Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🔥 TOEFL 2026 Course – Updated Format
💡 Inside: new tasks, new strategies, new templates + free LinguaTOEFL access.
👉 Enroll here: https://ltrp.xyz/8x9A53
🔥 Join our Telegram channel for more TOEFL tips and practice tasks:
https://t.me/toefltestwithanastasia
👩🏫 To book a one-on-one session with Anastasia, click here: https://ltrp.xyz/gCQNFI
👩🏫 To book a one-on-one session with TOEFL expert Xenia, click here: linguatrip.com/en/online/english/skype/prepare-exams-with-xenia/.
📝 For extra practice, feel free to look through the sample answer below.
The reading and the listening discuss sea otters and the decline in their populations. The reading argues that the drop in sea otter numbers along the Alaskan coast was caused by environmental pollution. The lecturer disagrees and says that predation is actually the most likely cause. He challenges each explanation presented in the passage.
First, the reading claims that pollution from known sources, such as oil rigs, introduced chemicals into the water. According to the passage, water samples showed increased chemical levels that could weaken otters’ immune systems and lead to their deaths. The lecturer points out that almost no dead otters wash up on the shore, which is not what we would expect if pollution were killing them. Instead, he explains that when a predator kills an otter, it is eaten right away, so the body never reaches the beach. This lack of carcasses supports the predation explanation, not the pollution hypothesis.
Second, the reading states that other sea mammals, such as seals, also declined. It argues that whatever affected the otters must have affected these other species, and that this pattern fits pollution because pollution usually harms an entire ecosystem. The lecturer counters this by describing how orcas prefer to hunt whales. Since whales have disappeared from that area due to human hunting, orcas had to switch to smaller prey. As a result, they began hunting otters, seals, and other small sea mammals, creating the same multi-species decline mentioned in the reading.
Finally, the reading claims that the uneven pattern of otter decline can be explained by ocean currents that may have created uneven concentrations of pollutants along the coast. The lecturer disagrees and says this uneven pattern actually supports the predator hypothesis. He explains that otters in shallow, rocky locations remain stable because orcas cannot access those areas. In contrast, otters in more open and accessible locations are more likely to be hunted, which explains the uneven declines across regions.
📚 Useful resources 📚
TOEFL TIPS for
Reading: youtu.be/NeQoDyZhieM
Listening: youtu.be/WRiwhl1NDTc
Writing: youtu.be/kGVopSMusaI
Speaking: youtu.be/VAvKmcrn7AM
Speaking Practice Task 1: youtu.be/9bgAJAz2mao
Speaking Practice Task 2: youtu.be/UgTAr8p53Rs
Achieving 100+ on TOEFL: Insider Tactics for Test Day
youtu.be/B77aluM_h88
TOEFL Speaking MUST-KNOW LINKING WORDS
youtu.be/v9oG4l41w6M
Essential Vocabulary | Must-Know Words | Advanced vocabulary for TOEFL
youtu.be/fbk35_THjXs
How I scored 119 out of 120 on TOEFL: 5 tips
youtu.be/Z6GpEaf5YXM
How to prepare for TOEFL in 1 week
youtu.be/TV3HLHO5qtI
🔥 TOEFL 2026 Course – Updated Format
💡 Inside: new tasks, new strategies, new templates + free LinguaTOEFL access.
👉 Enroll here: https://ltrp.xyz/8x9A53
🔥 Join our Telegram channel for more TOEFL tips and practice tasks:
https://t.me/toefltestwithanastasia
👩🏫 To book a one-on-one session with Anastasia, click here: https://ltrp.xyz/gCQNFI
👩🏫 To book a one-on-one session with TOEFL expert Xenia, click here: linguatrip.com/en/online/english/skype/prepare-exams-with-xenia/.
📝 For extra practice, feel free to look through the sample answer below.
The reading and the listening discuss sea otters and the decline in their populations. The reading argues that the drop in sea otter numbers along the Alaskan coast was caused by environmental pollution. The lecturer disagrees and says that predation is actually the most likely cause. He challenges each explanation presented in the passage.
First, the reading claims that pollution from known sources, such as oil rigs, introduced chemicals into the water. According to the passage, water samples showed increased chemical levels that could weaken otters’ immune systems and lead to their deaths. The lecturer points out that almost no dead otters wash up on the shore, which is not what we would expect if pollution were killing them. Instead, he explains that when a predator kills an otter, it is eaten right away, so the body never reaches the beach. This lack of carcasses supports the predation explanation, not the pollution hypothesis.
Second, the reading states that other sea mammals, such as seals, also declined. It argues that whatever affected the otters must have affected these other species, and that this pattern fits pollution because pollution usually harms an entire ecosystem. The lecturer counters this by describing how orcas prefer to hunt whales. Since whales have disappeared from that area due to human hunting, orcas had to switch to smaller prey. As a result, they began hunting otters, seals, and other small sea mammals, creating the same multi-species decline mentioned in the reading.
Finally, the reading claims that the uneven pattern of otter decline can be explained by ocean currents that may have created uneven concentrations of pollutants along the coast. The lecturer disagrees and says this uneven pattern actually supports the predator hypothesis. He explains that otters in shallow, rocky locations remain stable because orcas cannot access those areas. In contrast, otters in more open and accessible locations are more likely to be hunted, which explains the uneven declines across regions.
📚 Useful resources 📚
TOEFL TIPS for
Reading: youtu.be/NeQoDyZhieM
Listening: youtu.be/WRiwhl1NDTc
Writing: youtu.be/kGVopSMusaI
Speaking: youtu.be/VAvKmcrn7AM
Speaking Practice Task 1: youtu.be/9bgAJAz2mao
Speaking Practice Task 2: youtu.be/UgTAr8p53Rs
Achieving 100+ on TOEFL: Insider Tactics for Test Day
youtu.be/B77aluM_h88
TOEFL Speaking MUST-KNOW LINKING WORDS
youtu.be/v9oG4l41w6M
Essential Vocabulary | Must-Know Words | Advanced vocabulary for TOEFL
youtu.be/fbk35_THjXs
How I scored 119 out of 120 on TOEFL: 5 tips
youtu.be/Z6GpEaf5YXM
How to prepare for TOEFL in 1 week
youtu.be/TV3HLHO5qtI
