Shadowing Practice: Cambridge IELTS 20 PART 4 TEST 1– #listeningielts20part4 #ielts20 #voduyquynh - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
You will hear part of a presentation by an urban planning student about the role of rivers in cities around the world.
⏸ Paused
79 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
You will hear part of a presentation by an urban planning student about the role of rivers in cities around the world.
2
First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
3
Thank you.
4
Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
5
It's quite hard to think of a city that doesn't have a big river running through it.
6
If you think about the major cities in the world,
7
Shanghai, New York, Mumbai, London,
8
they're nearly all built on rivers.
9
When these cities were established hundreds or even thousands of years ago,
10
the rivers were a big part of people's lives.
11
In 16th century London, the quickest way to get from one part of the city to another was by river.
12
But people also used the river for fishing,
13
as the water then was relatively clean,
14
and they would also go on boat trips up and down the river just for pleasure,
15
as a relaxing escape from the noise and bustle of the city streets.
16
But as industries developed and populations increased, city rivers suffered.
17
The rising number of people meant there was a huge increase in the amount of sewage discharged into the rivers.
18
Rivers had always been used for this purpose,
19
but when the number of inhabitants was so small,
20
that wasn't such a problem.
21
However, as cities grew to over a million inhabitants,
22
the impact on the rivers became more serious.
23
In addition, other types of pollution increased as factories were built beside the river and discharged their waste materials into the water.
24
This got worse over time.
25
As recently as 1957, scientists at London's Natural History Museum declared that the River Thames was dead in biological terms,
26
as the water was too filthy to support any kind of life.
27
But in recent years, as rivers lost their industrial function,
28
cities have begun to recognise their true value and to take steps to clean them up.
29
For example, the River Thames is now cleaner than it's been for 150 years.
30
These days, you can see seals swimming in the water,
31
and recently people had to try to rescue a whale,
32
which had got lost and swam up the river from the sea by mistake.
33
Unfortunately, they didn't succeed, but the problem was disorientation rather than the quality of the water.
34
Then, all around the world,
35
riverside areas are now seen as prime sites for development.
36
Warehouses that were once used for storing goods are now being converted into expensive restaurants and also into apartments with river views,
37
which are in great demand and sell for astronomical prices.
38
In Los Angeles, on the west coast of the USA,
39
an architect has plans to revitalise the banks of the river and to make a park there,
40
which can provide facilities for sports as well as a natural environment for relaxing in.
41
It's also hoped that the riverside can be used for other purposes.
42
It's been proposed that facilities could be provided for displaying projects related to various kinds of art
43
that have been produced by local people, for example.
44
In the city of Paris,
45
during the summer months of July and August,
46
all the traffic is banned from the roads by the sides of the river,
47
and the banks are transformed into beaches where people can relax in deck chairs under potted palm trees,
48
sunbathe or buy a drink or a snack while enjoying the view.
49
But to make the most of our rivers in our increasingly crowded cities,
50
we need to allow them to regain their original purpose and be used as a means of transport,
51
reclaiming our streets from cars and lorries.
52
To do this, we'll have to shift more traffic back to the river,
53
but this time cleanly and silently,
54
making the most of modern technology.
55
Already more than two billion passengers use the ferry to travel in cities around the world like Istanbul,
56
San Francisco and New York,
57
and these numbers are set to rise further.
58
Admittedly, it's not a fast way of travelling,
59
but neither is a car when it's stuck in traffic.
60
Of course, passenger traffic on roads might decrease as more people start working from home,
61
but another recent development, the huge rise in online shopping,
62
has meant that But another form of urban traffic just keeps on growing, and that's deliveries.
63
Trucks and vans in the city pollute and double park while dropping off parcels.
64
Imagine using the immense capacity of shipping to take these trucks off the road.
65
One freight barge can replace 44 large trucks,
66
uses far less energy and causes less pollution.
67
When the barge docks at the riverside,
68
the parcels could be taken the last few kilometres to their final destination on cargo bikes,
69
electric ones of course.
70
This is already happening in the Dutch city of Amsterdam,
71
and in future The final stage could even be carried out by drone,
72
although at present this isn't allowed.
73
Wouldn't it be great to unblock our city centres in this way?
74
Looking further ahead...
75
That is the end of part four.
76
You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
77
Thank you.
78
That is the end of the listening test.
79
In the IELTS test, you would now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Why practice speaking with this video?

This presentation about the role of rivers in cities offers an excellent foundation for IELTS speaking practice. By engaging with the material, learners can enhance their speaking skills, particularly around urban planning and environmental topics. Listening to the speaker's insights provides context for discussions about real-world issues and encourages learners to formulate their own opinions. Practicing with this video allows you to explore vocabulary related to urbanization, pollution, and revitalization, making it a rich resource for those preparing for the IELTS speaking test. The diverse range of examples mentioned can also inspire discussion and debate, enhancing conversational fluency.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Passive Voice: The speaker utilizes the passive voice in sentences such as "the River Thames was declared dead." This structure is crucial for discussing past events and environmental issues, allowing learners to emphasize the action over the subject.
  • Past Perfect: Expressions like "had to try to rescue" illustrate the use of the past perfect tense. This is important for learners to master, especially when narrating events or discussing historical contexts in their speaking practice.
  • Modals of Suggestion: The phrase "it’s hoped that the riverside can be used for other purposes" demonstrates the use of modal verbs to express possibility and suggestion, a vital aspect of conversational English.
  • Relative Clauses: Completing sentences with relative clauses enhances descriptive accuracy. For example, "warehouses that were once used for storing goods" gives additional context that is useful in speaking.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing speaking, focus on the following challenging words and phrases that may appear in the video:

  • Revitalize: The pronunciation can be tricky, so try breaking it down into syllables: "re-vital-ize."
  • Pollution: Pay attention to the stress on the second syllable: "pol-LU-tion."
  • Urban: The initial vowel sound can be difficult; practice distinguishing it from "suburban." Listen to how the speaker emphasizes the word in the context of urban planning.
  • Facilities: Ensure you articulate the "ci" clearly, as it can easily blend into the preceding sounds.

By utilizing a shadowing technique with this video, you can improve your pronunciation and fluency in real-time. Using a shadowspeaks app can help you practice effectively, allowing for repetition until you feel confident. Engage with this valuable resource to refine your communication skills in English.

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.

☕ Buy us a coffee