Shadowing Practice: READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 3 3B GETTING THE SHOT - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
3B Getting the Shot, an interview with Joel Sartore.
2
Joel Sartore is a writer, teacher and photographer.
3
His words and beautiful images show his love of photography and of the natural world.
4
He was National Geographic's 2018 Explorer of the Year.
5
You see, my first job was for a newspaper.
6
After a few years there, I met a National Geographic photographer.
7
He liked my photos and said I should send some to the magazine.
8
So I did.
9
That led to a one -day job, and that led to a nine -day job, and so on.
10
C. To get into National Geographic, you have to give them something they don't have.
11
It's not enough just to be a great photographer.
12
You also have to be a scientist, for example, or be able to dive under sea ice or spend maybe several days in a tree d.
13
It's now more difficult to work for magazines.
14
Technology makes it easy to take good pictures, which means there are more photos and photographers.
15
Also, the web is full of photos from all around the world that are free, or cost very little.
16
These photos are often good enough to be put in books and magazines that once paid for photographers and their photos.
17
E -advice?
18
Well, work hard.
19
Be passionate about every project you work on.
20
Take lots of pictures in different situations.
21
Look at others' photos thoughtfully and learn from them.
22
And be curious about life.
23
There's something to photograph everywhere.
24
F. But to be a photographer for the right reasons.
25
If you do it for the money, you probably won't really be happy.
26
Do you want to make the world a better place?
27
Or make people see things in a different way?
28
If so, you'll enjoy the work much more.
📺 Same Channel
A21
READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 5 5B AT THE SCENE OF A CRIME
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 10 10A WILD WEATHER
A22
READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 5 5A THE DISEASE DETECTIVE
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 4 4A I’VE FOUND THE TITANIC!
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
READING EXPLORER 2 Unit 4B THE CHANGING FACE OF KUNG FU
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B14
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 7A THE TRUTH ABOUT DINOSAURS
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B16
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 7B MYSTERY OF THE TERRIBLE HAND
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
B15
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 9B SMOKEJUMPERS
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
B16
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 9A MEET THE METEORITE HUNTER
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B17
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 8A THE BROTHERS GRIMM
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
A25
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 8B THE SEVEN RAVENS
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B14
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 10A THE ARMY’S TRUE COLORS
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B147
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 5A GLOBAL CITIES
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
B15
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 2B ADVENTURE ISLANDS
Travel EnglishHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B13
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 3A MOVE TO THE MUSIC
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 6B WHAT’S IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B13
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 6A IN ONE CUBIC FOOT
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B14
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 4B LIVING IN SPACE
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
B11
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 12B THE MISSING PILOT
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B14
READING EXPLORER 1 UNIT 2A THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
Travel EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
✨ Recommend Video
B1754
9 sentences
if you wear nice clothes #denzelwashington #motiationalspeech #motivation
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1410
6 sentences
Not Everyone Can Be a Dad...
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B1657
25 sentences
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2648
13 sentences
Discover a Day in the Life of Donald Trump
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15,061
10 sentences
How Watching Movies with Subtitles Boosts English Skills
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B1122
10 sentences
You're not lazy. You're the product. #jayshetty #shorts
University StudentsWorking Adults
B183
6 sentences
Do you ever bargain when you shop?#greenyenglish #part1 #luyennoitienganh #hocmoingay #ielts
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B22,539
12 sentences
B2 Shadowing Practice Missing A Connection At The Airport
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A21,490
14 sentences
Hope Or Wish The One Question That Tells You Which To Use
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1251
13 sentences
Discover The Amazing Life Of Turtles
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B1399
17 sentences
Grade 10 Unit 2 Reading
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B1159
15 sentences
Grade 10 Unit 2 Listening
Daily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 3 3B GETTING THE SHOT”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: photographer, photos, magazine. This video has 28 sentences and 297 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:50. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| photographer noun | /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/ | One who takes photographs, typically as an occupation. |
| curious adjective | /ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/ | Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying. |
| photography noun | /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/ | The art and technology of producing images on photosensitive surfaces, and its digital counterpart. |
| photograph noun | /ˈfoʊ.təˌɡɹæf/ | A picture created by projecting an image onto a photosensitive surface such as a chemically treated plate or film, CCD receptor, etc. |
| 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… |
| dive verb | /daɪv/ | To swim under water. |
| passionate adjective | /ˈpæʃənɪt/ | Fired with intense feeling. |
| thoughtfully adverb | /ˈθɔtfəli/ | In a thoughtful or pensive manner. |
| writer noun | /ˈɹaɪ.təɹ/ | A person who writes, or produces literary work; an author can refer to themselves as "the writer". |
| everywhere adverb | /ˈɛv.ɹi.(h)wɛɹ/ | In or to all locations under discussion. |
| newspaper noun | /ˈnjuːsˌpeɪpə/ | A publication, usually published daily or weekly, containing news and other articles. Traditionally a print publication typically printed on cheap, low-quality… |
| photo verb | /ˈfəʊ̯.təʊ̯/ | To take a photograph of. |
| magazine noun | /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/ | A nonacademic, periodical publication which consists of articles by multiple writers on some broad topic or theme. |
| spend verb | /spɪnd/ | To pay out (money). |
| image noun | /ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/ | A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | won't really be · you'll enjoy |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to give · have to be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, won't, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: photographer /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/, photography /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/
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 photographer, curious, photography.
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.