports.
Why it’s helpful: The content is specifically tailored for non-native English speakers, making it an excellent resource for practicing listening comprehension and expanding vocabulary.
5. Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone offers comprehensive language learning programs, focusing on immersive listening and speaking exercises.
Why it’s helpful: Its method emphasizes listening to native speakers and repeating phrases, which is excellent for improving pronunciation and comprehension.
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6. Pimsleur
Pimsleur provides audio-based language learning courses that emphasize listening and speaking skills.
Why it’s helpful: The focus on audio lessons and spaced repetition helps in retaining new vocabulary and understanding spoken English.
7. Coursera
Coursera offers courses from top universities and organizations, many of which include video lectures and audio content.
Why it’s helpful: Academic lectures simulate TOEFL listening passages, helping you get used to the format and complexity of the exam’s listening section.
8. edX
edX provides free and paid courses from prestigious universities, featuring high-quality audio and video lectures.
Why it’s helpful: The academic focus and diverse subject matter help improve listening comprehension in an educational context.
9. MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare offers free course materials from a wide range of MIT classes, including lecture recordings.
Why it’s helpful: Access to actual university lectures provides realistic listening practice for academic English.
Regular practice with these resources will help you become more comfortable with different types of spoken English, improve your ability to follow complex narratives and expand your vocabulary. Remember, consistency is key. Dedicate time each day to listen actively, take notes, and review challenging parts to steadily build your proficiency.
We hope these recommendations serve as valuable tools in your TOEFL preparation journey. Good luck, and happy listening!
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