Shadowing Practice: Короткий рассказ для среднего уровня (B2) 🎧 Английский на слух - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Today we will listen to another story about Max, a student for the United States.
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This story is for the middle level.
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It contains a lot of useful words and expressions, which Americans use practically every day.
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Before we start, please, please like and subscribe to the channel, so that you don't miss new lessons.
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Happy listening!
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First, let's discuss the key words and phrases.
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Point of contact.
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Point of contact.
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Head straight to.
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Head straight to Blend into one another
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Blend into one another
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Temporary Temporary Temporary Make the most of.
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Извлечь максимум пользы.
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Make the most of. Do the dishes.
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Мыть посуду.
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Do the dishes.
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Utility costs.
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Коммунальные расходы.
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Utility costs.
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Step aside.
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Уступить место.
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Отойти в сторону.
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Step aside.
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Теперь давайте послушаем историю без перевода, с субтитрами на английском.
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Вы можете следить за текстом или просто слушать.
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Постарайтесь понять общую мысль.
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The right way to do the dishes
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My flight from New York to St. Louis was pretty short.
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Before we landed, the flight attendant came by one last time to ask if I'd like another coffee, but I politely declined.
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Since the plane wasn't crowded, I was able to get off quickly and head straight to baggage claim.
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Near the exit, I spotted an older couple holding a sign with my name on it, Max.
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They introduced themselves as Kathy and Chuck, my main points of contact during my stay in the States.
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After a warm greeting, they helped me grab my bags, and we headed toward a small town just outside St. Louis.
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Americans seem to love living in suburbs, small towns just outside the urban rush.
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These areas have neat residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping centers, and just about anything else a family might need.
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Perhaps a bit boring, but remarkably quiet and safe.
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What surprised me, though, was how seamlessly these towns blended into one another.
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Often, it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
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To make things even more confusing, you might live in one town but attend school in another.
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Don't ask me how that system works.
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I never quite figured it out.
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Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about school just yet.
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It was only early August, and I still had a few weeks to settle in before classes started.
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My host family lived in what I soon realized was a very typical American home.
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A spacious, two -story house with an attached two -car garage.
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It looked almost identical to every other house on the street.
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Inside, there were several bedrooms, along with a living room, a kitchen, and a dining room with an impressively large table.
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The parents' room, the master bedroom, was upstairs.
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It was easily the largest room in the house.
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I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would need such a huge room just to sleep in.
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It even had its own private bathroom, probably the second largest room in the house.
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My host brother's room was on the opposite side of the house, and I stayed in the guest room next to his.
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We shared a small bathroom, much like the one I have back home.
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At first, I assumed we would have plenty of time to become friends.
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However, I soon learned that this was only a temporary stop.
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My permanent host family had just moved and needed about a week to get settled.
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Even so, I decided to make the most of my short stay.
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One evening after dinner, I offered to help out by doing the dishes.
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My host dad, whose regular responsibility this was, happily stepped aside.
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I rolled up my sleeves, turned on the faucet, and started scrubbing.
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I hadn't even finished the first plate when he stopped me.
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Hey, he said with a friendly smile, that's not how we do the dishes in America.
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I was genuinely confused.
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How many ways can there be to wash a plate, I wondered.
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He stepped in front of the sink.
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water is a valuable resource here and we try not to waste it he explained
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it's also expensive and those utility costs really add up
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he filled the sink about halfway and gave the plates a quick rinse
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This is all you need to do before putting them in the dishwasher, he said.
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The dishwasher will do the rest.
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I wasn't convinced that the American way was more economical, but I chose not to argue.
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One thing was certain, though.
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I had only just begun to learn how different everyday life could be on this side of the Atlantic.
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Now listen to the story with the translation.
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We have translated the translation so that you could learn to go on the road.
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Try to listen and repeat for the diction.
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Also, look at the point in the bottom of the screen.
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The right way to do the dishes.
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How to do the dishes.
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How to do the dishes.
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The right way to do the dishes.
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My flight from New York to St. Louis was pretty short.
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Мой перелет из Нью -Йорка в St. Louis был довольно коротким.
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My flight from New York to St. Louis was pretty short.
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Before we landed, the flight attendant came by one last time.
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Перед посадкой стюардесса в последний раз подошла...
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Before we landed, the flight attendant came by one last time.
