Shadowing Practice: Endocrine System - Learn English Speaking with Video

I remember when I first heard the word “hormones.” I was a little kid – had no idea what it meant -but I recall the word when someone made a phrase “it’s just hormones” but then over the years, the word “hormones” came up a lot more and it became clear to me: whatever these hormones are – they must be pretty important – because they’re mentioned for a lot of different things.

And, indeed, today, I can tell you that, yes, hormones are a very big deal.

As well as the system that secretes them.

You know what system I’m talking about.

The endocrine system.

The endocrine system consists of structures that secrete hormones: that could be at the cellular level or at the organ level.

But a big focus for the system and for this video is on glands.

Now some of the major glands in the endocrine system also have non-endocrine duties that we won’t be going into, and some of these glands are also classified as organs in their roles with other body systems.

Ok so endocrine glands: We’ll start with in the brain.

Hypothalamus, Pineal gland, pituitary gland.

Those are all found in the brain.

In the neck area, thyroid and parathyroid.

And farther down in the upper chest, the thymus.

Above your kidneys, the adrenal glands.

Near the stomach, the pancreas.

Gonads: The gonads are reproductive glands - ovaries which are also part of the female reproductive system.

Testes, which are part of the male reproductive system.

Now two things to point out about all of these glands: Number 1: We’re focusing on endocrine function and not exocrine in this video.

What’s the difference?

Well, endocrine gland function means they are going to release hormones right into their surroundings.

They have no special ducts to carry things away.

Exocrine glands have ducts that carry whatever is secreted into a body opening or body surface.

Like sweat glands.

Or mammary glands, which produce milk.

Sometimes a gland that has endocrine function can also have exocrine function.

The pancreas for example!

The pancreas is using its endocrine function when it’s releasing insulin or glucagon, which deals with blood sugar – more on that later- but it has an exocrine function when it secretes pancreatic enzymes through accessory ducts into the small intestine.

And number 2: Yes, these are major endocrine glands that we mentioned, but there are also cells within organs that can have endocrine functions.

Want an example?

Ok, remember when we had talked about the stomach in the digestive system?

We presented some examples of enzymes and hydrochloric acid as part of the gastric juice in the stomach, but we didn’t discuss a hormone that helps make the secretion of stomach acid possible.

Gastrin is one of those hormones, and there are specific cells in the stomach that can secrete it.

So now that we’ve mentioned that and we’ve given a little tour of the glands, it’s time to talk about hormones.

There are different classes of hormones and while that’s not our focus: realize that they can be derived from different biomolecules such as amino acids or a full chain of amino acids , or lipids – like in the case of steroids.

And it’s important to realize that because it turns out that what hormones are made of – meaning what makes up the hormone structure - is going to influence the hormone function.

By function, that includes the receptors the hormones bind to.

Hormones generally bind to specific target cells.

And then the target cells will do some kind of action: maybe they’ll increase the rate of mitosis or prepare certain enzymes for action.

There’s a lot of responses a target cell may take.

So we’re going to go through the glands again but this time, we’re going to mention some major hormones associated with each gland and some general functions.

Alright in the brain: so you can consider the hypothalamus-pituitary region to be a sort of complex because they are the boss of pretty much the rest of the endocrine system.

The pituitary gland – and you can divide that into the anterior and posterior – so anterior and posterior pituitary stems off of the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus makes several hormones and the posterior pituitary holds on to them and then secretes those hormones.

The posterior pituitary doesn’t make its own hormones.

The amazing anterior pituitary on the other hand can make its own hormones!

But it’s still very regulated by the hypothalamus.

The posterior pituitary will secrete oxytocin – important for uterine contractions when one is having a baby and antidiuretic hormone – this stimulates the kidneys to reabsorb water.

As for the anterior pituitary?

Here’s a few.

Growth hormone -as its name suggests it promotes growth, prolactin - promotes producing milk from mammary glands, Thyroid-stimulating hormone – stimulates the thyroid to release thyroid hormone, Follicle stimulating hormone – stimulates gonads to make gametes, Luteinizing hormone -stimulates gonads to make androgens, and adrenocorticotropic hormone –a very long name for a hormone - that one stimulates the adrenal cortex to release hormones.

So you can see why this hypothalamus-pituitary complex is an important one.

