Task 1: The Reading-Listening-Writing Integrated Task (Sample).
After
reading a passage, examinees (test-takers) listen to a lecture. The reading
passage then reappears along with a question and examinees are given 20 minutes
to state their responses. The reading passage remains present and examinees can
take and use short notes.
After reading and listening, test
takers must write an effective response (150-225 words). As you read or listen,
always sketch out an outline (take short notes).
READING
In
many organizations, perhaps the best way to approach certain new projects is to
assemble a group of people into a team. Having a team of people attack a
project offers several advantages. First of all, a group of people has a wider
range of knowledge, expertise, and skills than any single individual is likely
to possess.
Also,
because of the numbers of people involved and the greater resources they
possess, a group can work more quickly in response to the task assigned to it
and can come up with highly creative solutions to problems and issues. Sometimes
these creative solutions come about because a group is more likely to make
risky decisions that an individual might not undertake.
This
is because the group spreads responsibility for a decision to all the members
and thus no single individual can be held accountable if the decision turns out
to be wrong. Taking part in a group process can be very rewarding for members
of the team. Team members who have a voice in making a decision will no doubt
feel better about carrying out the work that is entailed by that decision than
they might doing work that is imposed on them by others.
Also,
the individual team member has a much better chance to “shine,” to get his or
her contributions and ideas not only recognized but recognized as highly
significant, because a team’s overall results can be more far-reaching and have
greater impact than what might have otherwise been possible for the person to
accomplish or contribute working alone.
A narrator then says, “Now listen to
part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.”
Listening (Professor speaking)
Now I
want to tell you about what one company found when it decided that it would
turn over some of its new projects to teams of people, and make the team
responsible for planning the projects and getting the work done. After about
six months, the company took a look at how well the teams performed.
On
virtually every team, some members got almost a “free ride” ... they didn’t
contribute much at all, but if their team did a good job, they nevertheless
benefited from the recognition the team got. And what about group members who
worked especially well and who provided a lot of insight on problems and
issues? Well...the recognition for a job well done went to the group as a
whole, no names were named. So it won’t surprise you to learn that when the
real contributors were asked how they felt about the group process, their
attitude was just the opposite of what the reading predicts.
Another
finding was that some projects just didn’t move very quickly. Why? Because it
took so long to reach consensus...it took many, many meetings to build the
agreement among group members about how they would move the project along. On
the other hand, there were other instances where one or two people managed to
become very influential over what their group did. Sometimes when those
influencers said “That will never work” about an idea the group was developing,
the idea was quickly dropped instead of being further discussed.
And
then there was another occasion when a couple influencers convinced the group
that a plan of theirs was “highly creative.” And even though some members tried
to warn the rest of the group that the project was moving in directions that
might not work, they were basically ignored by other group members. Can you
guess the ending to *this* story? When the project failed, the blame was placed
on all the members of the group.
Summarize the points made in the
lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the
reading.
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