Shadowing Practice: Places So Dangerous The Government Banned Them - Learn English Speaking with Video
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You can book a flight to almost anywhere in the world today.
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From the top of the Eiffel Tower to the deserts of Dubai, the world is yours to explore. But...
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There are a few places on Earth so dangerous, so highly classified, or so deeply protected.
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Here are ten places on Earth you are never allowed to visit.
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North Sentinel Island, India We start deep in the Indian Ocean with North Sentinel Island,
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Unlike military bases, this island isn't protected because of dangerous weapons.
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It's protected to save its people.
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The Sentinelese tribe has lived there in complete isolation for up to 60 ,000 years.
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they fiercely reject all contact with the outside world.
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and will attack outsiders with arrows and spears.
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Because they have been isolated for so long, They have no immunity to modern diseases.
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A simple cold could wipe out the entire tribe.
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To protect them, the Indian government made it a strict crime to go anywhere near the island.
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The world saw exactly how serious this isolation was in 2018.
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A 26 -year -old American missionary named John Allen Chow paid local fishermen to illegally smuggle him near the island.
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He wanted to make contact and preach to the tribe.
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Despite the fishermen warning him, Chow took a small kayak and approached the beach.
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Almost immediately, the sentinelays fired arrows at him.
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His journal, which he left on the fishing boat, revealed he kept trying to go back over several days.
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On his final attempt, The fisherman watched from a distance as the tribe buried his body on the beach.
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To this day, his body has never been recovered because the Indian government refuses to disturb the tribe.
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Snake Island, Brazil.
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Next, we travel to Brazil to Ilha da Queimada Grande, famously known as Snake Island.
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The name is not an exaggeration.
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Researchers estimate there are between one and five deadly snakes per square meter on this island.
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It is the only home of the Golden Lancehead Viper, A snake with venom so powerful it literally melts human flesh around the bite.
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But before the island was completely banned, someone actually lived there.
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In the 1920s, a man lived on the island with his wife and three children to operate the lighthouse.
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According to local legend, their time on the island ended in absolute horror.
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One night, a group of venomous snakes slithered through the windows of their home.
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Terrified, the family fled into the dark forest.
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desperately trying to reach their boat on the shore, but they never made it.
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They were found days later, completely covered in snake bites.
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After that tragedy, the lighthouse was automated and humans were banned forever.
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The only exception today is for a few brave scientists who
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are cleared by the Navy to check the lighthouse once a year.
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The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway.
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Deep in the freezing mountains of Norway, just 800 miles from the North Pole, is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
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It looks like a supervillain's secret base, but it's actually designed to save humanity.
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Inside this heavily guarded bunker are over 1 million samples of seeds from almost every country on Earth.
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It's built to survive earthquakes, nuclear war, and extreme climate disasters.
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only a tiny handful of authorized personnel can enter.
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Think of it as a backup hard drive for global agriculture.
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If this door ever opens for the public, it means the end of the world has already happened.
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Lascaux Caves, France.
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The discovery of the Lascaux Caves wasn't made by brilliant scientists or archaeologists.
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It was made by a dog.
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In September 1940, An 18 -year -old boy named Marcel was walking his dog, Robot, in the French countryside.
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Suddenly, Robot chased a rabbit down a deep, dark hole in the ground.
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Marcel and his friends climbed down to rescue the dog and found themselves inside a massive cavern.
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When they lit their lamps, they were completely shocked.
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The walls were covered in over 600 perfectly preserved paintings of animals created 17 ,000 years ago.
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Robot the dog accidentally uncovered the greatest gallery of prehistoric art in human history.
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For years, tourists flooded the Lascaux Caves to see the ancient paintings.
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But, there was a massive problem.
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The simple act of human breathing created heat and humidity.
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which caused fungus to grow and destroy the priceless art.
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To save the paintings, the French government completely sealed off the caves in 1963.
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Today, not even top historians are allowed inside.
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Area 51, Nevada, USA.
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No list of forbidden places is complete without Area 51.
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Located in the barren Nevada desert, this highly classified United States Air Force facility is the center of global UFO conspiracy theories.
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While pop culture says it holds alien spacecraft, the government officially states it's a testing ground for experimental aircraft and black projects.
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The perimeter is guarded by motion sensors, cameras, and heavily armed military contractors in unmarked trucks,
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known as "camodudes." If you cross the invisible line, you will be arrested instantly. or worse.
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The secrecy surrounding Area 51 is so intense that it sparked a massive internet movement.
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In 2019, a viral Facebook event called "Storm Area 51:
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They Can't Stop All of Us" jokingly urged millions of people to run past the guards to "see them aliens."
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Over 2 million people clicked "Going."
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The US military took this so seriously that they issued official warnings and prepared for a massive riot.
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In the end, only about 150 people actually showed up to the gates.
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Poveglia Island, Italy.
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Just a short boat ride from the beautiful canals of Venice lies Poveglia, a small island with a terrifyingly dark past.
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During the bubonic plague, the island was used as a quarantine zone.
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Anyone who showed symptoms was sent there to die.
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Centuries later, it became the site of a horrific psychiatric hospital.
