Shadowing Practice: FCE1 TEST2 PART1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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This is the Cambridge First Certificate in English Listening Test, Test 2.
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I'm going to give you the instructions for this test.
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I'll introduce each part of the test and give you time to look at the questions.
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At the start of each piece, you'll hear this sound.
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You'll hear each piece twice.
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Remember, while you're listening, write your answers on the question paper.
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You'll have five minutes at the end of the test to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet.
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There will now be a pause.
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Please ask any questions now because you must not speak during the test.
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Now open your question paper and look at part one.
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You'll hear people talking in eight different situations.
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For questions 1 to 8, choose the best answer A, B or C.
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1. You overhear a woman talking to her husband on a mobile phone.
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What's the background to the conversation?
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A. The family's holiday may have to be cancelled.
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B. The woman wants to buy their son a computer.
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C. Their son has schoolwork to complete before the start of term.
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Listen, about Jimmy's school project.
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I spoke to the computer department at work about borrowing a laptop, and apparently they're only supposed to give them out to people on company business.
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So I guess Jimmy will just have to write it all out by hand and type it out when we get back.
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That'll only give him two days, but what can we do?
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I know he's been at home all summer, but that's Jimmy for you, and he's only 12.
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I just wish his school was a bit more understanding about people's holiday arrangements.
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Listen, about Jimmy's school project, I spoke to the computer department at work about borrowing a laptop
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and apparently they're only supposed to give them out to people on company business.
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So I guess Jimmy will just have to write it all out by hand and type it out when we get back.
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That'll only give him two days, but what can we do?
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I know he's been at home all summer but that's Jimmy for you and he's only twelve.
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I just wish his school was a bit more understanding about people's holiday arrangements.
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2. You hear a phone-in programme on the radio.
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Why has the man phoned?
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a.
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To complain about the traffic scheme b.
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To express his support for the traffic scheme.
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c.
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To question the aims of the traffic scheme.
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Go ahead, Paul.
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I'm listening.
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Well, I'm fed up with listening to all your callers moaning on about the new traffic scheme.
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I mean, that woman who said it took 50 minutes to cross the city by car instead of her usual 30.
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Poor thing!
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Why didn't she leave the car at home and use the bus service instead?
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Anyway, the aim of the new scheme isn't to make car journeys quicker.
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It's for shoppers and pedestrians and cyclists and bus passengers, and it's working.
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I recommend everyone to have a walk in the city centre and see for themselves.
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That's all I wanted to say.
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Go ahead, Paul.
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I'm listening.
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Well, I'm fed up with listening to all your callers moaning on about the new traffic scheme.
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I mean, that woman who said it took 50 minutes to cross the city by car instead of her usual 30.
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Poor thing!
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Why didn't she leave the car at home and use the bus service instead?
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Anyway, the aim of the new scheme isn't to make car journeys quicker.
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It's for shoppers and pedestrians and cyclists and bus passengers, and it's working!
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I recommend everyone to have a walk in the city centre and see for themselves.
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That's all I wanted to say.
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3. On the radio, you hear a woman talking about her house.
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What has she recently done?
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A. Decided to move to another area.
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B. Solved a problem that she had.
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C. Made improvements to her house.
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I do sometimes think about moving.
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I can't deny it.
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But when you've lived in a house for as long as I have, you learn to accept its drawbacks, and you stop always trying to change things.
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Here, the garden is a bit big for me to cope with as I would like, but now I've got someone who comes in once a week to help me out,
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and things have definitely improved.
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So I think I'll be staying put for just a little bit longer.
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I do sometimes think about moving, I can't deny it.
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But when you've lived in a house for as long as I have, you learn to accept its drawbacks, and you stop always trying to change things.
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Here, the garden is a bit big for me to cope with as I would like, but now I've got someone who comes in once a week to help me out,
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and things have definitely improved.
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so I think I'll be staying put for just a little bit longer.
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4. You overhear two people discussing a friend.
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What language does their friend usually speak at home?
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A. French B.
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English C.
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Italian I had dinner at Mark's house last night.
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His father made a delicious Italian dessert.
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Oh yes, his parents are Italian, aren't they?
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I keep forgetting that because Mark's English is so good.
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Of course it is.
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He was born in Texas.
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And his mother's not Italian.
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She's French.
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That's what they all speak to each other.
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Though they used English when I was there.
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Mark has to go to classes on Saturdays to learn to read and write Italian.
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To hear him speak on the phone to his grandmother in Rome, you'd think it was his first language.
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I had dinner at Mark's house last night.
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His father made a delicious Italian dessert.
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Oh yes, his parents are Italian, aren't they?
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I keep forgetting that because Mark's English is so good.
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Of course it is.
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He was born in Texas.
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And his mother's not Italian, she's French.
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That's what they all speak to each other, though they used English when I was there.
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Mark has to go to classes on Saturdays to learn to read and write Italian.
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To hear him speak on the phone to his grandmother in Rome, you'd think it was his first language.
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5. You hear a man talking about an activity holiday he went on as a child with his family.
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How did he feel during the holiday?
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A. Bored by the climbing.
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B. Upset with his father.
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C. Disappointed with the rowing boat.
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As a child, all our holidays were in Scotland because my father was very keen on climbing, and he insisted we went climbing every day.
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One day, the weather stopped us going climbing, much to my relief, so we hired a rowing boat on the lake.
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My father complained it was uncomfortable and slow.
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He preferred motorboats, but I sat there and thought, this feels good, even though the boat was old and creaky.
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After that, I just got the bug really and I've been rowing ever since.
