Shadowing Practice: C2 Proficiency CPE Listening Part 1,2,3 -T25 with answer - Learn English Speaking with Video
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263 sentences
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1
Now open your question paper and look at part 1.
2
You will hear three different extracts.
3
For questions 1 to 6, choose the answer A, B or C, which fits best according to what you hear.
4
There are two questions for each extract.
5
Extract 1
6
The latest wave of worry started in the 1960s, and there's been a proliferation of societies for the preservation of pure English ever since.
7
And you know, when all else fails, when they've got nowhere with teachers and public figures and so on, these people would write to us.
8
And I drew the short straw of having to deal with all those letters complaining about the language.
9
These range from those drawing our attention to our own piddling misprints,
10
to those vilifying the general use of vogue words such as ongoing or scenario or whatever in the media,
11
and those cataloguing the alleged mispronunciation of newsreaders.
12
this latter being a real obsession with some of the most persistent correspondence.
13
The latest wave of worry started in the 1960s, and there's been a proliferation of societies for the preservation of pure English ever since.
14
And, you know, when all else fails, when they've got nowhere with teachers and public figures and so on, these people would write to us.
15
And I drew the short straw of having to deal with all those letters complaining about the language.
16
These range from those drawing our attention to our own piddling misprints,
17
to those vilifying the general use of vogue words such as ongoing or scenario or whatever in the media,
18
and those cataloguing the alleged mispronunciation of newsreaders, this latter being a real obsession with some of the most persistent correspondence.
19
Extract 2
20
Thank you.
21
about the immediacy of being on stage with an audience that's ten metres away from you, as opposed to the distance in an ice arena.
22
And I've been fortunate enough not only to have skated on a theatrical stage and have the audience there,
23
but also to have danced in some of the great shows, Cats, Rocky Horror...
24
But when you dance, don't you miss the skates terribly?
25
I don't miss the skates, but in rehearsals it did take some getting used to.
26
In ice skating, you take a few steps and you've You've travelled 20 metres at high speed.
27
I was 10-pin bowling with the rest of the cast.
28
I was making my steps and banging into other people.
29
Then I realised you can do all this great choreography and move nowhere.
30
So, you're finished with competitive skating, and you're going to carry on choreographing ice shows.
31
What else?
32
Well, I'm only 42, full of energy.
33
And I hear you've taken to the boards.
34
I love the stage.
35
There's something about the immediacy of being on stage with an audience that's ten metres away from you, as opposed to the distance in an ice arena.
36
And I've been fortunate enough not only to have skated on a theatrical stage and have the audience there, but also to have danced in some of the great shows, Cats, Rocky Horror.
37
But when you dance, don't you miss the skates terribly?
38
I don't miss the skates, but in rehearsals it did take some getting used to.
39
In ice skating you take a few steps and you've travelled 20 metres at high speed.
40
I was ten-pin bowling with the rest of the cast.
41
I was making my steps and banging into other people.
42
Then I realised you can do all this great choreography and move nowhere.
43
Extract 3
44
The film was rather limp and morose, a rather low-powered film, and unfortunately not a very good adaptation of the novel.
45
I think part of the problem is that this particular novelist is not a very filmic writer on many occasions.
46
Most of the pleasures one gets from reading him are pleasures of language.
47
He's very playful.
48
He's very witty with language.
49
But the message goes straight from the eye to the brain.
50
You don't need pretty pictures to intervene.
51
So, wisely, on the one hand, the filmmakers have skipped a lot of the verbal playfulness, but what they're left with is a rather pedestrian story, firmly set in the 70s,
52
examining the issue of conformity, and it all seems to have lost its relevance.
53
The other thing which is lost in the translation is that the heroes, Chris and Tony, are very clever boys.
54
They're very bright and witty.
55
But in the film, Chris is a rather pedestrian character.
56
Tony, who in the book is a rather exotic character, whose sense of otherness Chris wants to emulate, just comes across as a bit of a thug and totally unappealing.
57
I thought the film was rather limp and morose, a rather low-powered film, and unfortunately not a very good adaptation of the novel.
