Shadowing Practice: RE2 Unit 9A - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Track 17 Reading 9A The Teenage Brain Parents,

teachers, and anyone who regularly deals with teenagers knows how difficult the adolescent years can be.

Adolescents have always been known to do wild, even dangerous things.

This was thought to be due to the foolishness of youth.

Now, brain imaging technology allows scientists to study the physical development of the brain in more detail than ever before.

Their discoveries have led to a new theory of why teens act the way they do.

A work in progress.

Recently, scientists discovered that though our brains are almost at their full size by the age of six, they are far from fully developed.

Only during adolescence do our brains truly grow up.

During this time, they go through great changes, like a computer system being upgraded.

This upgrade was once thought to be finished by about age 12.

Now, scientists have concluded that our brains continue to change until age 25.

Such changes make us better at balancing our impulses with the need to follow rules.

However, a still -developing brain does this clumsily.

The result, scientists claim, is the unpredictable behaviour seen in teenagers.

Pleasure seekers The studies confirm that teens are more likely to take risks and behave in extreme ways.

Fortunately, the news isn't all negative.

As brain scientist BJ Casey points out, the teen brain inspires such behaviour in order to help teenagers prepare for adult life.

One way the brain does this is by changing the way teens measure risk and reward.

Researchers found that when teens think about rewards, their brains release more of the chemicals that create pleasure than an adult brain would.

Researchers believe this makes the rewards seem more important than the risks

and makes teens feel the excitement of new experiences more keenly than adults do.

Research into the structure of the teen brain also found that it makes social connections seem especially rewarding.

As such, teens have an intense need to meet new people.

Scientists suggest this is because as teens, we begin to realize that our peers may one day control the world we live in.

Because it is still developing, the teen brain can change to deal with new situations.

It therefore connects social rewards with even more pleasure.

In this way, the brain encourages teens to have a wide circle of friends, which is believed to make us more successful in life.

Unfortunately, this hunt for greater rewards can sometimes lead teens to make bad decisions.

However, it also means that teens are more likely, and less afraid, to try new things or to be independent.

The scientists' findings suggest that in the long run,

the impulses of the teen brain are what help teens leave their parents' care and live their own lives successfully.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

The speaker keeps coming back to these words: brain, teen, scientist, reward, teenagers. This video has 32 sentences and 463 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:30. The speaker talks at a steady 132 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
scientist noun	/ˈsaɪəntəst/	One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
reward noun	/ɹɪˈwɔɹd/	Something of value given in return for an act.
teenager noun	/ˈtiːnˌeɪ̯d͡ʒə/	A person between thirteen and nineteen years old (inclusive).
behaviour noun		British standard spelling of behavior.
upgrade verb	/əpˈɡɹeɪd/	To improve, usually applied to technology, generally by complete replacement of one or more components.
researcher noun	/ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/	One who researches.
impulse noun	/ˈɪmpʌls/	A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
adolescent noun	/ˌæd.əˈlɛs.ənt/	A person who is in adolescence; someone who has reached puberty but is not yet an adult.
discovery noun	/dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/	Something discovered.
encourage verb	/ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/	To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
successfully adverb	/səkˈsɛs.fə.li/	In a successful manner; with success; without failing.
confirm verb	/kənˈfɝm/	To strengthen; to make firm or resolute.
discover verb	/dɪˈskʌvə/	To find or learn something for the first time.
intense adjective	/ɪnˈtɛns/	Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
connect verb	/kəˈnɛkt/	To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
go through verb	To travel from one end of something to the other.
grow up verb	To mature and become an adult.
point out verb	To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body.

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	been known · was thought · being upgraded
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have always been known · have led · have concluded
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	anyone who regularly · friends, which is

Pronunciation to watch

Long words — get the stress right: adolescent /ˌæd.əˈlɛs.ənt/, successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/, adolescence /ˌædəˈlɛsəns/

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 scientist, reward, teenager.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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