Shadowing Practice: CAE 1 - TEST 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

You'll hear three different extracts.

For questions 1 to 6, choose the answer A, B, or C, which fits best according to what you hear.

There are two questions for each extract.

Extract 1.

You hear two colleagues, Eva and Colin, talking about a problem at work.

Now look at questions 1 and 2.

So the thing is, you aren't getting on with her new boss then, Colin.

She's just so different from her predecessor.

I mean, John used to get us all involved in the decision -making process.

No chance of that with Sandra, you think?

No way!

Okay, I grant you, she's got some good ideas.

She moved pretty fast to get us all to agree to individual job descriptions and a proper timetable, none of which we've had before, and we should have had.

And she's done her homework on the staff profile, our qualifications and past experience and so on.

As you'd expect.

Yes, but she doesn't seem aware of the atmosphere here.

It's the way we've always done things.

I just don't feel I can work with her.

I'd say she's just finding her feet in a new job, and she'll soon get the hang of what we're all about.

Let's focus on how much she's already achieved.

I wouldn't let anybody tell you it's a trivial issue, though.

So, if she doesn't settle in soon, and you still have issues with her, I think you should approach her direct.

Okay.

Thanks, Eva.

Now you'll hear the recording again.

So the thing is, you aren't getting on with her new boss then, Colin.

She's just so different from her predecessor.

I mean, John used to get us all involved in the decision -making process.

No chance of that with Sandra, you think?

No way!

OK, I grant you, she's got some good ideas.

She moved pretty fast to get us all to agree to individual job descriptions and a proper timetable, none of which we've had before and we should have had.

And she's done her homework on the staff profile, our qualifications and past experience and so on.

As you'd expect.

Yes, but she doesn't seem aware of the atmosphere here it's the way we've always done things

I just don't feel I can work with her

I'd say she's just finding her feet in a new job

and she'll soon get the hang of what we're all about

let's focus on how much she's already achieved I wouldn't let anybody tell you it's a trivial issue though

if she doesn't settle in soon and you still have issues with her I think you should approach her direct okay,

thanks Eva Extract 2.

You hear an interview with an expert who repairs antique vases.

Now look at questions 3 and 4.

Show me how you do it.

I see you've got trays and trays of pieces here.

Yes.

You have to find the bits that match.

So I've put all these tiny pieces into colour groups red here, blue over there.

It's a bit like doing a jigsaw, really, but at least there are no stains to remove.

All we have to be aware of is the enamel on the surface, that we have to lift all the dirt and grease off.

If you don't, the pieces won't go back together again.

It'll fall apart.

If the cracks are going to show, they've got to be really clean, otherwise they'll look messy.

You want the cracks to show?

Some people would say that's terrible for such a valuable vase.

Well, yes, they probably would.

But something that's broken so extensively as this, if you cover all the cracks up, you're really making a fake.

Being broken is something that's happened to it in its lifetime, which should be recorded.

And as long as you can restore it so that aesthetically it still works, it shouldn't matter that the cracks show.

Now you'll hear the recording again.

Show me how you do it.

I see you've got trays and trays of pieces here.

Yes, you have to find the bits that match, so I've put all these tiny pieces into colour groups, red here, blue over there.

It's a bit like doing a jigsaw, really, but at least there are no stains to remove.

All we have to be aware of is the enamel on the surface, that we have to lift all the dirt and grease off.

If you don't, the pieces won't go back together again.

It'll fall apart.

If the cracks are going to show, they've got to be really clean, otherwise they'll look messy.

You want the cracks to show?

Some people would say that's terrible for such a valuable vase.

Well, yes, they probably would.

But something that's broken so extensively as this, if you cover all the cracks up, you're really making a fake.

Being broken is something that's happened to it in its lifetime, which should be recorded.

And as long as you can restore it so that, aesthetically, it still works, it shouldn't matter that the cracks show.

Extract 3 On the radio, you hear a visitor talking to a man about the remote island where he lives.

Now look at questions 5 and 6.

This is such an unusual place, because there's no public transport to the island.

I came here in your fishing boat.

The result is a paradise.

Rich marine life, unspoilt countryside.

Yet you want to let the world in.

You've campaigned to start up a ferry service from the mainland.

Why?

Well, there isn't enough work to support our population.

