Shadowing Practice: IELTS LISTENING PRACTICE TEST 2026 WITH ANSWERS | 21.08.2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Now turns to part one.
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Part 1.
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You will hear telephone conversation between a customer and a sales assistant at a shop that rents bicycles.
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First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 7.
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Now we shall begin.
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You should answer the questions as you listen, because you will not hear the recording a second time.
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Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 7.
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Hello, Clark Cycle Hire.
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My name's Keith.
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How can I help you?
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Oh, hello.
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I saw your ad in the local paper, and as I'm thinking of doing some cycling, I'm wondering what kinds of bike you have and what your prices are like.
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Well, we hire out two main types of machine, touring and mountain bikes.
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Are you likely to be riding off -road, do you think?
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No, I'll probably be sticking to roads and country lanes, so a touring bike would be best, I think.
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pounds for a week or 14 pounds per day
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so it's a lot cheaper to rent by the week yes
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definitely though it's important to bring the bike back on time
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otherwise I'm afraid we have to charge a late return fee
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and how much is that for each additional hour it's one pound 25 so
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if you were a day late it would cost another 30
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pounds yes that's right I'd make sure I didn't do
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that then I should also point out there's a deposit
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which you get back
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when you return the bicycle in good condition of course on
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touring models it's 60 pounds is there anything else I'd have to pay no that's it though
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if you're planning to ride fairly long distances you might like to have one
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or two accessories such as well for another five pounds we can supply lightweight bags either panniers
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or the handlebar sort it's amazing how much they can carry and the way they're designed means they don't a repair kit.
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I wouldn't have to pay extra for those, would I?
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No, no, no, there's no charge for things like that.
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Or for a lock.
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It's a good strong one, too.
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Just make sure you don't lose the key.
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That reminds me.
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What about insurance?
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What happens if someone steals the bike in spite of the wonderful lock?
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Didn't I mention that?
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Oh, I should have told you that's included in the rental, too.
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And it covers everything, does it?
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part of any individual claim though.
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How much?
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If the bike was stolen and not recovered, you'd be liable for the first hundred pounds.
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Hmm, so if I do go ahead and rent one, how do I pay?
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By check or would it have to be cash?
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Neither, I'm afraid.
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We can only accept credit card bookings.
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Otherwise we'd have to ask our customers for the full value of the machine as a deposit.
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I've got a visa in my name.
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Would that be okay?
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Sure.
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Now you have some time to look at questions 8 to 10.
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Now listen and answer questions 8 to 10.
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So if I want to have a look at the bikes, how do I find you?
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I live near the university, by the way.
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Right.
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First you take Woods Road, as far as the main police station.
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I know it.
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It's right next to the park.
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Yes, that's it.
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And after the police station, there's a turning to the right called Oak Street.
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At the big supermarket?
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No, it's before then.
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It's actually between the police station and a garage on the other side side okay
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so you go down Oak Street until you reach the health center on the right
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if you get to a pub called the maple leaf you've gone too far all right yes I've got
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that now opposite the health center there's a pharmacy
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and we're just behind
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that okay fine I'll try to call over some time tomorrow great see you then bye
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that is the end of section one You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now turns to part two.
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Part 2 You are going to hear a talk on cultural shock.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.
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Now listen to the tape and answer the questions.
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Hi, congratulations on finishing orientation for our study abroad programme.
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Before you all head off to your respective countries, however, I want to first share with you a little bit about dealing with culture shock.
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Recent studies in intercultural experience have shown that there are distinct phases of adjustment, which virtually everyone who lives abroad goes through.
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You won't be the exception.
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The first phase of culture shock includes gaining an awareness of the host culture, preparing for the journey and farewell activities.
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You're all experiencing this right now.
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The second phase begins when you arrive in your new country and ends when the excitement of the early experiences wear off.
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When you first get there, you will be overwhelmed.
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Initial impressions convey a sense of monumentality of the experience.
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You'll love it.
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During the third phase you will start taking a more active role in your setting.
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This will produce frustration because there will be some difficulty in coping with even the most elementary aspects of everyday life.
