Shadowing Practice: IELTS Listening Section-4(Health benefits of dance) with answers - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Part 4 You will hear a sports science student giving a presentation on the health benefits of dance.
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Part 4 You will hear a sports science student giving a presentation on the health benefits of dance.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Thank you.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Dancing is something that humans do when they want to have a good time.
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It's a universal response to music found in all cultures.
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But what's only been discovered recently is that dancing not only makes us feel good,
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it's also extremely good for our health.
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Dancing, like other forms of exercise,
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releases hormones, such as dopamine,
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which make us feel relaxed and happy.
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And it also reduces feelings of stress or anxiety.
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Dancing is also a sociable activity,
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which is another reason it makes us feel good.
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One study compared people's enjoyment of dancing at home in front of a video with dancing in a group in a studio.
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The people dancing in a group reported feeling happier,
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whereas those dancing alone did not.
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In another experiment, university researchers at York and Sheffield took a group of students
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and sent each of them into a lab where music was played for five minutes.
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Each had to choose from three options.
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To sit and listen quietly to the music,
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to cycle on an exercise bike while they listened,
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or to get up and dance.
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All were given cognitive tasks to perform before and after.
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The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity when doing problem-solving tasks.
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Dr Lovett at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be
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a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems.
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He thinks dance should be prescribed as therapy to help people overcome issues such as depression.
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It's well established that dance is a good way of encouraging adolescent girls to take exercise,
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but what about older people?
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Studies have shown that there are enormous benefits for people in their 60s and beyond.
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One of the great things about dance is that there are no barriers to participation.
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Anyone can have a go,
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even those whose standard of fitness is quite low.
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Dance can be especially beneficial for older adults who can't run
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or do more intense workouts or for those who don't want to.
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One 2015 study found that even a gentle dance workout helps to promote a healthy heart.
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And there's plenty of evidence which suggests that dancing lowers the risk of falls,
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which could result in a broken hip,
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for example, by helping people to improve their balance.
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There are some less obvious benefits of dance for older people too.
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One thing I hadn't realised before researching this topic was that dance isn't just a physical challenge.
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It also requires a lot of concentration,
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because you need to remember different steps and routines.
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For older people, this kind of activity is especially important,
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because it forces their brain to process things more quickly and to retain more information.
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Current research also shows that dance promotes a general sense of well-being in older participants,
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which can last up to a week after a class.
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Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active
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and do daily activities such as gardening or walking to the shops or a park.
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Ballroom or country dancing, both popular with older people,
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have to be done in groups.
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They require collaboration and often involve touching a dance partner,
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all of which encourages interaction on the dance floor.
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This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people's sense of isolation,
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which is a huge problem in many countries.
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I also looked at the benefits of Zumba.
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15 million people in 180 countries now regularly take a Zumba class,
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an aerobic workout based on Latin American dance moves.
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John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin,
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analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories.
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This is similar to moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or kickboxing.
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A study in the American Journal of Health Behaviour showed that
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when women with obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks,
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they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%.
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More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much
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that they made it a habit and continued to attend classes at least once a week.
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Very unusual for an aerobic exercise programme.
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Dance is never going to compete with high-intensity workouts when it comes to physical fitness gains,
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but its popularity is likely to keep on rising because it's such a fun way to keep fit.
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, learners will explore the health benefits of dance through a presentation by a sports science student. As you listen, you'll practice your English speaking skills by focusing on key vocabulary and phrases related to mental and physical health. This content is especially relevant for those preparing for the IELTS speaking test, as it can enhance your ability to discuss health and fitness topics fluently. You can integrate this practice into your daily routine for improved english speaking practice.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Health benefits - Positive impacts on one's physical and mental well-being.
  • Dance - A form of physical activity that involves movement to music.
  • Cognitive tasks - Mental activities that require thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • Balance - The ability to maintain stability while moving or standing still.
  • Mental health - Emotional and psychological well-being.
  • Well-being - A positive state of health and happiness.
  • Exercise - Physical activity to improve fitness and health.
  • Dopamine - A hormone that promotes feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

Practice Tips

To effectively improve your speaking skills while using the transcript from this lesson, consider implementing shadowing techniques. You can use a shadowing app to replay sections of the video at a slow pace. As you listen, focus on mimicking the intonation, pronunciation, and rhythm of the speaker. This practice will simulate real-life conversations and help improve your fluency.

For this specific content, pay attention to the variety of sentences used—especially when discussing complex concepts like mental health and exercise. By imitating the speaker, you're not only participating in IELTS speaking practice, but you’re also training your brain to process and articulate these ideas more effectively. Aim to pause the audio occasionally, articulate your thoughts on the topic, and then resume to see how your responses compare. Incorporating this method regularly into your english speaking practice will enhance your confidence and eloquence in discussing health-related subjects.

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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