If visitors come to the island and we have a lot to offer them, catering for them would create employment.

Also, our young people would be able to commute to jobs on the mainland.

Don't you think it's risky?

These beaches could be covered with holiday houses and hotels.

Your visitors will complain because there are only a few shops, and a ferry service won't be enough.

People will want to fly here, and you'll have to build an airport.

No more paradise.

We can build a small airport without impacting on our quality of life here, and it makes economic sense.

Our shops can cope with more people on the island.

It'll be seasonal anyway.

And why would we build on the beaches?

It'd be crazy.

I hope you're right.

Now you'll hear the recording again

This is such an unusual place

100

Because there's no public transport to the island I came here

101

in your fishing boat The result is a paradise Rich marine life,

102

unspoilt countryside Yet you want to let the world in You've campaigned to start up a ferry service from the mainland.

103

Why?

104

Well, there isn't enough work to support our population.

105

If visitors come to the island and we have a lot to offer them, catering for them would create employment.

106

Also, our young people would be able to commute to jobs on the mainland.

107

Don't you think it's risky?

108

These beaches could be covered with holiday houses and hotels.

109

Your visitors will complain because there are only a few shops, and a ferry service won't be enough.

110

People will want to fly here, and you'll have to build an airport.

111

No more paradise.

112

We can build a small airport without impacting on our quality of life here, and it makes economic sense.

113

Our shops can cope with more people on the island.

114

It'll be seasonal anyway.

115

And why would we build on the beaches?

116

It'd be crazy.

117

I hope you're right.

118

That's the end of part one.

119

Part two.

120

You'll hear a short radio report about how technology is helping

121

archaeologists who want to learn more about some texts written over 2 ,000 years ago known as Roman tablets.

122

For questions 7 to 14, complete the sentences.

123

You now have 45 seconds to look at part 2.

124

You Transcription

125

by CastingWords information to be written not on paper, but on things called tablets.

126

These were pieces of wood about the size and thickness of a typical modern envelope.

127

Hundreds of such tablets have been unearthed from archaeological sites throughout Europe and the Mediterranean world.

128

Nearly 200 were found in one Roman fort alone.

129

And like most of these discoveries, they have been placed in public collections, mainly in museums in northern Europe,

130

to be viewed, but not, unfortunately, to be read.

131

This is because, although in some cases traces of writing can still be seen, most are now illegible to the naked eye.

132

But that's all soon to change, because archaeologists hope that, with the help of new technology, their secrets may soon be revealed.

133

Many of the tablets took the form of legal documents and letters written by Roman soldiers.

134

An example, now at the British Museum, bears the name of the person who wrote it and the name of the person who received it,

135

plus the word transportation, which you can just make out.

136

But the rest remains a mystery.

137

Now, with the help of computer techniques, experts hope eventually to be able to read the whole letter.

138

Professor Mike Brady, a leading figure in what's known as computer vision for many years, admits that this is the hardest project he's ever worked on.

139

But the excitement of seeing the latest ideas in computing applied to such a very ancient problem has the archaeological community buzzing.

140

So, in simple terms, why has the writing been preserved, and how will it be possible to undo the aging process?

141

Well, the tablets were made with thin, hollow panels cut across them.

142

Wax was poured into these, and the text was then written into this soft surface using an instrument with a fine metal point.

143

In virtually all cases, the wax has perished, and all that can be detected on the surface of the tablet underneath are scratches.

144

These are too faint to be read because they are distorted.

145

For some time, scientists have attempted to study them with laser photography, but this has proved fruitless.

146

However, it is now hoped that by enhancing images of the tablets on computer, their original messages will become legible again.

147

If this is the case, a whole new source of historical information will be opened up, and this promises advances and new knowledge for many decades to come.

148

The new technology has already been used on texts in ink as well, and in the future it will be applied to damaged surfaces of many kinds.

149

Now you'll hear the recording again.

150

At the time of the Roman Empire in Europe, around 2 ,000 years ago, it was common for information to be written not on paper, but on things called tablets.

151

These were pieces of wood about the size and thickness of a typical modern envelope.

152

Hundreds of such tablets have been unearthed from archaeological sites throughout Europe and the Mediterranean world.

153

Nearly 200 were found in one Roman fort alone.

