Shadowing Practice: Cambridge 19 listening test 2 section 4 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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For my project on invertebrates, I chose to study tardigrades.
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These are microscopic, or to be more precise, near -microscopic animals.
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There are well over a thousand known species of these tiny animals, which belong to the phylum Tardigrada.
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Most tardigrades range in length from 0 .05 to 1 mm,
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though the largest species can grow to be 1 .2 mm in length.
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They're also sometimes called water bears, water because that's where they thrive best and bear because of the way they move.
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Moss piglet is another name for tardigrades because of the way they look when viewed from the front.
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They were first discovered in Germany in 1773 by Johann Goetzer, who coined the name Tardigrada.
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As I say, there are many different species of tardigrade.
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Too many to describe here, but generally speaking, the different species share similar physical traits.
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They have a body which is short and also rounded, a bit like a barrel, and the body comprises four segments.
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Each segment has a pair of legs, at the end of which are between four and eight sharp claws.
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I should also say that some species don't have any claws.
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What they have are discs and these work by means of suction.
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They enable the tardigrade to cling on to surfaces or to grip its prey.
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Within the body there are no lungs or any organs for breathing at all.
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Instead oxygen and also blood are transported in a fluid that fills the cavity of the body.
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As far as the tardigrade's head is concerned, the best way I can describe this is that it looks rather strange,
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a bit squashed even, though many of the websites I looked at described its appearance as cute, which isn't exactly very scientific.
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The tardigrade's mouth is a kind of tube that can open outwards to reveal teeth -like structures known as stylets.
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These are sharp enough to pierce plant or animal cells.
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So where are tardigrades found?
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Well, they live in every part of the world, in a variety of habitats, most commonly on the bed of a lake,
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or on many kinds of plants, or in very wet environments.
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There's been some interesting research which has found
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that tardigrades are capable of surviving radiation and very high pressure
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and they're also able to withstand temperatures as cold as minus 200 degrees centigrade or highs of more than 148 degrees centigrade,
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which is incredibly hot.
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It has been said that tardigrades could survive long after human beings have been wiped out, even in the event of an asteroid hitting the Earth.
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If conditions become too extreme and tardigrades are at risk of drying out, they enter a state called cryptobiosis.
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They curl into a ball called a tun, that's T -U -N, by retracting their head and legs,
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and their metabolism drops to less than 1 % of normal levels.
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They can remain like this until they're reintroduced to water, when they will come back to life in a matter of a few hours.
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While in a state of cryptobiosis, tardigrades produce a protein that protects their DNA.
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In 2016, scientists revived two tardigrades that had been tons for more than 30 years.
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There was a report that, in 1948, a 120 -year -old ton was revived,
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but this experiment has never been repeated.
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There are currently several tests taking place in space to determine how long tardigrades might be able to survive there.
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I believe the record so far is 10 days.
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So, moving on.
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In terms of their diet, tardigrades consume liquids in order to survive.
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Although they have teeth, they don't use these for chewing.
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They suck the juices from moss or extract fluid from seaweed.
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But some species prey on other tardigrades, from other species or within their own.
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I suppose this isn't surprising given that tardigrades are mainly comprised of liquid and are coated with a type of gel.
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Finally I'd like to mention the conservation status of tardigrades.
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It is estimated that they have been in existence for approximately half a billion years and,
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in that time, they have survived five mass extinctions.
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So it will probably come as no surprise to you
50
that tardigrades have not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are not on any endangered list.
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Some researchers have described them as thriving.
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Does anyone have any questions they'd like to ask?
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What You'll Practice in This Lesson

Ready to boost your language learning with a fascinating topic? This lesson uses a video about tardigrades—tiny, resilient creatures—to help you practice listening, speaking, and pronunciation. You’ll follow along with a detailed explanation of these "water bears," picking up new vocabulary and refining your ability to mimic natural speech patterns. It’s a fun way to combine science with speaking practice!

Key Vocabulary & Phrases to Master

  • Tardigrade: A microscopic animal also called a "water bear" or "moss piglet."
  • Cryptobiosis: A state of suspended animation where an organism survives extreme conditions.
  • Tun: The ball-shaped form a tardigrade takes during cryptobiosis.
  • Stylets: Sharp, tooth-like structures used to pierce cells.
  • Metabolism: The chemical processes that keep an organism alive (e.g., "their metabolism drops to less than 1%").

Practice Tips for Shadowing Success

The video’s tone is clear and conversational, with a moderate speed—perfect for the shadowing technique! Here’s how to make the most of it: First, listen to a 10-second clip without speaking. Focus on the rhythm and stress (e.g., "WELL over a thousand SPECIES"). Then, repeat the clip immediately, mimicking the speaker’s pace and intonation. Pay attention to tricky words like "tardigrade" (tar-duh-GRAYD) and "cryptobiosis" (krip-toh-by-OH-sis)—break them into syllables if needed. For pronunciation practice, pause after phrases like "curl into a ball called a tun" and repeat until it flows naturally. Remember, the goal is to sound like the speaker, not just say the words. Keep practicing, and you’ll notice your speaking fluency improve in no time!

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

StructuurIn de video
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doetare transported · is concerned · has been said
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telthas found · has been said · has never been repeated
Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of dingbody which is · research which has

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →