Shadowing Practice: 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome! 3/3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Three reasons why we should continue using nuclear energy.

1. Nuclear energy saves lives.

In 2013, a study conducted by NASA found that nuclear energy has prevented around 1 .8 million deaths.

Even if you include the death tolls from Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear energy ranks last in death per energy unit produced.

While nuclear waste is really toxic, it's usually stored somewhere while the toxic by -products of fossil fuels are pumped into the air we breathe every day.

So, just by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned, countless cases of cancer or lung disease and accidents in coal mines have been avoided.

If we can choose between lots of dangerous stuff being put into a deep hole

and lots and lots and lots of dangerous stuff being pumped into the atmosphere, the former seems more logical.

Nuclear energy feels way more dangerous, though.

Single catastrophic events burn into our memory, while coal and oil kill silently.

It's like the death rate of flying versus driving.

Even in the best -case scenario, it would take at least 40 years to switch to 100 % renewable energy.

So, for as long as we continue using fossil fuels, nuclear energy will save way more lives than it destroys.

2. Nuclear energy reduces CO2 emissions

Nuclear energy is arguably way less harmful to the environment in terms of climate change than fossil fuels, our main source of energy.

Since 1976, about 64 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions have not been pumped out thanks to nuclear energy.

And by the mid -21st century, that could amount to an additional 80 to 240 gigatons.

Humanity's energy consumption is rising steadily.

According to US government projections, China alone will add the equivalent of a new 600 megawatt coal plant every 10 days for the next 10 years.

China already burns 4 billion tons of coal each year.

Coal is cheap, relatively abundant, and easy to get to, so it's not likely that humanity will stop using it soon.

Nuclear energy might be the only way of dampening the effects of climate change and preventing a catastrophic man -made global warming.

Compared to the other things we do, nuclear energy is relatively clean.

So, even if it is a good idea to quit nuclear energy long -term, it might be a good solution for the next hundred years or so, compared to the alternatives.

3. New technologies Maybe technology will solve the problem of nuclear waste and dangerous power plants.

The nuclear reactors we've used so far are mostly outdated technology, because nuclear innovation stopped in the 1970s.

There are models like the thorium reactor that could solve the problem altogether.

Thorium is abundant, really hard to turn into nuclear weapons

and up to two orders of magnitude less wasteful than current nuclear reactors.

The waste material might also be only dangerous for a few hundred years, in contrast to a couple of thousand years.

One ton of thorium is estimated to provide the same amount of energy as 200 tons of uranium

or 3 .5 million tons of coal.

So while we cannot know for sure if alternative nuclear technology will keep its promises,

shouldn't we at least do more research before we forgo an opportunity to solve lots of humanity's current problems?

It might not be an easy challenge, but that hasn't stopped us before.

So, should we use nuclear energy?

There are risks involved in any great human endeavor, and we have to make an informed decision rather than rely on gut feeling.

If you want to hear the other side of the argument or a short introduction to nuclear energy, click here.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 38 sentences and 591 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:46. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
fossil noun	/ˈfɑsl̩/	The mineralized remains of an animal or plant.
solve verb	/sɒlv/	To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
ton noun	/tʌn/	The short ton of 2000 pounds (about 907 kg), 20 hundredweights of 100 pounds avoirdupois each.
pump noun	/pʌmp/	A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
reactor noun	/ɹiˈæktɚ/	A person who responds to a suggestion, stimulation or other influence.
compare verb	/kəmˈpɛɚ/	To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
toxic adjective	/ˈtɒk.sɪk/	Having a chemical nature that is harmful to health or lethal if consumed or otherwise entering into the body in sufficient quantities.
abundant adjective	/əˈbʌn.dənt/	Fully sufficient; found in copious supply; in great quantity; overflowing.
emission noun	/ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/	Something which is emitted or sent out; issue.
catastrophic adjective	/ˌkætəˈstɹɑfɪk/	Of or pertaining to a catastrophe.
atmosphere noun	/ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/	The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body.
contrast noun	/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/	The degree of this difference.
rank noun	/ˈɹæŋk/	A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers.
consumption noun	/kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/	The act of eating, drinking or using.
humanity noun	/hjuˈmænɪti/	Humankind; human beings as a group.

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	are pumped · have been avoided · being put
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has prevented · have been avoided · have not been pumped

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as hasn't, shouldn't, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, thorium /ˈθɔːɹiəm/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emission /ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/, innovation /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, projection /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstɹɑfɪk/, humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, innovation /ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, uranium /ˌjuː.ˈɹeɪ.ni.əm/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like fossil, solve, ton.

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: 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome! 3/3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?