Shadowing Practice: Cambridge IELTS Book 14 Listening Test 2 with answers - Learn English Speaking with Video
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298 sentences
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1
Hear a woman talking to a doctor at a clinic about a medical problem.
2
First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 4.
3
You will see that there is an example that has been done for you.
4
On this occasion only, the conversation relating to this will be played first.
5
Hi, come and take a seat.
6
Thank you.
7
My name's Carl Rogers and I'm one of the doctors here at the Total Health Clinic.
8
So I understand this is your first visit to the clinic?
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Yes, it is.
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Okay.
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Well, I hope you'll be very happy with the service you receive here.
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So, if it's alright with you, I'll take a few details to help me give you the best possible service.
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Sure.
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So, can I check first of all that we have the correct personal details for you?
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So, your full name is Julie Ann Garcia?
16
That's correct.
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The woman's name is Julie Ann Garcia.
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So, Garcia has been written in the space.
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Now we shall begin.
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You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time.
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Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 4.
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Hi, come and take a seat.
23
Thank you.
24
My name's Carl Rogers, and I'm one of the doctors here at the Total Health Clinic.
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So I understand this is your first visit to the clinic?
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Yes, it is.
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Okay.
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Well, I hope you'll be very happy with the service you receive here.
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So if it's all right with you, I'll take a few details to help me give you the best possible service.
30
Sure.
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So can I check first of all that we have the correct personal details for you?
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So your full name is Julie Ann Garcia?
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That's correct.
34
Perfect.
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And can I have a contact phone number?
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It's 219 -442 -9785.
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Okay, and then can I just check that we have the correct date of birth?
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October 10, 1992.
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oh i actually have 1991 i'll just correct that now right
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so that's all good now i just need a few more
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personal details do you have an occupation either full -time
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or part -time yes i work full -time in esterhazy's you
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know the restaurant chain i started off as a waitress there a few years ago
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and i'm a manager now oh i know them yeah they're down on 114th street aren't they That's right.
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Yeah, I've been there a few times.
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I just love their salads.
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That's good to hear.
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Right, so one more thing I need to know before we talk about why you're here, Julie, and that's the name of your insurance company.
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It's Cauley Life Insurance.
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That's C -A -W -L -E -Y.
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Excellent.
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Thank you so much.
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Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 5 to 10.
54
Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10.
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Now, Julie, let's look at how we can help you.
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So tell me a little about what brought you here today.
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Well, I've been getting a pain in my knee, the left one.
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Not very serious at first, but it's gotten worse, so I thought I ought to see someone about it.
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That's certainly the right decision.
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So how long have you been aware of this pain?
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Is it just a few days, or is it longer than that?
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Longer.
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It's been worse for the last couple of days, but it's three weeks since I first noticed it.
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It came on quite gradually, though, so I kind of ignored it at first.
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And have you taken any medication yourself or treated it in any way?
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Yeah, I've been taking medication to deal with the pain, Tylenol, and that works okay for a few hours, but i don't like to keep taking it okay
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and what about heat treatment have you tried applying heat at all no
68
but i have been using ice on it for the last few days
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and does that seem to help the pain at all A little, yes.
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Good.
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Now, you look as if you're quite fit normally.
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I am, yes.
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So do you do any sport on a regular basis?
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Yes, I play a lot of tennis.
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I belong to a club, so I go there a lot.
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I'm quite competitive, so I enjoy that side of it as well as the exercise, but I haven't gone since this started.
77
Sure.
78
And do you do any other types of exercise?
79
Yeah, I sometimes do a little swimming, but usually just when I'm on vacation.
80
But normally I go running a few times a week, maybe three or four times.
81
Hmm.
82
So your legs are getting quite a pounding, but you haven't had any problems up to now.
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No, not with my legs.
84
I did have an accident last year when I slipped and hurt my shoulder, but that's better now.
85
Excellent.
86
And do you have any allergies?
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No, none that I'm aware of.
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And do you take any medication on a regular basis?
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Well, I take vitamins, but that's all.
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I'm generally very healthy.
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OK.
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Well, let's have a closer look and see what might be causing this problem.
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If you can just get up...
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That is the end of Section 1.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
96
Now turn to section two.
97
Section two.
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You will hear a guide talking to a group of tourists who are about to visit an English castle.
99
First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 15.
100
Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 15.
101
We'll be arriving at Branley Castle in about five minutes, but before we get there,
102
I'll give you a little information about the castle and what our visit will include.
