Shadowing Practice: Alice's Adventures Ch. 15-17 | The Queen's Roses & A Royal Croquet | Children's Classics - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Chapter 15 The Queen's Roses Walking through the woods,
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Chapter 15 The Queen's Roses Walking through the woods,
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Alice noticed a tree with a door in its trunk.
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That's strange, she said.
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But everything's strange today.
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I might as well go through the door.
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Alice soon found herself in the hall with the glass table.
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Oh, I'm back here again.
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Let's see if I can do things in the right order this time.
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First, Alice used the gold key to unlock the garden door.
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Then, she took a piece of mushroom from her pocket.
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She nibbled it until she was a foot high.
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Finally, she walked through the door and into the beautiful garden.
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A large rose bush stood near the entrance.
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Its flowers were white, but three gardeners were busy painting them red.
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The gardeners wore outfits that looked like playing cards.
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Alice noticed that they were the two,
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five, and seven of spades.
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Be careful, five, two said.
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You're splashing paint on me.
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I couldn't help it, five said.
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Seven bumped my elbow.
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Seven scowled.
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You're always blaming everyone else, Five.
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You should...
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Spotting Alice, Seven bowed low,
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as did the other cards.
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Alice suddenly felt a bit shy.
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Would you please tell me why you're painting those roses?
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Two spoke up.
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Well, you see, Miss, the Queen wanted a red rose bush.
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We planted a white one by mistake,
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and if she found out...
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She cut off our heads, Seven said.
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Five was looking anxiously around the garden.
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The queen!
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The queen! he shouted.
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All three cards instantly threw themselves on the ground, face down.
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Alice looked up to see a parade.
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First came ten soldiers.
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Their outfits were shaped like playing cards too,
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but they had clubs instead of spades.
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Next came ten royal children, whose outfits had hearts.
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After that came some others.
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There's the white rabbit, Alice said.
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He seemed quite nervous and didn't notice her as he passed.
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Then came the Knave of Hearts,
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followed by his parents, the King and Queen of Hearts.
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When the King and Queen reached Alice, they stopped.
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Everyone else stopped too, turning to stare at her.
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Who are you? the Queen demanded.
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My name is Alice, she said aloud in a polite voice.
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But to herself she said,
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They're only a pack of cards.
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There's no need to be afraid of them.
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The queen noticed the three gardeners.
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Their backs matched those of her soldiers and her children.
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And who are these people?
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How should I know?
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Alice said, surprised at her own courage.
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Turning bright red, the queen screamed, Off with her head!
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Nonsense!
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Alice said loudly.
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The queen went silent, but she still looked angry.
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The king put his hand on the queen's arm.
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She's only a child, he said.
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Get up!
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The queen screamed at the gardeners.
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The three gardeners popped up and began bowing to everyone at once.
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Stop that!
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You're making me dizzy! the queen shouted.
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She pointed to the rosebush.
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What's going on here?
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We're trying...
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Two began.
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I can see that!
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Off with their heads! the queen shouted.
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the parade began to move again terrified the gardeners ran to
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Alice for protection I won't let the soldiers hurt you she said Alice quickly hid them in a flower pot
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while the soldiers searched high and low are their heads off the Queen shouted back at the soldiers of Of course,
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Your Majesty, the soldiers replied.
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Giving up their search, they joined the end of the parade.
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The queen shouted over her shoulder to Alice.
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Can you play croquet?
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Alice was surprised, but she replied.
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Yes.
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Then come with us, the queen called,
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and Alice joined the parade.
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When the Queen's Parade reached the croquet lawn,
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Alice heard a soft voice beside her.
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It's.. it's a fine day, the White Rabbit said.
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He looked anxiously at Alice.
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Very fine indeed, Alice replied.
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Where's the Duchess?
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Be quiet, the White Rabbit said quickly.
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He looked over his shoulder before whispering in Alice's ear.
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The Duchess has been sentenced to death.
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Alice looked surprised.
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What did she do?
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She slapped the Queen's face and...
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The White Rabbit began.
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Alice laughed nervously.
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Oh, hush!
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Before the queen hears you,
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the white rabbit said, sounding frightened.
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The duchess arrived late and...
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Go to your places, the queen roared.
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People began running in all directions, tripping over each other.
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However, they soon settled down and the croquet game began.
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This is the strangest croquet game I've ever seen, Alice said.
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The balls are live hedgehogs,
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and the mallets are flamingos.
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And what are those soldiers doing?
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The soldiers were bending over so their hands touched the ground.
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Oh, I see.
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There's a wickets, Alice exclaimed.
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She picked up her flamingo,
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but her flamingo wouldn't cooperate.
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Alice couldn't figure out how to hold it as a mallet.
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The bird kept looking at her with a puzzled expression,
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which only made Alice laugh.
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As for her hedgehog, it unrolled itself and began to walk away way.
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The soldiers kept getting up to stretch,
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and the ground was too rough to play on.
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This is a hard way to play croquet, Alice said.
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The players didn't take turns.
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Instead, they all made their shots at once,
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which led to many arguments.
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Soon the queen was stomping around,
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shouting, Off with his head!
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Off with her head!
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Alice began to feel uneasy.
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I hope I don't do anything to upset the queen, she thought.
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That could be dangerous.
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Suddenly, she saw something odd floating in the air.
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A grin.
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The image grew clearer.
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it's the Cheshire cat Alice said happily now I'll have somebody
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to talk to you how are you doing the Cheshire cat
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asked there's no use replying until his ears show up Alice
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said to herself he can't hear me yet in another minute
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the Cheshire cat's whole head was visible Alice put down her flamingo and began to describe the croquet game.
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Meanwhile, the Cheshire Cat's body remained invisible.
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Nobody plays fairly, Alice complained.
