2020托福在家考避坑指南！-书玉苑

托福家考机经备考经验

近期，留学方面，有两个重要资讯，一是托福家考，另一个是中国特供版托福纸笔考试。ETS推出家考已经有快两个月的时间了，但仍有不少同学遇到了不同程度问题，下面介绍托福在家考避指南

2020托福在家考避坑指南！

一、上篇·考试环境
（1）设备问题
使用装有Win 10的PC，而非Mac。虽然装有Win 10的Mac也在推荐设备之列，但Mac下运行Win 10机身温度控制一直是个大问题。Win 10的Mac设备驱动可能说不上完美吧？另外，它的键盘一直都是槽点，键程过短，打字不爽。你确定想抱着个发烫的暖宝宝，手不停出汗的状态下戳着硬邦邦的按键码字？醒醒吧，孩子！另外，一定要下载ETS规定的browser，确保ProctorU可以顺利运行！
（2）网络问题
使用有线网！！！
至于原因嘛，同学们自行百度“wifi信号衰减”就好了。我们吃鸡有时因为wifi的原因掉了，快速重连就好，因为鹅厂的服务器多且稳定。但对于ETS作为应急手段、监考外包给印度的家考而言，我们还是老老实实用有线网吧。我们有老师连wifi考试，做完阅读，点击“next”进入听力时，看到这样的提示：“Your internet is not holding properly;ETS is aborting your exam”。可惜的是，ETS到现在还没有说明解决方案，是否能refund还生死未卜，这位童鞋估计是要哭晕在厕所了。所以，插网线考试比用wifi肯定更稳妥，我们更推荐。
（3）笔记问题
用A4纸贴膜外加Mark笔。很多同学，包括David老师自己，平时模考是线下考试，都是这样的状态：考多少分另说，笔要写光它一支，草稿纸得写满它10张。所以，当我们看到ETS给出的笔记工具是一块白板、一支mark笔时，脑瓜子肯定嗡嗡的啊！要写那么多，白板却只能记那么几行，咋办？有聪明的小伙伴就想出了这条妙计：把A4白纸到打印店两面贴塑料膜，一次性做了8张，然后买了最笔迹最细的Mark笔，考试的时候，一张一张地、正面反面地展示给监考官看，完美地解决了笔记空间的问题。厉害吧？人民群众的智慧是无穷的！如果考官问起，不要紧张，回答“sir,I am used to taking very detailed notes,so I prepared several sheets of pure white paper with plastic film on them”就好了。
（4）时间问题
尽力选择当天最早的考试。这是一条血泪教训啊！有一位老师，报了上午10点30分的考试，但真正开始考试，却差不多12点了！开头的一个半小时，全部都在调试设备，确保考试环境安全。而且，考试中还有各种折腾，考完已是晚上7点！这位小可爱，起个大早，早饭没吃，开始考试就到午饭时间了，结束考试时又错过了家里的晚饭点。同学们，早起尚且如此艰难，如果下午开考，又是何等光景呢？可能要奋斗到深夜了。那时的你，还能精力饱满、心无旁骛地考试吗？
顺便，还是要奉劝大家吃早饭，吃早饭，吃早饭！家考是一场漫长且耗能的战斗，同学们务必做好各种准备。
以上几点时David老师跟大家分享的家考心得。如果大家有疑问，欢同学们在下方的留言区提出来，我们会尽快回复。至于家考与传统网考在学术上是否有区别，家考的“风格”是什么个模样，我们接着看下篇！
二、下篇·学术内容
上篇我们聊了一些考务上的技术性问题，这里我们来谈一下家考的学术性问题。从语言测试学上讲，考试环境从考场转移到居家，应该不会带来考察内容、能力结构上的变化。但疫情还是对考试造成了一些影响，从老师们的回忆及统计来看，家考的独立口语重复老题的概率比较高。我们将4月份的考题与对应的老题进行了统计，现列如下：
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?Celebrities should use their fame and money to help others.(20200408,Home-based Test)
相关题目：
Do you agree or disagree that celebrities such as artists and athletes should be the role model for people?(20160109)
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?Celebrities are more competent to do charity because they are rich and powerful.(20190728)
这三道题的提问方式不同，但完全可以使用相同的要点、例证进行回答。比如说：
“Celebrities have more access to important resources,such as medicine and food so they can help us more broadly and effectively.For example,Bill Gates,the once richest man of the world,can help billions of people by developing new medicine to cure cancer,with the money from his career.”
这个要点可以直接用在上述的题、第三题上，对于第二题可能需要一些基本的改编：
“when these people benefit from him,they will admire him and thus follow him,that means,when they become celebrity,they may want to return the favor and start charity program themselves.”
如果说上述题目只是对老题的温和改写的话，4月10的两道题目都是老题的暴力重复：
Your university is planning to allow people who live in the local community to have classes with students.This program will be free for people in the local community.Also,the university will not provide them with feedback and grades on their reports.Do you think this program is good?And Why?(20200410,Home-based Test)
这题的解答，可参考20180526与20181117：
Some universities allow people from the local community to audit classes for free,but they will not receive feedback or grades on their papers.Do you think it’s a good program and explain why?Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.(20180526)
Your university plans to allow people from the community to audit classes for free without grading their papers and assignment.Do you think it’s a good idea?(20181117)
以上三题的误差，完全可以看作考题复述者的记忆差；题目的关键词几乎完全一致。所以，一些老套路可以很好地帮助我们答题。比如，我们经常采用的“TEM模式”（T=time,E=energy,M=money）。
这里我们采用否定立场，先从时间上来回答：
“I disagree with this plan,because first,a student’s time is very limited.If too many community residents rush in the classroom,full time students cannot take the class,then their schedule will be influenced;they can’t take this class in another day because he has something else to do.”
再从精力上来回答：
“On the other hand,a professor can’t take care of too many people in a class.When people from local community ask questions,the professor will spend time to reply,so maybe he can’t take answer questions from his real students.”
还可以从金钱上回答：
“Full-time students pay their tuition,which is very expensive.When local community residents come into classrooms,they just spend nothing,but enjoy the same classes with students who paid a lot for them,which is totally unfair.”
家考的考题重复老题很多，甚至出现当日考题次日就被重复的情况。我们猜测因为ETS所在的美东地区受疫情影响较大，组织人力物力重新出题的能力会受到较大的限制。
所以，循环使用老题，尤其是15-17年这些更为“古董”的题目，将会是疫情影响下ETS逼不得已的选择。这意味着，只要机经使用得当，相应的“模板”或语料的积累充分、娴熟，在独立口语方面发挥的稳定性就会大大增强。这对于口语发挥欠缺稳定、口语出分有困难的考鸭们来说，简直是天大的福音啊！