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And the boats now are better than that first one in Scotland.
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As a child, all our holidays were in Scotland because my father was very keen on climbing.
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And he insisted we went climbing every day.
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One day, the weather stopped us going climbing, much to my relief, so we hired a rowing boat on the lake.
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My father complained it was uncomfortable and slow.
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He preferred motorboats, but I sat there and thought, this feels good, even though the boat was old and creaky.
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After that, I just got the bug, really, and I've been rowing ever since, and the boats now are better than that first one in Scotland.
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6. You hear the beginning of a radio programme.
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What's the programme going to be about?
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A. Child development.
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B. The environment.
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C. A form of entertainment.
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As any parent or child carer knows, it's pointless buying drums or expensive instruments for small children.
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Give them a wooden spoon, a saucepan lid and a cardboard box and they'll happily bang away for hours.
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So you could say that the group named Thump are simply having their second childhood.
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Just over seven years ago, this small band of street performers from the north of England
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decided to turn their routine with metal rubbish bins and bicycle chains into a stage show.
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They now have five separate groups working nightly across the country
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and are just about to begin their first tour of the USA.
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As any parent or child carer knows, it's pointless buying drums or expensive instruments for small children.
129
Give them a wooden spoon, a saucepan lid and a cardboard box and they'll happily bang away for hours.
130
So you could say that the group named Thump are simply having their second childhood.
131
Just over seven years ago, this small band of street performers from the north of England decided to turn their routine with metal rubbish bins
132
and bicycle chains into a stage show.
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They now have five separate groups working nightly across the country
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and are just about to begin their first tour of the USA.
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Seven.
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You hear a man being interviewed about a new project he has set up.
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What's the purpose of the project a to help people find
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accommodation in scotland b to tell people where to stay in
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australia c to advise people how to set up a flat
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agency mark this new project you've got this uh flat agency has this arisen from your own experience
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or what uh both from bitter personal experience of having to find somewhere to live in Edinburgh over the last few years,
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crossing the city from one corner to the next and turning up at hundreds of places which weren't suitable.
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And also it was taken from an idea in Australia where a similar service was set up,
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and I thought, well, let's try and take out some of the misery of trying to find a flat here in Scotland.
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Mark, this new project you've got, this flat agency, has this arisen from your own experience or what?
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Both from bitter personal experience of having to find somewhere to live in Edinburgh over the last few years,
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crossing the city from one corner to the next and turning up at hundreds of places which weren't suitable.
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And also, it was taken from an idea in Australia where a similar service was set up.
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and I thought, well, let's try and take out some of the misery of trying to find a flat here in Scotland.
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8. You switch on the radio in the middle of a programme.
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What kind of programme is it?
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A. An arts review.
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B. An interview.
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C. A quiz show.
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And now, Mr Harmon, what I want to ask you is in which of Shakespeare's plays does the character Queen Titania appear?
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Let me think for a moment.
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Well, it was one of the comedies.
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I believe she was a fairy.
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I can tell you that it was performed at the Regent Theatre last year starring Evelyn Thomas and had excellent reviews.
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I don't remember that.
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Now, is it Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare?
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Indeed it is.
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And now, Mr Harmon, what I want to ask you is in which of Shakespeare's plays does the character Queen Titania appear?
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Let me think for a moment.
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Well, it was one of the comedies.
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I believe she was a fairy.
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I can tell you that it was performed at the Regent Theatre last year starring Evelyn Thomas and had excellent reviews.
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I don't remember that.
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Now, is it Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare?
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Indeed it is.
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That's the end of part one.
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Master English Listening and Speaking with Real-World Dialogues
Learning English with videos is a powerful way to practice real-life communication, and the video we’re focusing on—featuring Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) listening scenarios—offers authentic dialogues that mirror everyday interactions. From a parent discussing a child’s school project to a radio caller sharing opinions on a traffic scheme, these conversations expose learners to natural speech patterns, casual vocabulary, and contextual nuances that textbooks often miss.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "That's [name] for you" – A common way to explain someone’s typical behavior (e.g., "He’s been at home all summer, but that’s Jimmy for you").
- "I’m fed up with" – Express frustration (e.g., "I’m fed up with listening to all your callers moaning").
- "What can we do?" – A practical question when facing a problem, useful in daily discussions.
- "I recommend everyone to" – Suggest an action confidently (e.g., "I recommend everyone to have a walk in the city centre").
- "the aim of [something] isn’t to" – Clarify purpose (e.g., "The aim of the new scheme isn’t to make car journeys quicker").
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide to Ace This Video
The shadowing technique—also called "shadowspeak"—is a proven method to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how to apply it to this video:
- Listen first, then mimic: Play a 5-second clip, pause, and repeat it aloud, matching the speaker’s tone and rhythm. Focus on phrases like "I just wish his school was a bit more understanding" to practice intonation.
- Slow down for clarity: The dialogues include casual speech (e.g., "moaning on about") that can be tricky. Use the video’s repeated playback to break down fast segments, ensuring you catch every word.
- Emphasize stress and pauses: Notice where speakers pause (e.g., after "Well, I’m fed up...") and stress key words ("working" in "it’s working"). This helps you sound more natural.
- Record and compare: Record your shadowing and listen back. Compare it to the original to identify areas for improvement, like vowel sounds in "laptop" or "traffic."
- Practice daily: Spend 10 minutes a day on shadow speak with this video. Over time, you’ll build confidence in understanding and reproducing real-world English.
By combining learn English with videos and the shadowing technique, you’ll not only master FCE-style listening but also gain skills for everyday conversations.
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.