新托福听力推断题，是就听力段落的某些细节给出结论或做出比较，有时候是就某一个词进行推理判断。
新托福听力推断题通常出现在听力部分的2个长对话和4个演讲中，每个长对话一般包含一个推断题，而每个演讲中也可能包含一个推断题，所以推断题在整个听力部分的总数在2至4个左右。
新托福听力的出题形式：
通常情况下，推断题都是以what开头的特殊疑问句，会对上段材料中出现的一些细节提出问题，例如：
What can be inferred about Scott Anfinson?
A: His work is not worthy of any credit.
B: He is an archaeologist with a lot of assets.
C: He has done a lot of noteworthy jobs on Minnesota archaeology.
D: He, as a great archaeologist, donated some assets to protect the local environment.
What can be inferred about professor’s attitude toward the book he’s describing?
A: He prefers coffee than tea because drinking coffee is a patriotic act.
B: Drinking coffee was considered patriotic at the time when British colonists ruled America.
C: Coffee was heavily taxed at the time.
D: Coffee was less popular because it offered little independence to people who loved it。
What will ___ probably do next?
What probably happened to ___?
What can be inferred about ___?
What is probably true about ___?
做题技巧：
1.在推断的时候必须基于原文，尤其是涉及自然科学的知识，在某一学科某一领域的某一概念还未被全世界的科学家普遍接受的时候，我们不能运用课外之时做出推断。尊重谈话人的态度和意见是做题的关键。涉及到人文科学的知识，中外分歧更大，我们更要抛弃自己的主观意见，站在谈话人特定的历史角色和观点上，做出符合逻辑的推论。
2. 在做题的时候注意不要过度推断，步骤最少的推断最接近答案。举个简单的例子：某人生病了，我们不能说他去世了，只能说他身体不适或健康不佳。
3. 注意答案选项中是不是有被问对象的近似概念或同义词，有些推断答案就是同一概念的替换或延伸。例：
(一)
Narrator: Listen again to part of the discussion. Then answer the question.
Professor: Scott Anfinson is an incredible archaeologist and author whose work conducive to the discovery of the indigenous Indian tombs is thought to be a great asset to Minnesota archaeology.
What can be inferred about Scott Anfinson?
A: His work is not worthy of any credit.
B: He is an archaeologist with a lot of assets.
C: He has done a lot of noteworthy jobs on Minnesota archaeology.
D: He, as a great archaeologist, donated some assets to protect the local environment.
分析：
1. 首先是正确辨别两个词：incredible(出色的， 惊人的)和 asset(财富)。
2. 通过分析A，可以了解到是对incredible 的理解。在这里头脑一定要清晰，因为 incredible 中的in 不表示 “否定”，与incomplete(不完整的)中的in 不是一回事。特别注意该词的构词法，在考试中经常会出现类似的混淆构词方法的错误选项。
3. 再来分析B 和D，通过分析不难得出主要考察对asset的理解。美国人经常把某人当作asset，即 “人是世界上最大最宝贵的财富”的人生哲学的体现。
4. 综上分析，不难得出C 为正确选项。noteworthy 意为 “值得关注的”，正好切合教授话中对Scott Anfinson的嘉许。
因此选C。
(二)
Narrator: Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question。
Professor: Antipathy toward taxes on tea in Britain’s American colonies made coffee a patriotic drink for those seeking independence from the mother country; and the Green Dragon cuffed house in Boston, where the Boston Tea Party was planned, was the first headquarters of the American Revolution.
What can be inferred about professor’s attitude toward the book he’s describing?
A: He prefers coffee than tea because drinking coffee is a patriotic act.
B: Drinking coffee was considered patriotic at the time when British colonists ruled America.
C: Coffee was heavily taxed at the time.
D: Coffee was less popular because it offered little independence to people who loved it.
分析：1. 先来分析该段材料，教授的第一句话是解题的关键。Antipathy 指 “强烈的憎恨(a strong feeling of aversion or dislike)”。第一句话的大意是：英国殖民地对茶叶征税的做法，使那些寻求从母国(即英国)独立出来的人们把咖啡当作一种爱国饮料来喝。换一句话而言，喝茶只是母国人民的传统爱好，既然我们选择了美国，我们当然得寻求一种与母国人民不同得爱好(比如说喝喝咖啡)， 何况喝茶还要交重税。
2. 来分析A：教授觉得喝咖啡比喝茶爱国。文中并未言及教授的个人偏好，错误。
3. 接下来分析B：英国殖民统治时期喝咖啡被视为爱国举动。正确。
4. 分析C：咖啡在英国殖民时期被征收重税。正好说反了，为干扰项。
5. 最后来看D：咖啡在那时不流行是因为它没给爱好者带来任何自主(的感觉)。该选项显然不正确，但如果考生没听清楚antipathy 和 independence 的关系，该选项将会产生比较强的干扰作用。
综上所述该题正确答案为B。
出出国老师提醒，在做新托福听力推断题的时候，必然会有干扰项的存在，比如过度推断，谈话人不支持或明确反对的观点或结论，不符逻辑的推断，扩大答案的内涵和外延等等，在做题的时候要注意到这些选项，不要被迷惑而选错答案了!
