Shadowing Practice: Real Life English Conversations - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Do you like traveling abroad?
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261 sentences
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Do you like traveling abroad?
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I do.
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I've worked in tourism for a few years and traveled abroad many times.
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Really?
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How many countries have you visited so far?
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I've visited 12 countries in Europe and Asia.
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Have your travels in Asia differed from your travels in Europe?
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Definitely.
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A lot of places in Europe are similar.
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Similar shops, similar culture and religions.
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I love traveling to Asia because it was like going to a different world.
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It was crazy, noisy, and nothing like I was used to from home.
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It never got boring, because there was so much to do, see, and experience.
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Besides, travel in Europe can be pricey,
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and Asia is fantastic for people traveling on a budget.
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A meal is $1 to $3, accommodation between $5 and $10,
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And buses take you around the country for very cheap, too.
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Have you ever been scared to try a certain type of food?
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I love trying new things most of the time.
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I tasted fried scorpion in Bangkok.
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And of course, I was a bit nervous before,
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but I'm glad I tried it.
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Wow, I would never taste something like that.
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What was it like?
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It was surprisingly tasty.
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It actually tastes like french fries.
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That's interesting.
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What has been the best food you've tried in your travels?
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The best food on my travels was in Thailand.
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I love the Thai curries,
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the green papaya salad, and Tom Yum soup.
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Have you ever tried Thai food?
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Yes, I ate at a Thai restaurant in Springfield once.
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But I think their food is a little too spicy for me.
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Thai food is well known for being spicy,
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but not every dish is.
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Some dishes are sweet or sour.
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Well, next time I'll try a sweet dish.
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Out of everywhere you've been,
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what is your favorite city of them all?
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My favorite city to visit is Amsterdam.
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I have never felt so much at home anywhere else as I have in Amsterdam.
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I love its tight streets and the Renaissance buildings,
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strolling by the canals, watching people riding their bicycles,
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the tram rides, the friendly people,
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the beautiful parks, the waffles with chocolate syrup.
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I've never been there, but I bet it's a beautiful city.
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Do you prefer to travel by plane, train, bus, or car?
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I prefer to travel by plane.
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It is so comfortable and faster than train.
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Are you nervous while flying?
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Absolutely not.
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Are you?
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Sometimes I am.
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I think airplanes are very safe and are actually the safest way of traveling.
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Yeah, I suppose so.
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What has been the best part about traveling?
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The best thing about traveling has been that I gained a greater understanding of the world and of myself.
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Now I know my strengths and weaknesses.
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What's your biggest fear when traveling?
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My biggest fear is losing my passport.
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Imagine packing up all your things to leave,
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and when you get to the airport,
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ready to board your flight home,
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you realize you don't have your passport.
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That would be awful indeed.
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Has this ever happened to you?
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Yes.
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I was relaxing in the lounge at Dubai Airport while waiting for my flight.
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I had my passport and my jacket instead of my bag like I usually would.
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A few minutes later, I got hungry and got up to get some food.
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Shortly after, a man came up to me and asked to see my passport.
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I figured he was airport security,
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and I reached into my jacket to find him missing.
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I was really alarmed.
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Then that man handed me my passport,
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saying it had fallen when I left the chair.
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I profusely thanked him.
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I'm to this day thankful that this man was there and saw it happen.
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I cannot imagine what would have happened otherwise.
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Wow, you were so lucky.
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Fortunately, there are great people out there willing to help.
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Welcome, Sarah.
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Come on in.
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Hi, Pam.
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What a nice home you have.
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Thanks.
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I'm glad you like it.
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Please have a seat and make yourself at home.
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Thanks.
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Did you find your way here all right?
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Yes, I came by taxi,
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so it wasn't difficult at all.
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Would you like some lemonade?
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It's freshly squeezed.
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No, thanks.
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Maybe later.
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Or you could have a homemade slushie instead.
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Slushie?
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What is that?
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It's a frozen blended drink made of ice,
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fruits, and a little sugar.
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Sounds interesting.
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I'd like to try that.
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Great!
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Let's go to the kitchen.
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Do you want strawberry or pineapple slushie?
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Either way is fine.
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Whatever you're having.
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Okay, I'm going to make pineapple slushie then.
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We need ice, pineapple slices,
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pineapple juice, and one tablespoon sugar.
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We combine them in the blender.
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It's very easy to make.
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Here you go.
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Thanks!
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I have to try this too.
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Wow, I love it!
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It's so refreshing!
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And would you like something to eat?
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I have blueberry coffee cake.
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Oh, no thanks.
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I'm fine, really.
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Are you sure?
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It has a crunchy cinnamon topping.
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It's not very sweet.
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Well, okay then.
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That looks great!
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Did you make it yourself?
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No, actually, I was going to make one,
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but I didn't have enough time.
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I got it at my favorite bakery, Billy's Baking Delight.
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They make the best ones.
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You can say that again.
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Their cakes are exceptionally good let's dig in mmm what a wonderful flavor I also have chocolate
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and peanut butter cookies try them too oh I love cookies well here try one of each Okay, thanks.
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Mmm, they're good.
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Do you mind if I have one more chocolate cookie?
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They're so good.
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Not at all.
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Go ahead, help yourself.
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Would you like some more cake as well?
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No, thanks.
