Shadowing Practice: 12 Things That Could Destroy Earth - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

169 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Time and again, Earth has faced scenarios pushing us to the brink of our existence.

Whether it's a giant asteroid that's slammed into us,

or an invisible virus creating a worldwide pandemic, danger is ever -present.

But despite these interferences, humanity has always figured out how to claw our way back.

But for how long?

Will one of these 12 scenarios end life on our blue marble forever?

And how likely are they to happen?

12. World War III breaks out.

Bombs, shelters, rations.

The last time we had a world war was in 1939.

Are we on the brink of another one?

With global tensions rising and battles erupting all around the world, the possibility of a world war becomes greater and greater every year.

Regardless of how things escalate, this war would be unlike anything else we've experienced.

Advanced military technologies, the fight for natural resources and nukes would all be possibilities.

The battlegrounds could be the United States, Russia, or potentially Taiwan.

So if World War III were to happen, how would you survive?

If you're not up for an armed resistance, you'd better get out of the big cities, which are often targets.

Head for rural areas, make a survival kit, and just maybe start thinking now about a move to a safe haven,

very far north or very far south.

Will it be Greenland, New Zealand, or Antarctica?

Of course, all this is assuming a world war with conventional weapons, but what if there's something much worse?

But before we get to that, let me show you something that the What If team has been using these days,

something we're super excited to tell you about.

It's a browser called Opera.

This browser is just a better way to surf the internet.

It's safer, it's more secure, and just makes everything faster.

One of my favorite features of Opera is the tab islands.

You know, sometimes I'm researching multiple stories at once, and before you know it, I've got dozens, hundreds of tabs open.

But with tab islands, I can easily group the tabs to stay organized.

It's also got a built -in AI chatbot called ARIA.

With just a few clicks, you can highlight any text online, and ARIA will give you more information on the subject.

I use it all the time when I'm trying to get through more complex science articles.

Plus, there's a built -in VPN, ad blocker, and messenger tab.

And it's even got this feature called Lucid Mode that automatically sharpens blurry videos.

Say goodbye to 480p.

If you want to browse the internet like it's 2024, well, check out the link in the description to download Opera.

It's totally free, and it's the best way to explore the internet.

11. An all -out nuclear apocalypse.

A regional nuclear war would kill millions, but it wouldn't end the world.

Pull a couple of heavy hitters into the ring, like the US and Russia, and all bets are off.

A 300 kiloton bomb explosion will vaporize anything, people included.

But this is just a start.

If multiple nukes went off, every explosion would create a giant fireball as hot as the Sun's core.

You think that's bad?

It gets worse.

The dense black carbon smoke would spread across the Northern Hemisphere, freezing the Earth and causing a nuclear winter for up to 10 years.

99 % of the population of the US, Europe, Russia and China could starve to death.

Assuming you survive the blast, seek shelter immediately.

For the week or two after, you'll want to hunker down indoors to avoid radioactive fallout.

Hiding inside the thickest concrete or underground might protect you from the radiation, but how would you escape the harsh nuclear winter?

New Zealand, anyone?

If human beings don't end up killing each other on Earth, well, there could be another thing that does.

Yeah, I'm talking about aliens, and not because they want to enslave us, like we see in the movies.

What if it's because they're hungry for that one thing that even we can't get enough of?

Before I tell you what that is, do aliens even exist?

Well, the Drake Equation estimates

that there's a 53 to 99 percent a 0 .6 % chance that we're the only intelligent life in the Milky Way.

So if aliens are out there, how would they even get to Earth?

Maybe they'd use a futuristic spacecraft, or travel via wormhole.

And maybe they'd pop by because they're hungry. For energy.

A Type II alien civilization could potentially have a Dyson Sphere, a ball that orbits their planet,

harvesting solar energy, and looking for new sources.

Like our Sun?

Yikes.

And if our Sun goes, you can say goodbye to virtually all life on Earth, humans would freeze to death, our crops would cease to exist,

and our once -blue marble would become a barren wasteland.

OK, maybe a little unrealistic let's move on to something a little more likely.

A truly massive 96 km wide asteroid would finish us all off.

Shrink it down to 12 km wide, and it might leave a few of us standing.

It would still be horrific.

The site of the impact would get very, very hot.

tsunamis would rise from the oceans, billions of us would die.

The impact would spawn an enormous dust plume engulfing the globe.

It would block out the Sun, and a deep freeze would set in for thousands, even millions of years.

Now, chances are small, but if it happens, what should you do?

Well, scientists tell us an underground bunker would be the best option.

Now, if you can't swing that, well, at least stay away from the impact zone and clear of coastal areas with tsunamis.

But sooner or later, you're going to freeze to death.

Or things could get really, really hot.

Just like a super -large asteroid could take us out, so could a supervolcano.

200 million years ago, Earth was hit by a supervolcano, which wiped out 75 % of the species on Earth.