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So, in fact, there's been a castle on this site for over 1100 years.
104
The first building was a fort constructed in 914 AD for defence against Danish invaders by King Alfred the Great's daughter,
105
who ruled England at the time.
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In the following century, after the Normans conquered England, the land was given to a nobleman called Richard de Vere,
107
and he built a castle there that stayed in the de Vere family for over 400 years.
108
However, when Queen Elizabeth I announced that she was going to visit the castle in 1576, it was beginning to look a bit run down.
109
And it was decided that, rather than repair the guest rooms, they'd make a new house for her, out of wood, next to the main hall.
110
She stayed there for four nights, and apparently it was very luxurious, but unfortunately it was destroyed a few years later by fire.
111
In the 17th century, the castle belonged to the wealthy Fennis family, who enlarged it and made it more comfortable.
112
However, by 1982, the Fennis family could no longer afford to maintain the castle, even though they received government support, and they put it on the market.
113
It was eventually taken over by a company who owned a number of amusement parks.
114
But when we get there, I think you'll see that they've managed to retain the original atmosphere of the castle.
115
When you go inside, you'll find that in the staterooms, there are lifelike moving wax models dressed in costumes of different periods in the past,
116
which even carry on conversations together.
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As well as that, in every room, there are booklets giving information about what the room was used for and the history of the objects and furniture it contains.
118
Thank you.
119
The castle park's quite extensive.
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At one time, sheep were kept there, and in the 19th century the owners had a little zoo with animals like rabbits and even a baby elephant.
121
Nowadays, the old zoo buildings are used for public displays of paintings and sculpture.
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The park also has some beautiful trees, though the oldest of all, which dated back 800 years,
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was sadly blown down in 1987.
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Now, you're free to wander around on your own until 4 .30, but then, at the end of our visit, we'll all meet together at the bottom of the Great Staircase.
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We'll then go on to the Long Gallery, where there's a wonderful collection of photographs showing the family who owned the castle a hundred years ago having tea
126
and cakes in the conservatory.
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And we'll then take you to the same place where afternoon tea will be served to you.
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Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20.
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Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20.
130
Now, if you can take a look at your plans, you'll see Branley Castle has four towers joined together by a high wall,
131
with the river on two sides.
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Don't miss seeing the Great Hall.
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That's near the river in the main tower, the biggest one which was extended and redesigned in the 18th century.
134
If you want to get a good view of the whole castle, you can walk around the walls.
135
The starting point's quite near the main entrance.
136
Walk straight down the path until you get to the south gate, and it's just there.
137
Don't go on to the north gate.
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There's no way up from there.
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there'll shortly be a show in
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which you can see archers displaying their skill with a bow
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and arrow the quickest way to get there is to take the first left after the main entrance
142
and follow the path past the bridge then you'll see it in front of you at the end
143
if you like animals there's also a display of hunting birds falcons
144
and eagles and so on if you go from the main entrance in the direction of the south gate, but turn right before you get there,
145
instead of going through it, you'll see it on your right, past the first tower.
146
At 3pm, there's a short performance of traditional dancing on the outdoor stage.
147
That's right at the other side of the castle from the entrance and over the bridge.
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It's about 10 minutes walk or so.
149
And finally, the shop.
150
It's actually inside one of the towers, but the way in is from the outside.
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Just take the first left after the main entrance, go down the path, and take the first right.
152
It's got some lovely gifts and souvenirs.
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Right, so we're just arriving.
154
That is the end of Section 2.
155
You now have half a minute to check your answers.
156
Thank you.
157
section 3 you will hear two environmental science students called Rosie
158
and Martin discussing their presentation on an extinct animal called the
159
woolly mammoth with their tutor first you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.
160
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
161
So, Rosie and Martin, let's look at what you've got for your presentation on woolly mammoths.
162
Okay, we've got a short outline here.
163
Thanks.
164
So, it's about a research project in North America.
165
Yes, but we thought we needed something general about woolly mammoths in our introduction to establish
166
that they were related to our modern elephant and they lived thousands of years ago in the last ice age.
167
Maybe we could show a video clip of a cartoon about mammoths, but that'd be a bit childish.
168
Or we could have a diagram.
169
It could be a timeline to show when they lived with illustrations.
170
Or we could just show a drawing of them walking in the ice.
171
No, let's go with your last suggestion.
172
Good.
173
Then you're describing the discovery of the mammoth tooth on St. Paul's Island in Alaska, and why it was significant.
