Shadowing Practice: National Geographic Reading Explorer 1 Unit 11 Our Plastic World - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Plastic is everywhere.
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Almost everything we use today is made of plastic.
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But how is plastic made?
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Most of the plastics we use today are synthetic.
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Synthetic plastics are made from fossil fuels like oil.
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Every year, world production of plastic increases.
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Since 1950, mankind has made about 9.2 billion tons of plastics.
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That's nearly the same weight as 1,600 Great Pyramids of Giza.
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The problem is, much of this plastic ends up as trash,
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especially single-use plastics like straws, grocery bags, and packaging products.
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Single-use plastics make up about 40% of all plastic waste.
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They end up ruining our oceans.
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wildlife, and polluting communities around the world.
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But we can take action to help stop this.
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For example, we can use fewer single-use plastic items in our day-to-day lives.
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By simply choosing to use reusable alternatives, each person can make a huge impact in decreasing plastic waste.
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Another way to reduce plastic pollution is by developing bioplastics, plastics made from plants.
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These forks are made from a type of plant.
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Bioplastics can break down much faster than synthetic plastics, in weeks instead of hundreds of years.
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Scientists are also using materials like rubber to make bioplastics.
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The sap from this rubber tree can be used to make all kinds of things, such as gloves, tires, and mattresses.
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Plastic is present in almost every aspect of modern life.
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But by reducing the amount of plastic we use and throw away, and by producing more bioplastics,
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we can help save the planet.
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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 11 Our Plastic World”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: plastic, bioplastics, synthetic. This video has 24 sentences and 252 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:46. The speaker talks slowly, about 91 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| bioplastic noun | Any form of synthetic polymer, similar to normal plastic, made from renewable biomass sources such as plant sugars, starches, or oils, rather than from… | |
| synthetic adjective | /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/ | Of, or relating to synthesis. |
| rubber noun | /ˈɹʌbɚ/ | Pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon biopolymer of isoprene. |
| pollute verb | /pəˈluːt/ | To make something harmful, especially by the addition of some unwanted product. |
| reusable adjective | Able to be used again; especially after salvaging or special treatment or processing | |
| mattress noun | /ˈmætɹɪs/ | A pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed… |
| glove noun | /ɡlʌv/ | An item of clothing, covering all or part of the hand and fingers, but usually allowing independent movement of the fingers. |
| mankind noun | /mænˈkaɪnd/ | The human race in its entirety. |
| straw noun | /stɹɔ/ | A dried stalk of a cereal plant. |
| fossil noun | /ˈfɑsl̩/ | The mineralized remains of an animal or plant. |
| tire verb | /ˈtaɪ̯ɚ/ | To become sleepy or weary. |
| fork noun | /fɔɹk/ | A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting, or for serving food. |
| grocery noun | /ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/ | Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies. |
| decrease verb | /dɪˈkɹiːs/ | Of a quantity, to become smaller. |
| pollution noun | /pəˈluʃən/ | Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
| throw away verb | To discard (trash, garbage, or the like), to toss out, to put in the trash. |
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 bioplastic, synthetic, rubber.
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.