Shadowing Practice: Level 3 - Unit 9 - Part E (Reading) - World Records - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Listening 87.
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Listen and read.
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World Records Here are some interesting facts.
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These buildings are called the Gontija temples.
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They are more than 5 ,500 years old.
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They are the oldest buildings in the world.
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The longest bridges in the world are the two bridges over Lake Pontchartrain in the USA.
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The bridges are nearly 24 miles long.
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You can't see land from the middle of the bridges!
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Russia is the biggest country in the world.
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It is 6 ,592 ,848 square miles.
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That is 12 .5 % of the Earth's surface.
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Russia is between Europe and Asia.
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The longest river in the world is the Nile.
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The Nile is more than 4 ,000 miles long.
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The Nile flows through nine countries in Africa.
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The last country is Egypt from Egypt It flows into a sea.

What You'll Learn

This video helps you build key reading and speaking skills. First, you’ll practice pronouncing long numbers (like 5,500 or 6,592,848) clearly, a common challenge in everyday English. Second, you’ll learn to stress descriptive phrases (e.g., “oldest buildings,” “longest river”) to highlight important information. Finally, it improves your fluency in listing facts, a useful skill for sharing information in conversations or presentations—perfect for learning English with YouTube.

Listen For These Sounds

Notice how the speaker links words in connected speech. For example, “more than 5,500” becomes “more th’n 5,500” (reducing “than” to “th’n”). Also, listen for the soft “t” in “Gontija temples” (sounding like “Gonija”) and the way “miles long” flows into “mileslong” with minimal pause. These reductions are key to understanding native speakers and will make your shadow speak practice more effective.

Say It Like a Native

To mirror the speaker’s rhythm, stress the first word in compound adjectives: “oldest buildings,” “longest bridges.” Pause slightly after each fact (e.g., “They are more than 5,500 years old. [Pause] They are the oldest buildings in the world”) to create natural pacing. For numbers, break them into chunks: “6 million, 592 thousand, 848 square miles” instead of rushing. Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare—this helps you match the speaker’s tone and stress. With regular practice, you’ll sound more confident, whether you’re using shadow speaks techniques or having real 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.