📚 TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - Structure, Format, Scoring and Timing | 托福TOEFL：考试介绍、新托福构成、形式及时间说明
The TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - is one of the most widely recognised English proficiency tests in the world. For students planning to study abroad, understanding what the test measures, who runs it, how it is structured, how it is scored, how long a score lasts, how to register and how much it costs is not optional background reading: it is the groundwork that shapes every revision decision that follows.
托福考试（Test of English as a Foreign Language）是全球范围内被广泛认可的英语能力测试之一。对于计划出国留学的学生而言，弄清它考查什么、由谁主办、考试如何构成、怎样评分、成绩能保留多久、怎样报名以及费用如何，并不是可有可无的背景知识，而是决定后续所有备考安排的起点。
1. What the TOEFL Is and Who Needs It | 托福考试是什么、谁需要考
The TOEFL is a standardised test designed to measure the English proficiency of non-native speakers who intend to study or work in an English-medium academic environment. Its focus is academic English: the language of lectures, seminars, textbooks, laboratory instructions and everyday campus conversation, rather than the language of tourism or casual small talk.
托福考试是一种标准化测试，用来衡量母语非英语者在英语学术环境中的语言应用能力。它考查的是学术英语，也就是讲座、研讨课、教材、实验说明以及日常校园对话中出现的语言，而不是旅游或闲聊场景中的语言。
Most candidates sit the TOEFL to satisfy the language requirement of universities in the United States, Canada and many other destinations, but the list of users is broader than that.
多数考生参加托福，是为了满足美国、加拿大以及其他众多留学目的地高校的语言成绩要求，但实际使用托福成绩的群体远不止于此。
- Undergraduate and postgraduate applicants who must submit a language score with their application.
必须随申请材料提交语言成绩的本科与研究生申请者。 - Students on conditional offers who need to prove their English has reached the required level.
拿到有条件录取、需要证明英语已达要求水平的学生。 - Scholarship and exchange programme applicants, where a minimum score is often a formal eligibility condition.
奖学金与交换项目申请者，最低分数往往是一项正式的资格条件。 - Some employers, licensing bodies and professional associations that accept TOEFL as evidence of English ability.
部分雇主、执业资格机构与专业协会也接受托福成绩作为英语能力证明。
2. Test Provider and Historical Development | 主办机构与历史沿革
The TOEFL is designed and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a non-profit testing organisation based in the United States. The first TOEFL was administered in 1964, and from 1965 ETS took over full responsibility for operating and managing the programme. Over six decades it has developed from a niche academic requirement into one of the standard language qualifications submitted with applications to North American institutions.
托福考试由美国教育考试服务中心（ETS）主办策划，ETS 是总部设在美国的非营利性考试机构。首届托福考试于 1964 年举行，自 1965 年起由 ETS 全面负责该考试的运营管理。六十余年间，它已从一项小众的学术要求，发展成为申请北美院校时普遍提交的语言成绩之一。
As international higher education expanded and competition for places intensified, language testing itself came under greater scrutiny. During decades of management, ETS has repeatedly revised the test in line with findings in applied linguistics and the changing expectations of universities, so that the assessment remains scientifically sound, up to date and genuinely representative of the language demanded in academic settings.
随着全球高等教育交流向纵深发展、入学竞争日益激烈，语言测试本身也面对更严苛的要求。在数十年的管理过程中，ETS 依据应用语言学的研究成果与院校不断变化的需求，多次对考试进行改革，以确保评估兼具科学性与时效性，能够始终反映学术场景中真实的语言需求。
3. The Structure of the New TOEFL (iBT) | 新托福的构成与形式
In September 2005, ETS launched the new TOEFL - the TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) - worldwide. It consists of four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. Each section is scored out of 30, giving a maximum total of 120. The test is taken on computer and delivered over the internet at authorised official test centres, which is why it is commonly called a computer-based, networked examination.
2005 年 9 月，ETS 在全球范围推出新托福考试，即托福网考（TOEFL iBT）。考试由阅读、听力、口语、写作四个部分构成，每个部分满分设定为 30 分，总分数上限为 120 分。考试采用机考形式，借助互联网在官方授权的考点开展，因此常被称为基于计算机与网络的考试。
| Section | 部分 | What it measures | 考查能力 | Score | 分值 |
|---|---|---|
| Reading 阅读 | Academic reading comprehension | 学术篇章理解 | 0-30 |
| Listening 听力 | Understanding lectures and conversations | 听懂讲座与对话 | 0-30 |
| Speaking 口语 | Spoken academic response | 学术场景口头表达 | 0-30 |
| Writing 写作 | Academic written response | 学术场景书面表达 | 0-30 |
TOEFL iBT Total = Reading + Listening + Speaking + Writing (max 120)
4. Integrated Skills: The Defining Feature | 综合技能测试：新托福最突出的特点
The most distinctive feature of the new TOEFL is that it tests integrated skills. The tasks simulate real campus situations and frequently require candidates to combine several language skills within a single response. In an integrated task, for example, a candidate first reads a short passage and listens to a short lecture, and then answers a question orally or in writing using both sources.
新托福极为突出的特点，是采用综合技能测试的方式。题目会模拟真实的大学校园情景，常常要求考生在同一道题中综合运用多种不同的语言技能。例如在综合任务中，考生要先阅读一段短文、再听一段讲座，然后依据所读与所听的内容，用口语回答或用写作完成任务。
- Integrated Writing: read a passage, listen to a lecture that challenges it, then write a summary of the listening and its relationship to the reading.
综合写作：先读一篇短文，再听一段对其提出质疑的讲座，然后写出听力要点及其与阅读材料关系的文章。 - Integrated Speaking: read and/or listen, then speak for 60 seconds in response to a prompt.
综合口语：先读、先听，然后针对题目要求进行约 60 秒的口头作答。 - Independent tasks: state and support a personal opinion on a familiar topic, in speech or in writing.
独立任务：就熟悉话题陈述并论证个人观点，形式为口语或写作。
This design gives universities a fuller picture of a candidate's ability to communicate in an academic environment than isolated skill tests would, because it mirrors what students actually do: read, listen, take notes and then produce a response.
这种设计比单独考查某一项技能，更能让院校全面了解考生在学术环境中实际交流的能力，因为它模拟的正是学生的真实任务：阅读、聆听、记笔记，然后产出回应。
5. Test Format, Timing and Section Breakdown | 考试形式、各部分时间与题型分布
In the classical internet-based format, a full test session lasts roughly four hours. Reading takes 60-80 minutes, Listening 60-90 minutes, followed by a mandatory 10-minute break, then Speaking for about 20 minutes and Writing for 50 minutes. The ranges exist because extra, unscored questions may appear in the Reading and Listening sections.
在经典网考形式下，一场完整考试全程约四小时。阅读为 60-80 分钟，听力为 60-90 分钟，随后是 10 分钟的强制休息，接着口语约 20 分钟，写作 50 分钟。之所以出现时间区间，是因为阅读与听力部分可能出现不计分的加试题。
- Reading: 3-4 academic passages of roughly 700 words each, with 12-14 questions per passage.
阅读：3-4 篇约 700 词的学术文章，每篇配 12-14 道题。 - Listening: 2-3 conversations plus 4-6 lectures, each 3-6 minutes long; note-taking is allowed and expected.
听力：2-3 段对话加 4-6 篇讲座，每段 3-6 分钟；允许并鼓励记笔记。 - Speaking: 6 tasks, typically 2 independent and 4 integrated, with 15-30 seconds of preparation and 45-60 seconds of speaking per task.
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