Shadowing Practice: Cambridge 13 Test 2 Section 3 Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Section 3.

You will hear a student called Russ consulting his tutor about a presentation he is preparing on nanotechnology,

a study of materials on an extremely small scale.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 25.

Thank you.

Ah, come in, Russ.

Thank you.

Now, you wanted to consult me about your class presentation on nanotechnology.

You're due to give it next week, aren't you?

That's right, and I'm really struggling.

I chose the topic because I didn't know much about it and wanted to learn more, but now I've read so much about it,

in a way there's too much to say.

I could talk for much longer than the 20 minutes I've been allocated.

Should I assume the other students don't know much and give them a kind of general introduction?

Or should I try and make them share my fascination with a particular aspect?

You could do either, but you'll need to have it clear in your own mind.

Then I think I'll give an overview.

OK.

Now, one way of approaching this is to work through developments in chronological order.

On the other hand, you could talk about the numerous ways that nanotechnology is being applied.

You mean things like thin films on camera displays to make them water -repellent, and additives to make motorcycle helmets stronger and lighter?

Exactly.

Or another way would be to focus on its impact in one particular area, say medicine or space exploration.

That would make it easier to focus.

Perhaps I should do that.

I think that would be a good idea.

Right.

How important is it to include slides in the presentation?

They aren't essential by any means and there's a danger of tailoring what you say to fit whatever slides you can find.

While it can be good to include slides, you could end up spending too long looking for suitable ones.

You might find it better to leave them out.

I see.

Another thing I was wondering about was how to start.

I know presentations often begin with first I'm going to talk about this and then I'll talk about that.

But I thought about asking the audience what they know about nanotechnology.

That would be fine if you had an hour or two for the presentation,

but you might find that you can't do anything with the answers you get, and it simply eats into the short time that's available.

So maybe I should mention a particular way that nanotechnology is used to focus people's attention?

That sounds sensible.

What do you think I should do next?

I really have to plan the presentation today and tomorrow.

Well, initially, I think you should ignore all the notes you've made,

take a small piece of paper and write a single short sentence that ties together the whole presentation.

It can be something as simple as, nanotechnology is already improving our lives.

Then start planning the content around that.

You can always modify that sentence later if you need to.

OK.

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 26 to 30.

Now listen and answer questions 26 to 30.

OK, now let's think about actually giving the presentation.

You've only given one before, if I remember correctly, about an experiment you'd been involved in.

That's right.

It was pretty rubbish.

Let's say it was better in some respects than in others.

With regard to the structure, I felt that you ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off.

Be careful not to do that in next week's presentation.

OK.

And you made very little eye contact with the audience because you were looking down at your notes most of the time.

You need to be looking at the audience and only occasionally glancing at your notes.

Your body language was a little odd.

Every time you showed a slide, you turned your back on the audience so you could look at it.

You should have been looking at your laptop.

And you kept scratching your head, so I found myself wondering when you were next going to do that,

instead of listening to what you were saying.

Oh dear.

What did you think of the language?

I knew that not everyone was familiar with the subject, so I tried to make it as simple as I could.

Yes, that came across.

You used a few words that are specific to the field,

but you always explained what they meant so the audience wouldn't have had any difficulty understanding.

Uh -huh.

I must say, the handouts you prepared were well thought out.

They were a good summary of your presentation, which people would have been able to refer to later on.

So well done on that.

Thank you.

Well, I hope that helps you with next week's presentation.

Yes, it will.

Thanks a lot.

I'll look forward to seeing a big improvement then.

That is the end of section 3.

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

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 2 Section 3 Listening”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: presentation, nanotechnology, audience, slide, notes. This video has 82 sentences and 840 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:04. The speaker talks at a steady 119 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

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
presentation noun	/ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/	The act of presenting, or something presented.
slide noun	/ˈslaɪ̯d/	An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again.
consult verb	/ˈkɑnsʌlt/	To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer; to advise.
topic noun	/ˈtɑpɪk/	A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
ignore verb	/ɪɡˈnɔː/	To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
thin adjective	/ˈθɪn/	Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
refer verb	/ɹɪˈfɜː/	To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
aspect noun	/ˈæspɛkt/	Any specific feature, part, or element of something.
occasionally adverb	/əˈkeɪʒənəli/	On occasion: at relatively infrequent intervals, from time to time, sometimes.
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…
suitable adjective	[ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩]	Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.
summary noun	/ˈsʌm.ə.ɹi/	An abstract or a condensed presentation of the substance of a body of material.
regard noun	/ɹɪˈɡɑːd/	A steady look, a gaze.
difficulty noun	/ˈdɪfɪkəlti/	The state of being difficult, or hard to do.
laptop noun	/ˈlæp.tɑp/	A laptop computer.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come across verb	To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
work through verb	To get past a difficult or stressful situation by thinking or talking about it.

Sentences worth repeating

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

You're due to give it next week, aren't you?
That's right, and I'm really struggling.
Then I think I'll give an overview.
What do you think I should do next?
What did you think of the language?

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	I've read · I've been allocated · you've made
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	I've been allocated · being applied · been involved

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 18 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, aren't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, rubbish /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/, fascination /fæsɪˈneɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, difficulty /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/, exploration /ˌɛkspləˈɹeɪʃən/, motorcycle /ˈmoʊtɚˌsaɪkəl/

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 presentation, slide, consult.

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: Cambridge 13 Test 2 Section 3 Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?