Shadowing Practice: IELTS Listening Section-4(The History of Coffee) with answers - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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You will hear part of a presentation by a history student about the history of coffee.
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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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In my presentation, I'm going to talk about coffee and its importance both in economic and social terms.
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We think it was first drunk in the Arab world, but there's hardly any documentary evidence of it before the 1500s,
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although of course that doesn't mean that people didn't know about it before then.
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However, there is evidence that coffee was originally gathered from bushes growing wild in Ethiopia, in the northeast of Africa.
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In the early 16th century, it was being bought by traders, and gradually its use as a drink spread throughout the Middle East.
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It's also known that in 1522, in the Turkish city of Constantinople, which was the centre of the Ottoman Empire,
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the court physician approved its use as a medicine.
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By the mid-1500s, coffee bushes were being cultivated in the Yemen, and for the next hundred years,
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this region produced most of the coffee drunk in Africa and the Arab world.
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What's particularly interesting about coffee is its effect on social life.
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It was rarely drunk at home, but instead people went to coffee houses to drink it.
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These people, usually men, would meet to drink coffee and chat about issues of the day.
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But at the time, this chance to share ideas and opinions was seen as something that was potentially dangerous,
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and in 1623 the ruler of Constantinople demanded the destruction of all the coffee houses in the city,
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although after his death many new ones opened and coffee consumption continued.
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In the seventeenth century, coffee drinking spread to Europe, and here too, coffee shops became places where ordinary people,
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nearly always men, could meet to exchange ideas.
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Because of this, some people said that these places performed a similar function to universities.
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The opportunity they provided for people to meet together outside their own homes
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and to discuss the topics of the day had an enormous impact on social life,
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and many social movements and political developments had their origins in coffeehouse discussions.
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In the late 1600s, the Yemeni monopoly on coffee production broke down,
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and coffee production started to spread around the world, helped by European colonisation.
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Europeans set up coffee plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean, and production of coffee in the colonies skyrocketed.
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Different types of coffee were produced in different areas, and it's interesting that the names given to these different types, like mocha or java coffee,
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were often taken from the port they were shipped to Europe from.
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But if you look at the labour system in the different colonies, there were some significant differences.
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In Brazil and the various Caribbean colonies, coffee was grown in huge plantations, and the workers there were almost all slaves.
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But this wasn't the same in all colonies.
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For example, in Java, which had been colonised by the Dutch, the peasants grew coffee and passed a proportion of this onto the Dutch,
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so it was used as a means of taxation.
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But whatever system was used, under the European powers of the 18th century, coffee production was very closely linked to colonisation.
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Coffee was grown in ever-increasing quantities to satisfy the growing demand from Europe, and it became nearly as important as sugar production,
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which was grown under very similar conditions.
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However, coffee prices were not yet low enough for people to drink it regularly at home,
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so most coffee consumption still took place in public coffee houses and it still remained something of a luxury item.
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In Britain, however, a new drink was introduced from China and started to become popular, gradually taking over from coffee.
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although at first it was so expensive that only the upper classes could afford it.
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This was tea, and by the late 1700s it was being widely drunk.
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However, when the USA gained independence from Britain in 1776, they identified this drink with Britain,
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and coffee remained the preferred drink in the USA, as it still is today.
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So, by the early 19th century, coffee was already being widely produced and consumed.
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But during this century, production boomed and coffee prices started to fall.
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This was partly because new types of transportation had been developed, which were cheaper and more efficient.
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So now, working people could afford to buy coffee.
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It wasn't just a drink for the middle classes.
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And this was at a time when large parts of Europe were starting to work in industries.
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And sometimes this meant their work didn't stop when it got dark.
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They might have to continue throughout the night.
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So the use of coffee as a stimulant became important.
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It wasn't just a drink people drank in the morning for breakfast.
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There were also changes in cultivation.
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That is the end of Section 4.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers.
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Thank you.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video on the history of coffee provides a rich context for improving your speaking skills in English. As the speaker dives into various aspects of coffee's influence on social and economic life, learners can practice articulating complex ideas clearly. Engaging with this content allows you to experience the rhythm and flow of natural English speech, which is essential in building your speaking confidence.

By mimicking the speaker, you develop a habit of shadow speaking, where you not only repeat after the speaker but also reflect on the content. This technique can significantly enhance your vocabulary related to cultural history and improve your pronunciation, especially in academic and conversational settings.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Conditional Structures: The speaker often uses conditional phrases such as "if you look at the labour system..." These structures are vital in English for discussing hypotheticals or presenting cause-and-effect scenarios.
  • Past Perfect Tense: Phrases like "had been colonised" illustrate the use of past perfect to indicate actions that occurred before another past action. Mastering this tense can help learners provide clarity in their narratives.
  • Reported Speech: The use of indirect quotes, as in "the ruler of Constantinople demanded," is prevalent. Learning how to use reported speech can help you convey information from others effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice, pay close attention to certain words that might present challenges. For instance, the term "Constantinople" can be tricky due to its length and syllable stress. Similarly, “Yemen” and “colonisation” may be challenging for learners due to varying accents. Regular practice with these terms using a shadowing app can solidify your pronunciation skills.

The speaker’s accent may also present some hurdles. Listening carefully and repeating phrases can familiarize you with regional variations in pronunciation, enhancing your understanding of different English dialects.

Using tools like shadowspeak and engaging in shadow speech will not only boost your pronunciation but also provide context-sensitive practice that enriches your overall language skills.

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.