58
I think part of the problem is that this particular novelist is not a very filmic writer on many occasions.
59
Most of the pleasures one gets from reading him are pleasures of language.
60
He's very playful, he's very witty with language, but the message goes straight from the eye to the brain.
61
You don't need pretty pictures to intervene.
62
So, wisely, on the one hand, the filmmakers have skipped a lot of the verbal playfulness, but what they're left with is a rather pedestrian story, firmly set in the 70s,
63
examining the issue of conformity, and it all seems to have lost its relevance.
64
The other thing which is lost in the translation is that the heroes, Chris and Tony, are very clever boys, they're very bright and witty.
65
But in the film, Chris is a rather pedestrian character.
66
Tony, who in the book is a rather exotic character, whose sense of otherness Chris wants to emulate, just comes across as a bit of a thug and totally unappealing.
67
That is the end of part one.
68
Now turn to part two.
69
You'll hear a talk given by a naturalist who's interested in a type of insect called the damselfly.
70
For questions 7 to 15, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
71
You now have 45 seconds in which to look at part 2.
72
Thank you.
73
Good evening.
74
Now, you may think that looking into the murky depths of a muddy pond doesn't sound much like fun, but I have many happy childhood memories of doing just
75
that as I went hunting for the insects that have always fascinated me.
76
For it is in surroundings like these
77
that you can find one of the fastest and oldest species of insect in the world,
78
the dragonfly, and its elusive but beautiful smaller cousin, the damselfly.
79
The speed of these insects is estimated to vary from 35 to 60 miles per hour,
80
and fossilised remains show them to have been in existence 300 million years ago.
81
But apart from that, relatively little is known about these creatures, particularly the damselfly, the abundance and distribution of which in Britain can only be guessed at.
82
What is known is that changes to the rural landscape have been affecting the population of these charming creatures over recent decades.
83
Developments such as land drainage and the filling in of ponds have certainly taken their toll, but exactly how much is difficult to assess.
84
And this is where you come in, because conservation organisations desperately need your help in locating the remaining damselfly habitats.
85
So, how do you go about this?
86
Well, first of all, when you make what you think is a sighting of a damselfly, it is necessary to make a positive identification.
87
The insect is similar to its close relation, the dragonfly, but differs in several respects.
88
Firstly, the dragonfly has a rapid, strong flight, while its damsel cousin is delicate, with frail wings, and is therefore relatively weak in flight.
89
Secondly, you should try to observe the insect when it is at rest.
90
When the dragonfly is not flying, its wings are held out at right angles to its body.
91
This is in direct contrast to the damselfly, which holds its wings over its body, so that they are touching each other, rather like a butterfly.
92
I would like to emphasise that this is a stronger distinguishing feature than, say, the eyes or body.
93
As regards colouring, damselflies can be blue, red, or green, but these are not ordinary colours.
94
There's nothing muted about them.
95
They're vivid, and they sparkle in the sunlight like jewels, as the insects dart about from place to place.
96
And some of them have names that reflect this.
97
The emerald damselfly and the azure damselfly, both of which may be spotted locally.
98
It is, however, the more prosaically named blue-tailed damselfly that is actually the most frequently sighted in the region.
99
Whilst others you might see include the common blue damselfly, which is not as common as its name suggests, and the large red damselfly,
100
which is thought almost to have died out locally.
101
And so, if you should get a sighting of that one, we'd certainly be interested in hearing about it.
102
Now, where and when to look for them?
103
Well, not surprisingly, the summer months are best, from May onwards, but not much after August.
104
It is a relatively short season, and you need to be looking in areas where there is water.
105
Although you may find them in gardens, especially near slow-moving streams, damselflies really thrive in the vegetation that's found in and around still water.
106
It's here that they find the smaller, flying insects which are their prey, and it's also here that they lay their eggs below the surface of the water.
107
In terms of the best time of day, avoid the afternoon and evenings, because these insects are definitely early risers.
108
The ideal time to catch up with them is soon after dawn.
109
And so please, if you see damselflies, and if you find them as captivating as I do, then please don't just walk away and forget them.