154

And like most of these discoveries, they have been placed in public collections, mainly in museums in northern Europe, to be viewed, but not, unfortunately, to be read.

155

This is because, although in some cases traces of writing can still be seen, most are now illegible to the naked eye.

156

But that's all soon to change, because archaeologists hope that, with the help of new technology, their secrets may soon be revealed.

157

Many of the tablets took the form of legal documents and letters written by Roman soldiers.

158

An example, now at the British Museum, bears the name of the person who wrote it and the name of the person who received it,

159

plus the word transportation, which you can just make out, but the rest remains a mystery.

160

Now, with the help of computer techniques, experts hope eventually to be able to read the whole letter.

161

Professor Mike Brady, a leading figure in what's known as computer vision for many years, admits that this is the hardest project he's ever worked on.

162

But the excitement of seeing the latest ideas in computing applied to such a very ancient problem has the archaeological community buzzing.

163

So, in simple terms, why has the writing been preserved?

164

And how will it be possible to undo the ageing process?

165

Well, the tablets were made with thin, hollow panels cut across them.

166

Wax was poured into these, and the text was then written into this soft surface using an instrument with a fine metal point.

167

In virtually all cases, the wax has perished, and all that can be detected on the surface of the tablet underneath are scratches.

168

These are too faint to be read because they are distorted.

169

For some time, scientists have attempted to study them with laser photography, but this has proved fruitless.

170

However, it is now hoped that by enhancing images of the tablets on computer, their original messages will become legible again.

171

If this is the case, a whole new source of historical information will be opened up, and this promises advances and new knowledge for many decades to come.

172

The new technology has already been used on texts in ink as well, and in the future, it will be applied to damaged surfaces of many kinds.

173

That's the end of Part 2.

174

Now turn...

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Part 3.

176

You'll hear an interview with an architect called Lucy Collett, who designs small buildings.

177

For questions 15 to 20, choose the answer A, B, C or D, which fits best according to what you hear.

178

You now have one minute to look at Part 3.

179

Thank you.

180

I'm sitting here, rather uncomfortably, with designer Lucy Collett.

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Lucy, you're an architect, really, but an architect with a difference.

182

Yes, I specialise in small buildings.

183

And we're in one of your buildings now.

184

It's a treehouse, and we're perched on child -sized seats two or three metres above the ground.

185

In fact, I was commissioned to design this house by my neighbours for their children.

186

I don't like heights, but I loved the challenge of weaving the house in amongst the branches.

187

You can see there are several storeys with stairways between them.

188

I'd have given anything for a house like this when I was a child.

189

Yeah.

190

What started you off on this type of design?

191

I've always had a passion for small buildings.

192

Playhouses, of course, when I was a little girl.

193

Then I found a book about historical telephone boxes, which fascinated me.

194

When the telephone was an amazing new invention, money was poured into the designs of public phone boxes.

195

They were all sizes and styles.

196

There were some that looked like rustic cottages with thatched roofs.

197

others like Chinese pagodas, one like a sort of Greek temple.

198

Some were quite luxurious with chairs, and people used to go in there to play cards.

199

But it didn't last long.

200

They had to be standardised and made more practical.

201

You went to architecture school.

202

Did you know you were going to work on this small scale?

203

Yes, my final year project was on small buildings in an industrial context.

204

If you look at major building sites, they're dotted around with huts and temporary buildings.

205

You think they put up these tin boxes for the workers to drink their tea and read their newspapers in.

206

What is there to that?

207

Well, they've all got to conform to safety standards.

208

And why shouldn't they have some style as well?

209

I designed them to look better and also to be put up and dismantled more quickly.

210

I worked on durability of materials, comfort and so on.

211

Where did you get your inventiveness from?

212

I don't know.

213

I think I'm more practical than inventive.

214

My parents were market stall holders.

215

They had a really cumbersome stall which took them forever to put up.

216

All the market people started setting up about four o 'clock in the morning.

217

It was freezing, back -breaking work, and it drove me mad when I had to help them.

218

I was visiting some clients abroad a few years ago and saw some brilliant stalls in their local market.

219

They were little metal folding houses, completely waterproof and enclosed with plenty of display room.

220

At the end of the day, you could lock them up with the goods safe inside, or you could fold them flat and cart them off to the next town.

221

I did drawings of them and made one when I got home, but I haven't sold it.

