Shadowing Practice: National Geographic Reading Explorer 1 Unit 10 City in the Clouds - Learn English Speaking with Video
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25 sentences
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Machu Picchu is an ancient city hidden away in the mountains in South America.
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Located northwest of Cusco, Peru, Machu Picchu was constructed by the Inca people over 500 years ago.
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At its most powerful, the Inca Empire stretched about 2,500 miles along South America's Pacific coast,
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from modern-day Ecuador down to Chile.
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This distance is nearly the horizontal width of the United States.
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Machu Picchu once stood at the center of this empire,
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and today, it is one of Peru's best preserved archaeological sites.
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It is also an impressive example of Incan engineering.
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In Machu Picchu, the Inca built grand palaces, plazas and temples out of stone.
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And they did this without using wheels or metal tools.
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One special aspect of its construction is the way the Inca built walls.
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They did not use any sticky substance to make the blocks of stone stick together.
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Instead, the stones were cut so precisely that they fit together tightly.
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Machu Picchu is located on two fault lines, so there are often earthquakes there.
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But because of the way the stones were cut,
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during an earthquake, the stones in the walls move slightly and then fall back into position again.
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This is perhaps why the ruins are so well preserved.
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Although local communities knew about Machu Picchu, it remained unknown to the outside world for hundreds of years.
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Even the Spanish who invaded the Incas' lands in the 16th century never came across the site.
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It wasn't until 1911 when Melkor Arteaga,
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a local farmer, showed the site to Yale University professor Hiram Bingham
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that the ruins of Machu Picchu became known to the public.
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Bingham and other explorers after him spent much of their lives studying Machu Picchu and learning more about the Inca Empire.
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In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
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Today, visitors from around the world come here to walk in the footsteps of the amazing Inca people.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “National Geographic Reading Explorer 1 Unit 10 City in the Clouds”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Machu, Picchu, Inca, stone, empire. This video has 25 sentences and 324 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:04. The speaker talks slowly, about 106 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| locate verb | /ˈloʊˌkeɪt/ | To place; to set in a particular spot or position. |
| earthquake noun | /ˈɝθkweɪk/ | A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults. |
| preserve verb | /pɹəˈzɝv/ | To protect; to keep from harm or injury. |
| ruin noun | /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ | The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle. |
| footstep noun | /ˈfʊtstɛp/ | The mark or impression left by a foot; a track. |
| invade verb | /ɪnˈveɪd/ | To move into. |
| archaeological adjective | Relating to the science or research of archaeology. | |
| tightly adverb | /ˈtaɪtli/ | In a tight manner. |
| sticky adjective | /ˈstɪki/ | Tending to stick; able to adhere via the drying of a viscous substance. |
| explorer noun | /ɛkˈsplɔːɹə(ɹ)/ | One who explores something |
| horizontal adjective | /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/ | Perpendicular to the vertical; parallel to the plane of the horizon; level, flat. |
| plaza noun | /ˈplɑːzə/ | A town's public square. |
| construct verb | /ˈkɑn.stɹʌkt/ | To build or form (something) by assembling parts. |
| visitor noun | /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ | Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest. |
| width noun | /ˈwɪtθ/ | The state of being wide. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
| fall back into verb | To return to old habits; to return to an unhealthy or unhappy situation. |
| fit together verb | To put the appropriate parts of (something) into a whole; to combine pieces that go together to create a finished object. |
| stick together verb | To physically combine or join together by adhesion. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: earthquake /ˈɝθkweɪk/, width /ˈwɪtθ/, northwest /nɔɹθˈwɛst/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like locate, earthquake, preserve.
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.