Shadowing Practice: B2 FIRST | LISSTENING | F4T1P3 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Part 3.
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63 sentences
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Part 3.
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Speaker 1.
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I work in the front office on board ship,
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answering passenger queries and so on.
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I used to work in the back office,
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but I wanted to better myself,
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so I took some customer service evening courses at my local college between cruises,
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and then reapplied for work on the ship.
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That's what's good about this line of work.
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You can move up quite quickly.
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What I love about this job is that you really get to interact with passengers.
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We get people from all walks of life,
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lots of couples, but families too.
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They come for the holiday of a lifetime, a bit of luxury.
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And why not?
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Speaker 2 There's a common misconception that everyone who works on a cruise ship is in their early 20s,
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but most people here are older than me.
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I was going nowhere professionally,
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so thought I'd try my hand here.
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Most of the cruise singers,
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myself included, dream of being discovered by a passenger who also happens to be a record producer.
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A bit unlikely, I know.
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The staff quarters are brilliant.
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My cabin is better than my bedroom back home.
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And the social life is great too.
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We have some fantastic staff parties and we even put on our own concerts sometimes.
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Speaker three.
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Well, I'm a bit of an oddity,
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actually, because I'm a whole lot older than most people who work on board.
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I'm sixty-eight.
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Also, I don't get paid.
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That's right.
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Many people ask me why I do it,
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but I have the chance to go on all these wonderful cruises for absolutely nothing.
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My role is to accompany the groups when they go ashore and make sure everything runs smoothly.
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It's perfect.
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I spend all my time with the passengers and I've made some lovely friends over the years.
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My husband does the same thing,
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but it's a shame it's on another ship, though.
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At least we have lots to talk about.
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Speaker 4 I'm a chef.
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Catering is hard work.
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It's really full on most of the time.
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Some nights I can't wait to get back to the cabin and put my feet up,
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even if the space is a bit small.
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My wife's a childminder on board,
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and although we work completely different hours,
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it's ideal really, because otherwise I wouldn't see much of her.
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I qualified and worked in a restaurant in Canada,
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but I always wanted to travel.
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It's not a luxurious lifestyle for the staff on board,
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but the job does allow me to see new places.
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Speaker 5 I work in the tour office,
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organising the tours that the passengers can go on when we make our various stops.
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Although the pay isn't great,
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especially as we don't make any tips like they do in the restaurant,
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there are other perks.
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There are like loads of courses we can do.
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I've learnt Italian and brushed up my computer skills since I've been doing this job.
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The staff's social activities are fantastic,
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almost as good as the passengers' entertainment.
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On the whole, the passengers are really nice.
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I mean, I love seeing them all dressed up in their posh clothes going in for dinner.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will focus on enhancing your English listening and speaking skills through a diverse range of real-life scenarios narrated by individuals working on a cruise ship. This exercise will not only improve your English pronunciation but also familiarize you with workplace vocabulary and expressions. By paying attention to how speakers convey their experiences, you will learn effective ways to articulate your own ideas and experiences, particularly in customer service and hospitality contexts. Prepare to engage in shadowspeak, where you will practice mimicking the intonation and rhythm of native speakers.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Front office - The main reception area providing customer service on a ship.
  • Back office - Administrative or support staff working away from customer interaction.
  • Customer service - Assistance and support provided to customers.
  • All walks of life - People from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
  • Holiday of a lifetime - An extraordinary or memorable vacation.
  • Social life - The activities and engagements one has outside of work.
  • Accompany - To go along with someone for support or help.
  • Catering - Providing food and service for events and guests.

Practice Tips

As you engage with the material from this lesson, consider practicing shadow speech by listening to the video at a slower pace initially. This will help you grasp the pronunciation and tone of the speakers. Focus on improving your English pronunciation by repeating phrases aloud immediately after hearing them. Use a technique called shadowing, where you mimic the speaker's words and intonations as closely as possible. Be mindful of the natural rhythm and emotions in their speech, as this will enhance your overall communication skills. Try recording your practice sessions to track your progress and adjust your pronunciation based on your playback. Engaging in shadowspeaks can significantly boost your confidence in spoken English, allowing you to express yourself fluently in various social settings.

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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