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...to ask if I'd like another coffee.
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to ask if I'd like another coffee. But I politely declined.
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Но я вежливо отказался.
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Since the plane wasn't crowded,
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Since the plane wasn't crowded.
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I was able to get off quickly.
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Я смог быстро выйти.
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I was able to get off quickly.
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And head straight to baggage claim.
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И сразу направился к выдаче багажа.
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And head straight to baggage claim.
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Near the exit, I spotted an older couple holding a sign with my name on it.
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Max Возле выхода я заметил пожилую пару,
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державшую табличку с моим именем.
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Max Near the exit, I spotted an older couple holding a sign with my name on it.
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Max.
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They introduced themselves as Kathy and Chuck.
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Они представились как Кэти и Чак.
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They introduced themselves as Kathy and Chuck.
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My main points of contact during my stay in the States.
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Они были моими основными контактными лицами во время моего пребывания в Штатах.
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My main points of contact during my stay in the States.
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After a warm greeting, they helped me grab my bags.
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После теплого приветствия они помогли мне забрать багаж.
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After a warm greeting, they helped me grab my bags.
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and we headed toward a small town just outside St. Louis.
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И мы направились в небольшой городок недалеко от Сент -Луиса and we headed toward a small town just outside St. Louis.
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Americans seem to love living in suburbs.
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Похоже, американцы любят жить в пригородах.
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Americans seem to love living in suburbs.
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Small towns just outside the urban rush
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Small towns just outside the urban rush
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These areas have neat residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping centers.
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These areas have neat residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping centers.
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and just about anything else a family might need.
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И почти все, что может понадобиться семье.
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And just about anything else a family might need.
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Perhaps a bit boring, but remarkably quiet and safe.
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Возможно, немного скучно, зато удивительно тихо и безопасно.
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Perhaps a bit boring, but remarkably quiet and safe.
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What surprised me, though, was how seamlessly these towns blended into one another.
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Но меня удивило, насколько незаметно эти города переходили один в другой.
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What surprised me, though, was how seamlessly these towns blended into one another.
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Often, it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
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often it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
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to make things even more confusing,
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to make things even more confusing, you might live in one town,
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but attend school in another.
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You might live in one town, but attend school in another.
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Don't ask me how that system works.
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Не спрашивайте меня, как работает эта система.
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Don't ask me how that system works.
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I never quite figured it out.
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Я так и не смог в ней до конца разобраться.
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I never quite figured it out.
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Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about school just yet.
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К счастью, о школе мне пока не нужно было беспокоиться.
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Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about school just yet.
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It was only early August.
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Было только начало августа.
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It was only early August.
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And I still had a few weeks to settle in before classes started.
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And I still had a few weeks to settle in before classes started.
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My host family lived in what I soon realized was a very typical American home.
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My host family lived in what I soon realized was a very typical American home.
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A spacious two -story house with an attached two -car garage.
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A spacious two -story house with an attached two -car garage.
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It looked almost identical to every other house on the street.
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Он выглядел почти так же, как и все остальные дома на этой улице.
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It looked almost identical to every other house on the street.
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Inside there were several bedrooms, along with a living room, a kitchen.
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Внутри было несколько спален, а также гостиная, кухня.
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Inside there were several bedrooms, along with a living room, a kitchen.
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and a dining room with an impressively large table.
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И столовая с впечатляюще большим столом and a dining room with an impressively large table.
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The parents' room, the master bedroom, was upstairs.
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Комната родителей, главная спальня, находилась наверху.
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The parents' room, the master bedroom, was upstairs.
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It was easily the largest room in the house.
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Это была, безусловно, самая большая комната в доме.
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It was easily the largest room in the house.
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I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would need such a huge room just to sleep in.
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Я не мог не задаться вопросом, зачем кому -то нужна такая огромная комната только для сна.
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I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would need such a huge room just to sleep in.
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It even had its own private bathroom, probably the second largest room in the house.
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У нее даже была собственная ванная комната, вероятно, вторая по величине комната в доме.
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It even had its own private bathroom, probably the second largest room in the house.
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My host brother's room was on the opposite side of the house.
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Комната моего принимающего брата находилась на противоположной стороне дома.
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My host brother's room was on the opposite side of the house.
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and I stayed in the guest room next to his.
