1. Give yourself time: Since each portion of the TOEFL examination requires in-depth knowledge of the English language, effective test preparation should span several months

1.给你自己点时间：由于托福考试的每个部分都要求对于英语深度知识的掌握，有效的考试准备应该有几个月。

There are many preparatory courses, companies, and books to choose from, but no matter which route you select, make sure to take some timed practice tests over the course of your studies. Since the four-part test takes about three-and-a-half hours, mimicking the process before you take the real test can help boost your stamina.

会有很多准备课程、公司和书籍供你选择，但是不管你选择哪条道路，都要确保你在学习过程中进行计时练习。因为托福考试时长三个半小时，在正式考试之前模拟整个过程有助于提高你的耐力。

2. Make it fun: Preparing for the TOEFL doesn't have to only include class sessions and preparatory books. For Romania native Ana Barbu, English cartoons and movies were just as helpful—if not more so—than materials specifically geared to test prep.

做的有趣些：托福的备考过程不一定只能有课程和备考书籍。对于罗马尼亚人Ana，英语卡通和电影也和备考机构的特殊材料一样有用。

Tuning in to the Cartoon Network for shows like Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory while living in Romania helped Barbu prepare for the listening component of the TOEFL, she says. (College services director Zilkha recommends listening to radio news shows, too, which don't allow for students to become visually distracted.)

看卡通电视网的节目，比如飞天小女警和德克斯特的实验室，帮助Ana在罗马尼亚的时候为托福听力做了准备。（大学服务部主任Zilkha推荐听广播新闻节目，这样学生不会因为视觉而产生干扰。

If you have access to subtitled films, they can also help the study process, says Barbu, who recently completed a master's degree in journalism at Syracuse University and now works as the director of web communications at the College of Mount St. Vincent.

如果你能找到带字幕的电影，它们也能帮助学习过程，Ana说。Ana最近已将在雪城大学读完了新闻学硕士，现在在文森特学院做网络联络主任。

"Subtitles on movies helped me hone my understanding of English idioms, and how native speakers used the language, rather than just reading whatever English manual we had or listening to a professor," she says.

“电影的字幕磨练了我对英语习语的理解，还有理解了母语是英语的人是怎么使用这门语言的，而不是阅读英语手册或者只听教授讲课。”她说。

3. Give yourself a safety net: No matter how much you prepare, some things still may come as a surprise when you first take the TOEFL. Earphones, for instance, can vary between testing centers, Zilkha says, and it's hard to know how noisy your test room will be.

3.给你自己一张安全网：不管你准备了多少，第一次考托福的时候，很有可能还是会遇到没见过的东西。比如说，耳机，在不同的测试中心都是不一样的，很难知道你考试的时候噪声会有多大。

If possible, Zilkha recommends that students consider scheduling multiple tests when they register for their first TOEFL exam. (There's no limit to how many times you can take the TOEFL, and students can wait to release their scores until they hit the minimum score requirement set by schools in which they're interested.)

如果可能的话，Zilkha推荐学生们考虑第一次注册托福考试的时候，多报名几场考试。（你可以考多少次托福并没有限制，并且学生可以等到他们达到理想学校最低分的时候再公开分数。）