Shadowing Practice: [2018] Cambridge Starters 1 Listening Test 2 part 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Test 2.
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Hello!
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This is the Cambridge English Starters Listening Test.
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you Look at part one.
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Now look at the picture.
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Listen and look.
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There is one example.
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Hello, Mrs. White.
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Here's a picture of my friends.
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Oh yes!
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They're on the beach.
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Yes they are.
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There's my friend Tom.
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He's playing badminton.
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I can see him.
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I like Tom's baseball cap.
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Yes.
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It's his favourite one.
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Can you see the line?
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This is an example.
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Now you listen and draw lines.
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1. Who's that girl?
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She's sitting on the sand.
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That's my friend Grace.
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What's Grace doing?
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She's eating fries.
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She loves them.
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So do I.
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Me too.
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2. Look at that boy.
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He's eating a burger.
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Oh, that's Hugo.
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He's standing in the sea.
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Yes, he is.
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Hugo loves the sea.
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I love it too.
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3. Can you see my friend Alice?
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Who's Alice?
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She's that girl there.
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She's sitting under the tree.
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Oh yes, she's reading a book.
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Is it good?
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Yes, it is.
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It's mine.
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It's about aliens.
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4. Is that your friend in the boat too?
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Mark?
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Yes, Mark's my friend.
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Does he like fishing?
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Yes, he does.
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5. Is that a jellyfish in the water?
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They're scary.
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Yes it is.
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It's really big.
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Jill's looking at it.
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Oh yes, Jill's wearing an orange dress.
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It's a fantastic picture.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will enhance your English listening and speaking skills by engaging with the Cambridge English Starters Listening Test. The activities will focus on recognizing spoken phrases, identifying individuals in a picture, and understanding various contexts. By practicing with this listening test, you will improve not only your comprehension but also your ability to respond appropriately in real-life scenarios, which is vital for effective communication.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • beach - a sandy area beside the sea or ocean where people relax.
  • playing badminton - engaging in a sport involving a racquet and shuttlecock.
  • eating fries - enjoying French-fried potatoes, a common snack.
  • standing in the sea - being upright in ocean water, often referring to swimming or playing.
  • reading a book - the act of looking at the pages of a book to gain information or enjoyment.
  • fishing - the activity of trying to catch fish in water bodies.
  • burger - a type of sandwich consisting of a meat patty, commonly made from beef, placed inside a bun.
  • about aliens - a book's theme that discusses extraterrestrial life forms.

Practice Tips

When engaging with the Cambridge English Starters Listening Test, it's essential to adopt effective shadowing techniques. Here’s how you can use the shadow speech method to improve English pronunciation:

  • Listen Carefully: Play the audio multiple times, listening intently for the pronunciation of each word.
  • Repeat Immediately: Try to duplicate what you hear instantly. Mimic the intonation and rhythm of the speakers, using the shadowspeaks approach to improve your fluency.
  • Pace Yourself: If the audio is too fast, slow it down until you can comfortably follow along. Gradually increase the speed as you improve.
  • Match Emotions: Pay attention to the emotions conveyed in the dialogue. Reflect this in your own delivery to sound more natural.
  • Focus on Key Phrases: Utilize the vocabulary listed above for specific shadowing practice. This will help you familiarize yourself with common expressions in conversational English.

By systematically practicing with shadowing techniques, particularly from resources like this listening test, you will gain valuable preparatory skills for tasks such as IELTS speaking practice. This method enhances your responsiveness and confidence in spoken English.

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 →