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А я жил в гостевой комнате рядом с его.
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And I stayed in the guest room next to his.
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We shared a small bathroom, much like the one I have back home.
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We shared a small bathroom, much like the one I have back home.
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At first I assumed we would have plenty of time to become friends.
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At first I assumed we would have plenty of time to become friends.
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However, I soon learned that this was only a temporary stop.
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However, I soon learned that this was only a temporary stop.
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My permanent host family had just moved.
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My permanent host family had just moved.
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And needed about a week to get settled.
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and needed about a week to get settled.
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Even so, I decided to make the most of my short stay.
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Тем не менее, я решил извлечь максимум из своего короткого пребывания.
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Even so, I decided to make the most of my short stay.
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One evening after dinner, I offered to help out by doing the dishes.
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Однажды вечером после ужина я предложил помочь, помыв посуду.
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One evening after dinner, I offered to help out by doing the dishes.
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My host dad, whose regular responsibility this was, happily stepped aside.
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Мой принимающий отец, для которого это было обычной обязанностью, с радостью уступил мне место.
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happily stepped aside.
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I rolled up my sleeves, turned on the faucet, and started scrubbing.
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Я закатал рукава, открыл кран, и начал мыть.
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I rolled up my sleeves, turned on the faucet, and started scrubbing.
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I hadn't even finished the first plate when he stopped me.
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Я еще не закончил с первой тарелкой, как он меня остановил.
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I hadn't even finished the first plate when he stopped me.
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Hey, he said with a friendly smile.
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«Эй !» – сказал он с дружелюбной улыбкой.
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В Америке мы так посуду не моем.
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That's not how we do the dishes in America.
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I was genuinely confused.
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Я был искренне озадачен.
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I was genuinely confused.
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How many ways can there be to wash a plate, I wondered.
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How many ways can there be to wash a plate?
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I wondered.
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He stepped in front of the sink.
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He stepped in front of the sink.
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Water is a valuable resource here.
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and we try not to waste it, he explained.
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«Вода здесь — ценный ресурс, и мы стараемся не тратить ее впустую», — объяснил он.
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«Вода — это полезная ресурс здесь, и мы пытаемся не тратить ее, — он объяснил».
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It's also expensive, and those utility costs really add up.
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К тому же она дорогая, и коммунальные расходы быстро накапливаются.
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It's also expensive, and those utility costs really add up.
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He filled the sink about halfway and gave the plates a quick rinse.
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He filled the sink about halfway and gave the plates a quick rinse.
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This is all you need to do before putting them in the dishwasher, he said.
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Это все, что нужно сделать перед тем, как поставить их в посудомоечную машину, сказал он.
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This is all you need to do before putting them in the dishwasher, he said.
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The dishwasher will do the rest.
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Посудомоечная машина сделает все остальное.
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The dishwasher will do the rest.
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I wasn't convinced that the American way was more economical.
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Я не был убежден, что американский способ более экономичный.
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I wasn't convinced that the American way was more economical.
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But I chose not to argue.
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but I chose not to argue.
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One thing was certain, though.
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One thing was certain, though.
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I had only just begun to learn.
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I had only just begun to learn how different everyday life could be on this side of the Atlantic.
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Насколько другой может быть повседневная жизнь по эту сторону Атлантики?
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The Atlantic.
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А теперь небольшой тест.
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Мы прочитаем короткую фразу на русском языке и дадим вам немного времени, чтобы перевести ее на английский.
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Так вы сможете закрепить материал через обратный перевод.
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Постарайтесь перевести все фразы правильно.
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После ужина я предложил помыть посуду.
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After dinner, I offered to do the dishes.
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I was right.
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I was right.
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I headed straight to the exit.
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Ему надоела постоянная городская суета.
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He grew tired of the constant urban rush.
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He grew tired of the constant urban rush.
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Эти маленькие города сливаются друг с другом.
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These small towns blend into one another.
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These small towns blend into one another.
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Этот городок был лишь временной остановкой для меня.
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This house was only a temporary stop for me.
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This house was only a temporary stop for me.
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I tried to make the most of my free time.
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I tried to make the most of my free time.
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Katie была моим основным контактным лицом во время поездки.
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trip.
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Kathy was my main point of contact during the trip.
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He stepped aside and let me continue.
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He stepped aside and let me continue.