110
The Conservation Trust is keen to produce a survey of the remaining sites that provide a habitat,
111
and so put pressure on the authorities to preserve them for future generations.
112
So do let them know what you see and where you see it.
113
Now you'll hear part two again.
114
Good evening.
115
Now, you may think that looking into the murky depths of a muddy pond doesn't sound much like fun,
116
but I have many happy childhood memories of doing just
117
that as I went hunting for the insects that have always fascinated me.
118
For it is in surroundings like these
119
that you can find one of the fastest and oldest species of insect in the world,
120
the dragonfly, and its elusive but beautiful smaller cousin, the damselfly.
121
The speed of these insects is estimated to vary from 35 to 60 miles per hour,
122
and fossilised remains show them to have been in existence 300 million years ago.
123
But apart from that, relatively little is known about these creatures, particularly the damselfly, the abundance and distribution of which in Britain can only be guessed at.
124
What is known is that changes to the rural landscape have been affecting the population of these charming creatures over recent decades.
125
Developments such as land drainage and the filling in of ponds have certainly taken their toll, but exactly how much is difficult to assess.
126
And this is where you come in, because conservation organisations desperately need your help in locating the remaining damselfly habitats.
127
So, how do you go about this?
128
Well, first of all, when you make what you think is a sighting of a damselfly, it is necessary to make a positive identification.
129
The insect is similar to its close relation, the dragonfly, but differs in several respects.
130
Firstly, the dragonfly has a rapid, strong flight, while its damsel cousin is delicate, with frail wings, and is therefore relatively weak in flight.
131
Secondly, you should try to observe the insect when it is at rest.
132
When the dragonfly is not flying, its wings are held out at right angles to its body.
133
This is in direct contrast to the damselfly, which holds its wings over its body, so that they are touching each other, rather like a butterfly.
134
I would like to emphasise that this is a stronger distinguishing feature than, say, the eyes or body.
135
As regards colouring, damselflies can be blue, red or green, but these are not ordinary colours.
136
There's nothing muted about them.
137
They're vivid, and they sparkle in the sunlight like jewels, as the insects dart about from place to place.
138
and some of them have names that reflect this
139
the emerald damselfly and the azure damselfly both of which may be spotted locally
140
it is however the more prosaically named blue-tailed damselfly that is actually the most frequently sighted in the region
141
whilst others you might see include the common blue damselfly
142
which is not as common as its name suggests
143
and the large red damselfly which is thought almost to have died out locally And so, if you should get a sighting of that one,
144
we'd certainly be interested in hearing about it.
145
Now, where and when to look for them?
146
Well, not surprisingly, the summer months are best, from May onwards, but not much after August.
147
It is a relatively short season.
148
And you need to be looking in areas where there is water.
149
Although you may find them in gardens,
150
especially near slow-moving streams, damselflies really thrive in the vegetation that's found in and around still water.
151
It's here that they find the smaller flying insects which are their prey, and it's also here that they lay their eggs below the surface of the water.
152
In terms of the best time of day, avoid the afternoon and evenings because these insects are definitely early risers.
153
The ideal time to catch up with them is soon after dawn.
154
And so please, if you see damselflies and if you find them as captivating as I do, then please don't just walk away and forget them.
155
The Conservation Trust is keen to produce a survey of the remaining sites that provide a habitat,
156
and so put pressure on the authorities to preserve them for future generations.
157
So do let them know what you see and where you see it.
158
That's the end of part two.
159
Now turn to part three.
160
You'll hear a radio interview with the artist Madeline Nol.
161
For questions sixteen to twenty, choose the answer A, B, C or D, which fits best, according to what you hear.
162
You now have one minute in which to look at part three.
163
Thank you.
164
Thank you.
165
Her paintings reflect the peaceful nature of country life.
166
A vase of pansies or roses, a few buttercups or some bluebells.
167
A new book, The Art of Madeline Knowles, has been published this week to coincide with her 75th birthday, and she currently has exhibitions in London and Cardiff.
168
Madeline, why do you usually paint very peaceful subjects rather than the harsher realities of life?
169
Well, I think the thing about plants, actually, is that they're quite wonderful.
