Shadowing Practice: English Listening Practice | Walking through the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hi, how are you?
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Hi, how are you?
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Today we're learning English as we walk around the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia.
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If you're new to learning English and want to see more about life in Australia,
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maybe you're planning to travel here,
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are studying here, or will move here for work,
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this video series will help you understand everyday English while exploring real places around Melbourne and Australia.
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In this series I've used the 3,000 most common English words to help you learn quickly through comprehensible input.
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You can speak along with me and use this video for shadowing practice or you can relax and listen along.
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Okay let's go for a walk.
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We're starting right here in the city and I need to cross the road to reach the first part of the gardens.
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The light is red so I'll press the button and wait for the signal to turn green.
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Now that the light has turned green I can cross the road.
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I've crossed the road and now we're on the other side.
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Let's keep walking this way.
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I'll follow this path.
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You can hear the crunching sounds of the gravel as I walk along the path.
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Gravel is like small crushed stones.
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Do you see those two people walking ahead?
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Let's walk behind them.
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We'll follow them around the corner and go up the hill with them.
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There are trees on both sides of the path.
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Trees are lining either side of the path.
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This tree gives some nice shade over the footpath.
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Now we have arrived at a fork in the path.
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This is where the path splits into two.
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There are two options of path that we can take.
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Should we turn right or left?
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Let's go left.
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It looks nice and cool under the shade of that tree.
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Here's a signpost to help us find the way.
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This green signpost points in many different directions.
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There are lots of paths we can take,
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but this time we want to take the left path again.
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There's a man in a red shirt walking up ahead.
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He might be going to the same place that we're going.
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Let's follow him for a bit.
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Before we go inside the Botanic Gardens,
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I want to show you a little secret spot.
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It's a place that not many people know about.
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It's a bit hidden away.
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To get there, we need to walk down these narrow stairs.
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There's a handrail on the right that I'm holding onto.
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Can you hear that?
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It's a hidden waterfall.
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At the bottom of the stairs is a small waterfall that flows into a pond.
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The stream of water falling down is surrounded by lush ferns.
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On a hot day, this place feels very cool and peaceful.
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Let's walk back up these narrow stone stairs again.
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If we go through this old archway,
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we'll be back on the main path.
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The weather is lovely today.
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The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius,
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which is nice and warm.
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You can see that there are only a few clouds,
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otherwise it's a clear blue sky.
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There's no wind, just lovely sunshine.
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It's the perfect weather for a walk.
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Right now it's October, which means that it's spring in Australia.
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That means that the trees are growing bright green leaves again after winter.
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We should also see some flowers starting to bloom.
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I've been walking for almost 10 minutes so far.
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We've almost reached the entrance to the Botanic Gardens.
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Can you see the entrance up ahead?
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The entrance is in front of us.
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The gates are beautiful.
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They have a very intricate design.
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means very detailed.
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The gates are shaped like trees with birds made of metal sitting on the top
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and tiny little birds in the centre of the gate.
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Let's go through the opening on the right.
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First, let's take a look at the map of the gardens.
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Right now we're at the city gate.
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On the map there's a pink box that says you which tells us where we are.
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I think we'll head towards the lake near the centre of the gardens.
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We'll go via this path which means we will take this path to get there.
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Next to the map there is a small lookout.
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Let's walk up the steps and stand inside.
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When you stand inside the lookout,
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you can see the river and two stadiums across the water.
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The stadiums are on the opposite side of the river.
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In these stadiums, there are usually big sports games or sometimes large music concerts.
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In front of the river is a road.
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There are quite a lot of cars parked on the sides of the road and a few cars are driving by.
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Now we're walking past some really tall trees.
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Look at their leaves moving in the breeze.
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There are also a lot of dragonflies flying around at the moment.
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Oh look, a dragonfly just landed on this tree.
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Can you see it?
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I don't usually see this many flying around Melbourne.
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Ah, it flew away.
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We have almost made it to the lake.
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You can see it just over there.
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Down below, two people are walking their dogs.
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They're taking their dogs for a walk next to the lake.
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I want to walk a bit further so we'll stay on this upper path and walk to the gazebo.
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Do you see that round structure up ahead?
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Let's go inside for a minute.
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Inside the gazebo there are benches.
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You can sit here on the benches and look out over the garden.
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I'm going to take a short rest and sit here on one of the benches.
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It's very peaceful.
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I'm the only person who is sitting in the gazebo.
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I have the seats all to myself.
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Okay, time to walk again.
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Let's follow this path down into a shady area and at the end of the path there's the lake.
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The lake is very large.
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This lake is surrounded by lots of different plants, trees and flowers.
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These little purple ones are my favourite.
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Look there's a little bee on the flower.
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To the right there's a smaller part of the lake and there are some white birds floating on top of the water.
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If I look down I can see my shadow in the water.
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The breeze is a little stronger now.
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The wind has picked up.
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You can see the plants swaying in the breeze.
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Look at the unique shape of this short tree.
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The tree has thick and chunky branches.