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And it's so difficult using live animals and soldiers.
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How do you like the queen?
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The Cheshire Cat asked quietly.
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I don't like her at all, Alice said.
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She's so...
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Just then, Alice noticed the queen listening nearby.
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She blushed.
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I mean, the queen is likely to win,
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so it's not worth finishing the game.
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The queen smiled and passed by.
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As Alice continued to talk,
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the king approached and stared at the Cheshire Cat's head.
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Who are you talking to?
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The king asked Alice.
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This is a good friend of mine,
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the Cheshire Cat, she said.
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Let me introduce you.
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I don't like the look of that cat at all.
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He must be removed at once.
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The king called out to the queen.
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My dear, please have this cat removed.
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The queen had only one way of dealing with problems, large or small.
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Off with his head, she cried.
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The king went to fetch the executioner.
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While the king was fetching the executioner,
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Alice heard the queen shouting.
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It sounds like the queen is upset,
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Alice said to the Cheshire Cat.
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She's yelling about the croquet game.
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The Cheshire Cat's head floated above Alice, but he didn't reply.
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She decided to find out what was going on.
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The croquet game was as strange as ever.
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Off with his head! the queen shouted as Alice approached.
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The queen pointed to another player.
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Off with her head too!
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What did those players do?
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Alice asked the White Rabbit.
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They weren't paying attention, so they missed their turns.
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The White Rabbit replied.
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Oh no!
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Alice said.
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I probably missed my turn when I was talking to the Cheshire Cat.
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I don't want to lose my head.
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I'd better hunt for my ball.
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I mean, my hedgehog.
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Alice quickly found her a hedgehog
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which was fighting with another hedgehog she didn't try to separate
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them where's my mallet I mean where's my flamingo she looked around
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and spotted her flamingo across the garden by the time she
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grabbed it the hedgehogs had stopped fighting in fact they were nowhere in sight it doesn't matter
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that they've disappeared Alice said to herself there are no wickets
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anyway all the soldiers have walked away she tucked the flamingo under her arm
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and returned to the Cheshire cat she was surprised to find a crowd gathered below his head
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There was a loud argument going on.
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The executioner, the king, and the queen were all talking at once.
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As soon as they spotted Alice,
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they turned to her and kept talking.
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I can't understand you, Alice said.
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Please take turns talking.
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The executioner went first.
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They want me to cut off this cat's head.
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But I can't cut off a head without a body.
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I've never done anything like that in my life.
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He crossed his arms.
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And I'm not going to start now.
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Stop talking nonsense, the king said.
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All you need is the head,
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and you have a head here.
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Which?
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The queen gave an impatient snort.
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If somebody doesn't do something right now,
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I'll order everyone's head cut off.
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After that threat, everyone in the crowd looked frightened.
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Alice had a hard time thinking of anything to say.
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Finally, she said, The Cheshire Cat belongs to the Duchess.
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You'd better ask her what to do about it.
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The Duchess is in prison,
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the Queen said to the Executioner.
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Bring her here at once!
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The Executioner ran off to fetch the Duchess.
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The moment he was gone,
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the Cheshire Cat's head began to fade away.
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By the time the Executioner returned with the Duchess, the cat had disappeared.
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While the king and the executioner searched for the Cheshire Cat,
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everyone else played croquet.
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The Duchess tucked her arm into Alice's, and they walked away.
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I'm so glad to see you again, my dear.
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The Duchess patted Alice's arm.
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And I'm glad to see you, Alice replied.
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She was surprised that the Duchess was so friendly.
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Alice and the Duchess walked and talked.
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Alice wanted to ask about the Cheshire Cat,
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but the Duchess was busy talking.
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Suddenly, the Duchess's voice died away, and her arms shook.
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Alice looked up and saw the Queen blocking their path.
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A fine day, Your Majesty,
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the Duchess said in a weak voice.
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The Queen was not happy to see the Duchess.
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Leave immediately, or off with your head, she shouted.
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The Duchess hurried away, and the Queen turned to Alice.
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Let's join the game!
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will practice their English speaking skills by engaging with key excerpts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, specifically Chapters 15-17. This segment includes Alice's encounters with unusual characters and situations, focusing on dialogues that highlight her curiosity and interactions in a fantastical setting. By practicing with this material, learners will enhance their comprehension and expressive abilities in English, cultivating skills necessary for effective conversation.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- strange - unusual or unexpected
- garden door - the entrance to a garden
- mushroom - a type of fungus, here used to alter size
- painting roses - changing the color of flowers, metaphorically representing deception
- Queen - a female monarch, here symbolizing authority and power
- bump - to hit or push against someone, often unintentionally
- parade - a public procession, often festive or ceremonial
- who are you? - a common phrase used to inquire about someone's identity
Practice Tips
For effective English speaking practice, utilize the shadowing technique with the provided transcript. The goal of shadowing is to imitate the speech patterns, intonation, and emotion of the narrator. To get started, listen to the video at a manageable pace. You might consider downloading a good shadowing app that allows you to control playback speed, enabling you to practice aligning your speech with the original audio. Here’s how to approach your practice:
- Listen and Repeat: After hearing a line, pause the video and repeat it aloud. Focus on emulating the speaker’s tone and rhythm.
- Record Yourself: Use your smartphone or a computer to record your voice while you practice. Play it back to identify areas for improvement in clarity and confidence.
- Utilize a Shadowing Site: If available, join a platform that supports shadow speak, helping you to practice with others.
- Adjust Speed: Start at a slower speed until you feel comfortable with the pronunciation before gradually increasing it.
By integrating these strategies into your learning routine, you can significantly improve your ability to communicate in English and enhance your understanding of context, especially while navigating whimsical situations like Alice's adventures!
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.
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