Shadowing Practice: [Audio] Basic IELTS Listening - 87 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Exercise 4.
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The first year undergraduates.
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Two students are talking in the student's canteen.
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Listen to the conversation and fill in the missing information in the notes below. Is this seat taken?
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No. May I sit here?
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Please do.
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Are you a new student?
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Yes.
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I'm Marty from Korea.
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I got here only yesterday.
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I'm Alan, second year in law.
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Nice to meet you.
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Nice to meet you, too.
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Alan, could you tell me something about the first year students' life here?
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Okay.
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You know, the first year students' life can be exciting but terrifying for the first week.
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Why is it terrifying?
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Oh, many first year students will feel very homesick for the first week since this is their first time away from home.
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By the way, do you live on campus?
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Yes, I live in a hall of residence.
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That's good.
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Living in a hall of residence soon helps you to make some new friends.
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You know, the university always provides accommodation to the first-year students.
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They may move out into a rented room in their second or third year, or share a house with friends.
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I see.
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That's reasonable for the first-year students so they don't worry about their accommodation and transportation problems.
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That's right.
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During the first week, all the clubs and societies will hold a student's fair,
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during which they try to persuade new students to join their society.
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Oh, I heard about that.
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I expected this kind of fare.
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I'd like to join some sports clubs so I will have something to do in my spare time.
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The first year students are told
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that it is important for them to come into contact with many opinions and activities during their time at university.
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The first week, you may be taken to visit the campus.
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You can see groups of students walking around the huge campus, finding their way around in the first week of university.
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And at weekends, the university may organize some trips to places nearby, so you will be quite busy for the first few weeks.
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It sounds good.
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All the activities will keep me busy.
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Thank you, Alan.
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You're welcome, and hope you will enjoy your stay here.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "[Audio] Basic IELTS Listening - 87" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.