Shadowing Practice: Why seals are coming back to the Thames - BBC London - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Today I'm with ZSL, the Zoological Society of London, as they carry out their annual census of seals on the Thames.
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Now unfortunately the best way to do that is by using one of these.
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Hello, Theo.
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- Hi, Andy.
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Hi there.
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Come on in.
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Thank you, sir.
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See, I see a map of the Thames estuary here.
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Is that where we're going to go today?
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Yeah, so Andy's going to take us up over the Thames, over the sand banks and the coastline, and we're going to check out how many seals we can see.
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Now Andy, I understand you've been flying this part of the world for 20 years.
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And in that 20 years, you've seen the seals the whole time?
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Yeah, I have.
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I think it came as a surprise to everybody that there were so many in the estuary.
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But of course you live around here, do you think most of the population know about the seals on their doorstep?
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Most people do not know there's any seals out there at all.
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And of course the $64 ,000 question, will we see some today?
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Previously when doing these kinds of surveys we've seen good numbers and we're doing this survey at the right time of year.
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So fingers crossed, we'll see plenty today.
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Let's go spot some seals.
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We head out to Margate Sands looking for grey and harbour seals.
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I must not go to sand over there, so it's whatever the one is next to it.
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It's not long before we spot our first group of seals.
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I think I can see some seals on the end of this picture anyway.
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Right on that bend there, there's maybe about ten seals.
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Wonderful.
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Real variation in colour as well.
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Thea takes pictures of the seals to analyse later.
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And I'm using a GPS unit to help identify where each group is found.
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- What's your weight point?
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- Weight point 224.
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I counted 19 seals there.
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They all look like harbour seals.
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This is cutting edge conservation work on seals and it doesn't really get much more exciting than this.
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The seals are coming up again.
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- It's well there, some pups, beer.
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Back on the ground and Thea is already analysing the results.
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After each survey, we take all the photos and we go through them all, identify the species for each bank or point on the coastline.
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And we come together to ensure that if there's any discrepancy between number or species ID, then we work that out together and make sure that we've got as close to an accurate count.
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as we possibly can.
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What more can you tell from just that picture alone?
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We look at each individual seal and we look for features that indicate what the species is.
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So for a harbour seal, For example, Generally you'd see the eyes on the front of the head and a shorter snout,
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whereas for a grey seal you'd see usually like they call it a Roman nose, so it's sloping, the eyes further back and to the side.
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And that's a harborsie, a much more dog -like with funny little nostrils and angle as well.
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Since ZSL began monitoring the sales six years ago, numbers have doubled.
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with an estimated 3 ,500 of them living in the Thames.
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We take the increase in seals that we're seeing as a positive sign of the health of the ecosystem.
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We should be very proud of the Thames, it's incredibly biodiverse, it is full of life.
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It's not just brown, underneath there is plenty of fish and all sorts of other exciting species.
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What's particularly exciting is the harbour seals are actually breeding in the Thames estuary.
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first ever pup count.
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We recorded 138 pups which is great news.
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There was a survey back in 2011 by the Sea Mammal Research Unit
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and they recorded in the region of 40 pups So that does suggest an increase.
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It's strong evidence that obviously the Thames is a breeding site for these animals.
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The river has come a long way from 60 years ago, when it was declared biologically dead.
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London and the Thames at Wandsworth illustrates a quaint facet of the river pollution.
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It seems a nationwide demand for clean rivers is the only hope.
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We're much more careful about what goes into our river, so Sewage treatment works as an example of that.
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And we really have come a long way.
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That's why we see all this life, but that's not to say we don't still have some way to go.
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to keep maintaining this trajectory of a healthier Thames.
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Pfff.
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The cleaner water is providing fish for the seals, which are now being spotted across the capital.
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How far are we seeing seals moving up the towns?
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- So we're seeing them go all the way up until the tidal limit in Teddington.
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So they're traveling all through central London
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and there are kind of hotspots around London where people see them
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and they are generally where you get a higher footfall or you have taller buildings.
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So Canary Wharf is known for a bit of a hot spot for spotting seals.
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And people having interactions with them as well.
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Yeah, there are some interesting videos that have popped up of them climbing aboard the front of a kayak or a canoe.
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We don't know necessarily where this behavior comes from, but they're curious and inquisitive and highly intelligent animals.
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But it's not just seals that are turning up in the Thames.
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There have been recent reports I've harbored porpoise.
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Dolphins and even seahorses as well.
