Shadowing Practice: Cambridge 13 Test 1 Section 3 Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Section 3.
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You will hear two biology students called Emma and Jack discussing an experiment they are going to do together.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 25.
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We've got to choose a topic for our experiment, haven't we, Jack?
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Were you thinking of something to do with seeds?
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That's right.
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I thought we could look at seed germination, how a seed begins to grow.
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OK.
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Any particular reason?
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I know you're hoping to work in plant science eventually.
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Yeah, but practically everything we do is going to feed into that.
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No, there's an optional module on seed structure and function in the third year that I might do.
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So I thought it might be useful for that.
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If I choose that option, I don't have to do a dissertation module.
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Good idea.
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Well, I thought for this experiment, we could look at the relationship between seed size
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and the way the seeds are planted so we could plant different sized seeds in different ways and see which grow best.
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OK.
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Would need to allow time for the seeds to come up.
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That should be fine if we start now.
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A lot of the other possible experiments need quite a bit longer.
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So that'd make it a good one to choose.
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And I don't suppose it'd need much equipment.
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We're not doing chemical analysis or anything though that's not really an issue.
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We've got plenty of equipment in the laboratory.
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Yeah, we need to have a word with the tutor if we're going to go ahead with it, though.
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I'm sure our aim's OK.
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It's not very ambitious, but the assignment's only 10 % of our final mark, isn't it?
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But we need to be sure we're the only ones doing it.
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Yeah, it's only 5 % actually, but it'd be a bit boring if everyone was doing it.
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Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list?
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The one by Graves?
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Hmm.
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I looked through it for my last experiment, though it wasn't all that relevant there.
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It would be for this experiment, though.
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I found it quite hard to follow, lots about the theory which I hadn't expected.
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Yes, I'd been hoping for something more practical.
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It does include references to the recent findings on genetically modified seeds, though.
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Yes, that was interesting.
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I read an article about seed germination by Lee Hall.
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About seeds that lie in the ground for ages and only germinate after a fire.
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That's the one.
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I knew a bit about it already, but not about this research.
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His analysis of figures comparing the times of the fires and the proportion of seeds that germinated
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was done in a lot of detail.
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Very impressive.
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Was that the article with the illustrations of early stages of plant development?
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They were very clear.
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I think those diagrams were in another article.
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Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 -30.
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Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.
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Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment?
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We'll need to get going with it quite soon.
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Right.
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So the first thing we have to do is find our seeds.
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I think vegetable seeds would be best.
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And obviously they mustn't all be the same size.
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So how many sorts do we need?
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About four different ones?
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I think that would be enough.
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There'll be quite a large number of seeds for each one.
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Then for each seed we need to find out how much it weighs and also measure its dimensions.
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And we need to keep a careful record of all that.
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That'll be quite time -consuming.
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And we also need to decide how deep we're going to plant the seeds, right on the surface a few millimetres down or several centimetres.
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OK, so then we get planting.
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Do you think we can plant several seeds together in the same plant pot?
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No, I think we need a different one for each seed.
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Right.
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And we'll need to label them.
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We can use different coloured labels.
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Then we wait for the seeds to germinate.
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I reckon that'll be about three weeks, depending on what the weather's like.
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Then we see if our plants have come up and write down how tall they've grown.
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Then all we have to do is look at our numbers and see if there's any relation between them.
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That's right.
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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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Now turn to section 4.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Cambridge 13 Test 1 Section 3 Listening”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: seed, experiment, plant, questions, germination. This video has 80 sentences and 765 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:02. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| seed noun | /siːd/ | Any propagative portion of a plant which may be sown, such as true seeds, seed-like fruits, tubers, or bulbs. |
| experiment noun | /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/ | A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of… |
| label noun | /ˈleɪ.bəl/ | A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached. |
| module noun | /ˈmɑd͡ʒul/ | A self-contained component of a system, often interchangeable, which has a well-defined interface to the other components. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| impressive adjective | /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ | Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| procedure noun | /pɹəˈsiː.d͡ʒə/ | A particular method for performing a task. |
| laboratory noun | /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/ | A room, building or institution equipped for scientific research, experimentation or analysis. |
| relation noun | /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ | The manner in which two things may be associated. |
| biology noun | /baɪˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | The study of all life or living matter. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| practically adverb | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/ | In practice; in effect or in actuality, though possibly not officially, technically, or legally. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| go ahead with verb | To resume something previously cancelled or delayed; to continue something despite known concerns. |
| look through verb | To take a view of the contents of; search in, either with the eyes or by hand. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Were you thinking of something to do with seeds?
- We've got plenty of equipment in the laboratory.
- Did you read that book on seed germination on our reading list?
- Yes, I'd been hoping for something more practical.
- Anyway, shall we have a look at the procedure for our experiment?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, it'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: relation /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, proportion /pɹəˈpɔɹʃən/, dimension /daɪˈmɛn.ʃən/, ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/, illustration /ˌɪləsˈtɹeɪ̯ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, laboratory /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/, biology /baɪˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/, illustration /ˌɪləsˈtɹeɪ̯ʃən/
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 seed, experiment, label.
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.