Shadowing Practice: Dolphin Intelligence: IELTS LISTENING Vol 7 Test 1 Section 4 (IELTS Listening Recent Actual Test) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Part 4 You will hear part of a biology lecture about dolphins and how views divide over their level of intelligence.
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Part 4 You will hear part of a biology lecture about dolphins and how views divide over their level of intelligence.
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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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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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In today's lecture, we'll dive into the topic of dolphin intelligence,
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discussing dolphin behavior and their physical structure,
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in an attempt to shed light on the question, how intelligent are dolphins?
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Well, concerning body size, dolphin brains are among the largest in the animal kingdom,
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more extensive than chimpanzees.
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And certain species, like bottlenose dolphins,
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have brains even bigger than humans.
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However, some current tests suggest that they do not possess the same cognitive abilities as humans,
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despite having a similar brain size.
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For instance, dolphins are often trapped in gill nets,
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originally intended for tuna fishing.
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These entanglement cases have led to unnecessary injury or deaths of dolphins,
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gradually depleting their numbers.
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Clearly, dolphins don't realize that they could just jump over these vertical barriers and swim to safety.
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People often mistakenly view dolphins' eternal smile as signs of intelligence and joy.
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Actually, this is not a facial expression at all,
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but a fixed design of their head.
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Unlike human beings with greater than 40 facial muscles,
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dolphins have no such powers with which to form an expression.
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On the other hand, small-brained animals are sometimes underrated for their level of intelligence.
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Pigeons and rats are typical examples of small-brained animals,
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which can perform tasks so complex that most humans would have trouble with them.
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Over the last few decades,
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scientists have conducted countless studies on the cognitive abilities of these overlooked animals,
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with quite surprising results.
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Pigeons are aware of their bodies when they see their reflections in the mirror.
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Pigeons are also trained under specific conditions and gradually form instinctive reactions.
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In an experiment in 2009,
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a group of 12 pigeons was given a reward,
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like food and water, every time they pecked a key on a lab table.
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All birds successfully performed the trick.
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These test results indicate that brain size is probably not the sole factor in determining intelligence.
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Another argument steers the attention,
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to the correlation between intelligence
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and the constituents of brains rather than their sheer sizes it's been found
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that dolphin brains are comprised chiefly of fatty cells
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which serve as a protective barrier between the systemic blood
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and the extracellular environment of the central nervous system they are also essential components of nerve cell membranes,
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affecting problem-solving skills performance.
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Now, the second mainstream view,
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is that dolphins are highly intelligent.
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Research into the behavior of dolphins in the wild,
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and in captivity, has yielded incredible data,
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on the intelligence of these marine mammals.
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Studies show that dolphins not only have the ability to learn as individuals,
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but those individuals can then pass their new knowledge on to others.
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Let's take a look at some typical examples.
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Among these are tested with Billy,
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a dolphin trapped in a sea lock and rescued.
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Billy spent three weeks in rehabilitation and was released back into the wild.
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There, researchers noticed that Billy had started tailwalking,
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a skill only mastered by captive dolphins who imitated the keepers.
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Billy had not been trained to tailwalk,
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but had learned the skill simply by observing other dolphins in the rehab center.
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Another study involves a female dolphin named Karen.
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Karen was given a test,
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in which she was rewarded with a fish,
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for every piece of litter she brought to researchers.
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To maximize its bounty, she quickly learned to take a newspaper,
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keep it at the bottom of a tank,
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and tear off smaller pieces to get more fish.
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Over the past hundred years,
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researchers have proven that dolphins are extremely social species,
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and have evolved to have highly developed brains.
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These factors are the most significant contributors to their intelligence,
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and become the means of survival for dolphins.
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In 2008, researchers tracked a group of around 400 dolphins.
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One female dolphin in the group was having a lot of trouble swimming,
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and kept flipping upside down,
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or sinking into the water.
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The other dolphins crowded around it.
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They paddled side by side with the injured female on their backs.
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By keeping the wounded female above water,
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they may have helped it to breathe, avoiding drowning.
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So how do they communicate with each other?
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Well, scientists have discovered, through observation and meticulous testing,
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that every dolphin has a different sound,
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resembling the whistle that other dolphins recognize as a particular individual.
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Dolphins can emit a wide variety of sounds.
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The frequency levels range ten times beyond what humans can hear.
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But of course, there are other means of communication for dolphins, besides sound.
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During mating season, male dolphins stroke females with flippers,
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after a fight to affirm social bonds.
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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Thank you.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice listening comprehension and enhance your English speaking skills by exploring the topic of dolphin intelligence as discussed in an engaging biology lecture. You'll learn about the unique brain structure of dolphins, how their behavior can be misinterpreted, and the complexities of animal intelligence, including that of smaller-brained animals like pigeons. By focusing on this content, you'll not only improve your English but also gain insights into the fascinating world of marine mammals. Use this opportunity to learn English with YouTube and develop your ability to express complex ideas clearly and confidently.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Intelligence: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
  • Cognitive abilities: Mental capabilities related to learning, reasoning, problem-solving, etc.
  • Entanglement: The state of being caught or trapped in something.
  • Facial expression: The arrangement of facial muscles to convey emotion.
  • Species: A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals.
  • Behavior: The way in which an animal or person acts in response to a particular situation.
  • Mirroring: The act of reflecting one's behavior, often used in learning processes.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning from this lecture, try the shadowing technique. This involves listening to the audio while repeating phrases aloud immediately after hearing them. Since the speed of the lecture is moderate, it allows you to absorb the sounds and rhythms of English without feeling overwhelmed. Focus on shadow speech – imitating the intonation and emotion of the speaker. This will help reinforce your pronunciation and comprehension skills.

As you practice, pay special attention to the different key vocabulary items highlighted earlier. Repeating these words in context will improve your vocabulary retention. When you engage with this shadowing site, you not only enhance your speaking abilities but also build confidence in discussing complex topics. Try recording yourself and listen to the playback. This way, you can monitor your progress over time.

By making use of resources like this video and applying techniques from shadowspeaks, you can effectively improve your English speaking skills while diving into interesting subjects like dolphin intelligence. Remember, the more you practice, the more seamlessly you’ll be able to communicate with others!

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.

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