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I remember not being able to find a toilet one day because I forgot the word for bathroom.
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Anyhow, your focus will shift during this phase to the differences between your new host culture and your home cultures.
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This can be troubling but these sometimes That's why the stage is most often referred to as culture shock.
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Now look at questions 17 to 20.
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As the talk continues, answer questions 17 to 20.
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But relax, when this stage is over, you will slip into the gradual adjustment stage.
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You may not even be aware that this is happening.
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You will just begin to orient yourself and to interpret subtle cultural clues.
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The culture will become familiar to you and you'll start to feel at home.
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The next phase will be your discovery that you have the ability to function in two cultures with full confidence,
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and you may even feel completely integrated into your new host culture.
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In this phase, you will also start to have a sense of shared fate concerning events abroad.
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The last stage is the re -entry phase when you return home.
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This can be for some the most painful phase of all.
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You will be excited about sharing your experiences, but you will realise that you have changed and won't be able to explain how or why.
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One set of values has already been instilled in you.
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Another you will have acquired in your host country.
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Both may seem equally valid.
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It is important that you realise that all of these phases are a natural part of adapting to a new culture.
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Expect peaks and valleys during your stay and feel free to discuss your feelings with the resident director.
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These culture shock phases tend to occur even with relatively short stays abroad.
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During your stay, if you feel a wave of bewilderment wash over you, remember this little talk and look back at your notes.
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One very typical reaction against culture shock is the tendency to hang out with other Americans.
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Remember, you are coming to a foreign country to get to know her people, language and culture better.
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If you avoid contacts with the foreign language, you cheat yourself and lengthen the process of adaptation.
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This is the end of section two.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now turns to part 3.
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Part 3.
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You'll hear two university students discussing a social science lecture they attended.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.
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Did you go to the first social science lecture yesterday?
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Yeah, didn't you see me there?
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No, I was trying so hard to understand the lecturer.
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What didn't you understand?
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A lot of it, really.
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For example, he said we needed to study history as part of the course, but I didn't get why.
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He said early on that we need to learn from our past mistakes.
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Right.
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But he also said we need to put ourselves in the place of our ancestors.
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Why is that?
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I think the point is that it's not enough to know how they lived and what they did.
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We need to know what they thought.
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I see.
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And I've written "transflorable skills" in my notes next, but I have no idea what that means.
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you learn skills that you can use in a job oh right is
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that all okay but why is that the point he made was
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that in studying social science you use a flexible and adaptable approach to learning
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before you hear the rest of the conversation you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30.
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Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.
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He also kept mentioning all the other subjects we will need to study as part of the course.
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I didn't write them all down, did you?
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Some of them.
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I think I can make sense of my notes.
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The first one was anthropology, which he said would cover prehistory and archaeology as well.
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Okay.
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Then there's economics.
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wrote down that this was not meant to mean that we will spend all our time looking at economic theory, but more that we need to see how humans behave.
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That's good.
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I don't think I could handle economic theory.
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He said something about education too, didn't he?
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Yeah.
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He said we'll be looking at how cultural information is handed down from one generation to the next through teaching
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on geography too, but I can't really remember which aspects, can you?
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I noted it down, I think.
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Here we are, yes, particularly in relation to urban planning.
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It's law that I got confused about.
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I didn't understand why he linked that to economics.
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I think he meant that laws affect What are the science wars?
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Okay, I did get that.
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The science wars are about how social science collects information.
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In sociology and social work and in social science generally, they can only study patterns of behavior and observe.
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If you compare that to the way scientists work in physics or chemistry,
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it's very different because they use specific tested and which give concrete answers.
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Social studies is often accused of being unscientific, that's all.
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Okay, but it still looks like a good course, doesn't it?
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You don't have any regrets, do you?
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None at all.
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I'm looking forward to it.
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That is the end of section 3.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Now, turns to part 4.
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Part 4.
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You are going to hear a talk on Anne Bonny, a female pirate.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 35.
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Now listen to the tape and answer the questions, 31 to 35.
