Shadowing Practice: Luyện nghe tiếng anh_part 3 The dingo debate - Learn English Speaking with Video
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the dingo debate.
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Graziers see them as pests, and poisoning is common.
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But some biologists think Australia's dingoes are the best weapon in a war against imported cats and foxes.
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A plane flies a slow pattern over Carleton Hill Station, a 3 ,600 square kilometer ranch in the Kimberley region in northwest Australia.
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As the plane circles, those aboard drop a thousand small pieces of meat one by one, onto the scrubland below.
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each piece laced with poison.
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This practice is known as baiting.
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Besides 50 ,000 head of cattle, Carlton Hill is home to the dingo.
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Australia's largest mammalian predator, and the bane of a grazier's—cattle farmer's life.
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Stuart McKechnie, manager of Carleton Hill, complains that graziers' livelihoods are threatened when dingoes prey on cattle.
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But one man wants the baiting to end and for dingoes to once again roam Australia's wide open spaces.
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According to Chris Johnson of James Cook University, Australia needs more dingoes to protect our biodiversity.
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About 4 ,000 years ago, Asian sailors introduced dingoes to Australia.
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Throughout the ensuing millennia, these descendants of the wolf spread across the continent,
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and as the Tasmanian tiger disappeared completely from Australia, dingoes became Australia's top predators.
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As agricultural development took place, the European settlers found that they could not safely keep their livestock where dingoes roamed.
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So began one of the most sustained efforts at pest control in Australia's history.
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Over the last 150 years, dingoes have been shot and poisoned, and fences have been used in an attempt to keep them away from livestock.
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But at the same time, as the European settlers tried to eliminate one native pest from Australia, they introduced more of their own.
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In 1860, the rabbit was unleashed on Australia by a wealthy landowner.
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And by 1980, rabbits had covered most of the mainland,
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Rabbits provide huge prey base for two other introduced species: the feral or wild cat and the red fox.
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The interaction between foxes, cats, and rabbits is a huge problem for native mammals.
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In good years, rabbit numbers increase dramatically, and fox and cat populations grow quickly in response to the abundance of this prey.
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When bad seasons follow, rabbit numbers are significantly reduced,
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and the dwindling but still large fox and cat populations are left with little to eat besides native mammals.
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Australian mammals generally reproduce much more slowly than rabbits,
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cats, and foxes, an adaption to prevent overpopulation in the arid environment, where food can be scarce and unreliable.
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And populations decline because they can't grow fast enough to replace animals killed by the predators.
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Johnson says dingoes are the solution to this problem because they keep cat and fox populations under control.
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Besides regularly eating the smaller predators, dingoes will kill them simply to lessen competition.
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Dingo packs live in large, stable territories, and generally have only one fertile, which limits their rate of increase.
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In the 4 ,000 years that dingoes have been Australia, they have contributed to few, if any, extinctions, Johnson says.
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Reaching out from a desolate spot where three states meet, for 2 ,500 kilometers in either direction,
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is the world's longest fence, two meters high and stretching from the coast in Queensland to the Great Australian Bight in South Australia.
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It is there to keep dingoes out.
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The fence separates the main types of livestock found in Australia.
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To the northwest of the fence, cattle predominate.
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To the southwest, sheep fill the landscape.
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In fact, Australia is a land dominated by these animals: 25 million cattle,
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100 million sheep, and just over 20 million people.
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While there is no argument that dingoes will prey on sheep if given the chance, they don't hunt cattle once the calves are much past two or three weeks old,
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according to Makichi.
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And a study in Queensland suggests that dingoes don't even prey heavily on the newborn calves,
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unless their staple prey disappears due to deteriorating conditions like drought.
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This study, co -authored by Lee Allen of the Robert Wicks Research Center in Queensland,
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suggests that the aggressive baiting programs used against dingoes may actually be counterproductive for graziers.
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When dingoes are removed from an area by baiting, the area is recolonized by younger, more solitary dingoes.
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These animals aren't capable of going after the large prey like kangaroos, so they turn to calves.
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In their study, some of the highest rates of calf predation occurred in areas that had been baited.
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Mark Clifford, general manager of a firm that manages over 200 ,000 head of cattle, is not convinced by Allen's assertion.
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Clifford says, "It's obvious if we drop or loosen control on dingoes,
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we are going to lose more calves." He doesn't believe that dingoes will go after kangaroos when calves are around.
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Nor is he persuaded of dingoes' supposed ecological benefits, saying he is not convinced that they manage to catch cats that often,
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believing they are more likely to catch small native animals instead.
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McKechnie agrees that dingoes kill the wallabies, small native animals, that compete with his cattle for food.
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but points out that in parts of Western Australia, there are no fixes, and not very many cats.
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He doesn't see how relaxing controls on dingoes in his area will improve the ecological balance.
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Johnson sees a need for a change in philosophy on the part of Graziers.
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There might be a number of different ways of thinking through dingo management in cattle country, he says.
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At the moment, though, that hasn't got through to graziers.
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they're still just on one prescription, and that is to bait as widely as possible.
Context & Background
The intriguing debate surrounding dingoes in Australia highlights a complex relationship between agriculture and wildlife conservation. On one side, graziers, or cattle farmers, perceive dingoes as pests that threaten their livelihoods. They advocate for practices such as baiting to control dingo populations. Conversely, biologists argue that dingoes play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling other introduced predators like cats and foxes. This ongoing discussion sheds light on different perspectives regarding biodiversity and livestock management in Australia.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Dingoes are considered pests by graziers.” - A statement expressing the viewpoint of farmers.
- “Baiting is a common practice to control dingo populations.” - Explaining a controversial method used in agricultural areas.
- “Dingoes help protect our biodiversity.” - A phrase used by biologists to highlight the ecological role of dingoes.
- “Younger, more solitary dingoes can pose a greater threat.” - Discussing the unintended consequences of population control methods.
- “We need to rethink our approach to dingo management.” - Encouraging a change in philosophy regarding wildlife management.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize this video for your English learning, particularly if you are focusing on IELTS speaking practice or enhancing your English pronunciation, follow this structured method:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video in its entirety. Pay attention to the tone, intonation, and speed of the speaker.
- Break it Down: Divide the transcript into manageable sections. This will allow you to focus on small parts of the conversation without feeling overwhelmed.
- Shadowing Technique: Use a shadowing app or a shadowing site to practice. Play a short segment, pause, and repeat what you hear, mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm.
- Record Yourself: After shadowing a segment, record your voice. Listen to the playback and compare it with the original. This will help you identify areas where you can improve your pronunciation.
- Engage in Daily Practice: Commit to practicing regularly, integrating phrases from the top 5 list into your daily conversations. This will not only enhance your vocabulary but also boost your confidence in speaking.
Following this guide can aid you in your English speaking practice, making you more comfortable and proficient in using language in varied contexts, just like the dingo debate's complex discussions.
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.