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Now we've reached the boardwalk.
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In the distance there are two people offering boat rides.
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They have a green and red painted boat and are standing near matching green and red umbrellas.
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The lady walking in front of me is also carrying an umbrella.
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The umbrella will protect her from the sun.
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I've been walking on this path for a little while now.
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Let's step off the path and step onto the grass.
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We can wander around this grassy area for a bit.
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Here are some more purple flowers,
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but these ones have tiny yellow centres.
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Over there, there's a woman lying on the grass, enjoying the sunshine.
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It looks like she's lying on a towel or a rug.
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Behind her you can see the tall buildings of the city.
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These thin palm trees have grown close together.
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There's quite a lot of them.
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It looks like there's maybe ten of them.
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I'm walking underneath the branches of this big tree.
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There are beautiful pink blossoms on the branches.
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Underneath the tree two people are having a picnic in this shady spot.
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And the two people on the right are taking their dog for a stroll.
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This area is a small veggie patch.
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Different vegetables are starting to grow in these crates.
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The scarecrow will help keep the birds away.
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It's very cute.
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Let's check the map again.
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It looks like we've reached the opposite side of the gardens now.
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This part is called the arid garden.
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It's full of different kinds of cactus and dry weather plants.
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These are plants that don't need a lot of water.
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They can survive in very hot conditions.
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This section feels very different to the other areas of the garden.
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There aren't any big trees,
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just a lot of spiky plants in different shapes.
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Some are long and thin like poles.
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Others are short and round like balls.
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And some have spots like this one.
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This one looks pretty sharp.
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Let's go past this cluster of long, tall plants.
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A cluster is a group of things close together.
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Let's walk up these red stairs.
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There are only a few we need to climb.
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We'll walk up this ramp to reach the top.
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There's a handrail on the right side of the ramp.
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A man has run past me on the ramp and will run back down.
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Here at the top is a small pond.
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You can also see some apartments outside of the garden.
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If we look out here,
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we can see across this section of the garden.
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Let's head down again and along this path.
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This tree with little yellow flowers smells amazing.
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This tree is native to Australia,
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which means that it grows here naturally.
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The tree is originally from Australia.
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If I follow the stone path out this way,
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we'll arrive at a big field full of native Australian daisies.
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These kinds of daisies have a thick,
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paper-like texture, and there are lots of pink, yellow and white flowers.
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How beautiful!
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Wouldn't it be nice to sit beside these flowers all day?
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Okay, it's time to finish our walk.
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We'll follow this stone path towards the exit.
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This gate looks different from the first one, but just as intricate.
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Out we go!
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Thanks for walking with me today.
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What was at the hidden place before entering the gardens?
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A waterfall.
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What did the woman use to protect herself from the sun?
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She used a white umbrella.
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How would you describe the design of this gate?
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The gate has an intricate design.
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Thanks for joining me today in the Botanic Gardens here in Melbourne.
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Where would you like to go next?
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Or which everyday English topics would you like to learn about?
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Please let me know in the comments below.
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If you enjoyed this video,
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please give it a like and subscribe for more simple Australian English practice.
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See you next time!
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with the English listening practice video while exploring the Botanic Gardens in Melbourne offers a unique and enjoyable approach to learning English. By immersing yourself in real-life contexts, you can grasp everyday vocabulary and phrases that are common in Australian culture. This experience is especially beneficial for those who are planning to travel or move to Australia, as it prepares you to understand local conversations more effectively.
Moreover, this video is ideal for shadowing technique practice. Shadowing involves listening to spoken English and repeating what you hear, which can significantly enhance your fluency and confidence. With the visual backdrop of the gardens, you not only learn the language but also the cultural nuances of Australia. The more you practice speaking along, the more you’ll notice improvements in your English speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, several key structures are highlighted that can enrich your learning experience:
- "I need to cross the road..." - This structure uses a simple present tense to express a current necessity. It’s useful when discussing your immediate plans or actions.
- "Let's walk behind them..." - The use of "let's" is a common way to suggest an action together, which is especially handy in everyday conversation.
- "This tree gives some nice shade..." - Here, the phrase illustrates descriptive language, enriching your vocabulary for discussing nature and surroundings.
- "Can you hear that?" - This phrase demonstrates how to engage listeners, which is a vital skill for social interactions and enhancing your IELTS speaking practice.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While practicing, be aware of the following pronunciation challenges that can arise:
- The word "Botanic" is often mispronounced; focus on the syllables: bo-TAN-ic.
- "Gravel" can be tricky because of its vowel sound; make sure to pronounce it as 'gra-vuhl'.
- A common mistake is in pronouncing "waterfall." Ensure you stress the first syllable: 'WATER-fall'.
- The phrase "hidden waterfall" can also be challenging. Pay attention to linking the 'n' sound in "hidden" with the beginning of "waterfall."
For those looking to improve English pronunciation, consider using a shadowing app to practice these specific terms and phrases after you watch the video. This focused practice will help you sound more natural and confident in your speaking abilities.
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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