Shadowing Practice: JOINING THE LEISURE CLUB| IELTS LISTENING TEST 🎧 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Section 2.
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You will hear a fitness manager of a leisure club talking to some new members.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 11 and 12.
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Now listen and answer questions 11 and 12.
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On behalf of LP Clubs, I'd like to welcome you all here today.
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My name's Sandy Fisher and I'm one of the fitness managers here.
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Before we start our tour of the club, I'll just run through some basic information about the facilities we have here,
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including recent improvements, and explain the types of membership available.
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Our greatest asset is probably our swimming pool, which at 25 metres isn't Olympic-sized,
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but now we've expanded it to eight lanes, it's much wider.
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This means there are rarely more than a couple of people at a time in each lane.
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Unfortunately, there isn't space for an outdoor pool here, but the glass roof on the swimming pool is partly retractable,
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which means you can enjoy something of the open air experience on warmer days.
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Our recently refurbished fitness suite has all the latest exercise equipment,
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including 10 new running machines and a wide range of weight training machines.
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Each member is given full training in how to operate the equipment, and there is always a trainer on duty to offer help and advice.
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Although we do have adult-only times after six and at certain times at weekends, children are well catered for.
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Older children continue to benefit from a wide range of tuition, anything from trampolining to yoga.
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Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 13 to 20.
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Thank you.
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Now listen.
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Now listen and answer questions 13 to 20.
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One thing all our members appreciate about us is that we take very good care of them.
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This starts on day one with your personal assessment.
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You are asked to fill in a questionnaire giving details of any health problems.
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One of our personal trainers will then go through this with you.
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The trainer will then take you through the safety rules for using the equipment in the fitness suite.
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During your next exercise session, a personal trainer will work with you to make sure you understand these.
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It's very important to do this because we really do want to avoid having any sports injuries.
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There's a lot more to looking after yourself than simply lifting weights.
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At the end of the personal assessment, the trainer will draw up a plan outlining what you should try to achieve within a six-week period.
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This will then be reviewed at the end of the six weeks.
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Now, I'll just quickly run through the types of membership we have available.
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All members must pay a joining fee of £90 in addition to the rates for the monthly membership fees.
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Gold membership entitles you to free entry at all LP clubs.
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There are now LP clubs in all major cities and towns, so if you travel a lot, this will be a great advantage.
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Individual gold membership costs £50 a month and joint membership for you and your partner will cost £75.
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Premier membership is for professional people whose These work commitments make it difficult for them to use the club during the day,
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and so LP gives booking preferences to Premier members at peak times.
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This means you will find it easier to book the sessions at times that suit you.
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Reciprocal arrangements with other LP clubs are available to Premier members.
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Premier membership is for individuals only, but you will be sent passes for guests every month.
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The monthly fee is £65.
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You don't have to have any special clothes or equipment when you visit the club.
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We provide robes and hair dryers in the changing rooms,
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but it's very important to remember your photo card because you won't be able to get in without it.
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For people who aren't working during the day...
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It is the end of section two.
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You now have half a minute to check it out.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice listening and comprehension skills by engaging with a transcript from a video about joining a leisure club. The content includes discussions about club facilities, membership types, and health assessments. By actively listening and shadowing the speaker, you will gain insights into conversational English used in a real-world context, which will help you improve your English pronunciation and fluency.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Fitness manager: A person responsible for managing fitness-related activities in a club.
  • Membership: The state of belonging to a club or organization.
  • Personal assessment: An evaluation of individual health and fitness needs.
  • Trampolining: An activity or sport of performing on a trampoline.
  • Outdoor pool: A swimming pool located outside.
  • Weight training: A form of exercise using weights for resistance.
  • Photo card: An identification card required for entry.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning experience, consider using a shadowing app while you watch the video. Begin by listening to sections of the transcript, focusing on one to two sentences at a time. As you listen, try to repeat immediately after the speaker. This method, known as shadow speech, allows you to mimic their intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation.

The speed of the speaker in the video is fairly moderate, which is ideal for shadowing practice. If you find it too fast, pause the video frequently to repeat phrases until you feel comfortable. Pay attention to how the speaker paces their speech; this will help you understand natural speaking patterns. Additionally, you can use the keywords and phrases listed above to practice creating your own sentences about leisure clubs or fitness. Learn English with YouTube by incorporating these new terms in your 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.