Shadowing Practice: CAE TEST26 P3 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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133 sentences
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1
You'll hear two students, Bella and Tom, discussing an article they've read about a woman astronaut.
2
For questions 15 to 20, choose the answer, A, B, C or D, which fits best according to what you hear.
3
You now have one minute to look at part three.
4
Pause the recording for one minute.
5
You'll need to play the recording twice.
6
That was a really interesting article the tutor recommended about Eleanor Choa, wasn't it, Bella?
7
It certainly was, Tom.
8
I used to dream of going into space when I was a kid,
9
though I know now I wouldn't be the right kind of person for the job.
10
But surely they need all sorts of different types of people.
11
I'm not sure about that.
12
I'd get too panicky if there were problems, I think.
13
Anyway, I found it particularly interesting to read about a space woman.
14
There aren't too many of those around.
15
You're right there.
16
Anyway, I'm sure they'd be just as able as men to cope with all the challenges of the job.
17
The article certainly suggests that Ellen was something special.
18
The way she defied all the odds in her determination to do what she'd wanted to do ever since she was small.
19
What I liked best were the sections which quoted her.
20
I thought she was amazingly good at conveying what it was like to go into space.
21
True.
22
And she's also obviously a very talented scientist.
23
Yes, she did amazing work.
24
And I think she sounds as if she must have been a wonderful colleague for the others in her team.
25
Absolutely, Bella.
26
I also found the article interesting in what it said about the requirements for becoming an astronaut
27
I knew you'd have to have done loads of flight hours as an ordinary aircraft pilot,
28
of course And I suppose it's not that surprising they want people who are good at sport
29
And who aren't either too small or too tall
30
Well, I was surprised, Tom, that being shorter than the average was not acceptable I wouldn't have expected that to be an issue.
31
But I never imagined that you needed to have a postgraduate degree.
32
I don't think I even realised you had to be a graduate.
33
Me neither.
34
I never imagined that.
35
Anyway, she does have an interesting life, doesn't she?
36
Yes, Tom, I know.
37
Imagine walking in space and having to work inside and outside the capsule when you're weightless.
38
Yes, that must be extraordinary.
39
For me, I think the most interesting bit would be having to deal with all the little unexpected problems that arise
40
Having to sort things out within your little team
41
That must be amazing
42
Yes, it must
43
But I was particularly intrigued by her account of the role she sometimes has
44
As one of the people on Earth who are in control of the mission
45
You know, when she helps them communicate with other astronauts in space I thought that sounded really fascinating.
46
Being the one person present on the ground who really understands what life is like for the space crew.
47
She must be able to make things go much more smoothly.
48
Anyway, all in all, I thought it was a brilliant article.
49
Yes, it was.
50
Though I thought it was a pity
51
it didn't tell us as much as it might have done about the less pleasant sides of being in space.
52
I can't believe that it's always straightforward,
53
that all they do is admire the views and carry out lots of groundbreaking scientific research.
54
There must be some low points, even if it's only being irritated by some annoying habit of a fellow crew member,
55
or getting fed up with the same old food.
56
Well, we could always try to do a bit more research into that sort of area, if you like, Tom.
57
I wondered even if Eleanor Choa's experiences might make a topic for that science coursework we've got to do next term.
58
Or, you know, we could see what we could learn about everyone who's gone into space, from Yuri Gagarin to the present day.
59
Well, I'm not sure about that.
60
I was quite keen to do something on the funding of space research.
61
Anyway, I suppose we could bear it in mind.
62
But what I do fancy doing is going to a series of lectures I've seen advertised on astronauts
63
and how they're portrayed in the cinema and in books.
64
Wow, that sounds brilliant.
65
Do you mind if I come along too?
66
Of course not, Bella.
67
It'd be good to do it together.
68
Cool.
69
That was a really interesting article the tutor recommended about Ellen Ochoa, wasn't it, Bella?
70
It certainly was, Tom.
71
I used to dream of going into space when I was a kid,
72
though I know now I wouldn't be the right kind of person for the job.
73
But surely they need all sorts of different types of people.
74
I'm not sure about that.
75
I'd get too panicky if there were problems, I think.
76
Anyway, I found it particularly interesting to read about a space woman.
77
There aren't too many of those around.
78
You're right there.