170
They're absolutely adapted to survival, and I think that what we see as grace and beauty is actually strength.
171
When I'm painting flowers, I'm looking for their inner strength and wanting to show it.
172
It isn't for me done in order to be peaceful.
173
It's done in order to discover that something inside which keeps them going.
174
But is art then just to please the eye and calm the nerves?
175
Because that's how we respond to it, isn't it?
176
I think mankind has always needed art for magic, for celebration, for embellishment, and artists,
177
meanwhile, have been trying to produce some sort of sense out of this funny old world in which we exist.
178
And I think artists today, well, we're still trying to find that order and show it to people when we paint.
179
So you don't approve of what's called the modern movement?
180
I think my kind of painting is part of the modern movement, but it's a description that gets overused and often in a misleading fashion.
181
For example, those artists at the so-called cutting edge are only one very small part of it, which gets a lot of attention in the media and elsewhere.
182
Now, you began as a designer of textiles rather than a painter.
183
Why did you change?
184
Was it very important to you to paint?
185
Well, I jumped into it, really.
186
I hadn't sought the change at all.
187
I was teaching drawing at the time, as well as doing my own design work.
188
And I was suddenly asked for some reason, staff shortages or something, to do the painting classes with the students as well.
189
so it made me shift.
190
I had to get a box of paints and go out and paint myself in order to feel prepared.
191
And, of course, I found it such a, I don't know, almost sort of an enormous relief that I haven't looked back since.
192
And these days you teach just the one rather famous person, I believe.
193
What was it in your work that appealed particularly to Andy Benson, the rock star?
194
Well, I think he saw a little painting of mine in an exhibition.
195
It had a pathway running up to a village, I think, but it was the image that caused his attention, because when I got to his house,
196
I was early, and so I was waiting in the sitting room for a quarter of an hour or so,
197
and I looked out of the window and saw that he was outside creating a path with stones,
198
and it struck me that it must have been that image which had appealed to him.
199
I understand that on seeing my picture he'd said, oh, I'd like my garden painted like that.
200
And initially that's what you were invited to do, of course.
201
That's right.
202
But then later he did ask me for advice about his own paintings.
203
Which you gave?
204
Oh, yes.
205
We had to go through them because he was working for an exhibition the following year.
206
And your advice was?
207
Oh, it was the usual art school advice about big shapes and little shapes.
208
Quite a formal discussion.
209
It wasn't about how he felt about the landscapes that he was doing.
210
That's for him.
211
Why, treat him just like an art school student, really.
212
Madeleine Knowles, thank you very much for joining me today.
213
Thank you.
214
Now you'll hear part three again.
215
Her paintings reflect the peaceful nature of country life.
216
A vase of pansies or roses, a few buttercups or some bluebells.
217
A new book, The Art of Madeline Knowles, has been published this week to coincide with her 75th birthday, and she currently has exhibitions in London and Cardiff.
218
Madeline, why do you usually paint very peaceful subjects rather than the harsher realities of life?
219
Well, I think the thing about plants, actually, is that they're quite wonderful.
220
They're absolutely adapted to survival, and I think that what we see as grace and beauty is actually strength.
221
When I'm painting flowers, I'm looking for their inner strength and wanting to show it.
222
It isn't for me done in order to be peaceful.
223
It's done in order to discover that something inside which keeps them going.
224
But is art then just to please the eye and calm the nerves?
225
Because that's how we respond to it, isn't it?
226
I think mankind has always needed art for magic, for celebration, for embellishment.
227
And artists, meanwhile, have been trying to produce some sort of sense out of this funny old world in which we exist.
228
And I think artists today, well, we're still trying to find that order and show it to people when we paint.
229
So you don't approve of what's called the modern movement?
230
I think my kind of painting is part of the modern movement, but it's a description that gets overused and often in a misleading fashion.
231
For example, those artists at the so-called cutting edge are only one very small part of it, which gets a lot of attention in the media and elsewhere.
232
Now, you began as a designer of textiles rather than a painter.
233
Why did you change?
234
Was it very important to you to paint?
235
Well, I jumped into it, really.