What about the little pineal gland?

Don’t underestimate its importance: it secretes melatonin, which helps regulate circadian rhythm – which involves our sleep-wake cycle.

The thyroid.

Shaped like a beautiful butterfly that sits just under the larynx and wraps around the trachea, sitting in front of the trachea.

It makes T4 and T3 .

These hormones have major roles in metabolic processes.

The thyroid also makes calcitonin which can lower the blood calcium level down.

The Parathyroid glands sit posterior – in the back – here.

The parathyroid gland releases parathyroid hormone which actually raises blood calcium levels.

What’s with blood calcium?

Calcium levels are involved in cell signaling among many other things.

Ok, now down to the thymus.

You know, some endocrine diagrams don’t include the thymus.

It may be because in adulthood, the thymus tends to shrink down and is not as active as the person ages.

But before puberty when T cell development is especially active, the thymus is very important as an organ for the site of T cell maturity.

And as a gland, the thymus does make hormones that impact immune system function: thymosin, which can stimulate the making of T cells, is an example.

Ok, now take a look at these adrenal glands above the kidneys.

Adrenal glands have two major parts: the adrenal medulla and the adrenal cortex.

The adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine which are involved in several body responses including the fight or flight response.

The adrenal cortex secretes hormones known as glucocorticoids – the hormone cortisol is an example – cortisol can increase blood glucose levels and plays major roles with stress and inflammation.

The adrenal cortex can also release mineralocorticoids -the hormone aldosterone is an example- it’s critical for the reabsorption of sodium and the excretion of potassium when we were talking about the nephrons in the kidneys.

Pancreas. So after your food is digested, you need to get the glucose from the blood INTO your body cells.

The hormone insulin is made by your pancreas and insulin tells the body cells to take in the glucose.

Without it, your cells couldn’t have the glucose they need to survive – a reason that a person with diabetes may need to take insulin if their pancreas is not functioning normally.

The pancreas also makes glucagon – this helps raise the blood glucose level – one way is that it can stimulate the liver to convert its glycogen to glucose.

And last, the gonads.

Ovaries make estrogen.

Generally estrogen promotes uterine lining growth and female secondary sex characteristics.

Ovaries also makes progesterone which also promotes uterine lining growth and keeps it maintained which is critical for fetal development.

The testes make androgens – an example of an androgen is testosterone.

Androgens help with making sperm cells and the development of male secondary sex characteristics.

We do want to point out that estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone: are generally present and serve functions in all individuals.

However, estrogen and progesterone are generally in higher concentrations with major functions in females whereas androgens are generally in higher concentration with major functions in males.

So, we toured through some endocrine glands and the hormones they make.

Those hormones act as chemical signals so the target cells can perform some sort of action.

The response time can be slow or fast and the distance the hormones travel to reach their target cells might be short or long.

We want to just give a little reminder that hormones aren’t the only form of signaling in the body.

The nervous system, which needs its own video, uses electrical signaling and chemical signaling in the form of neurotransmitters.

Generally nervous system signaling will be for short distances and has a very fast response time.

Finally, in talking about why the endocrine system is so important: let’s consider an example of when it is not functioning normally.

In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is underactive.

This can have many causes which can impact how it is treated, but generally in hypothyroidism, the thyroid isn’t producing enough thyroid hormones.

Recall that the thyroid hormones have major roles in metabolic processes.

Therefore, someone with hypothyroidism may experience extreme fatigue, a slowed heart rate, and other symptoms.

Sometimes an individual with this condition can also have a higher-than-normal level of thyroid stimulating hormone , because their anterior pituitary is trying to stimulate their underactive thyroid.

An endocrinologist is a physician that specializes in conditions of the endocrine system, and their treatment plan for hypothyroidism may include receiving replacement thyroid hormone.

See our further reading suggestions for more examples.

Well, that’s it for the Amoeba Sisters, and we remind you to stay curious.