It was so strong it ripped apart

North America from Africa and plonked the Atlantic Ocean bang in the middle.

And did it stop with just one massive eruption?

Yeah, sorry, that's a no. For 600 ,000 years, the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province,

or camp, erupted again and again.

Lava covered everything.

Volcanic ash rained down.

But you won't believe the thing that got us.

It was pollution.

CO2 and carbon levels skyrocketed, causing sweeping environmental destruction.

So is there a massive eruption waiting to happen today?

Well, below the surface of Yellowstone Park sits a giant caldera.

We don't think it'll erupt anytime soon, but in the distant future, it might.

If it does erupt, well, expect a repeat of what happened 200 million years ago.

Luckily, geologists are monitoring

Earth for seismic activity.

But can anyone save us from a zombie apocalypse?

The Cordyceps fungus creates zombified ants, growing around their brains and taking over their nervous system.

100

Could this jump over to humans and create a bona fide human zombie?

101

Well, scientists suggest that our body temperature is simply too high for the fungus to survive.

102

But what if this fungus somehow did take over our systems?

103

Big cities like

104

New York, London and Hong Kong would be the first major targets of an event like this.

105

And due to the cordyceps spreading via spores, it would be incredibly difficult to avoid getting infected.

106

The zombies would slowly take over major metropolitan areas.

107

If you live in more rural areas of the world, you'd likely be safe. For now.

108

Yeah, that's right, another pandemic.

109

If you're watching this, you were lucky enough to survive the COVID -19 pandemic.

110

But will you survive the next one?

111

Our world is changing, and for the worse.

112

In the next few decades, the probability of a novel disease outbreak will grow three times due to population growth,

113

changes in our food systems, and closer contact between humans and animals.

114

Scientists predict another pandemic will hit us within the next 59 years.

115

And a new virus could be a more dangerous killer.

116

It might mutate faster, or we might not make a vaccine for it as quickly as we did with COVID.

117

Instead of 7 million people who died from the virus, it could be tens of millions.

118

During the COVID pandemic, a bit of bioengineering went a long way in creating mRNA vaccines that saved our lives.

119

But can the same synthetic biology that saved our lives kill us off too?

120

In a secret lab somewhere, could someone create a virus or superbacteria that will wipe out the human race?

121

Imagine a super virus that spreads silently.

122

It leaves its victims asymptomatic for weeks, only to turn deadly after that prolonged gestation.

123

Due to how much the world travels and how much smaller everything has become, the virus can spread more quickly and reach more people.

124

Now that is something that could wipe out humanity.

125

Unless you're just someone who never sees people, then maybe you'll be safe.

126

But if the virus doesn't get you, I bet the next apocalyptic scenario will.

127

Well, it doesn't sound like a huge deal,

128

but a 4 degrees Celsius rise in temperature would destroy life on Earth as we know it.

129

Sea levels would rise by a half meter to a full meter, and maybe even more by the year 2100.

130

Cities like New York, London, and Venice would see extreme flooding.

131

Food production would go haywire.

132

We'd see heat waves in the tropics and frequent high -intensity tropical cyclones.

133

Our coral reefs would be destroyed.

134

And that's not the end.

135

The water would keep rising in the coming centuries.

136

In a world like this, humanity might not go extinct, but Earth would only be able to support just one billion people.

137

Let's hope you're one of the lucky few.

138

OK, that sounds bad, but what happens if it suddenly gets harder to breathe?

139

3. Oceanic anoxia Ocean oxygen concentrations are declining today.

140

Are we in danger of an oceanic anoxia event?

141

After all, it did happen 450 million years ago.

142

A drop in oxygen levels persisted for 3 million years, and 85 % of marine species vanished.

143

Now, if phytoplankton were part of the vanishing marine species, the ocean's ability to remove carbon dioxide would be compromised,

144

driving our climate crisis into overdrive.

145

Plus, atmospheric oxygen would go down.

146

Thankfully, a full -scale oceanic anoxic event would take thousands of years to develop.

147

So for the moment, take a deep breath while you can.

148

2. Ecological Collapse Okay, so maybe we'll still have oxygen to breathe,

149

but are we on the brink of a major ecosystem collapse?

150

It happened over 250 million years ago, during the Permian -Triassic period.

151

Healthy ecosystems thrive on a set of balanced interactions between animals and plants, predators and prey.

152

Every species has a critical role to play.

153

If all the species playing a particular role within the ecosystem disappear, well, that means the first domino has fallen,

154

and the collapse of our world is imminent.

155

A startling loss of biodiversity, like we're witnessing today, is the beginning of the end.

156

Just imagine if we lost all the bees, our best pollinators.

157

We'd have to say goodbye to much of our fruit, and humans would be far less healthy.

158

Yeah, robotic bees, anyone?

159

Yeah, speaking of robots, well, here's the thing that's most likely to kill us all off.

