Pratique du Shadowing: IELTS Cambridge Book 15 Listening Test 3 Part 2 Questions with Audioscripts - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Création de la leçon...
1
IELTS 15.
2
Test 3.
3
Part 2.
4
You will hear a woman called Alice Riches talking on the radio about a scheme
5
which involves closing streets to traffic to allow children to play.
6
My guest on the show today is Alice Riches, who started the Street Play Scheme where she lives in Beechwood Road.
7
For those of you that don't already know, Street Play involves local residents closing off their street for a few hours
8
so that children have a chance to play in the streets safely.
9
She started it in her own street, Beechwood Road, and the idea caught on, and there are now street play schemes all over the city.
10
So when did you actually start the scheme, Alice?
11
Well, I first had the idea when my oldest child was still a toddler.
12
So that's about six years ago now, but it took at least two years of campaigning before we were actually able to make it happen.
13
So the scheme's been up and running for three years now.
14
We'd love to be able to close our road for longer, for the whole weekend, from Saturday morning until Sunday evening, for example.
15
At the moment it's just once a week but when we started it was only once a month, but we're working on it.
16
So what actually happens when Beachwood Road is closed?
17
We have volunteer wardens – mostly parents, but some elderly residents too – who block off our road at either end.
18
The council have provided special signs, but there's always a volunteer there to explain what's happening to any motorists.
19
Generally they're fine about it, we've only had to get the police involved once or twice.
20
Now I should explain that the road isn't completely closed to cars, but only residents' cars are allowed.
21
If people really need to get in or out of Beechwood Road, it's not a problem, as long as they They drive at under 20 kilometres per hour.
22
But most people just decide not to use their cars during this time, or they park in another street.
23
The wardens are only there to stop through traffic.
24
So, can anyone apply to get involved in street play?
25
Absolutely.
26
We want to include all kids in the city, especially those who live on busy roads.
27
It's here that demand is greatest.
28
Obviously, there isn't such demand in wealthier areas where the children have access to parks or large gardens,
29
or in the suburbs where there are usually more places for children to play outside.
30
I'd recommend that anyone listening who likes the idea should just give it a go.
31
We've been surprised by the positive reaction of residents all over the city, and that's not just parents.
32
There are always a few who complain, but they're a tiny minority.
33
On the whole, everyone is very supportive and say they're very happy to see children out on the street, even if it does get quite noisy.
34
There have been so many benefits of street play for the kids.
35
Parents really like the fact that the kids are getting fresh air instead of sitting staring at a computer screen.
36
even if they're not doing anything particularly energetic.
37
And of course, it's great that kids can play with their friends outside without being supervised by their parents.
38
But for me, the biggest advantage is that kids develop confidence in themselves to be outside without their parents.
39
The other really fantastic thing is that children get to know the adults in the street.
40
It's like having a big extended family.
41
It certainly does have a lot of benefits.
42
I want to move on now and ask you about a related project in King Street.
43
Right.
44
Well, this was an experiment I was involved in where local residents decided to try and reduce the traffic along King Street,
45
which is the busiest main road in our area, by persuading people not to use their cars for one day.
46
We thought about making people pay more for parking, but we decided that would be really unpopular.
47
So instead, we just stopped people from parking on King Street, but left the other car parks open.
48
It was surprising how much of a difference all this made.
49
As we'd predicted, air quality was significantly better, but what I hadn't expected was how much quieter it would be, even with the buses still running.
50
Of course, everyone said they felt safer, but we were actually amazed that sales in the shops went up considerably that day.
51
We thought there'd be fewer people out shopping, not more.
52
That's really interesting.
53
So, the fact that the street was.. was that is the end of part two

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice listening and speaking skills through a discussion about the Street Play Scheme presented by Alice Riches. This scheme focuses on creating safe play areas for children by temporarily closing off streets to traffic. By engaging with the audio transcriptions, you will enhance your understanding of community initiatives, improve your vocabulary related to urban development and child safety, and develop your ability to express opinions on similar topics during conversations. This exercise is particularly beneficial for those who want to learn English with YouTube and focus on real-life situations.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Street Play Scheme: A program that allows local residents to close streets temporarily for children's play.
  • Volunteer Wardens: Community members who help supervise and manage the street closures.
  • Campaigning: Engaging in organized actions to promote change or raise awareness about an issue.
  • Residents' Cars: Vehicles owned by people living in the area where the street closure occurs.
  • Community Benefits: Positive effects that a project has on the local population, especially children.
  • Air Quality: The cleanliness of the air in a specific location, which can be affected by traffic pollution.
  • Extended Family: A larger network of supportive adults within a community, contributing to child development.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this learning session, consider using a shadowing app to practice your speaking skills. Shadow speech techniques can enhance your pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how:

  • Listen to the audio at a slower speed first to understand the content, then gradually move to the original speed.
  • Focus on intonation and rhythm while shadowing Alice Riches' speech. Pay attention to how she emphasizes certain words.
  • Try to mimic her pace and pronunciation. This will help you internalize the natural flow of conversation.
  • Record yourself using a shadowspeak method, then compare your audio with the original to identify areas of improvement.
  • Repeat the process several times, gradually increasing your speed until you feel comfortable speaking at a natural pace.

By consistently practicing with these techniques, you’ll improve not just your listening skills but also your ability to articulate thoughts on community topics, which is essential when learning English.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.