Shadowing Practice: These Ants Use Their Babies As Glue Guns - Learn English Speaking with Video
Kies een oefenmodus
Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.
77 zinnen
Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.
1
Deep in tropical jungles lie floating kingdoms ruled by beautiful and deadly masters.
2
They're sort of the high elves of the Ant Kingdoms.
3
Talented architects that create castles and city-states.
4
But they are also fierce and expansionist warriors, and their kingdoms are ensnared in a never-ending war for survival.
5
Oecophila weaver ants.
6
Oikofla weavers walk on long legs, have slender bodies and large eyes which make them look pretty cute.
7
Although their strong mandibles and the ability to shoot acid also make them pretty good at killing.
8
But more on that later.
9
Their colonies usually have two to three worker classes that vary dramatically in size.
10
Majors, minors and sometimes even tiny minim workers.
11
Depending on location and species, they vary in color from dark brown to emerald green.
12
Other than their fancy looks, what makes weavers special is that they're in the kingdom building business.
13
They like to build at pretty much all heights, starting in shrubs a few centimeters above the ground and up to 10 meters in the tree canopy.
14
But they're not satisfied with ruling just one plant.
15
Weavers will look for twigs or lianas that bridge the gap to other trees and expand to every plant they can reach.
16
This way, colonies spread upwards and sideways through the treetops.
17
The largest weaver ant kingdoms we know of occupy up to 1,600 square meters, around four basketball courts.
18
A lot of ground to cover for tiny ants and impossibly hard to control.
19
So, weaver ants construct dozens of nests scattered all over their territory.
20
Outposts to defend the kingdom, tubes or balls made from leaves and ghostly silk sheets.
21
These masterpieces of high ant architecture are created by the weaver majors, the larger worker ants which are responsible for the more dangerous jobs like fighting,
22
foraging and nest construction.
23
To start a new nest, a major tries to bend different leaves in her surroundings into a tube.
24
If one of the leaves is flexible enough, more workers will arrive to help.
25
Chains of workers pull the leaf's edges together or reach across gaps and grab distant leaves to add them to the construction.
26
While the bending and pulling is going on, other workers carry larvae from the closest nest to the construction site.
27
Usually, ant larvae spin themselves a cocoon to protect themselves.
28
But the weaver ant larvae give all of their silk to the colony as building material.
29
So when the workers tap the larvae's heads on the leaf, they release their sticky thread like tiny, cute glue guns.
30
This way, the workers sew the bent leaf onto itself so it won't unfold anymore.
31
This creates a central chamber that's used as the basis for up to 300 more leaves that that are wound around it.
32
Together, they form little pockets and act as additional rooms for the new outpost.
33
To make it even more cozy, minor workers use the larvae to weave additional floors and chambers.
34
Nests are usually constructed as barracks on the territory's borders or as storage for brood and food supplies.
35
This way, the ants don't need to cross vast distances to the headquarters, but have soldiers close to any potential point of conflict.
36
apart from one special nest in the middle of the network, which is reserved for the Queen and her guards.
37
Here, she produces hundreds of eggs a day, which get transferred to suitable nests with brood chambers.
38
So a colony is a network of little castles and moats connected by suspension bridges made from leaves, lianas and twigs.
39
An established colony easily has half a million individuals that need to be fed.
40
Fortunately, weaver ants evolved to have very close and beneficial relationships with their hosts, shrubs and trees.
41
The tree gives the ants a home and access to sweet sap to drink.
42
But maybe even more importantly, it allows them to cultivate cattle like aphids or caterpillars that produce honeydew for them.
43
This would usually hurt a tree, but these insects belong to a small group of VIPs.
44
Only a few selected neighbors and the ants' cattle are allowed on the fruit tree.
45
Many other insects and even larger herbivores are scared off, or even killed and eaten.
46
So in most cases, the tree only has to tolerate acceptable levels of damage while being protected from more dangerous pests.
47
The Weaver Ant Kingdom could be an ant paradise if there wasn't competition.
48
Mostly from other kingdoms.
49
Just like medieval humans, every queen seeks to conquer others and make their land their own.
50
Controlling fertile land is the key to survive in the jungle.
51
And if a kingdom loses too much of it, it shrinks and is overrun or starves to death.
52
So expanding and defending their borders is critical to keep the colony alive.
53
When a kingdom invades another, it first gathers an army of a few thousand mages who make their way towards the opposing colony.
54
The goal is to steal a bit of territory and take it over.
55
Defending weaver patrols quickly spot the invaders and immediately release an alarm pheromone.
56
Some rush to the front to defend, while others rush to the closest outposts for help, marking their route with pheromones.
57
Whenever they meet other sisters, they jerk their bodies as if in a fight to signal them to follow the pheromone trail to the front line.
58
At the site of battle, mages from both parties raise their bodies, circle each other with mandibles wide open, and try to seize their opponents.
59
If an ant gets a hold of her opponent, the victim is pulled into a group of allied mages and pinned down.
60
The ants then rip the the victim apart, clipping off antennae and legs, and slicing open their abdomens.
61
To slow down the advance of the attackers, the defending mages squirt formic acid over the battlefield to chemically burn their targets.
62
This is soon answered in the same way by the attackers.