79
Anyway, I'm sure they'd be just as able as men to cope with all the challenges of the job.
80
The article certainly suggests that Ellen was something special.
81
The way she defied all the odds in her determination to do what she'd wanted to do ever since she was small.
82
What I liked best were the sections which quoted her.
83
I thought she was amazingly good at conveying what it was like to go into space.
84
True.
85
And she's also obviously a very talented scientist.
86
Yes, she did amazing work.
87
And I think she sounds as if she must have been a wonderful colleague for the others in her team.
88
Absolutely, Bella.
89
I also found the article interesting in what it said about the requirements for becoming an astronaut.
90
I knew you'd have to have done loads of flight hours as an ordinary aircraft pilot, of course.
91
And I suppose it's not that surprising they want people who are good at sport
92
and who aren't either too small or too tall.
93
Well, I was surprised, Tom, that being shorter than the average was not acceptable.
94
I wouldn't have expected that to be an issue.
95
But I never imagined that you needed to have a postgraduate degree.
96
I don't think I even realised you had to be a graduate.
97
Me neither.
98
I never imagined that.
99
Anyway, she does have an interesting life, doesn't she?
100
Yes, Tom, I know.
101
Imagine walking in space and having to work inside and outside the capsule when you're weightless.
102
Yes, that must be extraordinary.
103
For me, I think the most interesting bit would be having to deal with all the little unexpected problems that arise.
104
Having to sort things out within your little team.
105
That must be amazing.
106
Yes, it must.
107
But I was particularly intrigued by her account of the role
108
she sometimes has as one of the people on Earth who are in control of the mission.
109
You know, when she helps them communicate with other astronauts in space.
110
I thought that sounded really fascinating,
111
being the one person present on the ground who really understands what life is like for the space crew.
112
She must be able to make things go much more smoothly.
113
Anyway, all in all, I thought it was a brilliant article.
114
Yes, it was.
115
Though I thought it was a pity
116
it didn't tell us as much as it might have done about the less pleasant sides of being in space.
117
I can't believe that it's always straightforward,
118
that all they do is admire the views and carry out lots of groundbreaking scientific research.
119
There must be some low points, even if it's only being irritated by some annoying habit of a fellow crew member,
120
or getting fed up with the same old food.
121
Well, we could always try to do a bit more research into that sort of area, if you like, Tom.
122
I wondered even if Eleanor Chowa's experiences might make a topic for that science coursework we've got to do next term.
123
Or, you know, we could see what we could learn about everyone who's gone into space, from Yuri Gagarin to the present day.
124
Well, I'm not sure about that.
125
I was quite keen to do something on the funding of space research.
126
Anyway, I suppose we could bear it in mind.
127
But what I do fancy doing is going to a series of lectures I've seen advertised on astronauts
128
and how they're portrayed in the cinema and in books.
129
Wow, that sounds brilliant.
130
Do you mind if I come along too?
131
Of course not, Bella.
132
It'd be good to do it together.
133
Cool.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “CAE TEST26 P3”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: space, anyway, interesting, Tom, article. This video has 133 sentences and 1466 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:35. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| astronaut noun | /ˈæstɹəˌnɔt/ | A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| odd adjective | /ɑd/ | Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected. |
| ordinary adjective | /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/ | Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases. |
| extraordinary adjective | /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/ | Out of the ordinary; exceptional; unusual. |
| fancy noun | /ˈfæn.si/ | The imagination. |
| talented adjective | /ˈtæləntɪd/ | Endowed with one or more talents. |
| acceptable adjective | /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/ | Worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure. |
| realise verb | Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize. | |
| requirement noun | /ɹɪˈkwaɪɹmənt/ | A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom… |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| unexpected adjective | /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/ | Not expected, anticipated or foreseen. |
| pleasant adjective | /ˈplɛz.ənt/ | Giving pleasure; pleasing in manner. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| communicate verb | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ | To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| come along verb | To accompany. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You'll need to play the recording twice.
- I'm not sure about that.
- Anyway, she does have an interesting life, doesn't she?
- Do you mind if I come along too?
- I wouldn't have expected that to be an issue.
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 dream |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was particularly intrigued · being irritated |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | they've read · I've seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who are |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 47 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, aren't, wouldn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, extraordinary /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/, acceptable /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like astronaut, topic, odd.
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.