TOEFL Listening Practice Skill 1-3 (Longman TOEFL PBT)

Task 2:

 Fill in the story elements of “Rip Van Wrinkle” in the table below.

TEXT 2: RIP VAN WRINKLE
Long ago there lived a man named Rip Van Wrinkle. His father had left him a farm. Around the farm were some of the finest mountains in the world. But Rip Van Wrinkle was not happy. His wife always yelled at him. And to tell the truth, you might have yelled at him too.	1
Rip Van Wrinkle never did more than two days work in a week. He was always ready to make kites. He loved to tell stories to his children he loved to hunt and fish. But he did not love to work on the farm. So his family was poor and his wife yelled at him every day.	2
One day, Rip Van Wrinkle’s wife was yelling even more than usual. So he left the house and went to the village. But his wife followed him. So he took his dog and his gun and went up into the mountains. The beautiful,strange mountains - where many people were afraid to go.	3
It was late in the day when he stopped to rest on a hill. Now Rip Van Wrinkle as you know - did nothing very well. So he lay there doing nothing until it began to get dark. He was just getting hungry when he heard a voice calling, “Rip Van Wrinkle! Rip Van Wrinkle!” he looked around but all he saw was bird flying across the mountain. Then he heard the voice again, “Rip Van Wrinkle! Rip Van Wrinkle.” This time his dog stood up and growled. A long, deep growl.	4
Rip looked down and what do you think he saw! A strange little man was walking toward him. “who are you?” asked Rip. But the little man did not answer.	5
As Rip went toward the little man, his dog began to bark - as if to say, don’t go! But Rip did not listen. He walked up to the little man. This is what he saw.	6
The little man was very fat. And he had on very strange clothes! Rip had never seen anything like them before. On his back, he had a big, heavy barrel. He 8 made a sign for Rip to help him with the barrel. So, Rip took one end and followed the man down a narrow path. There were big trees on both sides. Rip could not really see where he was going. They walked and walked - tripping over rocks. Low branches hit Rip in the face and he began to feel sorry that he helped the little man.	7
Soon the forest opened into clearing. In the middle was a funny- looking group of little man. They were bowling and laughing. Some of them were dressed like the fat little man.	8
	9
When they saw Rip, they stopped their play and stared at him. Rip’s knees knocked together. Now the little men opened the barrel. They made signs for Rip to drink with them. Rip was afraid. So he did what they wanted. They drank in silence. Then they returned to their game	10
By-and-by Rip became less afraid. When no one was looking, he had a little more to drink. Whatever it was, it tasted very good! Soon he had another and another - until his eyes rolled in his head and he fell down. Then in no time at all, he was asleep.	11
When he awoke, the birds were singing. The sun was shining. He was lying on the hill where he and his dog had been.	12
“oh, that  wicked drink!” he said “what shall I say to my wife? Oh, how stiff I feel! My gun is so rusty!”	13
He called to his dog. But he did not come. So he set off for home. On the way he met some strangers. Theylooked odd and they stared at him. But he walked on until he came on his own house. But there was no morehouse! Just a heap of ruins. Rip stared in horror. He shouted for his wife. He shouted for his children. But no oneanswered.	14
He now ran to the village. A lot of people had heard about an odd man in their village. So they came to lookat him. One of the man wanted to know who he was. When Rip told his story, no one believed him	15
“Find my friends and neighbors,” he said. “they know me. They know I tell the truth!”	16
He was told all his neighbors were dead. But soon a woman with a baby on her arm pushed through thecrowd, and looked at him.	17
“My father was Rip Van Wrinkle,” she said. “he went off to the mountains twenty years ago. His dogreturned, but he never did. I think - yes, even with your gray beard and wrinkles - I think you are he!”	18
Rip Van Wrinkle suddenly saw that his years of youth and strength were gone. Everything had changed. Hiswife was dead. His friends were dead. He was a poor, useless old man. He covered his face with his hands.	19
But although he had not fed his children very well, his daughter was ready  to feed  him. She had married a farmer, and Rip Van Wrinkle made his home with them. Very soon he was, as he had been yearsbefore, the best story-teller to be found in the village.	20

Story Elements of Text 2: Rip Van Wrinkle
Setting	Character	Plot/events	Problem	Solution
-          Long time ago, -          In a farm with the view of the finest mountains in the world -          Around his house -          Around his village	-          Rip Van Wrinkle, -          His wife -          His dog -          The  little man and his friends -          His daughter -          The villagers	-  Rip Van Wrinkle, a lazy person, lived in a farm with his wife and his children. But, He was not a hard worker to support his family that made his wife yelled at him every day. -  One day, his wife yelled at him more than usual. He decided to leave their house and went to the village. But, his wife followed him, so he decided to go to the strange mountains. His wife didn’t follow him anymore. He brought his dog and his gun.	Rip’s wife yelled at him every day because he didn’t work hard to support his family. So, he left his family and went to the strange mountains that changed everything in his life. He was drunk by the wicked drinks offered by little strange man. He realized that he had slept for twenty years because of his escape and the drink from the little man. He lost his house, his wife, and his neighbors.	None of the villagers believed him except his daughter. She accepted him to her house.
		-  After long journey, he took a rest on the hill without any initiatives to find out something to eat. After it began to dark, he was suffered from hunger. Then, he heard someone was calling his name. There was a little strange man who asked for his help to carry a big heavy barrel. His dog barked a deep growl as a sign for him not to go. -  However, Rip helped and followed the little man. In their journey, he regretted that he helped that little man cause of having some troubles along the journey. -  Then, they arrived in the little man’s place. There were some of his friends who played bowling. When they saw Rip’s coming, they stopped and stared at him. Rip feel scared -  They welcomed Rip and made signs to drink together. After they drank in silence, the little men returned to their game. -  When no one looking, Rip added more and more drink until he was drunk. -  In the morning, when he woke up, he realized that he got wicked drink. He felt stiff and found his rusty gun. He called his dog but he didn’t appear. He decided to be back home and found a heap of ruins in the house that he left. He tried to call his wife and children but none was there anymore.
		-  Then he ran to the village and told the people about his story but no one believed him. -  He asked them to find his friends and neighbors to show his truths but all of the neighbors were dead. -  Soon, a woman with a baby on her arm pushed trough crowded and told him that her father went off the mountain for twenty years. She thought that he was her father. -  Then, Rip realized that his years of youth and strength were gone and everything had change. -  His daughter took care of him though he didn’t feed their family very well in the past time.

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