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Напоследок давайте послушаем историю еще раз, но уже в более быстром темпе.
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На этот раз вы должны понять ее полностью.
271
My flight from New York to St. Louis was pretty short.
272
Before we landed, the flight attendant came by one last time to ask if I'd like another coffee, but I politely declined.
273
Since the plane wasn't crowded, I was able to get off quickly and head straight to baggage claim.
274
Near the exit, I spotted an older couple holding a sign with my name on it.
275
Max.
276
They introduced themselves as Kathy and Chuck, my main points of contact during my stay in the States.
277
After a warm greeting, they helped me grab my bags, and we headed toward a small town just outside St. Louis.
278
Americans seem to love living in suburbs, small towns just outside the urban rush.
279
These areas have neat residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping centers, and just about anything else a family might need.
280
Perhaps a bit boring, but remarkably quiet and safe.
281
What surprised me, though, was how seamlessly these towns blended into one another.
282
Often, it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began.
283
To make things even more confusing, you might live in one town but attend school in another.
284
Don't ask me how that system works.
285
I never quite figured it out.
286
Fortunately, I didn't need to worry about school just yet.
287
It was only early August, and I still had a few weeks to settle in before classes started.
288
My host family lived in what I soon realized was a very typical American home.
289
A spacious two -story house with an attached two -car garage.
290
It looked almost identical to every other house on the street.
291
Inside, there were several bedrooms, along with a living room, a kitchen, and a dining room with an impressively large table.
292
The parents' room, the master bedroom, was upstairs.
293
It was easily the largest room in the house.
294
I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would need such a huge room just to sleep in.
295
It even had its own private bathroom, probably the second largest room in the house.
296
My host brother's room was on the opposite side of the house, and I stayed in the guest room next to his.
297
We shared a small bathroom, much like the one I have back home.
298
At first, I assumed we would have plenty of time to become friends.
299
However, I soon learned that this was only a temporary stop.
300
My permanent host family had just moved and needed about a week to get settled.
301
Even so, I decided to make the most of my short stay.
302
One evening after dinner, I offered to help out by doing the dishes.
303
My host, Dad, whose regular responsibility this was, happily stepped aside.
304
I rolled up my sleeves, turned on the faucet, and started scrubbing.
305
I hadn't even finished the first plate when he stopped me.
306
Hey, he said with a friendly smile, that's not how we do the dishes in America.
307
I was genuinely confused.
308
How many ways can there be to wash a plate, I wondered.
309
He stepped in front of the sink.
310
Water is a valuable resource here, and we try not to waste it, he explained.
311
It's also expensive, and those utility costs really add up.
312
He filled the sink about halfway and gave the plates a quick rinse.
313
This is all you need to do before putting them in the dishwasher, he said.
314
The dishwasher will do the rest.
315
I wasn't convinced that the American way was more economical, but I chose not to argue.
316
One thing was certain, though.
317
I had only just begun to do the rest.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Короткий рассказ для среднего уровня (B2) 🎧 Английский на слух”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: town, dishes, host, plate. This video has 260 sentences and 2681 words to shadow. The speech runs for 40:00. The speaker talks slowly, about 67 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| temporary adjective | /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/ | Not permanent; existing only for a period or periods of time. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| settle verb | /ˈsɛtəl/ | To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc). |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| blend verb | /blɛnd/ | To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or shade insensibly into each other. |
| rush verb | /ɹʌʃ/ | To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully. |
| utility noun | /juːˈtɪlɪti/ | The state or condition of being useful; usefulness. |
| exit noun | /ˈɛɡzət/ | An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| residential adjective | /ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl/ | Of or pertaining to a place of personal residence or to a location for such places. |
| convince verb | /kənˈvɪns/ | To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence. |
| garage noun | /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ | A building (or section of a building) used to store a car or cars, tools and other miscellaneous items. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| step aside verb | To move out of the way of somebody or something. |
| add up verb | To take the sum of; to total. |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. |
| help out verb | To provide assistance. |
| roll up verb | To dominate by accumulating; to become dominant by accumulating. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 29 contractions and reduced forms, such as wasn't, don't, couldn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, residential /ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, translation /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, utility /juːˈtɪlɪti/, residential /ˌrɛzɪˈdɛnʃəl/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like dish, temporary, bedroom.
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.