Shadowing Practice: CAE TEST1 PART1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

128 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

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 part of an interview with a woman who works in retail management.

Now look at questions 1 and 2.

So, Fiona, can you tell me about how you started in fashion retailing?

Yes, of course.

After I finished university, I took a job with a big high street chain.

I was an assistant manager.

Every week you would see the sales figures for your product

and then act on that by placing repeat orders or putting a new style in.

It was a good grounding.

However, most of the staff had been there years and I think I did make mistakes in my dealings with them.

I blush now to think of my time there.

I then moved on after five years to my present job.

And now you're thinking of moving up the ladder.

How do you see yourself in ten years' time?

I would eventually like to be in senior management.

Well, before you rush off to see your line manager, I think you need to work out skills you can offer emphasising your selling points, showing them what you can do.

Also, have you been going the extra mile to get things done or doing more than what is asked of you recently?

Now you'll hear the recording again.

So, Fiona, can you tell me about how you started in fashion retailing?

Yes, of course.

After I finished university, I took a job with a big high street chain.

I was an assistant manager.

Every week you would see the sales figures for your product

and then act on that by placing repeat orders or putting a new style in.

It was a good grounding.

However, most of the staff had been there years and I think I did make mistakes in my dealings with them.

I blush now to think of my time there.

I then moved on after five years to my present job.

And now you're thinking of moving up the ladder.

How do you see yourself in ten years' time?

I would eventually like to be in senior management.

Well, before you rush off to see your line manager, I think you need to work out skills you can offer emphasising your selling points, showing them what you can do.

Also, have you been going the extra mile to get things done or doing more than what is asked of you recently?

Extract 2.

You overhear a woman telling a friend a story about a swan.

Now look at questions 3 and 4.

So what happened last weekend?

Well, we were taking our boat along the river when we passed a pair of swans with a nest nearby.

One swan just carried on feeding, but the other one, the male, I think, decided to come and investigate.

Oh, fantastic.

I've never seen a swan's nest close up.

I expect he was hungry.

Well, actually, it was immediately obvious from his body language that he had other things on his mind.

He was flapping his wings really hard and approaching at incredible speed.

I guess we'd gone too close to the nest.

I'd never have done that if I'd known what would happen.

Gosh, amazing!

I've never heard of swans behaving like that before.

So what did you do, Roe like mad?

Well, we got out onto the bank, but he followed us up and then stood between us and the boat for about an hour.

We just couldn't frighten him away.

No, I suppose not.

Still, I'm sure he wouldn't have hurt you.

Are you kidding?

You should have seen the way he moved.

Swans can be really aggressive at nesting times.

Hmm.

Now you'll hear the recording again.

So what happened last weekend?

Well, we were taking our boat along the river when we passed a pair of swans with a nest nearby.

One swan just carried on feeding, but the other one, the male, I think, decided to come and investigate.

Oh, fantastic.

I've never seen a swan's nest close up.

I expect he was hungry.

Well, actually, it was immediately obvious from his body language that he had other things on his mind.

He was flapping his wings really hard and approaching at incredible speed.

I guess we'd gone too close to the nest.

I'd never have done that if I'd known what would happen.

Gosh, amazing.

I've never heard of swans behaving like that before.

So what did you do, row like mad?

Well, we got out onto the bank, but he followed us up and then stood between us and the boat for about an hour.

We just couldn't frighten him away.

No, I suppose not.

Still, I'm sure he wouldn't have hurt you.

Are you kidding?

You should have seen the way he moved.

Swans can be really aggressive at nesting times.

Hmm.

Extract 3.

You hear part of an interview with Bruce Loder, a successful businessman who's talking about his early life.

Now look at questions 5 and 6.

The End Bruce, at school you discovered you had a natural talent for art.

Yes, I inherited my dad's gift for drawing.

I wanted to do representational art, paint portraits.

But every college I went to, and there were three who accepted me, all the college tutors said, forget representational art, get a single lens reflex 33mm camera,

hit the shutter, crash, there's your picture.

Not even Rembrandt could get that accuracy, so it's not worth it.

And you believed them?

I did.

That was my biggest mistake.

I haven't picked up a paintbrush since.

How did your father react when you told him you weren't going to art college.

His face was white with rage.

He said, right, that's it.

You could have made something of going to college.

100

You won't get another chance.

101

Now I've got a perfectly good job for you on the factory floor.

102

You start this week, take it or leave it.

103

I said, no, I'm going to start a business next.

104

He said, well, at your own expense then.

105

He refused to support you anymore?

106

That's it. And so...

107

Now you'll hear the recording again.

108

Bruce, at school you discovered you had a natural talent for art.

109

Yes, I inherited my dad's gift for drawing.

110

I wanted to do representational art, paint portraits.

111

But every college I went to, and there were three who accepted me, all the college tutors said, forget representational art, get a single lens reflex 33mm camera,

112

hit the shutter, crash, there's your picture.

113

Not even Rembrandt could get that accuracy, so it's not worth it.

114

And you believed them?

115

I did.

116

That was my biggest mistake.

