Shadowing Practice: Philomena Cunk vs Prof. Brian Cox - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creando lección...
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To find out, I spoke to expert science man and former DREAM keyboardist, Dr Brian Cox.
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How will the world end?
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Well, the sun will run out of fuel in about 4 billion years or so, and actually before that, it will begin to swell up,
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expand, and so we think the Earth will get incinerated.
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Do you think we might be able to do something about it?
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Stop it being incinerated?
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Yeah, stop it being incinerated.
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Oh, the sun burning the Earth can't we put it out with a big hose or something?
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It's an inevitable consequence of the laws of nature.
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You're pleased with that, are you?
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You're happy with that.
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You can live with that.
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Well, there's nothing I can do.
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So this is the actual large hadron colander.
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So am I right in thinking that this might prove the existence of chakras within the human body?
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No. You're not interested in chakras?
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No. In the same way, I'm not interested in ghosts.
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But my Aunt Carol, she can sense chakras in someone's body.
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And she doesn't need any machines.
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Also, the Andromeda galaxy is going to hit us.
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The Andromeda galaxy?
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A whole galaxy is going to hit us.
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Yeah.
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On about the same time scale, actually.
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So as the sun runs out of fuel and expands and incinerates the Earth, a galaxy of 400 billion stars is going to collide with us.
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You're much gloomier than I expected, cos you're quite smiley.
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Well, yeah, well, it's quite a long time in the future.
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This could explode at any minute, couldn't it?
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No. How fast do the protons in this thing go?
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99.999999% the speed of light.
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Your sense of smell is faster, isn't it?
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No. Well, how come that when someone's frying bacon and you walk in the kitchen, you can smell it straight away before you've even seen it?
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Have you ever tried putting bacon in here?
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No. Yeah, you should try it.
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You might make quantum bacon.
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Would that make it more interesting?
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A little bit.
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Why would it be more interesting?
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Because what it's trying to do...
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I'm desperately...
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I'm trying to help you out here.
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I'm trying to, like, make it even slightly more interesting than it is.
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But what it did was it detected...
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a thing called a Higgs particle.
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Without the Higgs particle, you, me and everything else that we know of in the universe, none of those things would exist.
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Can the Higgs boson rewind time?
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No. Can it tell when an earthquake's going to go off?
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No. Can it make food spicier?
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It's just a particle.
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It's like saying, can an electron tell when an earthquake's going to go off? Can it?
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No. You said things can only get better.
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So why can we trust anything you ever say now?
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Yeah, it's a gross misunderstanding of the laws of nature.
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It's one of the most misleading and scientifically inaccurate pop songs that's ever been written.
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Catchy, though.
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Yeah, but it's just inaccurate.
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Scientifically inaccurate.
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Things get worse.
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So after the universe ends, there'll be nothing?
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Depends what you mean by after the universe ends.
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When it's exploded.
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Well, it's not going to explode.
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It's going to, we think...
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Melch.
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..carry on expanding.
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Right. And then...
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Forever.
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Well, that'll be fine, won't it?
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We need the space.
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What is quantum physics?
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Quantum physics is...
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So quantum mechanics is our best theory of how the world works.
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It describes everything that we've observed other than gravity.
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Do mirrors run on quantum physics?
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Run?
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Yeah. As in...?
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Well, according to quantum physics, mirrors shouldn't work, they're a miracle.
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That's not correct.
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You get to the point that it carries on doing that, then galaxies get ripped apart, and then solar systems get ripped apart, and then even planets get ripped apart,
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and even atoms get ripped apart.
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But so what?
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All the stars will die.
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Even all the black holes that are left, the final sort of end points of the most massive stars will evaporate away.
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Quantum theorionics proves there's infinite multiverses, like in Marvel films, doesn't it?
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That's one interpretation of the theory.
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How many infinite multiverses are there?
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If there were an infinite number of multiverses, then the number of multiverses would be infinite.
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See, I think there's two.
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Ours and the one in mirrors.
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So can we...could we fall down a black hole?
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Yeah, you could fall into one.
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Is that the same?
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Because I heard that you could be...
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If, you know, this is one way that the world could end, is that we're all just sucked off through a hole.
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It's, er...
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I mean, that must be terrible.
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Can you imagine what it would feel like to be sucked off through a hole?
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Yeah.
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Mirrors are windows into other universes, aren't they?
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No. My mate Paul says they run on quantum power,
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and that's why you can see into an alternative dimension in which everything's the same as our realm but backwards.
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What does Paul do?
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Well, he worked in a tennis ball factory where he had to catch the tennis balls, but he was fired from that, and now he's unemployed.
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Sorry, am I wasting your time?
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Any time?
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Yeah.
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Why practice speaking with this video?

This engaging dialogue between Philomena Cunk and Professor Brian Cox provides a unique opportunity for English learners to practice their speaking skills in a context filled with humor and scientific concepts. Interacting with this content can enhance your understanding of complex topics while also exposing you to conversational English that is both entertaining and informative. By using a shadowing app, students can mimic the intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation of the speakers, which is essential for developing fluency. This video exemplifies how humor and seriousness can coexist, creating a rich linguistic environment for learners. The dynamic exchange also reflects real-life conversations, where humor can be used to simplify complicated ideas, making it easier to engage and understand.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout this video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are used effectively:

  • Hypothetical Questions: Professor Cox's responses often involve hypothetical scenarios, such as "Do you think we might be able to do something about it?" This structure helps learners understand speculative language.
  • Use of Modal Verbs: Phrases like "could" and "might" indicate possibility and are essential for discussing potential future events, such as “the Andromeda galaxy is going to hit us.” Practicing such forms can enhance learners' expressive capabilities.
  • Informal Language: The conversational tone and casual phrases (e.g., "you should try it") offer a glimpse into everyday English, crucial for learners aiming to sound natural in discussions.
  • Contrasting Ideas: The use of “but” allows for transitions between contrasting thoughts, as seen in “Oh, the sun burning the Earth can't we put it out with a big hose or something? But...” This can help students articulate their thoughts more clearly.

Common Pronunciation Traps

In this video, there are several pronunciations that might challenge English learners:

  • Professor: The word is pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable: pro-FES-sor. Make sure to practice this to ensure clarity when speaking about academic topics.
  • Higgs particle: The “Higgs” can be tricky as it is pronounced with a voiceless "h" sound. Proper articulation of "Higgs particle" is crucial for discussing scientific concepts accurately.
  • Proton: The pronunciation should be clear and syllabic: PRO-ton. Pay attention to the emphasis on the first syllable to avoid miscommunication.

Using a shadowing site can help you master these tricky pronunciations. By practicing along with the video, you can improve English pronunciation and gain confidence in your speaking abilities. The humor and scientific discussions provide ample material to learn English with YouTube, making your learning journey enjoyable and effective.

¿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 →