Shadowing Practice: 03-4New Concept English e03 Matterhorn man - Learn English Speaking with Video
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19 sentences
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1
Modern Alpinists try to climb mountains by a route which will give them good sport and the more difficult it is,
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the more highly it is regarded.
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In the pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all.
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The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top because the summit was the prize they sought,
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especially if it had never been attained before.
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It is true that during their explorations they often faced difficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature.
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Equipped in a manner which would make a modern climber shudder at the thought,
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but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement.
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They had a single aim, a solitary goal, the top.
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It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers.
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Except for one or two places such as Zermatt and Chamonix, which had rapidly become popular,
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alpine villages tended to be impoverished settlements cut off from civilization by the high mountains.
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Such inns, as there were, were generally dirty and flea -ridden.
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The food, simply local cheese accompanied by bread, often twelve months old, all washed down with coarse wine.
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Often a valley boasted no inn at all, and climbers found shelter wherever they could, sometimes with the local priest,
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who was usually as poor as his parishioners, sometimes with shepherds or cheese makers.
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Invariably the background was the same, dirt and poverty, and very uncomfortable.
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For men accustomed to eating seven course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home,
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the change to the Alps must have been very hard indeed.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “03-4New Concept English e03 Matterhorn man”. This video has 19 sentences and 270 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:02. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pioneer noun | /ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪɹ/ | One who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow. |
| poverty noun | /ˈpɑːvɚti/ | The quality or state of being poor; lack of money |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| sheet noun | /ʃit/ | A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper. |
| regard noun | /ɹɪˈɡɑːd/ | A steady look, a gaze. |
| twelve noun | /twɛlv/ | A group of twelve items. |
| rapidly adverb | /ˈɹæpɪdli/ | With speed; in a rapid manner. |
| difficulty noun | /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ | The state of being difficult, or hard to do. |
| priest noun | /ˈpɹiːst/ | A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple. |
| summit noun | /ˈsʌmɪt/ | The highest point of a hill, mountain, or similar geographical feature. |
| wherever | /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ | Regardless of the place in, at or to which. |
| shelter noun | /ˈʃɛltə/ | A place where a person or animal may find protection from the elements (especially rain, storms, or cold) sometimes as a place to sleep (such as a cave). |
| dirt noun | /dɝt/ | Soil or earth. |
| maker noun | /ˈmeɪk.ɚ/ | Someone who makes; a person or thing that makes or produces something. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is regarded · been attained · be impoverished |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | route which will |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, sheet /ʃit/, shelter /ˈʃɛltə/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: difficulty /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, accompany /əˈkʌm.pə.ni/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like pioneer, poverty, wash.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.