Shadowing Practice: Cambridge 12 Test 1 Section 3 Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Section 3.
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You will hear two students, called Trudy and Stuart, who are both studying to be librarians,
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discussing a paper that they are going to write together.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 23.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 23.
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OK, Stuart.
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We need to start planning our paper on public libraries.
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Have you thought of an angle yet?
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Well, there's so much we could look into.
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How libraries have changed over the centuries, for instance, or how different countries organise them.
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What do you think, Trudy?
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Maybe we should concentrate on this country and try and relate the changes in libraries to external developments,
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like the fact that far more people can read than a century ago, and that the local population may speak lots of different languages.
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We could include something about changes in the source of funding, too.
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Yes, but remember we're only supposed to write a short paper, so it's probably best if we don't go into funding in any detail.
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Right.
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Well, shall we just brainstorm a few ideas to get started?
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OK.
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We obviously need to look at the impact of new technology, particularly the internet.
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Now that lots of books have been digitalised, people can access them from their own computers at home.
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And if everyone did that, libraries would be obsolete.
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Yes.
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But the digitalised books that are available online for free are mostly out of copyright, aren't they?
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And copyright in this country lasts for 70 years after the author dies, so you won't find the latest bestseller or up -to -date information.
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That's an important point.
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Anyway, I find it hard to concentrate when I'm reading a long text on a screen.
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I'd much rather read a physical book.
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And it takes longer to read on a screen.
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Oh, I prefer it.
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I suppose it's just a personal preference.
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I expect the libraries will go on evolving in the next few years.
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Some have already become centres where community activities take place, like local clubs meeting there.
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I think that'll become even more common.
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I'd like to think so, and that they'll still be serving their traditional function, but I'm not so sure.
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There are financial implications after all.
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What I'm afraid will happen is that books and magazines will all disappear and there'll just be rows and rows of computers.
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They won't look anything like the libraries we're used to.
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Well, we'll see.
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Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 24 to 30.
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Transcription by CastingWords to 30.
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I've just had an idea.
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Why don't we make an in -depth study of our local public library as background to our paper?
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Yes, that'd be interesting, and raise all sorts of issues.
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Let's make a list of possible things we could ask about, then work out some sort of structure.
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For instance, we could interview some of the staff and find out whether the library has its own budget,
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or if that's controlled by the local council.
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And what their policies are.
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I know they don't allow food, but I'd love to find out what types of noise they ban.
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There always seems to be a lot of talking, but never music.
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I don't know if that's a policy or it just happens.
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I've often wondered.
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Then there are things like how the library is affected by employment laws.
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I suppose there are rules about working hours, facilities for staff and so on?
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Right.
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Right.
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Then there are other issues relating to the design of the building and how customers use it,
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like what measures does the library take to ensure their safety?
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They'd need floor coverings that aren't slippery, and emergency exits, for instance.
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Oh, and another thing, there's the question of the kind of insurance the library needs to have in case anyone gets injured.
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Yes, that's something else to find out.
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You know something I've often wondered?
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What's that?
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Well, you know they've got an archive of local newspapers going back years.
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Well, next to it, they've got the diary of a well -known politician from the late 19th century.
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I wonder why it's there.
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Do you know what his connection was with this area?
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No idea.
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Let's add it to our list of things to find out.
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Well, I've just thought, you know people might ask in the library about local organisations, like sports clubs.
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Well, I wonder if they keep a database, or whether they just look online.
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Right.
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I quite fancy finding out what the differences are between a library that's open to the public
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and one that's part of a museum, for example.
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They must be very different.
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Then something else I'd like to know is...
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That is the end of Section 3.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you. 4.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Cambridge 12 Test 1 Section 3 Listening”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: library, libraries, paper, instance. This video has 78 sentences and 810 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:33. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
copyright noun/ˈkɑpiˌɹaɪt/The right by law to be the entity which determines who may publish, copy and distribute a piece of writing, music, picture or other work of authorship.
relate verb/ɹɪˈleɪt/To tell in a descriptive way.
concentrate verb/ˈkɑn.sən.tɹeɪt/To bring to, or direct toward, a common center; to unite more closely; to gather into one body, mass, or force.
carefully adverb/ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/With care; attentively, circumspectly.
covering noun/ˈkʌvəɹɪŋ/That which covers or conceals; a cover; something spread or laid over or wrapped about another.
angle noun/ˈæŋ.ɡəl/A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle).
organisation noun/ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/Non-Oxford British English and Australian standard spelling of organization.
exit noun/ˈɛɡzət/An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
fancy noun/ˈfæn.si/The imagination.
database noun/ˈdeɪtəˌbeɪs/A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.
politician noun/ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.
preference noun/ˈpɹɛf(ə)ɹ(ə)ns/The selection of one thing or person over others (with the main adposition being "for" in relation to the thing or person, but possibly also "of")
diary noun/ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer.
disappear verb/dɪsəˈpɪɹ/To vanish.
archive noun/ˈɑɹˌkaɪv/A repository or other place for storing material (such as documents and records) no longer in current use, and usually having historical value.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
find out verbTo discover, as by asking or investigating.
go back verbTo return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
work out verb/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/To calculate.

Sentences worth repeating

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

  • Have you thought of an angle yet?
  • I'd much rather read a physical book.
  • I suppose it's just a personal preference.
  • I think that'll become even more common.
  • You know something I've often wondered?

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowHave you thought · have changed · have been digitalised
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does ithave been digitalised · is affected

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 29 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'd, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, transcription /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/
  • Long words — get the stress right: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, librarian /laɪˈbɹɛə̯ɹi.ən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like copyright, relate, concentrate.

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 →