Shadowing Practice: CAE TEST3 PART2 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Part 2.

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

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

For questions 7 to 14, complete the sentences.

You now have 45 seconds to look at Part 2.

Thank you.

At the time of the Roman Empire in Europe, around 2000 years ago, it was common for information to be written not on paper, but on things called tablets.

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

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

Nearly 200 were found in one Roman fort alone.

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.

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

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

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

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,

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

But the rest remains a mystery.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Now you'll hear the recording again.

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.

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

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

Nearly 200 were found in one Roman fort alone

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 this is

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

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

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

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,

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

But the rest remains a mystery.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

That's the end of part two.

Now turn to part three.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “CAE TEST3 PART2”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: tablet, Roman, written, surface, computer. This video has 60 sentences and 952 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:02. The speaker talks at a steady 135 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
tablet noun	/ˈtæblət/	A slab of clay, stone or wood used for inscription.
archaeological adjective		Relating to the science or research of archaeology.
archaeologist noun	/ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/	Someone who studies or practises archaeology.
compute verb	/kəmˈpjuːt/	To reckon, calculate.
distort verb	/dɪsˈtɔːt/	To bring something out of shape, to misshape.
fruitless adjective	/ˈfɹuːtləs/	Bearing no fruit; barren.
illegible adjective	/ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/	Not clear enough to be read; unreadable; not legible or decipherable.
legible adjective	/ˈlɛd͡ʒəbl/	Clear enough to be read; readable, particularly of handwriting.
perish verb	/ˈpɛɹɪʃ/	To decay and disappear; to waste away to nothing.
unearth verb	/ʌnˈɜː(ɹ)θ/	To drive or draw from the earth.
undo verb	/ʌnˈduː/	To reverse the effects of an action.
litter noun	/ˈlɪt.ɚ/	Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals.
thickness noun	/ˈθɪknəs/	The property of being thick (in dimension).
faint adjective	/feɪnt/	Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness
envelope noun	/ˈɛnvə(ˌ)loʊp/	A paper or cardboard wrapper used to enclose small, flat items, especially letters, for mailing.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
cut across verb		To take a shortcut over or through (a place).
make out verb	/meɪk aʊt/	To draw up (a document etc.), to designate (a cheque).
open up verb		To open.
write over verb		To save a piece of data in place of other data; to overwrite.

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have been unearthed · have been placed · has perished
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be written · have been unearthed · were found
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	person who wrote

Pronunciation to watch

The “th” sounds: unearth /ʌnˈɜː(ɹ)θ/, thickness /ˈθɪknəs/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
Long words — get the stress right: archaeologist /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/, illegible /ɪˈlɛd͡ʒəbəl/

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, archaeological, archaeologist.

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

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?