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The fact that they are so nearly uniform in size - at 70 mm in diameter - suggests that the balls were interchangeable and represented some standard unit of measure. Holding the stone balls at the end of the cord would have allowed a person to swing it around or throw it.Ī second theory is that the carved stone balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures. It is possible that a cord was strung through the holes or laid in the grooves around the ball. Some of the stone balls have been found with holes in them, and many have grooves on the surface. One theory is that the carved stone balls were weapons used in hunting or fighting. Archaeologists do not agree about their purpose and meaning, but there are several theories. They are round in shape they were carved from several types of stone most are about 70 mm in diameter and many are ornamented to some degree. They date from the late Neolithic period, around 4,000 years ago. You would have three minutes to read this.Ĭarved stone balls are a curious type of artifact found at a number of locations in Scotland. The reading passage from TPO (TOEFL Practice Online) 33 is as follows.
#Tpo toefl score scale how to#
Let’s take a sample integrated writing task to discuss how to approach it. In fact, initially I recommend that rather than trying to write an integrated essay, you simply make tables of the main points (as I’ve described below) to see if you’ve identified them correctly.
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It’s better to work on your writing skills by attempting the independent essay and continue practicing reading and listening skills separately. Nevertheless, until your reading and listening skills are developed well enough for you to understand the three points of connection between the reading and the lecture, there’s little reason to put much effort into practicing the essay itself. The lecture is short (about 2 to 2 ½ minutes) and clearly structured in addition, since the content of the lecture relates directly to the reading you’ve just completed, it’s easier to understand. Also, after the lecture, you will be able to view the reading passage until the end of the writing time. You will have ample time (three minutes) to identify the main points in the reading passage. Neither the reading nor the lecture in the integrated writing task is as difficult as the texts in the Reading section or the lectures in the Listening section.
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Without being able to integrate listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills, you will not obtain a high score. Obviously, if you don’t understand what you hear in the lecture, this will be very difficult, which is why the integrated writing task is truly integrated. In the essay, you must make clear connections between the points in the reading and the points in the lecture. In my opinion, your writing skills are less important in the integrated essay of more importance is your listening ability and, to a lesser extent, your reading ability. The second and longer task is the independent essay.
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During the TOEFL iBT, you will have two writing tasks.
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