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Anne Bonney was one of the two most famous female pirates.
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She sailed on the crew of Calico Jack Rackham.
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Anne was romantically involved with Calico Jack, but she could be counted as nonetheless as fearless as any other pirate.
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She was born in County Cork, daughter of an attorney and his maid.
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The lawyer left Ireland in disgrace but found fortune in the Carolinas.
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There he amassed a fortune and bought a large plantation.
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A ne 'er -do -well pirate sailor named James Bonney married Anne in an attempt to steal the plantation.
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But Anne's father instead disowned her.
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Bonnie then took Anne to the Bahamas, where he turned Informer to Governor Woods Rogers, turning in any sailor he didn't like as a pirate for a handsome reward.
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Anne quickly grew to dislike her spineless husband and quickly caught the eye of one Calico Jack Rackham, a pirate of some renown.
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Governor Rogers had recently passed an amnesty for pirates, which left Bonnie out of work.
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The admiration between Ann and Calico was mutual.
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Calico Jack was a handsome man who knew how to spend money as well as steal it.
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Anne was a well -endowed lass with a fiery spirit and a temper that matched that of any man.
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In any event, Calico offered to buy Anne from Bonnie, but Bonnie instead took the matter up with Governor Rogers,
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who said that Anne was to be flogged and returned to her true husband.
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That night, Calico and Anne slipped out in the harbor, stole a sloop, and began a life of piracy together.
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Now look at questions 36 to 40.
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As the talk continues, answer questions 36 to 40.
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Anne fought in men's clothing, was an expert with pistol and cutlass, and considered as dangerous as any male pirate.
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She was fearless in battle, and often was a member of any boarding party.
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In October of 1720, retribution was close at hand.
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The Governor of Jamaica, hearing of Calico's presence, sent an armed sloop to intervene and capture the captain and crew.
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Calico's ship, Revenge, was caught by surprise, and much to Anne's dismay, the pirates fought like cowards and were taken far too easily.
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Anne and Mary Read were also captured but,
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upon capture, confessed their sex and pleaded to be tried separately after they gave birth.
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Both women were pregnant at the time.
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Both received separate trials from the men, but were still sentenced to hang.
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Mary Read escaped the hangman by dying from fever while in jail.
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Anne, however, received several stays of execution before mysteriously vanishing from official records.
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It is believed that her father, who had contacts in the island, forgave his daughter for her acts and ransomed her back to the Carolinas,
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where she assumed a new name and a new life.
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This is the end of section 4.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Oh, give me an answer to me.
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Give me an answer to me.
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Oh, give me an answer to me.
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Oh, I love you, I love you,
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I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,
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I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,
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About This Lesson
This lesson uses a realistic telephone conversation from an IELTS listening practice video to help you improve your English listening and speaking skills. You’ll practice understanding details like rental prices, deposit requirements, and insurance terms—common topics in daily life and IELTS tests. Plus, you can use the dialogue to try shadowspeak (or shadow speak), a technique where you repeat phrases aloud right after hearing them, to boost your fluency and pronunciation.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Touring bike: A bicycle designed for long-distance road riding.
- Late return fee: An extra charge for returning something after the agreed time.
- Deposit: Money paid upfront that’s returned if the item is undamaged.
- Liable for: Responsible for paying a cost or dealing with a problem.
- Credit card bookings: Reserving something using a credit card as payment.
Practice Tips
To master the shadowing technique with this video, start by listening to short 5-10 second clips. Pause, then repeat the speaker’s words immediately, mimicking their speed and tone. The conversation is casual but clear, so focus on copying the natural rhythm—notice how the sales assistant stresses key details like prices (“60 pounds”) and conditions (“in good condition”). For IELTS speaking practice, after shadowing, try summarizing the conversation aloud in your own words. This helps you apply new vocabulary and improve your ability to speak spontaneously. Remember, learn English with YouTube videos like this one by combining listening, shadowing, and speaking for maximum progress.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was stolen · will be overwhelmed · been instilled |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've gone · have shown · have changed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | everyone who lives · man who knew |
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.