63
In the chaotic battle, both parties lose countless fighters on the increasingly acidic battlefield.
64
After a few minutes, the backup from the outposts arrive, and the time window for a successful attack slowly closes.
65
This is when the battle turns.
66
The defenders slowly push back the attack party.
67
In the end, the attackers can't keep up and have to retreat.
68
For both parties, it was a costly battle.
69
Thousands of corpses lie piled up on the ground under the battlefield, and many ants are severely injured.
70
The defending colony's nests and brood are safe though.
71
The attackers attempt to steal new valuable territory has failed.
72
For today, they'll try again soon.
73
But the kingdom will be ready.
74
For the high ants of the floating kingdoms, war is nothing special, it's just a fact of life.
75
Because as we know, empires never ever have enough.
76
And the weaver ants are ready to fight.
77
you
App downloaden
Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken
AI UitspraakScoor elke zin
IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid
WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op
WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt
Zelfde Kanaal
C117
Queen Ant Clones Another Species
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C13
How Caffeine Works
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B232
Your Skeleton Is Electric
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
The Beginning of Everything -- The Big Bang
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C1118
Could Humans Evolve Flight?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C111
You Will Only Like Half of This Video
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C112
Would You Upload Your Mind?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
Your Brain on Magic Mushrooms
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C136
Why Ebola Keeps Coming Back
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B25
Let’s Steal a New Moon
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
What Happens AFTER Nuclear War?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome! 3/3
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C118
What Falling in Love Does to You
University StudentsWorking Adults
B26
YOU Own the Moon. And Mars. And Venus.
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
What Is Life? Is Death Real?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1149
How Antidepressants Work
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B238
Your Brain Peaked at Birth
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C173
We Won’t Explore the Galaxy...
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B26
Dozens of Nukes Are Missing. Why? HOW?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B25
How ADHD Medication Works
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Aanbevolen Video
C12
69 zinnen
The World War of the Ants – The Army Ant
University StudentsWorking Adults
C14
15 zinnen
The Insect That Tricks Two Species
University StudentsWorking Adults
C15
58 zinnen
How to Make a Kurzgesagt Video in 1200 Hours
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C19
58 zinnen
Luyên nghe tiêng anh- buổi 4- the ecological importance bees
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B250
38 zinnen
Why Birds Migrate: A Chat with an Ornithologist
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
385 zinnen
Is spider web really stronger than steel?
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C14
204 zinnen
The Insane Biology of: The Octopus
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
387 zinnen
I Added Animals Into My Giant Rainforest Vivarium
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C17
110 zinnen
World’s Most Advanced Artificial Egg Hatches Chicks
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C126
46 zinnen
Life Cycle of a Mosquito
University StudentsWorking Adults
C11
59 zinnen
Cambridge Ielts 16 Reading test 2 Passage 2
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C15
738 zinnen
The Closest Thing We Have to Alien Technology
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau C1 is gebaseerd op de video “These Ants Use Their Babies As Glue Guns”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: ant, weaver, kingdom, worker, nest. Deze video bevat 77 zinnen en 1144 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 7:33. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 151 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. Slechts 73% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| weaver zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈwi.vɚ/ | wever, weefster |
| ant zelfstandig naamwoord | /ænt/ | mier |
| nest zelfstandig naamwoord | /nɛst/ | nest |
| larva zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈlɑɹ.və/ | larve, larvestadium |
| mage zelfstandig naamwoord | /meɪd͡ʒ/ | magiër, tovenaar |
| outpost zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈaʊtˌpoʊst/ | voorpost, buitenpost |
| attacker zelfstandig naamwoord | /əˈtækɚ/ | aanvaller |
| brood werkwoord | /bɹud/ | broeden, uitbroeden |
| pheromone zelfstandig naamwoord | feromoon | |
| battlefield zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈbætəlˌfiːld/ | slagveld |
| liana zelfstandig naamwoord | /liːˈɑːnə/ | liaan |
| mandible zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈmæn.dɪb.əl/ | onderkaak |
| shrub zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈʃɹʌb/ | struik, heester |
| twig zelfstandig naamwoord | /twɪɡ/ | twijg |
| insect zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈɪn.sɛkt/ | insect, kerfdier |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| keep up werkwoord | bijblijven |
| slow down werkwoord | afremmen |
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | are ensnared · are created · are wound |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | ants which are · network, which is |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 8 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals they're, can't, don't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: shrub /ˈʃɹʌb/, expansionist /ɪkˈspæn.ʃən.ɪst/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: caterpillar /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/, expansionist /ɪkˈspæn.ʃən.ɪst/, impossibly /ɪmˈpɒ.sɪb.li/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: mage /meɪd͡ʒ/, brood /bɹud/, battlefield /ˈbætəlˌfiːld/, shrub /ˈʃɹʌb/, twig /twɪɡ/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: ant /ænt/, attacker /əˈtækɚ/, battlefield /ˈbætəlˌfiːld/, mandible /ˈmæn.dɪb.əl/, barrack /ˈbæɹ.ək/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: twig /twɪɡ/, ghostly /ˈɡoʊstli/, glue /ɡlu/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als weaver, ant, nest.
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.