新托福口语考试大约30分钟，共有6道题目，一般称作Speaking Tasks 1-6。如果把它们进行分组的话，正好两两每组：Speaking Task 1 and Speaking Task 2为一组，解题关键词是characteristics(特性、特质);Speaking Task 3 and Speaking Task 5为一组，解题关键词是campus(校园);而Speaking Task 4 and Speaking Task 6归入最后一组，解题关键词是class(课堂)。

　　Characteristics: Speaking Task 1

　　第一题和第二题除了都是关于一些familiar topics以外，它们另一个共通之处就是涉及到人或事物的characteristics。比如在Speaking Task 1里面，you will be asked to describe an important book. 具体题目见下：

　　Talk about a book you have read that was important to you for some reason.

　　Explain why the book was important to you. Give specific details and examples to explain your answer.

　　Preparation Time: 15 seconds

　　Response Time: 45 seconds

　　针对这样的题目，你谈什么样的书其实并不重要。关键在于你说出了这本书之后，给出怎样的合理解释，即题目要求中的specific details and examples，而这些东西就是我们所说的characteristics。换言之，你把这本书的三大特性描述出来，就等于给出了相应的细节和例证。请看下面的列表：

　　The reasons why the book was important

　　Reason 1 = Characteristic 1: It gave me a lot of practical guidance

　　Reason 2 = Characteristic 2: It had a lot of illustrations to help me understand

　　Reason 3 = Characteristic 3: There was an interesting theoretical framework in the book

　　在三大理由(或三大特性)中，我们分别给其中的核心要点加了斜体和下划线，这就是考生们必须在15秒钟的准备时间内记下的最简单的笔记。没有这三点，想要在后面的45秒钟回答时间内进行良好的发挥，是一件异常困难的事情。

　　09年中国大陆地区的第一场考试发生在2009年1月10日。其中第一题的大意是：When it comes to choosing friends, which characteristic do you think is the most important: honesty, loyalty or sense of humor? 回答这个问题有两种策略：一个是老实人的办法，一个是聪明人的招数。我们先看题目在问什么，很明显，题目要求我们从三种特性中选出一种，是在择友过程中最重要的。老实人的办法就是老老实实地选一个，比如honesty(诚实)，然后根据honesty再来展开三个论据(或举例或抽象描述)：

　　Plan A

　　Honesty is the most important characteristic in choosing friends

　　Reason 1: True friends should never lie to each other

　　Reason 2: Being honest to your friends is the best way to maintain a long-term relationship

　　Reason 3: A dishonest person will eventually hurt you and your family