Shadowing Practice: ADB Loan to Finance E-trikes in Philippines - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B1
From VOA Learning English, this is Technology in Special English.
⏸ Paused
24 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
From VOA Learning English, this is Technology in Special English.
2
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $300 million loan to help finance an electric vehicle program in the Philippines.
3
The goal is to reduce pollution.
4
The money will help pay for tricycles powered by electricity, or e-trikes.
5
The Philippines wants to have 100,000 of the vehicles on the road by 2017.
6
E-trike driver Alfredo Foreldo says the battery can operate for five or six hours.
7
He pays $1.25 to charge the battery.
8
He says in the past,
9
he spent as much as $4 a day on fuel for gasoline-powered tricycle.
10
Tricycle drivers usually pay about $4 a day to rent their vehicles from operators.
11
Alfredo Forello says he earns about $17 a day from driving an e-trike after costs.
12
That is more than double the average daily earning of someone driving a gas-powered tricycle.
13
The e-trike can carry as many as eight passengers.
14
The vehicle has a roof that protects passengers from the sun and rain.
15
The city of Mandaluyong chose Alfredo Forello to help with a demonstration program of 20 e-trikes.
16
The director of the city's Tricycle Regulation Office says the Asian Development Bank chose Mandaluyong
17
because of its desire to keep the air clean.
18
He says the city will offer a rent-to-own program for the e-trikes.
19
The electronic vehicles cost about $5,000.
20
Traditional motorcycles cost about $3,000.
21
There have been bumps in the road, however.
22
Seven of the city's 20 e-trikes already need repair and waiting for parts is slowing down the program.
23
Bank and city officials have now learned that manufacturers must fully guarantee their parts.
24
For VOA Learning English, I'm Carolyn Prasuti.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

This video about the Asian Development Bank's $300 million loan for financing electric vehicles in the Philippines serves as an excellent resource for English learners. Engaging with this content allows you to practice your speaking skills in a real-world context, essential for industries like environmental technology and urban transport. By watching the video and repeating key phrases, you're participating in shadow speech, which helps improve your fluency and pronunciation. Discussing topics such as sustainable transportation can also prepare you for IELTS speaking practice, where current events and their implications often come up. Additionally, the video provides valuable data and interviews which can help you build conversational skills based on factual information.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The transcript contains several important grammatical structures and expressions that can enhance your understanding of English usage. Here are three key structures:

  • Present Simple Tense: "The Asian Development Bank has approved a loan." This structure is used to state facts or regular occurrences. Practicing this can help you articulate your own ideas clearly.
  • Future Intentions: "The goal is to reduce pollution." This form is useful for expressing plans and objectives, vital for discussing future assignments or projects.
  • Descriptive Language: "E-trike can carry as many as eight passengers." Employing descriptive adjectives can make your speech more engaging — a skill crucial for IELTS speaking assessments.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with this video, pay attention to specific pronunciation challenges. Here are some words and phrases that may pose difficulties:

  • “Electric” - Many learners struggle with the “e” sound which is often pronounced too softly; ensure you articulate it clearly.
  • “Tricycle” - The transition between the “tri” and “cycle” can be tricky; practice breaking down the word into syllables: “tri-cy-cle.”
  • “Pollution” - Watch out for the “tion” ending, which can be a stumbling block; focus on getting the "shun" sound right.

Utilizing a shadowing app can help reinforce these pronunciations, allowing you to mimic the speech patterns heard in the video. By regularly engaging with this material on a shadowing site, you'll build confidence in your speaking abilities, which are crucial for discussions on modern topics like electric vehicles and their societal impact.

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.

☕ Buy us a coffee