Shadowing Practice: FULL INTERVIEW: Eileen Gu speaks exclusively to CGTN Europe - Learn English Speaking with Video
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109 sentences
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Joined by a true global sporting superstar right now, Ninggu.
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How are you?
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How are you doing?
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I'm incredible.
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So happy to be here in Paris.
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You have been everywhere at these games.
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Absolutely everywhere I turn.
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Every time I turn on the TV, you're there.
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Those pictures of you and the diver, they're wonderful, fantastic images.
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But amongst all the things you've seen so far from Team China, what's been the standout for you so far?
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And what are you looking forward to seeing?
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I have seen so many incredible events.
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The women's diving synchronized was incredible.
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Last night we also went and watched the Asia record-breaking performance by the medley team, the relay team, and my friend Zhang Yifei was competing
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and I got to see her and meet her and that was really exciting.
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Honestly, there have been so many incredible performances by the Chinese team and all the athletes here in Paris.
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Coming up, what are you looking forward to?
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Still a long where to go in these games.
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It's true.
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One thing that I'm really excited about is the public marathon.
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So that's going to be happening on the same day and the same course as the actual Olympic marathon.
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I got lucky enough to get an invite a little over a week ago.
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So I'm going to be training for this marathon in three weeks.
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I've never run a marathon before.
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And I'm looking at your face and- You're doing a marathon?
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You're doing it after three weeks' notice?
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Yes.
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So this is kind of the reaction I've been getting.
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Good luck.
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I looked online for three-week marathon program, and the only thing I saw was, don't.
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I think it'll be okay.
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You'll be fine.
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I mean, come on.
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Somebody has fitted yourself.
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I'm sure you'll be fine.
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But how has the training gone?
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What have you been taught us through your training regime?
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Okay, happily.
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First of all, I'm a very amateur runner.
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I would like to preface with that.
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So I did grow up running cross country and track.
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And so that was my primary sport for a long time.
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And so I feel confident in just running generally, but I've never run that distance.
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I used to run 5Ks.
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So it's definitely been a big uptick in the mileage.
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I really went from running, you know, 15, 20 miles a week to 60.
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Just think of it as lots and lots of little 5Ks.
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Many of them.
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Quite a few of them.
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There's a small chance that I might be running around
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that track a little bit as well we're gonna have to try
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and spot you'll spot me I'll be bright red sweating
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and breathing far too heavily and all those days
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so alive the elevation is going to be immense 600 meters
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oh yeah okay well best of luck to a best of
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luck to you we'll see how we get on with that
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but you're here at the summer games you've you know does this like
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that fire inside of you looking ahead two years to where to Milan
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and thinking I want to get back out there on the slopes i want to get back out there
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and winning more balls absolutely i think watching as a spectator
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has really made me take note of how much the competition is mental
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so i've always said since i was 14 15
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and started competing professionally or on the professional tour
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that anyone who makes finals has the capacity to win
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but why are the ones who continue to win the stars per se what makes them different
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and i think that now i have a better understanding
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that it really is performing when it counts under pressure on
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that day not the day before not the day after
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but really on the day that it counts peaking at the right time
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so it's definitely been giving me insight into
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that of course celebrating my friends checking out the olympic village and cheering
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so loudly from the stands has have all been incredible highlights as well the mental side final bit on
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that is that is there something like a switch in your head
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that you have to switch over from this is training day
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to this is game day this is race day how does that function in your in your mind with that
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i have a saying for myself that i train like i've never won and i compete like i've never lost
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So when it's competition day, I definitely have a switch in my head.
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I would like to think of myself as a pretty amicable, nice person, but you have to be a killer when it's competition day
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and so I think yeah making a switch
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because I would love to be pleasant
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and fun with my friends I'm not trying to be a murderer in my daily life
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but yeah there's time time and place good stuff wonderful thank you
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so much for talking to us best of luck in two
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years time before we go one final what what where are you off to next
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and what is the the big thing
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that you're looking forward to for the rest the games oh tonight i'm going to be going to swimming
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and try to make it to track and field as well
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and then the rest of the games i have friends competing in skateboarding
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and i'm also really excited to be watching the break dancing
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finals with president thomas bach on the ninth do you know
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they don't get to pick their music what that's what i've
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heard they don't get to pick the music you find out the music
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and you like freestyle to the music exactly that's
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so cool i think that makes sense in terms of creating judging criteria
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because otherwise everyone's performance is so good how do you compare?
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Wow!
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I'm glad that's the reaction I was looking for because everybody else I see that too they go No, imagine you've just prepared.
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Sure.
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And you get something you've never heard before.
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Extemporaneous dancing.
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Wow!
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Incredible!
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I'm excited.
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We could talk to you all day but I'm not allowed to because your time's precious.
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We've got to go.
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Thanks very much for your time.
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Thank you!
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Really appreciate it.
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It was great talking to you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “FULL INTERVIEW: Eileen Gu speaks exclusively to CGTN Europe”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: marathon, incredible, switch, luck, training. This video has 109 sentences and 1063 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:12. The speaker talks fast, about 204 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| marathon noun | /ˈmæɹəθən/ | A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race. |
| amicable adjective | /ˈæ.mɪ.kə.bəl/ | Showing friendliness or goodwill. |
| bachelorette noun | /ˌbætʃləˈɹɛt/ | An unmarried woman. |
| criterion noun | /kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/ | A standard, test, or requirement by which individual things or people may be compared and judged; a gauge. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| extemporaneous adjective | /ɪksˌ-/ | With inadequate preparation or without advance thought; offhand. |
| medley noun | /ˈmɛdli/ | A collection or mixture of miscellaneous things. |
| preface noun | /ˈpɹɛfəs/ | A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the… |
| skateboard noun | /ˈskeɪt.bɔɹd/ | A narrow, wooden or plastic platform mounted on pairs of wheels, on which one stands and propels oneself by pushing along the ground with one foot. |
| standout noun | /ˈstændaʊt/ | An exceptional or noteworthy person or thing. |
| synchronize verb | /ˈsɪŋ.kɹə.naɪːz/ | To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing. |
| uptick noun | /ˈʌptɪk/ | A small increase or upward change in something that has been steady or declining. |
| spectator noun | /spɛkˈteɪtə/ | One who watches an event; especially, an event held outdoors. |
| mileage noun | /ˈmaɪləd͡ʒ/ | The total distance travelled in miles or in air miles. |
| professionally adverb | As a professional; for one's paid career. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| get on with verb | To proceed with; to begin or continue, especially after an interruption. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
| look ahead verb | To consider the future, to anticipate future events. |
| run around verb | To be very busy doing many different things. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How are you doing?
- Coming up, what are you looking forward to?
- I've never run a marathon before.
- You're doing it after three weeks' notice?
- I think it'll be okay.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been getting · it's definitely been giving |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · you've seen · have seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | anyone who makes · ones who continue |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/, ninth /naɪnθ/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/
- Long words — get the stress right: amicable /ˈæ.mɪ.kə.bəl/, criterion /kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/
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 marathon, amicable, bachelorette.
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.