Shadowing Practice: Climate Change: Crash Course Kids #41.2 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
44 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hey, what's the difference between weather and climate?
2
You can't weather a tree, but you can CLIMB IT.
3
But you already know the difference between weather and climate.
4
And if it slipped your mind, psst, the definitions are right there.
5
You know that the weather can change quickly, but climate can also change, just more slowly.
6
And if you're good at putting two and two together, and I know you are, you probably already noticed that we use some of the same words when we talk about climate and environment.
7
Words like temperature and rainfall.
8
Coincidence?
9
I think not.
10
But science demands evidence, my friends.
11
And while we've already seen that living things can change when environments change, we need to ask, how might a change in climate affect an ecosystem?
12
First, let's talk climates.
13
Through little me's travels, we found out that Yuma, Arizona had a hot and sunny climate.
14
We decided this after finding out that although it rained once or twice during my long stay, most of the days were hot and dry.
15
Now, the plants and animals that live in Yuma's hot, dry, sunny climate have adaptations that help them live in that desert environment.
16
If we took a hike around Yuma, we might see a cactus.
17
And if we took a closer and careful look at the cactus, we'd see that its outside is kind of waxy and tough.
18
This adaptation helps the cactus save water by keeping the water from evaporating into the dry air.
19
Now, say something happened to Yuma's climate.
20
Say, over the course of about 20 years, there were even hotter days and less rainfall than before.
21
When weather patterns change over a long period of time, we call it climate change.
22
Would the cactus's adaptations be enough then?
23
Let's find out.
24
Let's look at some organisms that are part of a desert ecosystem.
25
We have our friend the cactus, a kangaroo rat, a rattlesnake, and a desert fox.
26
We can use a handy -dandy food chain model to see how energy flows between living things in this ecosystem.
27
It would probably look something like this.
28
The cactus makes energy by photosynthesis, and the energy goes from the cactus to the rat, then to the snake, and then to the fox.
29
Now, although the cactus has adaptations that help it store and save water, it still needs rain.
30
If it doesn't get enough in a drier climate, it's not going to have anything to store, and it's not going to be able to survive.
31
And you know what happens when we take out the bottom of the food chain?
32
It's like taking the wrong block in Jenga.
33
We throw the rest of the ecosystem off balance.
34
But that's not the only problem.
35
Less rain and hotter temperatures mean less water to drink for all of the animals.
36
And although they have adaptations too, like scales to help them retain water, that won't be enough to let them fit into a much hotter and drier climate.
37
And globally, the climate is changing.
38
Scientists who study climate change think that it's caused in part by changes to the Earth's atmosphere.
39
An increase in gases, like carbon dioxide, is trapping more heat close to the Earth, acting like a blanket and making the Earth warmer.
40
But scientists are hard at work trying to find solutions to climate change.
41
For example, they're looking at ways to keep too much carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
42
So, all living things that make up the Earth's biosphere have adaptations, characteristics that help them fit into their environment.
43
Long -term changes in the Earth's weather patterns, called climate change, may have effects on the living things that make up ecosystems.
44
Now if only I could change that joke I told at the beginning of this video.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
📺 Same Channel
B12
Down to Earth: Crash Course Kids #4.2
KidsDaily Conversation
B11
The Engineering Process: Crash Course Kids #12.2
KidsDaily Conversation
A21
Here Comes the Sun: Crash Course Kids #5.1
KidsDaily Conversation
B14
Defining a Problem: Crash Course Kids #18.1
KidsDaily Conversation
B13
Danger! Falling Objects: Crash Course Kids #32.1
KidsDaily Conversation
B14
Over (to) The Moon: Crash Course Kids #13.2
KidsDaily Conversation
B13
Astronaut Experiment: Crash Course Kids #32.2
KidsDaily Conversation
A26
Resources: Welcome to the Neighborhood - Crash Course Kids #2.1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
Defining Gravity: Crash Course Kids #4.1
Kids
A22
The Great Escape: Crash Course Kids #13.1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
✨ Recommend Video
B12
25 sentences
The Difference Between Weather vs. Climate | CBC Kids
KidsDaily Conversation
B11
174 sentences
Wild Kratts 🐊 Alligators vs. Crocodiles! | Kids Videos
KidsDaily Conversation
B111
36 sentences
EVERBODY UP 5 - UNIT 4 - LESSON 4 VIDEO
KidsDaily Conversation
B11
30 sentences
All About Summer for Kids! | Summer Weather | Changing Seasons | Twinkl USA
KidsDaily Conversation
B13
78 sentences
FOOD CHAINS for Kids 🌱⬅🐝⬅🐦⬅🐺 Trophic Levels 🌼 Episode 1
KidsDaily Conversation
B11
15 sentences
How do chameleons change color? | But Why Bites
KidsDaily Conversation
B13
44 sentences
Climate Change - The environment for Kids (Updated Version)
KidsDaily Conversation
B11
7 sentences
Temperate Climates
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
28 sentences
June - Book 6 - Story 1: Desert Snow
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
73 sentences
Adaptations In Plants | What Is ADAPTATION? | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
82 sentences
Where do bugs go in winter?
KidsDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 44 sentences and 637 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:30. The speaker talks fast, about 182 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification.
- ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ (noun) — A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
- desert /ˈdɛz.ɚt/ (noun) — A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.
- atmosphere /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ (noun) — The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body.
- scientist /ˈsaɪəntəst/ (noun) — One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
- sunny /ˈsʌni/ (adjective) — Featuring a lot of sunshine.
- rainfall (noun) — The amount of rain that falls on a single occasion
- dioxide /daɪˈɑksaɪd/ (noun) — Any oxide containing two oxygen atoms in each molecule.
- trap /tɹæp/ (noun) — A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body.
- slip /ˈslɪp/ (verb) — To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction.
- snake /sneɪk/ (noun) — Any of the suborder Serpentes of legless reptiles with long, thin bodies and fork-shaped tongues.
- retain /ɹəˈteɪn/ (verb) — Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.
- blanket /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ (noun) — A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
- characteristic /ˌkæɹ(ə)ktəˈɹɪstɪk/ (noun) — A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior.
- coincidence /kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns/ (noun) — The property of being coincident, occurring at the same time or place.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- fit into (verb) — To be of the right size and shape to be placed in a location.
- live in (verb) — To reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.)
- make up /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To constitute, to compose.
- take out (verb) — To remove.
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, doesn't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/, ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/, characteristic /ˌkæɹ(ə)ktəˈɹɪstɪk/, coincidence /kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns/, organism /ˈɔɹ.ɡəˌnɪz.əm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like adaptation, ecosystem, desert.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might see · may have |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is changing · is trapping · they're looking |
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.