Shadowing Practice: Ebola: Deadly virus spreads. Cases in DR Congo and Uganda: BBC Learning English from the News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News,
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From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News,
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our podcast about the news headlines.
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In this programme, Ebola outbreak spreads.
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Hello, I'm Becca.
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And I'm Georgie.
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In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.
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You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,
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as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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So, let's hear more about this story.
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An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was announced by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
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An outbreak is a sudden appearance of something,
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especially of something dangerous or unpleasant.
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Ebola is a serious disease caused by a virus caught from wild animals and is usually found in certain parts of Africa.
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It spreads from person to person when they come into contact with infected body fluids such as blood,
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urine and vomit.
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Officials in Uganda reported that the deadly virus has spread in the DR Congo.
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So far, it's thought that there have been 514 cases and 136 deaths.
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This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo since it was discovered in 1976.
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Let's have our first headline.
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This headline is from Ars Technica,
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a technology, science and politics website.
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Ebola outbreak with uncommon strain erupts in Congo and Uganda, 65 deaths.
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And that headline again from Ars Technica,
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a technology, science and politics website.
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Ebola outbreak with uncommon strain erupts in Congo and Uganda.
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65 deaths.
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This headline was from the 15th of May and since then the death toll has risen.
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It highlights how quickly Ebola has spread in the DR Congo and Uganda.
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Yes, the word we'll focus on,
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which expresses the concept of spreading quickly, is erupt.
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What can you tell us about erupt, Georgie?
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Well, when something literally erupts, it explodes.
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Now, the most obvious example of this is a volcano.
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A volcano erupts.
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We can also use erupt metaphorically to talk about something starting suddenly.
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For example, we could say that the classroom erupted as soon as the teacher left.
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That means that the students suddenly started getting noisier,
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they started shouting as soon as the teacher left the room.
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When we use erupt, it can sometimes express violence.
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For example, we could say that violence can erupt between protesters and the police.
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We can also use erupt in an emotional context to talk about a sudden
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and intense release of a feeling that's been building up,
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much like the pressure of a volcano.
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For example, she couldn't hold back her joy any longer and she erupted in tears of happiness.
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Now, we've heard lots of negative examples of erupt,
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but this one is quite a positive one.
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We've heard erupt, start suddenly and on a large scale.
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For example, the crowd erupted when the rock star finally came on stage.
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This is Learning English from the News,
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our podcast about the news headlines.
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Today we're talking about the spread of Ebola in the DR Congo and Uganda.
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The total number of suspected cases means that this outbreak is already one of the largest on record.
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It is thought that there were a series of challenges in detecting the virus in the DR Congo
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that could have allowed the disease to spread east and across the border towards the capital of Uganda.
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One challenge in particular came from local funeral practices.
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It's known that Ebola can spread through contact with infected people,
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even those who are no longer alive.
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And that's what our next headline is about.
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This headline is from Reuters, a news organisation.
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Flawed tests and funerals allowed Ebola to spread undetected, sources say.
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And that headline again from Reuters.
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Flawed tests and funerals allowed Ebola to spread undetected, sources say.
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This headline mentions how testing for detection was flawed or inaccurate.
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This, alongside funeral practices, allowed Ebola to spread.
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The word we're going to focus on here is undetected.
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So if we look inside this word,
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the key to understanding it is detect.
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Now, you might know the job detective,
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so think about the fictional character Sherlock Holmes.
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A detective is someone who finds things or discovers them.
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The adjective detected means found or discovered.
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We use the prefix un with the adjective detected to make undetected,
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which means the opposite, you can't find it.
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The virus was undetected, not found,
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and therefore it continued to spread.
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We've had undetected, not found, noticed or discovered.
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For example, the thieves were undetected for years.
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They stole thousands of valuable items before getting caught.
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This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.
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We're talking about the latest Ebola outbreak.
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Last week, we reported on a different outbreak,
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the Hantavirus outbreak, which started on a Dutch cruise ship.
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However, this next headline talks about how this Ebola outbreak is far more concerning to public health.
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Ebola is rare, but it's also deadly,
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with an average death rate of 50%.
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In some past outbreaks, as many as 90% of infected patients died.
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Early symptoms of Ebola, such as fever,
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muscle aches and fatigue, may be mistaken for other common illnesses.
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Because of this, healthcare workers may not use appropriate protective equipment and become infected themselves.
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That's what happened during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
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More than 800 healthcare workers became infected and two-thirds died as a result of mistaking the virus for other illnesses.
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Let's have a look at this headline.
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This headline is from The Washington Post,
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a newspaper from the US.
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Why Congo's Ebola outbreak is far more alarming than hantavirus.
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And that headline again, Why Congo's Ebola outbreak is far more alarming than hantavirus.
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And that's from the Washington Post.
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We're going to look at the adjective alarming.
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What do we know about this word, Georgie?
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Well, the noun alarm is a loud sound.
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It usually warns of danger or something concerning.
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So imagine a smoke alarm.
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It sounds when it detects smoke.
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Yes, and we can sometimes add the suffix ing to a word to make it an adjective,
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like with alarm and alarming.
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If something is alarming, it's worrying or could cause concern.
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Yes, other examples of this include interest and interesting,
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amaze and amazing, and terror and terrifying.
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And just a note, adjectives with the suffix ing describe the situation,
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whereas adjectives with an ed suffix describe the emotion.
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For example, the red lights were alarming.
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I was alarmed by the red lights.
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We've had alarming, worrying or concerning.
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For example, I saw some alarming news about the rising sea levels.
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That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.
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We'll be back next week with another news story.
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If you found this programme interesting,
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try our series of BBC documentaries made easier for you.
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It's called Our World in English and you can find it on our website bbclearningenglish.com.
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Bye for now.
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Goodbye.
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Context & Background
In the recent BBC Learning English podcast episode titled "Ebola: Deadly virus spreads," hosts Becca and Georgie delve into critical international news, focusing on the spread of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. This informative discussion not only provides insights into the devastating impact of the outbreak but also emphasizes vocabulary that is essential for understanding complex health-related news. Listening to such broadcasts is an effective way to learn English with YouTube, as it combines real-world relevance with language development.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Ebola outbreak - A phrase that indicates the sudden appearance of the disease in a specific area.
- Erupt - This verb is used to describe something that starts suddenly and often powerfully, such as a rapid spread of illness.
- Spread from person to person - A crucial phrase explaining how diseases are transmitted, particularly applicable in health discussions.
- Death toll - This term refers to the total number of deaths resulting from an incident, giving context to the gravity of the situation.
- Contact with infected body fluids - Understanding this phrase can help you discuss health safety and disease transmission effectively.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the material from this podcast for your speaking enhancement, follow this step-by-step shadowing guide:
- Listen: Start by thoroughly listening to the entire transcript of the podcast. Pay attention to the pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm of the speakers.
- Understand: Identify the key phrases, especially the ones mentioned above. Make sure you understand their meanings in various contexts.
- Repeat: Using a shadowing app or a simple recording device, repeat what the speakers say immediately after they say it. Focus on mimicking their accents and intonation.
- Practice: Select segments that challenge you, such as the explanation of the term "erupt." Practice these repeatedly until you feel comfortable.
- Apply: Incorporate these phrases into your daily communication. Engage in discussions related to health topics to practice using your new vocabulary confidently, helping you prepare for scenarios similar to IELTS speaking practice.
This method not only boosts your speaking abilities but also deepens your understanding of pertinent contemporary issues, making it a valuable resource in your language-learning journey.
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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