160

1. Killer Robots Even the deadliest effects of large -scale global warming are a few years away.

161

But AI that can kill us?

162

It's here.

163

In a world where AI gets smarter than us, humans can be enslaved by the very intelligence we've created,

164

or wiped out by one programmed to kill us.

165

Yeah, we're speeding toward the dangerous point of singularity, where AI takes over human intelligence.

166

Yeah, let's just hope our new robot overlords are willing to play nice.

167

But if they're not, I have an idea.

168

Yeah, what if, instead of humanity getting wiped out, we progressed into a hyper -advanced civilization?

169

Well, that sounds like a story for another WHAT IF.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

457 sentences

MIT Explains the 12 Possible Endings for AI

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

47 sentences

We Found Galaxies Too Old for the Universe

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

173 sentences

STOP Running Code On Your Computer

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

742 sentences

The REAL reason China built so much

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

67 sentences

How to Survive WWIII

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

66 sentences

5 "Impossible" Things That Can Happen On Other Planets

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

45 sentences

The plan to break apart Google... RIP Chrome

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

137

16 sentences

Can Earth Run Out of Water?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

39 sentences

You Will Only Like Half of This Video

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

560 sentences

The Most Dangerous Woman in Science Says We Got the Dinosaur Extinction Totally Wrong

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

530 sentences

Human Immortality 4K | Can Science Defeat Aging?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “12 Things That Could Destroy Earth”. This video has 169 sentences and 2005 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:54. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 29 of its 169 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
virus noun	/ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/	A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and…
wipe verb	/waɪp/	To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.)
humanity noun	/hjuˈmænɪti/	Humankind; human beings as a group.
oxygen noun	/ˈɑksɪd͡ʒən/	The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental…
freeze verb	/ˈfɹiːz/	Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
goodbye	/ɡʊdˈbaɪ/	Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing.
robot noun	/ˈɹoʊ.bɑt/	An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.
scenario noun	/sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/	An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events.
collapse verb	/kəˈlæps/	To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in.
zombie noun	/ˈzɑmbi/	A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own, typically being slow, obedient, and harmless…
ecosystem noun	/ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/	A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
asteroid noun	/ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/	A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often…
fungus noun	/ˈfʌŋ.ɡəs/	A eukaryotic organism of the kingdom Fungi typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular.
brink noun	/ˈbɹɪŋk/	The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge.
killer noun	/ˈkɪlɚ/	One who or that which kills.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
take over verb		To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force.
wipe out verb		To destroy (especially, a large number or complete set of people or things); to obliterate.
break out verb		To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly.
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
get out of verb		To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Are we on the brink of another one?
You think that's bad?
Before I tell you what that is, do aliens even exist?
Let's hope you're one of the lucky few.
Are we in danger of an oceanic anoxia event?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if aliens are out there, how would they
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has faced · has always figured · we've experienced
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was hit · would be destroyed · would be compromised
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	cities, which are · people who died · someone who never

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 36 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, we're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, synthetic /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/, thrive /θɹajv/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, shelter /ˈʃɛltə/, explosion /ɛkˈsploʊ.ʒən/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, eruption /ɪˈɹʌpʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, apocalypse /əˈpɑkəlɪps/

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 virus, wipe, humanity.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: 12 Things That Could Destroy Earth - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Earth Becomes a Moon | What If Saturn Took Over?

What If Megalodon Fought a 13-Meter Titanoboa in the Swamp?

8 Ancient Animals Scarier Than Dinosaurs

You Are Alive to Watch the Space Station Fall From the Sky

What If a Megalodon Shark Fought the Kraken?

What If Gravity Got 1% Stronger Every Second?

What If the Kraken Was Real?

What If you Could See the 4th Dimension?

What If Russia Started World War 3?

What If You Were Swallowed ALIVE by a 60-Foot Sperm Whale?

What If | Channel Trailer | An Epic Exploration Of Possibilities

What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Leviathan Whale?

What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Mosasaurus?

What If a Needle Hit The Earth At The Speed Of Light?

What If the Mosasaurus Never Went Extinct?

What If The Megalodon Never Stopped Evolving?

What Happened After the DEADLIEST Asteroid Hit Earth?

What If We Had To Rebuild Human Society From Scratch?

What If We Built Vertical Farms?

What If You Lived on Mars 1 Billion Years Ago?

MIT Explains the 12 Possible Endings for AI

We Found Galaxies Too Old for the Universe

STOP Running Code On Your Computer

The REAL reason China built so much

How to Survive WWIII

5 "Impossible" Things That Can Happen On Other Planets

The plan to break apart Google... RIP Chrome

Can Earth Run Out of Water?

You Will Only Like Half of This Video

The Most Dangerous Woman in Science Says We Got the Dinosaur Extinction Totally Wrong

Human Immortality 4K | Can Science Defeat Aging?

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?