TOEFL Listening Practice + Ocean-Inspired Art

If you are taking the TOEFL exam soon, we recommend that you spend as much time as possible listening to English speeches, shows, and presentations. A good way to improve your English listening skills is to listen to a wide variety of topics: the TOEFL listening is always presented within an academic setting, but the topic can be anything from biology to history to astronomy. As Californians, we are particularly prone to anything ocean or beach related, so this TED talk about art that looks like sea creatures is exceptionally appealing. Listen to the TED talk, and then answer the questions, which are modeled after the TOEFL Listening test, Lecture 1. You should listen to this speech twice. The transcript and the answers are at the bottom of this post.

Good luck!

TOEFL LISTENING QUESTIONS

1. Shih Chieh Huang chose materials for his earlier works because he liked their appearance, as well as their

a. texture and inexpensive price

b. feel and accessibility

c. affordability and beauty

2. He created a device that gave a different perspective by

a. attaching a camera to his head

b. attaching a camera to the back of his head

c. attaching a camera to his midsection

3. His household appliance invention

a. turns lights on but not off

b. reacts to light and shuts lights off when they are not needed

c. saves energy

4. The bicycle helmet invention

a. is also inspired by eyes

b. acts like a television

c. is activated by a plastic tube

5. Some of the ways that bio-luminous organisms use light include

a. reproduction, self-defense, and to attract food

b. making different patterns

c. making beautiful and inspirational shapes when they move

TRANSCRIPT

I was born in Taiwan. I grew up surrounded by different types of hardware stores, and I like going to night markets. I love the energy of the night markets, the colors, the lights, the toys, and all the unexpected things I find every time I go, things like watermelon with straw antennas or puppies with mohawks. When I was growing up, I liked taking toys apart, any kind of toys I’d find around the house, like my brother’s BB gun when he’s not home.

I also liked to make environments for people to explore and play. In these early installations, I would take plastic sheets, plastic bags, and things I would find in the hardware store or around the house. I would take things like highlighter pen, mix it with water, pump it through plastic tubing, creating these glowing circulatory systems for people to walk through and enjoy. I like these materials because of the way they look, the way they feel, and they’re very affordable. (ANSWER TO QUESTION 1)

I also liked to make devices that work with body parts. I would take camera LED lights and a bungee cord and strap it on my waist and I would videotape my belly button, get a different perspective, and see what it does. (ANSWER TO QUESTION 2)

I also like to modify household appliances. This is an automatic night light. Some of you might have them at home. I would cut out the light sensor, add an extension line, and use modeling clay, stick it onto the television, and then I would videotape my eye, and using the dark part of my eye tricking the sensor into thinking it’s night time, so you turn on the light-bulb. The white of the eye and the eyelid will trick the sensor into thinking it’s daytime, and it will shut off the light. (ANSWER TO QUESTION 3)

I wanted to collect more different types of eyes, (ANSWER TO QUESTION 4) so I built this device using bicycle helmets, some light-bulbs and television sets. It would be easier for other people to wear the helmet and record their eyes. This device allows me to symbolically extract other people’s eyes, so I have a diversity of eyes to use for my other sculptures. This sculpture has four eyes. Each eye is controlling a different device. This eye is turning itself around in a television. This eye is inflating a plastic tube. This eye is watching a video of another piece being made. And these two eyes are activating glowing water. Many of these pieces are later on shown in museums, biennials, triennial exhibitions around the world.

I love science and biology. In 2007, I was doing a research fellowship at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum looking at bio-luminous organisms in the ocean. I love these creatures. I love the way they look, the way they feel. They’re soft, they’re slimy, and I was fascinated by the way they use light in their environment, either to attract mates, for self-defense, or to attract food. (ANSWER TO QUESTION 5) This research inspired my work in many different ways, things like movement or different light patterns. So I started gathering a lot of different types of material in my studio and just experimenting and trying this out, trying that out, and seeing what types of creatures I can come up with. I used a lot of computer cooling fans and just kind of put them together and see what happens. This is an 8,000-square-foot installation composed of many different creatures, some hanging from the ceiling and some resting on the floor. From afar, they look alien-like, but when you look closer, they’re all made out of black garbage bags or Tupperware containers.

I’d like to share with you how ordinary things can become something magical and wondrous. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause)

ANSWERS

1. Shih Chieh Huang chose materials for his earlier works because he liked their appearance, as well as their

a. texture and inexpensive price