Shadowing Practice: Addicted to sugar ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B1
6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
⏸ Paused
74 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
2
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
3
I'm Neil.
4
And I'm Georgie.
5
Would you like a cup of tea, Neil?
6
Oh yes, thanks Georgie.
7
With milk and three sugars, please.
8
Three sugars?
9
Wow, you really have a sweet tooth.
10
You like eating sweet things.
11
Aren't you worried about your weight?
12
Yes, but I can't say no to sugar.
13
Just as our addiction to oil is causing a climate emergency, our addiction to sugar is causing a health emergency for our bodies.
14
Sugar gives us an instant hit of the chemical hormone dopamine, making us feel good, but in the long run causing obesity,
15
tooth decay and diseases like diabetes.
16
But how did our addiction to the sweet stuff begin?
17
That's what we'll be discussing in this programme and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
18
Anyway, here's your tea, Neil.
19
I just put one sugar.
20
Thanks, Georgie.
21
I'll give it a try.
22
Now, before we go on, I have a question for you.
23
Sugar cane, which grows naturally in Asia, Africa and the Americas, first came to England in the 11th century.
24
Back then it was an expensive luxury item, affordable only to kings, queens and the very rich.
25
So which English monarch loved eating sugar so much their teeth turned black?
26
Was it a King Henry VIII, b Queen Elizabeth I, or c Mary Queen of Scots?
27
I know Henry VIII was very unhealthy, so I'll guess it's him.
28
OK, Georgie, we'll find out the answer later in the programme.
29
Just now I compared sugar to oil as the world's most important commodity.
30
A commodity is a product or natural resource that can be traded, bought and sold.
31
Today, economies, governments and wars are based on controlling oil.
32
But in earlier centuries, the same was true of sugar.
33
For 400 years, sugar, along with coffee and tobacco, was grown in slavery plantations and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
34
By the time slavery was ended in 1834, the demand for sugar in Europe and the United States was at a record high.
35
Here's Professor of International History Ulber Bosmer explaining more to BBC Radio 4 programme Thinking Aloud.
36
Sugar was already an extremely important commodity in the 16th and 17th and 18th century.
37
And in the 19th century we see a staggering growth of sugar consumption in Europe and the United States.
38
And with that, sugar became the fuel for human bodies, whereas oil became the fuel for vehicles in the 20th century.
39
Professor Bosma talks about the staggering growth in the popularity of sugar.
40
The adjective staggering means shocking or surprising.
41
Just like oil became the fuel for machine engines, sugar became the fuel for the human body.
42
Fuel is a substance that is burned to provide heat or power.
43
Trading companies had become rich selling sugar grown using slave labour.
44
When people began to realise the health problems of sugar in the 20th century, these companies needed new ways to sell their product,
45
and began using sugar in food which had previously contained none – food like bread, cereal and yoghurt.
46
Here's Professor Bosma again, taking up the story for BBC Radio 4's Thinking Aloud.
47
You can flood the market with a certain commodity, with sugar in this case, but that still does not mean that people will consume it.
48
So the eating habits of people had to change.
49
People, until the early 19th century, they had a few spoons of sugar per week, but not a kilo which people consume today in many countries in the world.
50
companies flooded the market with their commodity.
51
If you flood the market, you make a lot of your product available for sale, often at a low price.
52
But just because something is cheap and easily available doesn't mean people will eat it.
53
So sugar companies try to increase sugar consumption by changing people's eating habits – the way a group of people eat.
54
For example, which types of food they eat, how much of it and how often.
55
Instead of one or two spoons of sugar per week, people started eating kilos, with results we see around us every day.
56
Worldwide, obesity and heart disease have tripled in the last 50 years.
57
What's more, because sugary food is cheaper, it's often the poorest in society who are worst affected.
58
Hmm, maybe it's time to try having your tea without any sugar, eh Neil?
59
And to reveal the answer to your question, which English monarch's famous love of sugar turned their teeth black, I guessed it was the notorious overeater, Henry VIII.
60
Which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid, Georgie.
61
In fact, during the years before toothpaste and dentist, those black, stumpy teeth belong to Queen Elizabeth I.
62
OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme about sugar, starting with a sweet tooth,
63
a fondness for eating sweet, sugary food and drinks.
64
A commodity is a product or natural resource that can be traded, bought and sold.
65
Fuel is a substance such as oil or coal that is burned to provide heat or power.
66
The adjective staggering means very shocking and surprising.
67
If a company floods the market, they release a lot of a particular product for sale, often at a low price.
68
And finally, eating habits describe the way a particular group of people eat.
69
For example, which types of food they eat, how much and how often.
70
Once again, our six minutes are up.
71
Join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
72
Goodbye for now.
73
Bye.
74
English dot com

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

Context & Background

This episode of "6 Minute English" from BBC Learning English delves into the fascinating topic of sugar addiction. The conversation features two hosts, Neil and Georgie, discussing various aspects of sugar consumption and its historical context. They highlight how sugar initially emerged as a luxury item in England, enjoyed predominantly by royalty, and has since evolved into a staple in many diets worldwide. The discussion touches on the health implications of sugar, comparing its impact to that of oil as a pivotal commodity.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Would you like a cup of tea?" – A common phrase for offering drinks, useful in both casual and formal settings.
  • "How did our addiction to the sweet stuff begin?" – A great conversational starter when discussing food preferences.
  • "I'll give it a try." – A useful response when accepting invitations or trying new experiences.
  • "A commodity is a product or natural resource that can be traded." – A formal explanation of an important economic term that can be applied in discussions about trade and value.
  • "The staggering growth of sugar consumption." – A descriptive phrase to describe rapid increases in behavior or trends.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Improving your English speaking skills through shadowing can be enhanced by focusing on the dialogue in this episode. Here’s how to tackle the challenges presented in the video:

  1. Listen Actively: Play the video, focusing on the pronunciation and intonation of each phrase, especially the conversational ones.
  2. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Use a shadowing app to replay powerful segments. Mimic the speakers, paying attention to the rhythm and pace of their speech.
  3. Break It Down: Focus on one phrase at a time. For example, practice saying "Would you like a cup of tea?" clearly and slowly, then gradually increase your speed to match the speakers.
  4. Record Yourself: After practicing shadow speech, record your voice. Compare it to the original dialogue to identify areas for improvement, such as pronunciation and tone.
  5. Engage in Context: Use the phrases you’ve learned in real-life scenarios or conversations. This could be done during English speaking practice with friends or language partners.

By following these steps, you will enhance your shadowing practice and improve your overall English pronunciation, making your communication more effective and natural. For enhanced learning, consider incorporating a shadowing site that offers structured lessons and exercises focused on pronunciation and dialogue.

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