📺 Mismo canal

Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review)

Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students

Mitosis: The Amazing Cell Process that Uses Division to Multiply! (Older Video 2016 )

IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students

Circulatory System and Pathway of Blood Through the Heart

Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students

✨ Recomendar Video

68 oraciones

Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel B2 se basa en el vídeo “Endocrine System”. Las palabras que más se repiten: hormone, gland, endocrine, cell, function. Este vídeo tiene 99 frases y 1648 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 9:00. El hablante habla rápido, unas 183 palabras por minuto, así que espera sonidos enlazados y reducidos. Solo el 72 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es exigente.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
hormone sustantivo	/ˈhoɹmoʊn/	hormona
gland sustantivo	/ɡlænd/	glándula
endocrine adjetivo	/ˈɛnd.oʊ.kɹɪn/	endocrino
thyroid adjetivo	/ˈθaɪ.ɹɔɪd/	tiroides
pituitary adjetivo	/pɪˈtuɪˌtɛɹi/	pituitario
stimulate verbo	/ˈstɪm.jəˌleɪt/	estimular
adrenal adjetivo	/æˈdɹiːnəl/	adrenal
pancreas sustantivo	/ˈpæŋ.kɹi.əs/	páncreas
hypothalamus sustantivo		hipotálamo
posterior adjetivo	/poʊˈstɪɹ.i.ɚ/	posterior
secrete verbo	/sɪˈkɹiːt/	secretar, segregar
glucose sustantivo	/ˈɡluː.kəʊz/	glucosa
androgen sustantivo	/ˈændrəd͡ʒən/	andrógeno
gonad sustantivo	/ˈɡoʊ.næd/	huevos, cojones
anterior adjetivo	/ænˈtɪɹ.i.ɚ/	anterior

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
come up verbo		salir a relucir
go through verbo		atravesar
make up verbo	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	reponer, suplir
point out verbo		señalar, apuntar
turn out verbo		resultar

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

Estructura	En el vídeo
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace	are also classified · is secreted · can be derived
Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosa	ovaries which are · Testes, which are · calcitonin which can

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 17 contracciones y formas reducidas, como we're, don't, we've. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

Los sonidos de “th”: thyroid /ˈθaɪ.ɹɔɪd/, hypothyroidism /ˌhaɪpəˈθaɪɹɔɪˌdɪzəm/, thyroxine /θaɪˈrɒk.sin/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/
Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: contraction /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/, excretion /ɪkˈskɹiːʃən/, secretion /sɪˈkriːʃ(ə)n/, specialize /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/, inflammation /ɪnfləˈmeɪ̯ʃən/
Palabras largas — cuida el acento: pituitary /pɪˈtuɪˌtɛɹi/, posterior /poʊˈstɪɹ.i.ɚ/, anterior /ænˈtɪɹ.i.ɚ/, hypothyroidism /ˌhaɪpəˈθaɪɹɔɪˌdɪzəm/, progesterone /pɹoʊˈd͡ʒɛstəˌɹoʊn/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: stimulate /ˈstɪm.jəˌleɪt/, specialize /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/, steroid /ˈstɛɹɔɪd/, sweat /swɛt/
/v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: reproductive /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌktɪv/, digestive /daɪˈdʒɛstɪv/, derive /dɪˈɹaɪv/, convert /kənˈvɝt/, divide /dɪˈvaɪd/
/z/ — sonora, no /s/: glucose /ˈɡluː.kəʊz/, hypothyroidism /ˌhaɪpəˈθaɪɹɔɪˌdɪzəm/, enzyme /ˈɛn.zaɪm/, specialize /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/, surroundings /səˈɹaʊndɪŋz/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como hormone, gland, endocrine.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →

Shadowing Practice: Endocrine System - Learn English Speaking with Video

Stroll Through the Playlist (a Biology Review)

Mitosis: The Amazing Cell Process that Uses Division to Multiply! (Older Video 2016 )

Circulatory System and Pathway of Blood Through the Heart

CHAPTER 7 - The Endocrine System - PART 2

4 Subject Link 6 C1

Review of Musculoskeletal System (Bones & Muscles) - Biology Lectures Series

Space Exploration – Beyond Our Planet

Contemporary Topics 2 Unit 9 PUBLIC HEALTH Global epidemic

BLOOD TYPES explained in 9 Minutes

Introduction to the immune system

Embryology of the Nervous System

The Most Complex Language in the World

🏥 Locating Organs with Surface Landmarks: Do You Know Where Key Organs Are?

Homeostasis - How Your Body Keeps its Balance - Physiology Series

TB - mycobacterium tuberculosis شرح عربي