222

What have you done that you're most proud of?

223

I suppose everything I've done is a variation on a theme, so it's hard to pick anything out.

224

But I did get an award.

225

The Newspaper Sellers Association gave me a prize for a design I did for street corner kiosks.

226

You know, those cute little buildings with display windows on three sides.

227

Mine were in strong steel, painted, with domed roofs and lots of decorative detail.

228

I must admit, I was particularly pleased with the fancy work, and the newspaper people loved it.

229

Have you ever done any phone box designs, since that was what started you off?

230

Funnily enough, that's what I've just been doing for an international hotel chain.

231

They'd stopped putting public phone booths in their hotel lobbies because of mobile phones.

232

But there were complaints from a few countries where mobiles hadn't really caught on yet.

233

So the hotel decided to make a big feature of lobby phone boxes.

234

I did these sort of glass birdcage designs with brass work and over -the -top telephones.

235

Now the company's putting them in all their hotels, and people are going into them to make calls on their mobiles.

236

It's sort of retro -style lobby furniture. And treehouses?

237

No, this is a one -off.

238

I've told you, I'm scared of heights.

239

OK.

240

Shall we let down the ladder and go home?

241

Thank you, Lucy.

242

Now you'll hear the recording again.

243

I'm sitting here, rather uncomfortably, with designer Lucy Collett.

244

Lucy, you're an architect really, but an architect with a difference.

245

Yes, I specialize in small buildings.

246

And we're in one of your buildings now.

247

It's a treehouse, and we're perched on child -sized seats two or three meters above the ground.

248

In fact, I was commissioned to design this house by my neighbors for their children.

249

I don't like heights, but I loved the challenge of weaving the house in amongst the branches.

250

You can see there are several stories with stairways between them.

251

I'd have given anything for a house like this when I was a child.

252

Yeah.

253

What started you off on this type of design?

254

I've always had a passion for small buildings, playhouses of course when I was a little girl.

255

Then I found a book about historical telephone boxes which fascinated me.

256

When the telephone was an amazing new invention, money was poured into the designs of public phone boxes.

257

They were all sizes and styles.

258

There were some that looked like rustic cottages with thatched roofs, others like Chinese pagodas sodas, one like a sort of Greek temple.

259

Some were quite luxurious with chairs, and people used to go in there to play cards.

260

But it didn't last long, they had to be standardised and made more practical.

261

You went to architecture school.

262

Did you know you were going to work on this small scale?

263

Yes, my final year project was on small buildings in an industrial context.

264

If you look at major building sites, they're dotted around with huts and temporary buildings.

265

You think they They put up these tin boxes for the workers to drink their tea and read their newspapers in.

266

What is there to that?

267

Well, they've all got to conform to safety standards, and why shouldn't they have some style as well?

268

I designed them to look better, and also to be put up and dismantled more quickly.

269

I worked on durability of materials, comfort, and so on.

270

Where did you get your inventiveness from?

271

I don't know.

272

I think I'm more practical than inventive.

273

My parents were market stall holders.

274

They had a really cumbersome stall which took them forever to put up.

275

All the market people started setting up about four o 'clock in the morning.

276

It was freezing, back -breaking work, and it drove me mad when I had to help them.

277

I was visiting some clients abroad a few years ago and saw some brilliant stalls in their local market.

278

They were little metal folding houses, completely waterproof and enclosed with plenty of display room.

279

At the end of the day, you could lock them up with the goods safe inside, or you could fold them flat and cart them off to the next town.

280

I did drawings of them and made one when I got home, but I haven't sold it.

281

What have you done that you're most proud of?

282

I suppose everything I've done is a variation on a theme, so it's hard to pick anything out.

283

But I did get an award.

284

The Newspaper Sellers Association gave me a prize for a design I did for street -corner kiosks.

285

You know, those cute little buildings with display windows on three sides.

286

Mine were in strong steel, painted, with domed roofs and lots of decorative detail.

287

I must admit, I was particularly pleased with the fancy work, and the newspaper people loved it.

288

Have you ever done any phone box designs, since that was what started you off?

289

Funnily enough, that's what I've just been doing for an international hotel chain.

290

They'd stopped putting public phone booths in their hotel lobbies because of mobile phones.

291

But there were complaints from a few countries where mobiles hadn't really caught on yet.