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I've had enough.
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You sure have a lot of books here, Pam.
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Where did you get them all?
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I bought most of them.
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You know, I've always loved reading.
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Not all of them are new.
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Some of them are used.
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Where did you buy them from?
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I bought most of them from a bookstore called City Lit Books.
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Do you know if they buy used books?
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I have many books at home that I don't need anymore,
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and it would be great to be able to sell them.
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Of course they do.
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That's great.
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Let me know when you go there again,
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and I'll come with you.
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Sure, it's a deal.
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What's going on at this restaurant?
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It's very crowded tonight.
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There doesn't seem to be any free seats.
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I wonder what event is taking place here.
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It must be some birthday party or some anniversary.
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Everybody's dressed up.
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But there aren't any flowers or presents anywhere.
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And the people seem to wear formal clothes.
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They might be the employees of some company.
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Look, the older man in the black suit is preparing to make a speech.
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Everybody's listening very carefully.
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You know what?
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This could be a retirement party.
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No way.
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He doesn't look to be the retirement age.
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He looks like a boss.
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He may be the manager of the company.
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They might be celebrating some anniversary or something like that.
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Look, three young people are getting up now.
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They look very shy.
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I think the older man is introducing them to the others.
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Oh, I know what's going on.
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They must be the new employees of the company.
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So this must be a welcome party to celebrate their first day at the company.
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Sure, that must be it.
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Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?
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I've been working on a project all night,
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so I'm a bit out of energy.
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So you didn't sleep at all?
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Nope.
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I didn't sleep a wink,
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and I have a terrible headache.
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My body feels heavier than a sack of potatoes.
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No wonder you feel this way.
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Are you a night owl or something?
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You do this frequently?
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Well, I'm under a lot of pressure right now.
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My boss is very pushy.
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He assigned me a very important project.
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Now the deadline is near and I still haven't finished it.
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That's why I'm on pins and needles.
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Isn't there anyone who can help you with the project?
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I don't need any help.
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I'd certainly rather do a project myself than to have to
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chase up other people to make sure they're doing what they promised to do.
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You're such an eager beaver.
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Do you think you could squeeze in lunch with me sometime?
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Possibly, but not till next week.
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That's fine.
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But don't try to wriggle out of it at the last minute.
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Trisha, will you turn the thermostat higher, please?
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Yeah, sure.
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What's wrong, Ruby?
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You looked under the weather.
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Well, I have a terrible cold.
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I have a sore throat when I talk too much.
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Really?
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That's too bad.
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You should take some time out of work until you get back on your feet.
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Do you have a fever?
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No, I don't.
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It's not that serious, actually.
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I've just taken some over-the-counter cold medicines,
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and I'm hoping they'll help me feel better soon.
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That's very good.
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You should also drink plenty of liquids.
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I'm going to make you a hot tea if you like.
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It'll do you good.
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That would be great.
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Thank you so much.
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Anyway, if your symptoms don't pass in a few days,
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you should go see a doctor.
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Yes, definitely.
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I'll do so.
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How do you get along with your neighbors, Mike?
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Pretty well, I guess.
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I have one neighbor that I'm pretty friendly with.
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The guy next door.
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He's really nice.
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He helped me fix my car so that it no longer vibrated at high speeds.
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He was very helpful.
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Oh, that was nice of him.
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Yeah, it was.
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I've helped him too.
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Whenever he goes away, he gives me a key so I can go in and feed his fish.
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Well, it's good that you can help each other out like that.
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Yeah, but sometimes it can be a problem, too.
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What do you mean?
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A few days ago, for example,
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he came back late from a trip and needed his key.
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So he rang at my door at 3 a.m and wanted his key back.
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Really?
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Wow.
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Maybe it was something unexpected.
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Was that the first time that he woke you up in the middle of the night?
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No. This had also happened a few months before,
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when he came back from a wedding at 5 a.m.
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So this was the second time.
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I see.
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Did you complain to him about it?
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No, I needed him to help me install my washing machine.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills through real-life conversations about travel. The dialogue highlights personal experiences and preferences related to traveling abroad, including food, budget considerations, and favorite destinations. By engaging with the transcript, you will enhance your ability to discuss topics such as culture, cuisine, and transportation while improving your overall fluency. This lesson is perfect for learners aiming to apply the shadowing technique to everyday conversations, enabling you to learn English with YouTube effectively.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Traveling abroad - Visiting countries outside of your home country.
  • Budget - A plan for how to spend money, relevant for travelers looking for cost-effective options.
  • Cuisine - A type of food associated with a specific country or region, such as Thai cuisine or European cuisine.
  • Scary food - Foods that one might find intimidating to try, such as fried scorpions.
  • Favorite city - A city that holds special significance or preference for someone, like Amsterdam in the transcript.
  • Transportation modes - Different methods of travel, such as planes, trains, buses, or cars.
  • Try new things - Being open to experience unfamiliar foods or activities.
  • Spicy food - Food that is seasoned with hot spices, common in several cuisines including Thai.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning experience, consider the following practice tips when applying the shadowing technique to this lesson:

  • Start by listening to the conversation a few times without repeating. Familiarize yourself with the tone and flow of the dialogue.
  • Use shadowspeaks by mimicking the speakers' intonation and pacing. Focus on the expression and rhythm of the conversation.
  • Try to shadow speak along with the video. Pause after each sentence and repeat aloud, ensuring you capture the natural speech patterns.
  • Pay attention to key vocabulary words and phrases; practice saying them in different contexts to reinforce your learning.
  • Record yourself while practicing the conversation. Listening to your pronunciation can help you identify areas for improvement.

Through dedicated practice using these techniques, you will enhance your English speaking skills and gain confidence in discussing travel and cultural experiences with others.

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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