Listen to part of a lecture in an art history class. The professor is discussing the Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci.
Professor: Now, many of you know Leonardo da Vinci as the painter of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But did you know that he considered himself primarily an engineer and a scientist? In fact, he filled thousands of pages in his notebooks with designs for flying machines, war equipment, and hydraulic systems. These notebooks are fascinating, but they also reveal a key challenge of his work: many of his inventions were never built. Why? Well, for one thing, the materials available in the 15th century, such as wood and rope, were often too weak to support his ambitious designs. Also, Leonardo lacked a systematic method for testing his ideas. He was a brilliant observer, but he often moved from one project to another without refining his prototypes. So, while his visionary concepts anticipated later technologies, his role as an artist often overshadowed his scientific contributions. It was only centuries later that scholars fully recognized the scope of his engineering genius.
❓ Pregunta What is the professor's main point about Leonardo da Vinci?
A. A. Leonardo da Vinci was more famous as an engineer than as a painter.
B. B. Leonardo da Vinci's engineering work was limited by materials and lack of testing.
C. C. Leonardo da Vinci invented devices that were successfully built during his lifetime.
D. D. Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks were mainly about painting techniques.
✅ Respuesta correcta
B. Leonardo da Vinci's engineering work was limited by materials and lack of testing.
TOEFL Listening Tips
Skim the questions first to predict the content
Watch for signal words in lectures and conversations (however, actually, in fact)
For main idea questions, focus on the beginning; for detail questions, focus on examples and data
For attitude questions, pay attention to the speaker's tone and word choice
Take notes on keywords; don't try to write down every word