292

So the hotel decided to make a big feature of lobby phone boxes.

293

I did these sort of glass birdcage designs with brass work and over -the -top telephones.

294

Now the company's putting them in all their hotels.

295

and people are going in to them to make calls on their mobiles.

296

It's sort of retro -style lobby furniture. And treehouses?

297

No, this is a one -off.

298

I've told you, I'm scared of heights.

299

OK, shall we let down the ladder and go home?

300

Thank you, Lucy.

301

That's the end of part three.

302

Now turn to part four.

303

Now turn to part four.

304

Part four.

305

Part four consists of two tasks.

306

You'll hear five short extracts in which people are talking about problems related to their work.

307

Look at task one.

308

For questions twenty -one to twenty -five, choose from the list A to H the problem each person encounters.

309

Now look at task two.

310

For questions twenty -six to thirty, choose from the list A to H each person's current feeling.

311

While you listen, you must complete both tasks.

312

You now have forty -five seconds to look at part four.

313

Thank you.

314

Speaker 1 The weird thing is, it's up to quite recently.

315

I used to really love being in the theatre business, so it never seemed much of a hardship earning next to nothing

316

and holding meetings in an office the size of a shoebox.

317

But somehow, over the past year, The gloss seems to have worn off a bit, and now I've realised I'm just being taken for granted.

318

I feel as though my spirit's been broken.

319

It's awful.

320

I don't blame anyone for it.

321

We've had no actual rows.

322

But I won't put up with it.

323

It won't be easy entering the job market all over again, though.

324

Speaker 2 Normally I'd say I thrive on deadlines and pressure from clients, but it does all build up,

325

and recently I've been prone to fairly severe headaches in the office.

326

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine outside work, I can chill out with the best of them, but I do have a lot on my plate, as you'd expect at my level in the company, and it's probably too much to handle,

327

if I'm honest, especially with my current project.

328

I can't wait to see what happens when I implement my new time management plan at work.

329

It's hardly rocket science, but I'll be devastated if it doesn't work.

330

Speaker 3 The thing that finally made me flip was being told to move into a new office, which was patently unsuitable for the project I was working on.

331

That was on top of a whole series of other ridiculous demands, so the trouble was it just all came to a head, and the people in charge simply refused to take responsibility for it.

332

We had a number of bitter exchanges, and I ended up seething with rage.

333

I still feel that way, but I'm determined not to just accept it, although I have no idea what I should do about it.

334

It all happened so fast.

335

You can bet I won't be leaving, though, because I love the work.

336

I'm rapidly reaching the end of my tether.

337

I haven't lost my cool with a customer yet, but it'll happen soon.

338

It's just too much, being expected to run my department without a reliable flow of data.

339

My line manager's been very supportive, I'll give her that, and she's been on at the technicians to sort it out, so I've done my bit, but nothing's happened yet.

340

And the final straw is when I'm deluged with supposedly helpful emails from other departmental heads about how to cope.

341

What do they know about it?

342

They go on and on about how disastrous it is, as if it's my fault.

343

Luckily, I've got a great team under me.

344

Speaker 5 Well, I'm not sure what my options are.

345

She's got such a bee in her bonnet about this internal promotion that you just can't reason with her, so I haven't tried to talk her out of it.

346

I really don't want to get her into trouble by reporting her to management for

347

that row yesterday it would ruin morale in the office I

348

suppose in the end we might both get a small pay rise

349

and a new job title if she isn't satisfied with that

350

and I have a feeling she won't be I'll have to raise the whole issue with the boss

351

and let him resolve it

352

Now you'll hear the recording again.

353

Speaker 1 The weird thing is, it's up to quite recently.

354

I used to really love being in the theatre business, so it never seemed much of a hardship earning next to nothing

355

and holding meetings in an office the size of a shoebox.

356

But somehow, over the past year, the gloss seems to have worn off a bit.

357

And now I've realised I'm just being taken for granted.

358

I feel as though my spirit's been broken.

359

It's awful.

360

I don't blame anyone for it.

361

We've had no actual rows.

362

But I won't put up with it.

363

It won't be easy entering the job market all over again, though.

364

Speaker 2 Normally I'd say I thrive on deadlines and pressure from clients, but it does all build up,

365

and recently I've been prone to fairly severe headaches in the office.