174
Yes, the tooth was found by a man called Russell Graham.
175
He picked it up from under a rock in a cave.
176
He knew it was special.
177
For a start, it was in really good condition, as if it had been just extracted from the animal's jawbone.
178
Anyway, they found it was 6 ,500 years old.
179
So why was that significant?
180
Well, the mammoth bones previously found on the North American mainland were much less recent than that, so this was really amazing.
181
Then we're making an animated diagram to show the geography of the area in prehistoric times.
182
So, originally, St Paul's Island wasn't an island.
183
It was connected to the mainland, and mammoths and other animals, like bears, were able to roam around the whole area.
184
Then the climate warmed up, and the sea level began to rise, and the island got cut off from the mainland.
185
So those mammoths on the island couldn't escape.
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They had to stay on the island.
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And in fact, the species survived there for thousands of years after they'd become extinct on the mainland.
188
So why do you think they died out on the mainland?
189
No one's sure.
190
Anyway, next we'll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island.
191
They concluded that the extinction happened 5 ,600 years ago, which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction.
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It's based on samples they took from mud at the bottom of a lake on the island.
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They analysed it to find out what had fallen in over time.
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Bits of plants, volcanic ash, and even DNA from the mammoths themselves.
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It's standard procedure, but it took nearly two years to do.
196
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.
197
Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
198
so why don't you quickly go through the main sections of your presentation
199
and discuss what actions needed for each part okay
200
so for the introduction we're using a visual so once we've prepared
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that we're done i'm not sure i think we need to
202
write down all the ideas we want to include here not
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just rely on memory how we begin the presentation is so important
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you're right the discovery of the mammoth tooth is probably the most dramatic part but we don't have that much information,
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only what we got from the online article.
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I thought maybe we could get in touch with the researcher who led the team
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and ask him to tell us a bit more.
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Great idea.
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What about the section with the initial questions asked by the researchers?
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We've got a lot on that, but we need to make it interesting.
211
We could ask the audience to suggest some questions about it and then see how many of them we can answer.
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I don't think it would take too long.
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Yes, that would add a bit of variety then the section on
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further research carried out on the island analyzing the mud in the lake i wonder
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if we've actually got too much information here should we cut some i don't think
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so but it's all a bit muddled at present yes maybe it would be better
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if it followed a chronological pattern i think so the findings
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and possible explanations section is just about ready but we need to practice it so we're sure it won't overrun.
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I think it should be okay, but yes, let's make sure.
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Hmm, in the last section, relevance to the present day, you've got some good ideas,
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but this is where you need to move away from the ideas of others and give your own viewpoint.
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Okay, we'll think about that now shall we show you something
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that is the end of section 3 you now have half a minute to check your answers
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Now turn to Section 4.
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Section 4.
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You will hear a lecture about the history of weather forecasting.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Thank you.
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questions 31 to 40.
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In this series of lectures about the history of weather forecasting, I'll start by examining its early history.
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That'll be the subject of today's talk.
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OK, so we'll start by going back thousands of years.
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Most ancient cultures had weather gods and weather catastrophes,
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such as floods, played an important role in many creation myths.
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Generally, weather was attributed to the whims of the gods, as the wide range of weather gods in various cultures shows.
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For instance, there's the Egyptian sun god Ra and Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning.
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Many ancient civilizations developed rites,
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such as dances, in order to make the weather gods look kindly on them.
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But the weather was of daily importance.
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Observing the skies and drawing the correct conclusions from these observations was really important.
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In fact, their survival depended on it.
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It isn't known when people first started to observe the skies, but at around 650 BC,
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the Babylonians produced the first short -range weather forecasts,
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based on their observations of clouds and other phenomena.
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The Chinese also recognised weather patterns,
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and by 300 BC, astronomers had developed a calendar which divided the year into 24 festivals,
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each associated with a different weather phenomenon.
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The ancient Greeks were the first to develop a more scientific approach to explaining the weather.
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The work of the philosopher
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and scientist Aristotle in the 4th century BC is especially noteworthy as his ideas held sway for nearly 2 ,000 years.
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In 340 BC, he wrote a book in which he attempted to account for the formation of rain,
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clouds, wind and storms.
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He also described celestial phenomena such as halos, that is, bright circles of light around the sun,
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the moon, and bright stars, and comets.
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Many of his observations were surprisingly accurate.
256
For example, he believed that heat could cause water to evaporate.
