Shadowing Practice: Part 4 organic farming - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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4. You will hear part of a lecture on organic farming.
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73 sentences
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4. You will hear part of a lecture on organic farming.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Thank you.
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Now, listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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to grow crops and raise animals.
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Virtually all organic farmers prefer to use renewable resources
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and recycling to give what conventional farmers might consider waste back to the soil of Mother Nature.
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From this, we can see organic farming is a sustainable production system,
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which is one of its advantages.
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Organic farmers use numerous techniques to promote the quality of life of plants and animals within existing ecosystems
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and minimise pollution that occurs with all conventional farming practices.
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Another benefit is that, with the increasing consumer demand for a healthier,
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more nutritionally balanced product, the sales of organically produced food are promoted.
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According to the research, it has become the fastest growing sector of agriculture
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and has shown an annual increase of at least 20% during the last six years.
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What's more, both chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides consume non-renewable resources such as oil and coal,
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but the development of organic farming can lower the demand for these fertilizers and pesticides,
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so it is conducive to the conservation of essential energy.
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At the same time, it also can reduce industrial pollution caused by the production of these chemical substances.
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Organic farming differs greatly from the traditional one in a number of ways.
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Let's discuss it from the perspective of agricultural biodiversity, firstly.
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For instance, earthworms are an important indicator of soil fertility.
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Studies have shown that the density
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and species number of earthworms in organically managed soils are three times as high as those in conventional fields.
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Moreover, the biodiversity in organic farming can also be reflected in the number of insects,
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which is twice as many as those in traditional farms.
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This might be highly related to the fact that organic vegetables are grown without any human-made pesticides,
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making these vegetables more likely to be damaged.
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The other main difference between organic and traditional farming lies in crop yields,
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one of the biggest concerns of organic farmers.
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Organic farms, though possibly well adapted for certain local environments,
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produce less food per unit of land.
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For example, organic vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes yielded are 40% less than conventional ones.
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In addition, research has also found the number of weeds produced in winter is about 90% at present,
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which has decreased by 10% than before.
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However, lower crop yields in organic farming are still inevitable at the moment.
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Anyway, organic farming is a new direction for agricultural development.
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These days, a variety of organic products are cultivated not only for humans,
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but also for animals, for example, organic grass.
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It is commonly used in organic farms to feed cows.
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Because of the non-use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides,
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it can protect cows from diseases brought by large-scale breeding,
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thus ensuring the quality of raw milk.
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but an interesting phenomenon is that its production has remained constant these years,
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which is quite unique compared with other types of crops.
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Research on organic farming has covered various aspects and involved many countries.
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According to one study, organic farming was proposed in India in the early 1960s
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when it was faced with acute shortages of food grains due to the ever-increasing population and natural disasters.
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Although it could not be applied successfully at first,
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as farmers had been familiar with conventional instructions,
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proponents of organic farming claimed that organic agriculture
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emphasised biodiversity and effective soil management could enhance the capacity to mitigate and even reverse the effects of climate change.
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So, India needed organic farming along with modern scientific agriculture.
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The study shows that in 2016,
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India became the country with the largest number of organic products and the production of crops kept growing year on year.
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Another international review about organic farming presents in the first part that people today have become increasingly interested in organic food,
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and this opinion is quite the same as that of other articles.
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But what impressed me most was the volume of the investigation the author did in different countries.
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He conducted a survey in 99 countries,
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of which 66 are convinced that organic farming is beneficial to animals,
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while 8 hold the opposite opinion and the remaining 25 say it is inconclusive.
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Therefore, the last part of the review is mainly talking about whether organic farming brings positive effects to animals.
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We can see there are different views about the advantages of organic farming.
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Some may think it can provide more nutritious and healthier food,
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Others may say it can protect the natural environment and benefit wildlife.
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However, as far as I'm concerned,
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it's you, the ones who buy organic products,
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that will decide what they can bring to you because market demand determines everything.
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OK, that's all I want to say.
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Now, let's open it up for discussion.
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video on organic farming offers a rich context for English learners to enhance their speaking skills using the shadowing technique. By listening to the lecture, learners can not only absorb vocabulary related to agriculture but also practice pronunciation and intonation in a natural setting. Engaging with this material allows you to learn English with YouTube effectively, as the content is both informative and relevant in today’s discussions around sustainability and health.

Practicing with this video benefits learners by allowing them to express complex ideas clearly. The subject matter, which includes discussions on sustainability and biodiversity, equips learners with the language to engage in meaningful conversations about contemporary issues. Using the shadow speech method, you can mimic the speaker, which helps in developing fluency and confidence while speaking English. This video serves as an excellent platform because it combines practical language use with valuable information.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the lecture, several key structures are used that are particularly helpful for language development:

  • Present Tense for General Statements: The speaker often uses the present tense to state facts, such as "Organic farming is a sustainable production system." This structure is vital for learners aiming to describe ongoing situations or habitual actions.
  • Comparative Structures: Phrases like "more likely" or "less food per unit of land" are employed to make comparisons. Practicing such structures can aid learners in articulating differences more effectively.
  • Causal Conjunctions: The lecturer frequently uses words like "because" and "thus" to explain reasons and consequences. For example, "because of the non-use of synthetic fertilizers..." helps learners connect ideas logically in their own speech.

Engaging with these grammatical elements can enhance your ability to construct clear and persuasive arguments in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While shadowing the speaker, learners may encounter specific pronunciation challenges. Here are a few tricky words and phrases to pay attention to:

  • Biodiversity: This term can often be mispronounced. Focus on breaking it down into syllables: bio-di-ver-si-ty.
  • Conventional: Ensure the stress is on the second syllable: con-VEN-tional, to sound more natural.
  • Resources: This word can be tricky; practice saying it with the correct accent: RE-sources, emphasizing the first syllable.

Mastering these pronunciations will aid in sounding more fluent and natural. Use the shadow speak technique to practice these challenging words repeatedly, which is essential for effective communication.

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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