Shadowing Practice: Listening B2, FCE 1, Test 1, Part 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Now open your question paper and look at part 1.
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You'll hear people talking in 8 different situations.
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For questions 1 to 8, choose the best answer A, B or C.
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1. You hear a restaurant manager talking about the cooks who work for him.
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What does he say about them?
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A. They dislike cleaning tasks B.
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They have a choice of jobs C.
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They help to decide the menu As restaurant manager,
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I feel responsible for the quality of the food we serve, so it's up to me to check the ingredients
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that have been delivered overnight to make sure they are of sufficient quality and to produce a menu for the day.
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The cooks arrive at about 10 a.m to prepare lunch, and I'll take them through the menu.
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Because lunch is concentrated over a short period of time, it can get very busy and very hot.
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But unlike some kitchens, we tend to divide the jobs up according to who likes doing what, and that includes cleaning pots and pans and clearing the place before dinner.
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As restaurant manager, I feel responsible for the quality of the food we serve, so it's up to me to check the ingredients
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that have been delivered overnight to make sure they are of sufficient quality and to produce a menu for the day.
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The cooks arrive at about 10 a.m to prepare lunch, and I'll take them through the menu.
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Because lunch is concentrated over a short period of time, it can get very busy and very hot,
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But unlike some kitchens, we tend to divide the jobs up according to who likes doing what, and that includes cleaning pots and pans and clearing the place before dinner.
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2. You hear a woman talking about a new book.
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What does she particularly like about the book?
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A. It's educational.
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B. It's well-organized.
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C. It's enjoyable.
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It's a factual book, a chronicle of the 20th century, and it's wonderful.
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I mean, it's terribly bitty, and it's not going to give you a lot of information, nor be good for schoolwork.
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That's what's really nice about it.
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Here is a reference book which it is fun to dip in and out of.
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It's hardly going to help anyone write an essay, and it avoids being geared to any school syllabus, unlike so much of what is published today.
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But for anyone who likes little details, you know, you can look up your date of birth, for example, and see what else happened then.
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It's a very good book.
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It's a factual book, a chronicle of the 20th century, and it's wonderful.
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I mean, it's terribly bitty, and it's not going to give you a lot of information, nor be good for schoolwork.
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And that's what's really nice about it.
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Here is a reference book, which it is fun to dip in and out of.
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It's hardly going to help anyone write an essay and it avoids being geared to any school syllabus, unlike so much of what is published today, but for anyone who likes little details,
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you know, you can look up your date of birth, for example, and see what else happened then.
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It's a very good book.
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3. You hear the writer of a television soap opera being interviewed about the programme.
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What will happen next in the story?
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A. Someone will make an important decision.
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B. Someone will go away unexpectedly.
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C. Someone will learn the truth at last.
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So, there have been some dramatic events in Victoria Street this past week, what with Mariella deciding not to marry Jason and Stephen leaving home in the middle of a family row.
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Are next week's episodes as exciting?
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Well, I can't give away the whole story, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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I can tell you that Stephen's mother is forced to tell her husband the secret she's been hiding for years, which leads to more fireworks and a few tears,
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and Jason refuses to accept Mariella's decision, so you're going to hear a lot more from him, and look out for some surprises there.
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So, there have been some dramatic events in Victoria Street this past week, what with Mariella deciding not to marry Jason and Stephen leaving home in the middle of a family row.
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Are next week's episodes as exciting?
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Well, I can't give away the whole story, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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I can tell you that Stephen's mother is forced to tell her husband the secret she's been hiding for years, which leads to more fireworks and a few tears,
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and Jason refuses to accept Mariella's decision, so you're going to hear a lot more from him, and look out for some surprises there.
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4. You hear part of a radio interview.
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Who's speaking?
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A. A taxi driver.
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B. A porter.
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C. A tourist guide.
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We get people to the taxis, that's the first priority, and to the trains.
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We make sure they get on early and get comfortable seats.
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These days, many passengers have a lot of luggage and they want assistance with it, so we provide a much-needed service.
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We even take people down to the underground or to places in the surrounding streets.
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But the majority of users are airline passengers with a lot of bags and perhaps accompanied by elderly relatives, young children and so on.
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Obviously, they can't manage everything on their own.
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We get people to the taxis, that's the first priority, and to the trains.
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We make sure they get on early and get comfortable seats.
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These days, many passengers have a lot of luggage and they want assistance with it.
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so we provide a much needed service.
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We even take people down to the underground or to places in the surrounding streets.
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But the majority of users are airline passengers with a lot of bags and perhaps accompanied by elderly relatives, young children and so on.
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Obviously, they can't manage everything on their own.
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Five.
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You hear a woman talking about how she keeps fit.
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Why did she decide to take up line dancing?
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A. She thought the pace would suit her B.
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She had heard about it on television C.
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She wanted to try exercising to music
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I exercise in the form of dance At one time I did aerobics
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because exercise is more interesting with music
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but I've since moved on to line dancing It's less energetic but I go three times a week
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I run my own business, work hard, and it's just a way to cut off rather than watch television.
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It's also a challenge keeping up with the new steps.
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I think young people sometimes take exercise too far, get over-concerned with how they look, when they'll never be able to keep it up at that sort of pace.
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Whereas line dancing struck me as something I could sustain as part of my normal life.
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I exercise in the form of dance.
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At one time I did aerobics because exercise is more interesting with music, but I've since moved on to line dancing.
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It's less energetic, but I go three times a week.
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I run my own business, work hard, and it's just a way to cut off rather than watch television.
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It's also a challenge keeping up with the new steps.
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I think young people sometimes take exercise too far, get over-concerned with how they look, when they'll never be able to keep it up at that sort of pace.