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But he also jumped to quite a few wrong conclusions, such as that winds are breathed out by the earth.
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Errors like this were rectified from the Renaissance onwards.
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For nearly 2 ,000 years, Aristotle's work was accepted as the chief authority on weather theory.
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Alongside this, though, in the Middle Ages, weather observations were passed on in the form of proverbs,
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such as, red sky at night, shepherd's delight, red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.
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Many of these are based on very good observations and are accurate, as contemporary meteorologists have discovered.
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for centuries any attempt to forecast the weather could only be based on personal observations
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but in the 15th century scientists began to see the need
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for instruments until then the only ones available were weather vanes to determine the wind direction
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and early versions of rain gauges One of the first, invented in the 15th century,
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was a hygrometer, which measured humidity.
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This was one of many inventions that contributed to the development of weather forecasting.
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In 1592, the Italian scientist and inventor Galileo developed the world's first thermometer barometer.
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His student Torricelli later invented the barometer, which allowed people to measure atmospheric pressure.
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In 1648, the French philosopher Pascal proved that pressure decreases with altitude.
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This discovery was verified by English astronomer Halley in 1686,
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and Halley was also the first person to map trade winds.
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This increasing ability to measure factors related to weather helped scientists to understand the atmosphere and its processes better,
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and they started collecting weather observation data systematically.
276
In the eighteenth century, the scientist and politician Benjamin Franklin carried out work on electricity and lightning in particular,
277
but he was also very interested in weather and studied it throughout most of his life.
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It was Franklin who discovered that storms generally travel from west to east.
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In addition to new meteorological instruments, other developments contributed to our understanding of the atmosphere.
280
People in different locations began to keep records, and in the mid -nineteenth century,
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the invention of the telegraph made it possible for these records to be collated.
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This led, by the end of the nineteenth century, to the first weather services.
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It was not until the early 20th century that mathematics and physics became part of meteorology,
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and we'll continue from that point next week.
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That is the end of Section 4.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
290
Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Cambridge IELTS Book 14 Listening Test 2 with answers”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: weather, questions, castle, section. This video has 298 sentences and 3321 words to shadow. The speech runs for 35:11. The speaker talks slowly, about 94 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mammoth noun | /ˈmæməθ/ | Any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus, of large, usually hairy, elephant-like mammals with long curved tusks and an inclined back, which became extinct… |
| observation noun | /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃn̩/ | The act of observing, and the fact of being observed (see observance) |
| mainland noun | /ˈmeɪnlənd/ | The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from islands or a peninsula. |
| forecast noun | /ˈfɔːkɑːst/ | An estimation of a future condition. |
| extinct adjective | /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ | Of feelings, a person's spirit, a state of affairs, etc.: put out, as if like a fire; quenched, suppressed. |
| tooth noun | /tuθ/ | A hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for biting and chewing food. |
| phenomenon noun | /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/ | A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof. |
| medication noun | /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ | A medicine, or all the medicines regularly taken by a patient. |
| astronomer noun | /əˈstɹɒn.ə.mə/ | One who studies astronomy, the stars or the physical universe; a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. |
| barometer noun | /bəˈɹɑ.mə.tɚ/ | An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. |
| prehistoric adjective | /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/ | Of or relating to the epoch before written record. |
| invent verb | /ɪnˈvɛnt/ | To design a new process or mechanism. |
| philosopher noun | /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/ | A lover of wisdom. |
| nineteenth adjective | /ˌnaɪnˈtiːnθ/ | The ordinal form of the number nineteen. |
| extinction noun | /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ | The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| run down verb | To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them. | |
| start off verb | To begin. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- No, none that I'm aware of.
- Right, so we're just arriving.
- No, let's go with your last suggestion.
- I don't think it would take too long.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been getting · I've been taking · have been using |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if it's alright with you, I'll take · if it's all right with you, I'll take |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been done · has been written · I've been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been done · will be played · has been written |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 68 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: mammoth /ˈmæməθ/, tooth /tuθ/, nineteenth /ˌnaɪnˈtiːnθ/, myth /mɪθ/, thunder /ˈθʌndɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: observation /ˌɑbzɚˈveɪʃn̩/, medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, extinction /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/, invention /ɪnˈvɛnʃən/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/
- Long words — get the stress right: phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/, medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, astronomer /əˈstɹɒn.ə.mə/, barometer /bəˈɹɑ.mə.tɚ/, prehistoric /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/
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 mammoth, observation, mainland.
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.