Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test (Book & CD-ROM)
by Jolene Gear, Robert Gear
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jolene Gear, Robert GearEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-11
ISBN: 0521755840
Number of pages: 616
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Book Reviews of Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test (Book & CD-ROM)
Book Review: Big book, no depth
Summary: 2 Stars
I am an ESL teacher and I teach courses in TOEFL preparation. In my opinion, most of the sections of this book do not accurately represent TOEFL test questions. The authors do not seem to have had an in-depth understanding of the writing and speaking scoring rubric, or an understanding of how the listening and reading questions are composed. I do not recommend this book to anyone planning to take the TOEFL test.
First, in the reading section, while their are many good examples of academic text, the actual questions and answer choices in the book are not composed the same way as the real TOEFL questions. Therefore, a student using these questions to practice is often practicing skills that are not tested on the real test, or is wasting time trying to answer questions that would never be asked on a TOEFL test. Worse, in many cases the answer choices do not contain a clear, correct answer, regardless of what the answer key claims. In some cases, the answer choices are too vague or, I believe, simply incorrect. Also, the authors have divided up the section into the different types of questions that can be asked, but with little rhyme or reason, as they have lumped questions into the inference section which are clearly not inference questions (and not considered inference questions by the test makers), and ignored some other types of questions.
The listening section is slightly better, but the book does not come with the listening CD's, so the student will not be able to use this section. Nevertheless, there are quite a few places in the listening where the questions do not accurately represent TOEFL questions, although to the inexperienced eye the format appears similar.
The speaking section is quite sparse and offers little useful advice to the student. There are no samples available on CD of how different score levels will sound.
I did not use the writing section at all, so cannot comment on the exercises there, but the explanation of the scoring rubric and the sample papers shown in the book do not reflect an understanding of how TOEFL papers are actually scored. You will find much better samples that give a much more accurate idea of what a high or low scoring essay looks like in the book published by ETS.
Finally, the book is loaded up with "supporting skills" exercises, which seems like a good idea, except that often the skills practiced will not be found on the actual test. Moreover, the questions and answer choices in the exercises are so carelessly done that there are many instances of answers which don't make sense, choices that are too similar and too vague, and questions which don't use the skill one is supposedly practicing.
And one more thing - the book is overly large and not at all user friendly. It's hard to find anything in it, and sometimes the exercises that go with certain materials are located at the end of the unit instead of directly after the material.
One of the few good things about this book is the ETS scoring rubrics and scoring instructions provided in the front of the book, which allow you to figure out your TOEFL score. Also, it is useful to have actual computerized practice tests that reflect the testing conditions and can give the student practice with the real test format.
Other than that, I really don't like this book and would never willingly use it again for a TOEFL class.
Summary of Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test (Book & CD-ROM)
A new edition designed to prepare students for the TOEFL? iBT test, administered online. Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL? test, Fourth Edition helps students master the language skills they need to succeed on the TOEFL? iBT Test and communicate effectively in an academic setting. Using an integrated skills approach that mirrors the structure of the TOEFL? iBT, this fully revised text is ideal for classroom use and self-study. The book contains hundreds of skill-building exercises covering all of the question types in the exam and four practice tests. A supporting skills section is provided to improve grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and study skills. The CD-ROM presents the book tests and three additional practice tests in an electronic format that simulates the online TOEFL? iBT test. The audio program available on audio CD or audio cassette contains conversations and lectures for all listening exercises and test questions.TOEFL & TOEIC Books
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