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Whereas line dancing struck me as something I could sustain as part of my normal life.
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6. You overhear a conversation in a restaurant.
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What does the woman think about the food she has just eaten?
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A. It was expensive.
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B. It was delicious.
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See, it looked wonderful.
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Well, what did you think of that then?
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Brilliant.
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I've never tasted anything like it.
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I wish now I'd tried this place sooner.
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I mean, I've been walking past it for years.
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Why didn't you?
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Well, to be honest, I never thought I'd be able to afford it.
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But it's actually quite reasonable.
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Mind you, I think they could have tried a bit harder with the presentation.
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I think if food looks good on the plate, you automatically expect it to taste good.
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Yours was okay, but I think they could have made more of an effort with mine.
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Well, what did you think of that then?
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Brilliant.
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I've never tasted anything like it.
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I wish now I'd tried this place sooner.
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I mean, I've been walking past it for years.
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Why didn't you?
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Well, to be honest, I never thought I'd be able to afford it.
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But it's actually quite reasonable.
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Mind you, I think they could have tried a bit harder with the presentation.
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I think if food looks good on the plate, you automatically expect it to taste good.
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Yours was okay, but I think they could have made more of an effort with mine.
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7. You turn on the radio and hear a man talking.
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What's he talking about?
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a.
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Drawing pictures b.
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Writing fiction c.
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Composing music In practical terms, the place I'm in doesn't matter too much,
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as long as I have the necessary tools, you know, pencil and paper and, of course, my keyboard.
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Once I'm started, I go over things again and again.
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Must be very dull if anyone's listening.
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I change a few notes here and there, but basically I tend to stick with an idea once I have it.
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I guess home's the best place in a way, because there I'm relaxed enough to let my imagination flow, and that's what you need to do in order to produce a good piece.
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In practical terms, the place I'm in doesn't matter too much, as long as I have the necessary tools, you know, pencil and paper, and of course, my keyboard.
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Once I'm started, I go over things again and again.
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Must be very dull if anyone's listening.
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I change a few notes here and there, but basically I tend to stick with an idea once I have it.
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I guess home's the best place in a way, because there I'm relaxed enough to let my imagination flow, and that's what you need to do in order to produce a good piece.
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8. You overhear a student phoning her parents.
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What's her opinion of the place she's living in while at college?
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A. She's not sure she will have enough room to study.
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B. She has difficulty in working because of the noise.
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C. She does not get on well with her roommates.
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Well, I'm sharing with two other girls.
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I know it was supposed to be me and one other person, but there's a shortage of accommodation, apparently.
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Anyway, the room's rather cramped, but it's great.
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There have been three parties so far, and it's still the first week.
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It's an incredibly noisy place, with doors banging and people laughing and shouting till the small hours.
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Yeah, I suppose we'll have to get down to work soon.
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Though I don't know how we'll be able to, packed into that little space.
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None of us is very tidy.
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Well, I'm sharing with two other girls.
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I know it was supposed to be me and one other person, but there's a shortage of accommodation, apparently.
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Anyway, the room's rather cramped, but it's great.
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There've been three parties so far, and it's still the first week.
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It's an incredibly noisy place, with doors banging and people laughing and shouting till the small hours.
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Yeah, I suppose we'll have to get down to work soon.
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Though I don't know how we'll be able to, packed into that little space.
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None of us is very tidy.
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That's the end of part one.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Listening B2, FCE 1, Test 1, Part 1”. This video has 155 sentences and 1962 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:23. The speaker talks at a natural 158 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| aerobics noun | /əˈɹoʊbɪks/ | A form of exercise, designed to enhance one's cardiovascular fitness, normally performed to music. |
| bitty adjective | /ˈbɪti/ | Containing bits; fragmented. |
| cramp noun | /kɹæmp/ | A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| firework noun | /ˈfaɪɚˌwɚk/ | A device using gunpowder and other chemicals which, when lit, emits a combination of coloured flames, sparks, whistles or bangs, and sometimes made to rocket… |
| overhear verb | /oʊ.vɚˈhɪɚ/ | To hear something that was not meant for one's ears. |
| schoolwork noun | /ˈskulˌwɝk/ | Work done for school, including both in class and as homework. |
| syllabus noun | /ˈsɪləbəs/ | A summary of topics which will be covered during an academic course, or a text or lecture. |
| tidy adjective | /ˈtaɪ.di/ | Arranged neatly and in order. |
| factual adjective | /ˈfæk.tʃ(u)əl/ | Pertaining to or consisting of objective claims. |
| noisy adjective | /ˈnɔɪzi/ | Making a noise, especially a loud unpleasant sound |
| chronicle noun | /ˈkɹɑnɪkl̩/ | A written account of events and when they happened, ordered by time. |
| energetic adjective | /ˌɛn.əɹˈdʒɛt.ɪk/ | Possessing or pertaining to energy. |
| ingredient noun | /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ | One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cut off verb | /ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf] | To remove by cutting. |
| get down to verb | To start focusing on doing something serious | |
| get over verb | To overcome. | |
| give away verb | To make a gift of (something). | |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. | |
| keep up with verb | To manage to remain beside or just behind someone or something that is moving away from one. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are next week's episodes as exciting?
- I've never tasted anything like it.
- I wish now I'd tried this place sooner.
- I mean, I've been walking past it for years.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | she's been hiding · I've been walking |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been delivered · have been · has just eaten |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been delivered · is concentrated · being geared |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | anyone who likes |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 44 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shortage /ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/, shout /ʃaʊt/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: energetic /ˌɛn.əɹˈdʒɛt.ɪk/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, accompany /əˈkʌm.pə.ni/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, unexpectedly /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like taxi, aerobics, bitty.
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.