ネイティブが準備なしにTOEICを受けたら何点が取れるのか？
	[Tony] First of all, can you tell us a little about your educational background? You told me you were born and raised in Japan, not overseas. [Mary] Yes. My parents wanted us kids to be bilingual, so I studied in both English and Japanese from the time I was a child. Both of my parents are also bilingual. I would usually speak to my father in English and to my mother in Japanese. My older brother and sister are also bilingual. [Tony] Mary, you used to teach TOEIC preparation courses in Tokyo, right? [Mary] Yes, I've taught private English lessons to students and business people who were planning to take the TOEIC test. [Tony] And you took the TOEIC test yourself, didn't you? [Mary] Yes, I did. [Tony] I wonder why you, as a native speaker of English, took this test. I mean, I don't think it's necessary for you to prove your English proficiency. [Mary] Well, I felt that it was important for me to not only study the material, but to also actually take the test in order to know what people preparing for the TOEIC test might struggle with. It's good to have on my profile too, as most of the work I do is bilingual. [Tony] I see. That makes sense. So, how many times did you take the test? [Mary] I've taken the test 4 times. [Tony] You got a perfect score of 990? [Mary] Yes! [Tony] All four times? [Mary] I wish, but unfortunately no. The first time I took it I didn't study at all. I got 975. I took it again and got 980. Then I got 990 the third time and 980 the fourth time. [Tony] So, that means it's not an easy test, even for a native speaker of English, is it? [Mary] For me personally, the biggest struggle is not getting bored during the Listening test and not being able to go to the bathroom. I don't drink coffee on the morning of a TOEIC test. [Tony] How do you evaluate the TOEIC test, or rather TOEIC Listening & Reading TEST, as an indicator of listening and reading skills? [Mary] Well, I think it's a good test to take for English learners as taking tests force you to study. [Tony] I'm interested in knowing what other native speakers would say about TOEIC. Do you have any English-speaking friends who have taken the test or anyone who knows well what it's about? [Mary] I know a friend who like me, has an American father and a Japanese mother. He is also fully bilingual and has gotten a perfect score too. [Tony] What does he think about it? [Mary] I think he said that the test itself was kind of boring and easy. [Tony] In Japan, if you've got a perfect score on TOEIC, you are regarded as a master of English, but I think it's misunderstood and overrated. How do you feel? [Mary] I feel that it's important to study various material to communicate and use English well. I wouldn't say having a perfect score on TOEIC makes you a master of English. It does make you a master of the TOEIC test though! [Tony] I mean, even if you have a perfect score on TOEIC, it doesn't necessarily mean you can really enjoy watching English movies and dramas catering to native speakers. In other words, you may well have trouble understanding real English conversation between them. [Mary] As far as movies go, every country has their own sense of humor. You may not fully understand some movies if you don't get the humor. And that's something that textbooks usually don't teach you. Also, native speakers tend to use slang, which can be difficult to understand. But I don't think it's important to understand everything perfectly. If you expose yourself to as much English as you can, the skills will follow. So I don't think you should worry about it too much. [Tony] All the members in my company agree that if you have reached, say, 860 or over, that's good enough. You shouldn't take the test many more times to get even higher scores or get closer to a perfect score. That would only please the TOEIC officials, not yourself. Instead, you should spend more time listening to English movies and dramas while reading original English texts with Japanese subtitles. What would YOU say? [Mary] Well, I must admit that getting a perfect score pleased me. But perhaps that's because I love taking tests and I'm a bit of a geek, if you know what I'm saying. I do agree that it might be a waste of time if you get hung up on getting a perfect score. Watching movies that are originally in English is really great for learning and understanding the vibe. So I agree with you on that one. [Tony] Now, let's talk about something other than TOEIC. I'd like to hear your opinion about early English education ― teaching English to elementary school students or even kindergarten kids. Since you were raised by bilingual parents, which means you received early English education in a perfect way, and you are completely bilingual, I'd like your insight on this matter. [Mary] I feel like kids should learn English from a young age. Many people spend a lot of time and money on learning English after they enter high school or even university and I feel like they wouldn't have to do that if they studied it from a younger age and it would come to them more naturally. It would be great if kids can play games in English from a young age so that they associate English with "fun" rather than "studying." I think this would help them relate to more people and not embarrassed about speaking in English. [Tony] Well, thank you very much for your valuable input. I hope we can work together on future projects. [Mary] Yes, me too. Thank you so much!
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