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The horror of Poveglia didn't end with the plague.
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In the 1920s, the doctor in charge was rumored to be a sadistic man who performed cruel
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and unusual experiments on his patients in the island's bell tower.
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Patients claimed they were being haunted by the ghosts of the plague victims, but the doctor ignored them.
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However, the story goes that the doctor eventually began seeing the ghosts himself.
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Driven completely mad by the spirits, he threw himself off the very same bell tower.
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The Italian government has strictly forbidden public access to Poveglia.
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Today, it remains abandoned, slowly being swallowed by nature.
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Surtsey Island, Iceland.
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Most islands are thousands of years old, but Surtsey in Iceland was born in 1963 after a massive underwater volcanic eruption.
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Almost immediately, the Icelandic government declared the island a strict nature reserve.
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Why?
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Because scientists wanted to see exactly how life begins on a brand new sterile piece of land, without any human interference.
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Only a few scientists are allowed to visit.
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and they are searched thoroughly before arriving to make sure they aren't carrying any foreign seeds on their clothes.
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Tome of Qin Shi Huang, China.
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You might have heard of the famous Terracotta Army in China, but did you know the actual tomb of the emperor they guard has never been opened?
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The resting place of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, has remained sealed for over 2 ,000 years.
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Archaeologists refused to open it for two reasons.
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First, current technology might destroy the ancient artifacts inside.
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Second, historical records claim the tomb is surrounded by deadly traps and literal rivers of liquid mercury.
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Modern soil tests show extremely high levels of mercury, proving the ancient legends might be absolutely true.
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The Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City, Hidden deep beneath the streets of Vatican City lies one of the most secure and mysterious libraries on earth.
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The Vatican Secret Archives contained documents, letters, and state papers dating back over 12 centuries.
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There are an estimated 53 miles of shelving underground.
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While the name says secret, A better translation is private.
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However, you cannot just buy a ticket to go inside.
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Only carefully selected, highly qualified scholars can apply for entry.
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And even then, They are only allowed to view specific documents they asked for in advance.
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Room 39, North Korea.
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Our final stop is inside one of the most secretive countries in the world, North Korea.
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Inside the Workers' Party building in Pyongyang is a highly classified location known only as Room 39.
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Created in the 1970s, It is a secret organization dedicated to one thing, securing foreign currency for the country's leadership.
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Intelligence agencies believe Room 39 controls billions of dollars through illegal activities like hacking,
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counterfeiting, and gold smuggling.
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Unless you are in the absolute highest ranks of the North Korean government, You will never see the inside of this room.
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So, if you were given an invisibility cloak for just one day, Which of these strictly forbidden places would you explore first?
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Let me know in the comments below.
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Don't forget to leave a like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another video.
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See you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Places So Dangerous The Government Banned Them”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: island, inside, snake. This video has 116 sentences and 1481 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:40. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| classify verb | /ˈklæs.əˌfaɪ/ | to identify by or divide into classes; to categorize |
| fisherman noun | /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ.mən/ | Any person who attempts to catch fish. |
| lighthouse noun | /ˈlaɪthaʊs/ | A tower or other structure exhibiting a light or lights to warn or guide sailors. |
| forbid verb | /fɚˈbɪd/ | To disallow; to proscribe. |
| plague noun | /plɛɡ/ | The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis. |
| archaeologist noun | /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/ | Someone who studies or practises archaeology. |
| surround verb | /səˈɹaʊnd/ | To encircle something or simultaneously extend in all directions. |
| tomb noun | /tum/ | A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be… |
| mercury noun | /ˈmɜɹkjəɹi/ | A silvery-coloured, metallic chemical element with the atomic number 80; it is liquid at room temperature, and toxic. |
| isolation noun | /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/ | The state of being isolated, detached, or separated; the state of being away from other people. |
| arrow noun | /ˈæɹəʊ/ | A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow. |
| strictly adverb | /ˈstɹɪktli/ | In a strict manner. |
| deadly adjective | /ˈdɛdli/ | Causing death; lethal. |
| artifact noun | /ˈɑɹtɪfækt/ | An object made or shaped by human hand or labor. |
| authorize verb | /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/ | To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run past verb | To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of (someone) in order to obtain their opinion. |
| wipe out verb | To destroy (especially, a large number or complete set of people or things); to obliterate. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are never allowed · isn't protected · have been isolated |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has lived · have been isolated · has never been recovered |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Anyone who showed · man who performed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as aren't, can't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authorize /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/, slither /ˈslɪðɚ/, thoroughly /ˈθʌɹ.ə.li/, earthquake /ˈɝθkweɪk/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: fisherman /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ.mən/, isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/, exaggeration /ɪɡˌzæd͡ʒəˈɹeɪʃən/, shelve /ʃɛlv/, eruption /ɪˈɹʌpʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: archaeologist /ˌɑɹ.kiˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/, isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/, exaggeration /ɪɡˌzæd͡ʒəˈɹeɪʃən/, prehistoric /ˌpɹiː.hɪsˈtoɹ.ɪk/, perimeter /pɪˈɹɪm.ɪ.tə/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like classify, fisherman, lighthouse.
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.