366

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine outside work, I can chill out with the best of them, but I do have a lot on my plate, as you'd expect at my level in the company, and it's probably too much to handle,

367

if I'm honest, especially with my current project.

368

I can't wait to see what happens when I implement my new time management plan at work.

369

It's hardly rocket science, but I'll be devastated if it doesn't work.

370

The thing that finally made me flip was being told to move into a new office, which was patently unsuitable for the project I was working on.

371

That was on top of a whole series of other ridiculous demands, so the trouble was it just all came to a head, and the people in charge simply refused to take responsibility for it.

372

We had a number of bitter exchanges, and I ended up seething with rage.

373

I still feel that way, but I'm determined not to just accept it.

374

Although I have no idea what I should do about it, it all happened so fast.

375

You can bet I won't be leaving, though, because I love the work.

376

Speaker 4 I'm rapidly reaching the end of my tether.

377

I haven't lost my cool with a customer yet, but it'll happen soon.

378

It's just too much, being expected to run my department without a reliable flow of data.

379

My line manager's been very supportive, I'll give her that, and she's been on at the technicians to sort it out, so I've done my bit, but nothing's happened yet.

380

And the final straw is when I'm deluged with supposedly helpful emails from other departmental heads about how to cope.

381

What do they know about it?

382

They go on and on about how disastrous it is, as if it's my fault.

383

Luckily, I've got a great team under me.

384

Speaker 5 Well, I'm not sure what my options are.

385

She's got such a bee in her bonnet about this internal promotion that you just can't reason with her, so I haven't tried to talk her out of it.

386

I really don't want to get her into trouble by reporting her to management for that row yesterday.

387

It would ruin morale in the office.

388

I suppose, in the end, we might both get a small pay rise and a new job title.

389

If she isn't satisfied with that, and I have a feeling she won't be, I'll have to raise the whole issue with the boss and let him resolve it.

390

That's the end of Part 4.

391

There'll now be a pause of five minutes for you to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet.

392

Be sure to follow the numbering of all the questions.

393

I'll remind you when there is one minute left so that you're sure to finish in time.

394

That's the end of the test.

395

Please stop now.

396

Your supervisor will now collect all the question papers and answer sheets.

397

Thank you.

398

Thank you.

✨ Recommend Video

123 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “CAE 1 - TEST 3”. This video has 398 sentences and 5002 words to shadow. The speech runs for 35:46. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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
tablet noun	/ˈtæblət/	A slab of clay, stone or wood used for inscription.
crack noun	/kɹæk/	A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.
lobby noun	/ˈlɑ.bi/	An entryway or reception area; vestibule; passageway; corridor.
extract noun	/ˈɛkstɹækt/	Something that is extracted or drawn out.
stall noun	/stɔːl/	A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.
architect noun	/ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/	A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction.
practical adjective	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/	Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.
telephone noun	/ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/	A telecommunication device which converts data or sounds (usually speech) into electrical signals which are then transmitted to enable two or more people to…
paradise noun	/ˈpæɹədaɪs/	The place where sanctified souls are believed to live after death.
pour verb	/poɹ/	To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it.
fold verb	/ˈfəʊld/	To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
ferry noun	/ˈfɛɹi/	A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
visitor noun	/ˈvɪzɪtɚ/	Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest.
mainland noun	/ˈmeɪnlənd/	The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from islands or a peninsula.
tray noun	/tɹeɪ/	A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
put up verb		To place in a high location.
build up verb		To erect; to construct.
crack up verb	/ˈkɹæk ˈʌp/	To laugh heartily.
cut across verb		To take a shortcut over or through (a place).
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
fall apart verb		To disintegrate, to break into pieces.
get on with verb		To proceed with; to begin or continue, especially after an interruption.
go back verb		To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

You want the cracks to show?
Don't you think it's risky?
What started you off on this type of design?
Where did you get your inventiveness from?
What have you done that you're most proud of?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to get · used to go · used to really love
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've just been doing
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	If you don't, the pieces won't go
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	we've always done · I've put · You've campaigned

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 173 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, booth /buθ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, thickness /ˈθɪknəs/, thrive /θɹajv/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, collections /kəˈlɛkʃənz/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/
Long words — get the stress right: temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, photography /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/

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 tablet, crack, lobby.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?