Population Growth - TOEFL iBT® Listening Practice Test with Answers
"Improve your listening skills with our latest TOEFL practice test, featuring a lecture on Population Growth, and enhance your academic English comprehension."
Key Highlights
The TOEFL Listening section consists of conversations and lectures that test your academic English comprehension. It features 2-3 conversations and 3 lectures, followed by 5-6 multiple-choice questions. Not confident about your skills? Don't worry! Consistent practice is the key to improving in this section.
Ready to hear the difference? Dive into our curated practice set featuring a conversation on Population Growth. Complete with detailed explanations, this set will equip you to dominate TOEFL listening questions with confidence! Let's get started!
Listening Instructions
- You can listen to each conversation and lecture only once.
- You have approximately 8 minutes to listen to the conversation/lecture and respond to the questions.
- Each question generally carries one point unless otherwise specified in the instructions, which will explicitly state the assigned points for specific questions.
- After listening to the Conversation, respond to questions related to the topic based on explicit or implicit statements made by the speakers.
- Feel free to make notes as you listen. You can refer to your notes to aid in answering the questions.
- We recommend practicing note-taking with a pen and paper, similar to what you'll do during the TOEFL Exam.
Conversation on Population Growth
Now listen to the audio.
Questions
Directions: Mark your answer by selecting your choice.
- Which of the following represents the number of children born per 1000 people per year?
- Replacement Level
- Fertility Rate
- Birth Rate
- Fertility Level
- Which UK country has the highest fertility rate?
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
- Why has the fertility rate in the UK increased compared to twenty years ago?
- Couples are opting for larger families.
- More women are giving birth.
- Women who delayed childbirth are now having children.
- Fewer women are prioritizing their careers.
- What percentage of women in their mid-forties are childless today?
- 10%
- 4%
- 25%
- 40%
- According to the professor, what contributes significantly to the decrease in the number of children per family?
- Rising living expenses
- Increased parental micromanagement
- Higher expectations for children's opportunities
- Decrease in the number of parents opting for larger families
Transcript of the Audio Conversation on Population Growth
Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and her professor on Population Growth, then proceed to answer the subsequent questions.
Professor: Good morning, everyone. Today's lesson will focus on Population Growth, specifically the concept of fertility rate. Can anyone provide a definition for the fertility rate?
Charlene: Um, is it the number of births in a population, measured per thousand people per year?
Professor: Ah, not quite. That's what we refer to as the birth rate. The fertility rate, on the other hand, represents the average number of children born per woman in her lifetime, assuming she lives beyond her child-bearing years. Now, does anyone have an idea if the British fertility level is higher or lower than it was twenty years ago?
Charlene: I believe it's lower because modern women are more career-oriented now.
Professor: While that's a valid point, current fertility levels in Britain are relatively high. In 2008, it stood at 1.96, indicating that, on average, each woman gives birth to 1.96 children. This rate was only slightly lower in 2009, at 1.94. Surprisingly, the last time fertility rates were this high was in 1973. Presently, Northern Ireland has the highest fertility rate at 2.04, while Scotland has the lowest at 1.77.
Charlene: I'm confused. Why is the fertility rate increasing when women are still career-focused?
Professor: The increase can be attributed to women who delayed starting families during the 1990s. As these women enter their thirties and early forties, they are now having children, leading to the observed rise in birth rates.
Charlene: Ah, so it's more about delayed childbirth rather than a conscious decision to have more children.
Professor: Precisely. Despite the apparent increase, the average number of children per family continues to decline. Women in their seventies had an average of 2.4 children, decreasing to 1.9 for the current generation, primarily due to a rising number of childless women.
Charlene: I've heard that Europe's fertility rate is exceptionally low, around 1.3.
Professor: Indeed, it is well below the replacement level, which refers to the number of births required to maintain a stable population.
Charlene: In France, they even incentivize larger families with gold medals for having eight children!
Professor: Yes, various factors contribute to declining fertility rates, including the rising costs of raising children and heightened parental expectations for their children's future.
Charlene: It's fascinating how societal factors influence population dynamics.
Professor: Absolutely. Now, let's explore the perspectives of different organizations on current population issues.
Hold on! Before checking your answers, go through our top TOEFL preparation tips curated by experts. They'll help you chart the course to your dream school!
Answers and Explanations of the Conversation on the Update from Basketball Coach
1. Answer: C
Explanation: The birth rate, as clarified by the professor, denotes the number of children born annually per 1000 individuals within a population. This metric is distinct from the fertility rate, which reflects the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime. Charlene initially proposed a fertility rate, but the professor corrected her, emphasizing the distinction between the two metrics.
2. Answer: D
Explanation: According to the professor's lecture, Northern Ireland currently exhibits the highest fertility rate among the UK countries, standing at 2.04. This contrasts with Scotland, which holds the lowest fertility rate in the UK, at 1.77. The professor provides this information to contextualize the variation in fertility rates across different regions within the UK.
3. Answer: C
Explanation: The professor elucidates that the recent surge in fertility rates in the UK can be attributed to a cohort of women who postponed childbirth during the 1990s. As these women, now in their thirties and forties, are commencing their families, the overall fertility rate is experiencing an upturn. This phenomenon underscores the impact of delayed childbearing decisions on population-level demographic trends.
4. Answer: C
Explanation: The professor highlights a notable societal shift by revealing that approximately one-quarter of women in their mid-forties are presently childless. This statistic represents a significant departure from previous generations, where a substantially lower proportion of women remained childless at a similar age. The increased prevalence of childlessness among this demographic cohort underscores evolving attitudes and lifestyle choices regarding family planning.
5. Answer: C
Explanation: The professor contends that modern parents' elevated aspirations for their children's future prospects play a pivotal role in shaping family dynamics and reproductive decisions. By investing more resources and effort into optimizing their children's educational and developmental opportunities, parents may opt to have fewer children. This trend aligns with broader societal shifts towards prioritizing quality over quantity in child-rearing practices, contributing to a decline in the average number of children per family.
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