Use outside resources1. Plan ahead

Use outside resources

1. Plan ahead – It takes a long time to improve your TOEFL score. Many students “cram” or study just before the test. Raising your score will takes months of intensive study. Don’t expect a big lift in your score after two weeks. There’s no easy way to raise your score quickly. You will have to commit a lot of time and energy.
2. Master the basics first – Many students study for the TOEFL before they are ready. You should have at least an upper-intermediate English level before you attempt the test. If you score below 500 on the PBT or 70 on the iBT, review the fundamentals for a few months and come back to the TOEFL later.
3. Get a study guide – It’s easy to find study guides for the iBT. Pearson, Barron’s, ETS, and Kaplan all produce quality materials. Do a practice test once or twice a month. The best study guides will have explanations in the answer key. PBT study guides are difficult to find because the test is being phased out. Longman still produces guides for the PBT but you’ll need a CD ROM player. Locally produced PBT study materials available in Indonesia and Malaysia are usually of poor quality and should be avoided.
4. Use outside resources – Using TOEFL practice materials all the time will make you crazy. Remember, you are learning a language, not a test. You can improve your TOEFL score by making English part of your daily life—listening to podcasts, informal conversation with English speakers, watching movies and reading newspapers, reading English textbooks, texting in English, and writing online comments in English.

grew up to be a beautiful woman

The drive from the U.S. capital city to the national park takes less than two hours. However, the two places feel very far away. On the way, the road passes by apple and pumpkin farms, country diners, and small towns. The scenery is very different from the city streets of Washington.
Shenandoah is a popular place on the U.S. East Coast for leaf-peeping, an informal term for people who travel to view and photograph the autumn leaves as they change colors. It may seem funny to travel somewhere just to see the changing colors of trees, but leaf peepers are serious about it!
It was no surprise, then, when we got stuck in traffic at the entrance of the park, behind cars with license plates from all over the United States, and tour buses with groups from around the world. Our two-hour drive seemed like nothing compared to how far many other people came to see Shenandoah in the fall.