236
I hadn't sought the change at all.
237
I was teaching drawing at the time, as well as doing my own design work.
238
And I was suddenly asked for some reason, staff shortages or something, to do the painting classes with the students as well.
239
So it made me shift.
240
I had to get a box of paints and go out and paint myself in order to feel prepared.
241
And, of course, I found it such a, well, I don't know, almost sort of an enormous relief that I haven't looked back since.
242
And these days you teach just the one rather famous person, I believe.
243
What was it in your work that appealed particularly to Andy Benson, the rock star?
244
Well, I think he saw a little painting of mine in an exhibition.
245
It had a pathway running up to a village, I think, but it was the image that caught his attention, because when I got to his house,
246
I was early, and so I was waiting in the sitting room for a quarter of an hour or so,
247
and I looked out of the window and saw that he was outside creating a path with stones,
248
and it struck me that it must have been that image which had appealed to him.
249
I understand that on seeing my picture he'd said, oh, I'd like my garden painted like that.
250
And initially that's what you were invited to do, of course.
251
That's right.
252
But then later he did ask me for advice about his own paintings.
253
Which you gave?
254
Oh, yes.
255
We had to go through them because he was working for an exhibition the following year.
256
And your advice was?
257
Oh, it was the usual art school advice about big shapes and little shapes.
258
Quite a formal discussion.
259
It wasn't about how he felt about the landscapes that he was doing.
260
That's for him.
261
Why, treat him just like an art school student, really.
262
Madeline Knowles, thank you very much for joining me today.
263
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C2 speaking lesson is built on the video “C2 Proficiency CPE Listening Part 1,2,3 -T25 with answer”. This video has 263 sentences and 3727 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:36. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| damselfly noun | /ˈdæmzəlflaɪ/ | Any of various insects of the suborder Zygoptera that have long slender bodies, and are similar to dragonflies but having wings folded when at rest. |
| insect noun | /ˈɪn.sɛkt/ | An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton. |
| skate noun | /skeɪt/ | A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice. |
| dragonfly noun | /ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/ | An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when… |
| witty adjective | /ˈwɪti/ | Clever; amusingly ingenious. |
| pedestrian noun | /pəˈdɛstɹiən/ | A walker; one who walks or goes on foot, especially as opposed to one who uses a vehicle. |
| metre noun | /ˈmiːtəɹ/ | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in… |
| pond noun | /pɑnd/ | An inland body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is smaller than a lake. |
| habitat noun | /ˈhæb.ɪ.tæt/ | Conditions suitable for an organism or population of organisms to live. |
| extract noun | /ˈɛkstɹækt/ | Something that is extracted or drawn out. |
| allege verb | /əˈlɛd͡ʒ/ | To adduce (something) as a reason, excuse, support etc. |
| azure noun | /ˈæʒɚ/ | The clear blue colour of the sky; also, a pigment or dye of this colour. |
| bluebells noun | Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) | |
| buttercup noun | /ˈbʌt.ɚ.kʌp/ | Any of many herbs, of the genus Ranunculus, having yellow flowers; the crowfoot. |
| captivate verb | /ˈkæptəˌveɪt/ | To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
| die out verb | To become extinct. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| look back verb | To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight). |
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You don't need pretty pictures to intervene.
- Because that's how we respond to it, isn't it?
- Why did you change?
- Was it very important to you to paint?
- I hadn't sought the change at all.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been affecting · have been trying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | there's been · I've been · You've travelled |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is lost · is estimated · is known |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | thing which is · insects which are |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 61 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thug /θʌɡ/, theatrical /θiˈætɹɪkəl/, thrive /θɹajv/, pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: azure /ˈæʒɚ/, embellishment /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/, mispronunciation /mɪspɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, proliferation /pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, vegetation /ˌvɛd͡ʒəˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: choreography /ˌkɔɹiˈɑɡɹəfi/, conformity /kənˈfɔːmɪti/, embellishment /ɪmˈbɛlɪʃmənt/, immediacy /ɪˈmiːdi.əsi/, mispronunciation /mɪspɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
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 damselfly, insect, skate.
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.