117

I haven't picked up a paintbrush since.

118

How did your father react when you told him you weren't going to art college?

119

His face was white with rage.

120

He said, Right, that's it.

121

You could have made something of going to college.

122

You won't get another chance.

123

Now I've got a perfectly good job for you on the factory floor.

124

You start this week, take it or leave it.

125

I said, No, I'm going to start a business next.

126

He said, Well, at your own expense then.

127

He refused to support you anymore?

128

That's it, and so...

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

162

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

97 sentences

HỌC FCE 1 TEST 1 PART 2

Cambridge Exam PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English

234 sentences

Daily English Conversation Practice | Job Interview Questions & Answers | Speak Confidently B1-C1

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

32 sentences

cam 16 test 3 part 2

Cambridge Exam PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English

93 sentences

CAE6 O TEST 2 PART 4

Cambridge Exam PrepBusiness EnglishUniversity Students

47 sentences

[CAM 11] Test 2 Section 2

Cambridge Exam PrepBusiness EnglishDaily Conversation

84 sentences

Cambridge 15 listening test -1( part -1)

Cambridge Exam PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English

110 sentences

Bài thi mô phỏng TOEIC SPEAKING | Band :180-190/200 | MOCK TEST 10

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English

454 sentences

C1 Advanced (CAE) Listening Test 64 with answers

Cambridge Exam PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

74 sentences

Notes on New Jobs: Đề thi IELTS LISTENING (actual test)

IELTS PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English

135 sentences

Luyện nghe Tiếng Anh giao tiếp - Chủ đề NGHỀ NGHIỆP (Job-Career)

Business EnglishInterview EnglishHigh School Students

36 sentences

IELTS SPEAKING PART 1: FASHION

IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students

906 sentences

12 bài đàm thoại tiếng Anh thương mại - English for business

Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 128 sentences and 1232 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:22. The speaker talks at a steady 147 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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
swan noun	/swɑn/	Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
nest noun	/nɛst/	A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young.
extract noun	/ˈɛkstɹækt/	Something that is extracted or drawn out.
rush verb	/ɹʌʃ/	To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
hungry adjective	/ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/	Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
skill noun	/skɪl/	A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
discover verb	/dɪˈskʌvə/	To find or learn something for the first time.
refuse verb	/ɹɪˈfjuːz/	To decline (a request or demand).
aggressive adjective	/əˈɡɹɛs.ɪv/	Characterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing.
investigate verb	/ɪnˈvɛs.tə.ɡeɪt/	To inquire into or study in order to ascertain facts or information.
accuracy noun	/ˈæk.jɚ.ə.si/	The state of being accurate; being free from error; exactness; correctness
expense noun	/ɪkˈspɛns/	A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds.
portrait noun	/ˈpɔɹtɹət/	A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders.
lens noun	/lɛnz/	An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
react verb	/ɹiːˈækt/	To act in response.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
close up verb	/kləʊzˈʌp/	To close (remove a gap) completely or fully.
move up verb		To promote, put onto a higher level.
pick up verb		To lift; to grasp and raise.
work out verb	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	To calculate.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, I'd, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, blush /ˈblʌʃ/, paintbrush /ˈpeɪntˌbɹʌʃ/, shutter /ˈʃʌtəː/
Long words — get the stress right: investigate /ɪnˈvɛs.tə.ɡeɪt/, accuracy /ˈæk.jɚ.ə.si/

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 swan, nest, extract.

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if I'd known what would happen
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've never seen · have done · I've never heard
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is asked

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 →

Shadowing Practice: CAE TEST1 PART1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

DICTATION2 UNIT17

DICTATION2 UNIT18

DICTATION2 UNIT16

DICTATION1 UNIT10

DICTATION2 UNIT15

DICTATION1 UNIT9

C1 T2 TEST1 PART3

DICTATION2 UNIT10

DICTATION2 UNIT11

CAE TEST6 PART3

DICTATION2 UNIT13

CAE9 O TEST1 PART2

DICTATION2 UNIT14

LISTENING DICTATION 2 UNIT 3

DICTATION3 UNIT6

DICTATION2 UNIT12

DICTATION1 UNIT5

ket 10 o test 3 part 3

CAE TEST6 PART1

DICTAYON2 UNIT9

HỌC FCE 1 TEST 1 PART 2

Daily English Conversation Practice | Job Interview Questions & Answers | Speak Confidently B1-C1

cam 16 test 3 part 2

CAE6 O TEST 2 PART 4

[CAM 11] Test 2 Section 2

Cambridge 15 listening test -1( part -1)

Bài thi mô phỏng TOEIC SPEAKING | Band :180-190/200 | MOCK TEST 10

C1 Advanced (CAE) Listening Test 64 with answers

Notes on New Jobs: Đề thi IELTS LISTENING (actual test)

Luyện nghe Tiếng Anh giao tiếp - Chủ đề NGHỀ NGHIỆP (Job-Career)

IELTS SPEAKING PART 1: FASHION

12 bài đàm thoại tiếng Anh thương mại - English for business

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?