Shadowing Practice: (Oxford RnD - Level 3) Super Structures - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Oxford Read and Discover Level 3 Superstructures Introduction A structure is something made with many parts,
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Oxford Read and Discover Level 3 Superstructures Introduction A structure is something made with many parts,
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like a house, a school, or a bridge.
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It can be made of different materials like bricks,
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concrete, glass, wood, or metal.
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A superstructure is very big,
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very long, or very tall.
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What structures can you see here?
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How many parts can you see?
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What are the structures made of?
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What other structures can you think of?
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Discover!
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Now read and discover more about superstructures.
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Chapter 1.
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Tunnels Tunnels go underwater, underground, or through the ground.
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we use tunnels for mines trains and road traffic or to carry things like gas or water
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tunnels are usually made of metal
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and concrete one of the longest tunnels in the world is the seikan tunnel in japan it's nearly 54 kilometers long.
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It goes between two islands.
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It was built because it's too dangerous to travel by boat.
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The tunnel is for trains,
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but now many people prefer to travel by plane.
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One of the longest road tunnels is the Lairdoll tunnel in Norway.
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The tunnel is nearly 25 kilometers long
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and it goes through a mountain it was built
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because there's too much snow on the mountain roads in winter
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discover in the tunnel there are three big caves where drivers can stop and rest
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chapter 2 bridges bridges go over water
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or over ground on a beam bridge the pillars carry the
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deck one of the longest beam bridges is the Lake poncher
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train causeway in the USA this bridge is about 38 kilometers long
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and it has over 9,000 concrete pillars it goes over water and carries road traffic
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on a suspension bridge the cables and towers carry the deck the anchorages hold the cables.
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Suspension bridges move a little when it's windy.
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This isn't usually a problem,
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but in 1940, the Tacoma Bridge in the USA collapsed in light winds.
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It was only four months old.
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Chapter 3 Skyscrapers When there isn't much ground,
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we can build tall buildings.
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Very tall buildings are called skyscrapers.
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The first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building.
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It was built in Chicago,
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in the USA, in 1885.
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It was 42 meters tall.
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the tallest skyscrapers are now much taller than this the patronus
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twin towers in kuala lumpur in malaysia are the tallest twin
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buildings there is a bridge between the two towers called a sky bridge
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one of the tallest skyscrapers is the Burj Dubai it's in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
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it's 818 meters tall that's nearly a kilometer it's made of a special strong concrete called
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reinforced concrete the Burj Dubai has apartments shops swimming pools hotels restaurants
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and a library it's like a very tall town do you like it discover
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The concrete in the Burjdebih weighs the same as about 100,000 elephants.
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Chapter 4 Dams Some of the biggest structures are dams.
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They hold back water and make a lake called a reservoir are dams supply water stop floods
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and they also make electricity gravity dams are made of a lot of concrete they are very big
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and heavy
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and this weight holds back the water the itaipu dam is a gravity dam it's in South America between Paraguay
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and Brazil it's 196 meters tall
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and nearly eight kilometers long arch dams are also made of concrete they are usually smaller than gravity dams
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and they are curved the curve holds back the water the moiri dam in switzerland is an arch dam
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it's 148 meters tall and 610 meters long discover
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the first dam was built more than 4 000 years ago in egypt it never worked
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because it fell down in heavy rain chapter 5 olympic
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structures there are many superstructures in beijing in china some of
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them were built for the olympics in 2008 terminal 3 of
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beijing capital international airport is one of the biggest airport terminals
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in the world the floor area is more than a square kilometer there are seven floors
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and two of the floors are underground discover
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red
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and gold are traditional colors for chinese buildings red is the
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chinese color for good luck the beijing national stadium is one of the biggest metal buildings it's red and gold
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it has 80,000 seats there were 11,000 extra seats for the
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Olympics it also has underground pipes to make it warm in winter
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and cool in summer sometimes it's called the bird's nest can you see why
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chapter 6 different shapes with new building materials people can build
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structures in many different shapes the o2 in London in the
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United Kingdom is a dome it was built for the millennium the year 2000.
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The roof is made of a special plastic and glass material.
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It's 365 meters wide, one meter for every day of the year.
