Pratique du Shadowing: Phát âm chuẩn cùng VOA - Anh ngữ đặc biệt: Summer Work Travel / Changes (VOA) - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Création de la leçon...
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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
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More than 100,000 international students will spend this summer working and traveling in the United States.
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They are participating in the Summer Work Travel Program through the State Department.
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They receive J-1 exchange visitor visas.
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The idea is for students to work for up to three months
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and earn enough money to then spend a month traveling before they return home.
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The summer work travel program has existed for years.
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This year, there are some changes.
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The State Department recently amended the employment rules.
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These changes follow a strike last summer by foreign students working at a distribution center for Hershey's chocolates.
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The State Department said the students were put to work for long hours in jobs
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that provided little or no contact with the outside world.
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The students complained about having to lift heavy boxes and to work overnight.
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They and other workers protested conditions at the plant in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.
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The students also complained about being underpaid as a result of deductions from their earnings.
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of their pay had to go to subcontractors involved in the operations.
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The State Department has now banned the use of summer work travel students in warehouses or packaging plants.
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Also, the majority of their work hours cannot fall between 10 at night and 6 in the morning.
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The students are also barred from jobs in workplaces that the Federal Labor Department says are unsafe.
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More jobs will be banned in the fall.
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These include most construction, manufacturing and food processing jobs.
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Summer work travel students will also not be allowed to work in most mining and agricultural jobs.
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Daniel Costa at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington welcomed the new limits on jobs that the students can fill.
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He says the change will protect foreign workers from getting injured on the job.
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It also protects U.S workers, he says, because of high unemployment in many of those jobs.
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He also praised a requirement that employers only fill temporary or seasonal jobs with summer work travel students.
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Some employers have continually hired new student workers to avoid having to hire regular, full-time employees.
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Jacob Horwitz is lead organizer for the National Guest Worker Alliance, the group that organized the strike in Palmyra.
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He says the State Department's changes will help return the program to its original purpose as a cultural exchange program.
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For VOA Special English, I'm Alex Villarreal.
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Thank you.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Using the "Summer Work Travel" video from VOA is an excellent way to learn English with YouTube. This video discusses an important program that allows international students to work and travel in the U.S., offering insights into American culture, employment practices, and student experiences. By practicing with this video, learners can immerse themselves in real-life contexts that enhance their understanding of conversational English. Furthermore, this practice can assist you in improving English pronunciation through shadowing techniques. Shadowing involves listening and repeating what you hear, which can significantly enhance your fluency and pronunciation skills.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker employs various grammatical structures and expressions that are pivotal for English learners. Here are a few key points:

  • Use of Present Perfect: "The summer work travel program has existed for years." This shows the ongoing relevance of the program, linking past and present.
  • Passive Voice: "The State Department has now banned the use..." This construction is common in formal English, drawing attention to actions rather than the subjects performing them.
  • Conditional Statements: "If students complained about..." This is essential for discussing hypothetical scenarios or expressing possibilities in English.
  • Modals of Obligation: "Students are also barred from jobs..." using modals like "are barred" indicates rules or restrictions clearly.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, you'll encounter several pronunciation challenges that learners often face. Pay attention to the following words and phrases:

  • “Summer Work Travel Program”: The rhythm and stress on specific syllables can be tricky. Practice saying this phrase slowly before speeding up.
  • “Subcontractors”: This word can be difficult to pronounce due to its length. Break it down phonetically for clarity: sub-contract-ors.
  • “Banned”: The 'a' sound in "banned" versus "band" may be confusing. Make sure to differentiate these two sounds in your practice.

Utilize a shadowing app to help you practice these phrases. This method will refine your skills and help you achieve natural-sounding English, contributing significantly to your ability to shadow speak effectively.

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.