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But perhaps most astonishingly, in 2018, Benny turned up.
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The first ever beluga whale in British waters was found just down there.
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Amen.
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Oh The whale, nicknamed Benny the Beluga, living in a stretch of the Thames, may be able to survive there, according to experts.
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Our very own wildlife cameraman Russell Savory was lucky enough to capture these shots of the beluga.
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Cruise ships, the bulk carriers and things were going up and down the Thames and this beluga just bobbing around there.
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Obviously fishing I guess but to be able to get a beluga in the Thames, it's just unreal.
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while undoubtedly the best way to sense the seals is from the air.
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If you want to get up close and personal, you're going to need another form of transport.
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I want a boat.
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We never used to see them, but over the last ten years they've started off from about six seals, and now they've just gradually got more and more seals around the coast.
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Where we go, six seals are now 120.
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Stuart Barnes runs sail tours on his boat along the Thames estuary.
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Hopefully I can get you in the region of about 10 to 15 metres.
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Yeah, let's go do it.
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Ten minutes from Grumsgate Harbor and a magical sight awaits us.
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These are all harbour sales, getting the most wonderful views.
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The thing that I'm amazed by is the colour variation.
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Some are black, some are grey, some are blonde, some are ginger, some are variegated and spotted all over.
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And there's a few youngsters that were obviously born maybe five, six, seven weeks ago, just on the water's edge.
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It just goes to show the Greater Thames Estuary is in pretty good mig.
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We won't know the results from this year's SEAL survey for a few months.
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But from what we've seen, the population here is thriving.
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And so, is the Mother Thames.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Why seals are coming back to the Thames - BBC London”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: seal, Thames, beluga, estuary, harbour. Deze video bevat 101 zinnen en 1242 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 8:34. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 145 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. Slechts 81% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| beluga zelfstandig naamwoord | /bəˈluɡə/ | beloega |
| estuary zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈɛst͡ʃuˌɛɹi/ | estuarium |
| excite werkwoord | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | prikkelen, opwinden |
| coastline zelfstandig naamwoord | kustlijn | |
| whale zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈweɪl/ | walvis |
| variation zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/ | afwisseling, variatie |
| breed werkwoord | /ˈbɹiːd/ | zich voortplanten |
| biodiverse bijvoeglijk naamwoord | biodivers, soortenrijk | |
| discrepancy zelfstandig naamwoord | /dɪˈskɹɛpənsi/ | discrepantie |
| inquisitive bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ɪŋˈkwɪzətɪv/ | nieuwsgierig, leergierig |
| nostril zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈnɒs.tɹɪl/ | neusgat |
| porpoise zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈpɔːɹpəs/ | bruinvis |
| variegated bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈvɛ(ə)ɹi.əˌɡeɪtɪd/ | bont |
| youngster zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈjʌŋstɚ/ | jongere |
| canoe zelfstandig naamwoord | /kəˈnuː/ | kano, korjaal |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| carry out werkwoord | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | uitvoeren |
| check out werkwoord | onderzoeken | |
| get up werkwoord | opstaan |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- Is that where we're going to go today?
- Let's go spot some seals.
- What more can you tell from just that picture alone?
- How far are we seeing seals moving up the towns?
- There have been recent reports I've harbored porpoise.
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | you've seen · we've seen · have doubled |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | is found · was declared · being spotted |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | pups which is · seals, which are |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 27 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals we're, I'm, we've. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: thrive /θɹajv/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/, nationwide /ˌneɪ.ʃənˈwaɪd/, pollution /pəˈluʃən/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: estuary /ˈɛst͡ʃuˌɛɹi/, cameraman /ˈkæm(ə)ɹəˌmæn/, discrepancy /dɪˈskɹɛpənsi/, inquisitive /ɪŋˈkwɪzətɪv/, variegated /ˈvɛ(ə)ɹi.əˌɡeɪtɪd/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: breed /ˈbɹiːd/, inquisitive /ɪŋˈkwɪzətɪv/, variegated /ˈvɛ(ə)ɹi.əˌɡeɪtɪd/, blond /blɑnd/, thrive /θɹajv/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: beluga /bəˈluɡə/, variegated /ˈvɛ(ə)ɹi.əˌɡeɪtɪd/
- /w/ — met ronde lippen: whale /ˈweɪl/, inquisitive /ɪŋˈkwɪzətɪv/, await /əˈweɪt/, nationwide /ˌneɪ.ʃənˈwaɪd/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als beluga, estuary, excite.
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.