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It has also 12 support towers,
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one tower for every month of the year in 2008 David
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Fisher designed the first rotating skyscraper it uses energy from the
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wind people want to build these rotating skyscrapers in Dubai
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and in Moscow discover each floor can rotate a full circle people can decide
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when to rotate their floor the skyscraper can be a different shape every day
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chapter 7 glass and ice most buildings are made of concrete bricks metal or wood
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some buildings use different materials biosphere 2 in arizona in the usa is made of glass and metal
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it's nearly as big as two
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and a half american football fields inside there's a rainforest an ocean a desert a farm
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and places for people to live and work it's a research center
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in a village in sweden near the arctic there is a hotel made of ice called ice hotel
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The hotel is open from December to April.
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It has 80 rooms.
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There are ice sculptures in the rooms.
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The beds, chairs, and tables are also made of ice.
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Even the drinking glasses are made of ice.
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Discover Every year, Ice Hotel is built again with new ice.
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Chapter 8 Amazing Places Did you know that people also build structures under the ocean and on ice?
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The Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji is a hotel 12 meters under the ocean.
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It's made of very strong metal and plastic.
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The windows are made of special clear plastic,
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so people can see fish and other ocean animals from the hotel.
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To get to the hotel, you travel by submarine.
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Hally 6 is a research station in the Antarctic.
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It's built on ice.
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The ice moves 400 meters every year,
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and the structure moves with it.
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Hally 6 is on skis so people can move it back to the right place.
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in the Antarctic is very difficult because of the very, very cold weather.
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Discover In the Antarctic, the wind speed can be 150 kilometers per hour.
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The temperature can be less than minus 50 degrees centigrade.
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Chapter 9
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structures in space there are also structures in space
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the International Space Station ISS is a research station it's
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about 350 kilometers above Earth it goes around Earth about 16
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times every day it travels at 27 700 kilometers per hour that's nearly eight kilometers per second discover
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you can see the iss from earth without a telescope
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the ISS is made of metal it uses energy from the
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Sun the first part of the ISS went into space in
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a rocket in 1998 no astronauts went with it most other parts went with astronauts sometimes
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astronauts do a spacewalk outside the ISS to attach new parts
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chapter 10 animal structures animals can build superstructures to termites
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build their homes with mud these homes are tall towers called
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termite mounds the The tallest termite mounds are about 13 meters high.
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They are termite skyscrapers.
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Discover.
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Termites are insects.
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The tallest termite mounds are thousands of termites tall.
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Wombats build underground tunnels called burrows.
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They dig with their front paws and bite through things with their teeth.
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A wombat can dig about two meters per hour.
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Beavers build dams on the water to protect themselves from other wild animals like bears.
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They build the dams with small trees, stones, and mud.
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Their dams can be a kilometer long.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will explore the fascinating world of superstructures, including tunnels, bridges, and skyscrapers. You will practice your listening and speaking skills as you engage with the concepts of structure and design. By the end of this lesson, you will be better equipped to discuss various types of superstructures in English, enhancing your vocabulary and pronunciation through the effective shadowing technique. This practice not only helps you understand the material but also improves your overall fluency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Superstructure: A large and tall structure, made up of many parts.
- Tunnel: An underground or underwater passage that allows for transportation or utility.
- Bridge: A structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a body of water, to provide passage.
- Skyscraper: A very tall building, often found in urban environments.
- Reinforced concrete: A strong building material made of concrete strengthened with steel.
- Beam bridge: A type of bridge supported by beams and pillars.
- Suspension bridge: A bridge where the deck is hung below suspension cables.
- Sky bridge: A bridge connecting two tall buildings at high elevations.
Practice Tips
To make the most of your shadowing practice, follow these tips that align with the speed and tone of the lesson:
- Listen Actively: Play the video and listen carefully to the pronunciation and rhythm of the narration. Pay special attention to how key vocabulary is articulated.
- Shadow Speak: Use the shadowing technique by repeating phrases immediately after you hear them. This will help you mimic the intonation and enhance your speaking fluency.
- Use Repetition: Don't hesitate to replay sections as many times as needed. The more you practice, the more natural your speech will become.
- Vary Your Tone: Try to match the narrator’s tone—enthusiastic when describing impressive superstructures and informative when detailing their functions.
- Record Yourself: Consider recording your shadow speaks. Listening back to yourself can reveal areas for improvement and help you track your progress.
- Engage with Visuals: While practicing, look at images or videos of the superstructures mentioned. Associating visuals with vocabulary will aid in retention and understanding.
Incorporating the shadowspeak technique into your language practice will not only make learning enjoyable but also greatly improve your conversational skills over time. Happy practicing!
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.
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