TOEFL Practice Test (#3) – Reading

COURSE DESCRIPTION

TOEFL

TOEFL is an exam required by most US and Canadian university to prove proficiency(especially international students coming from countries where English is not native language) in English. It measures your listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to perform academic tasks in English. Many Universities in Europe and other countries also accept TOEFL (IELTS is popular outside USA). Popularity of TOEFL is growing.

Connection Through Technology

Today, we are so connected to the outside world through our phones, computers, televisions and various types of portable devices.  It’s amazing how quickly news can travel.  One minute, something could be happening in Africa and the next minute, we in North America will hear about it. We are so aware of everything that is happening thousands of miles away, yet we are so unaware of things that are happening right in front of us.  Technology, are we lucky or unfortunate?

What is a real connection?  Is it turning on a computer screen and writing to a friend who lives in the Middle East?  Or is it picking up the phone and chatting with a family member in England?  There was a time when mobile devices and computers didn’t exist.  How did people connect then?  They took the time to go to each other’s homes and talk face to face.  Does that type of connection still exist?  Maybe humans are looking for validation through numbers.  How many times does their phone ring?  How many times are they ‘remembered’ throughout the day?  How important do they look if they show this off?  People now days are so caught up in checking the next message or text or email, that they could be sitting in front of someone, yet still not allow a real connection to be made.  So again I pose the same question; what is a real connection?

Technology has been a blessing in the advancement of the modern world.  It has allowed for medical operations to be conducted in India while the head surgeon is sitting at a desk in California.  It has allowed a family in Switzerland to share photos of their newborn child with their cousins who are working in Japan.  These are examples of the benefits of technology in our modern society.  However, what is technology doing to benefit the human connection?  Is it really benefiting our relationships?  Or is it destroying them?  We look for instant gratification when it comes to human connections.  It’s an easy method of connection, but nothing goes beyond that. We send a message and we’re done.  We have connected.  We have become satisfied with the mediocrity of relationships. 

The real success is found in how we use technology to enhance our human connections.  Sure, sending a message or chatting on the phone is a great way to connect, but old-school methods such as meeting in person and really making the time to ‘know’ another person’s energy is what makes those initial connections worthwhile.  If we do not make the time or the effort to connect with each other on a higher level, then the initial connections are a complete waste of time.  Life is so much more special when you really build bonds.  We are so consumed with quantity in our lives, that we no longer understand the concept of quality.  We connect ‘technologically’ because it is faster and we can connect more in a shorter period of time.

So what do we do to make this better?  How do we find a solution?  First of all, we need to be aware of how we are connecting.  We need to accept that we are causing harm by not really being in the moment with our loved ones.  We must stop trying to find validation and importance through the number of messages we receive per day and focus on creating real connections with the people who should matter.

Technology is a beautiful thing; but we as a society are coming back from this phenomenon and taking a more simplistic approach to the technological era. We cannot allow technology to take over our existence but it’s how we use it to enhance our lives that make it worth having. 

Now you answer the question; technology… are we lucky or unfortunate?

Nonnative English speakers at the 11th-grade level or above should take the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their English proficiency before beginning academic work.

Please contact institution to find out if you are required to complete the TOEFL examination before applying.