Shadowing Practice: Tactics for Listening Third Edition Developing Unit 12 Campus Life - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Listening one.
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One.
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Gee, it's pretty crowded today.
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Yeah, why don't you find a table and I'll go get the food.
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Good idea.
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What do you want?
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I'll have a salad and an iced tea.
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Got it.
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Be right back.
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Two. Can I help you?
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Yes, I'm looking for this book on American art.
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Oh, yes.
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You'll find that on the fifth floor.
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Oh.
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Can I take it out?
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Yes.
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Just bring it back to the desk to check it out.
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Three.
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Hi, June.
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Come on in.
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Hi, Professor Green.
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I had an appointment.
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Sure.
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You're right on time.
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Okay.
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Let's go over your essay.
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First, did you have any questions about my comments on your paper?
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Um, yes.
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Can you explain what the grade means?
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Sure.
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This grade is for ideas, and this one is for things like grammar and spelling.
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Oh, I see.
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Four.
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Have you been here yet?
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No. Hey, they have a lot of neat things here.
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Yeah, look at all the stuff you can buy.
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Books, stationery, even food.
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I'm going to get one of the sweatshirts.
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Me too.
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I'm going to get the white one with the school logo in green.
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Five. May I help you?
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Um, is this Chemistry 101?
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Yes, you're in the right place.
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Take this seat here in the front row.
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Thanks.
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And your name, please.
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Six.
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Are you here for a class?
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No, I just want to work out.
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Sure.
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Let me scan your student ID.
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Okay, you're all set.
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The lockers are that way, the workout room is on the right, and the pool is directly behind me.
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Thanks.
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Listening to...
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One.
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So, what do you think of the class so far?
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I like it.
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What about you?
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I love looking at the slides, and I really enjoy the discussion group.
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We sure have to do a lot of reading.
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That's true, but it isn't as much as for English.
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Right, but aren't these art books heavy?
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Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you're studying the entire history of art since the beginning of time.
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Two.
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Oh, I didn't know you were taking this class, too.
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Yes, I think it's going to be interesting.
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Yes, I think it'll be more interesting than the biology class we took last semester.
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Yes, there was an awful lot of reading for that class, wasn't there?
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There isn't as much in this class, and I really enjoy doing the experiments.
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The equipment in the lab is state-of-the-art, too.
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Do you think you'll be a chemistry major?
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Maybe.
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Three.
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What's the matter?
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Oh, I just got my essay back.
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She wrote so many comments on it, it's gonna take hours to write a second draft.
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Do you think she was unfair?
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No, not at all.
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In fact, I really like her.
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Yeah, Ms. Downs is great.
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She and the art history teacher are the best teachers I've ever had here.
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I agree.
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I think my writing is really gonna improve in this class.
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Me too.
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Four.
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Uh-oh.
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It looks like we got here too late.
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The computer lab is closed.
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Oh, no. And I'm working on a very complicated web program.
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Yeah.
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We have a lot of homework for that class, don't we?
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Yeah.
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It's tough, but I love programming.
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Don't you?
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No. It's hard for me.
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This isn't my favorite class.
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I prefer sciences like biology or chemistry.
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Well, let me know if you need any help with your programs.
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Thanks.
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That's really nice.
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Five.
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What do you think of Professor Green?
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He's so boring.
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I'm not crazy about this class.
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What about you?
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Yes, Professor Green is a little boring, but the subject is so interesting.
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I love learning about the past.
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I'm particularly interested in the 20th century.
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There's a lot of reading, though, isn't there?
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True.
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And the books are so heavy.
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They're not as heavy as those art books, though.
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No, you're right about that.
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Six.
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Do you think this class is going to be easy or hard?
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I think it's going to be okay.
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I don't think it'll be too hard.
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It's certainly not as hard as chemistry.
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Not yet, anyway.
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Yeah, I guess because it's just an introductory course.
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Right.
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It says here we're going to study the cell, basic genetics, and the human body.
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Do we meet in a lab?
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No, not for this class.
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We meet in a regular classroom.
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Listening to One So, what do you think of the class so far?
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I like it.
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What about you?
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I love looking at the slides, and I really enjoy the discussion group.
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But we sure have to do a lot of reading.
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That's true, but it isn't as much as for English.
133
Right, but aren't these art books heavy?
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Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you're studying the entire history of art since the beginning of time.
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Two.
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Oh, I didn't know you were taking this class, too.
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Yes, I think it's going to be interesting.
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Yes, I think it'll be more interesting than the biology class we took last semester.
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Yes, there was an awful lot of reading for that class, wasn't there?
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There isn't as much in this class, and I really enjoy doing the experiments.
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The equipment in the lab is state-of-the-art, too.
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Do you think you'll be a chemistry major?
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Maybe.
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What's the matter?
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Oh, I just got my essay back.
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She wrote so many comments on it.
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It's gonna take hours to write a second draft.
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Do you think she was unfair?
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No, not at all.
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In fact, I really like her.
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Yeah, Ms. Downs is great.
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She and the art history teacher are the best teachers I've ever had here.
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I agree.
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I think my writing is really going to improve in this class.
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Me too.
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Four.
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Uh-oh.
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It looks like we got here too late.
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The computer lab is closed.
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Oh, no. And I'm working on a very complicated web program.
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Yeah, we have a lot of homework for that class, don't we?
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Yeah, it's tough, but I love programming.
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Don't you?
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No, it's hard for me.
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This isn't my favorite class.
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I prefer sciences like biology or chemistry.
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Well, let me know if you need any help with your programs.
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Thanks.
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That's really nice.
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Five.
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What do you think of Professor Green?
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He's so boring.
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I'm not crazy about this class.
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What about you?
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Yes, Professor Green is a little boring, but the subject is so interesting.
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I love learning about the past.
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I'm particularly interested in the 20th century.
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There's a lot of reading, though, isn't there?
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True.
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And the books are so heavy.
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They're not as heavy as those art books, though.
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No, you're right about that.
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Six.
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Do you think this class is going to be easy or hard?
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I think it's going to be okay.
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I don't think it'll be too hard.
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It's certainly not as hard as chemistry.
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Not yet, anyway.
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Yeah, I guess
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because it's just an introductory course right it says here we're gonna study the cell basic genetics
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and the human body do we meet in a lab
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no not for this class we meet in a regular classroom you listening 3
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One.
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This campus is really beautiful.
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It's like a park.
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There are lots of plants and trees everywhere.
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That was one of the reasons I decided to come here.
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Another was the teachers.
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I heard the teachers were really great, but a lot of them don't seem to be very interested in teaching.
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They give boring lectures, and they don't seem to have time to talk to students after class.
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Another problem is my schedule.
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I have trouble getting into the classes that I need.
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It's because the school is overcrowded.
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However, the other students I've met have been really great.
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I've made some wonderful friends.
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Two.
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I've been at this school for two years now.
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It's not the most attractive campus.
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The buildings are ugly.
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They look like cement blocks.
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And there are hardly any trees or plants.
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One thing that I do like here is the gym.
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It's a great place to go between classes.
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You can swim in a beautiful pool, and the workout room has modern equipment.
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It's funny that the gym looks so nice, while the rest of the campus doesn't.
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I'm pretty happy with my classes, and my teachers are very helpful.
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They have plenty of time to see you outside of class.
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I have a great schedule right now.
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All of my classes start in the afternoon, so I can sleep in.
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I love sleeping in.
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Three.
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I'm afraid I haven't been happy here at all.
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I think I made a mistake.
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It costs a lot of money, but just isn't worth it.
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The classes are really boring, and they don't seem very useful.
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I want to take a computer science class, and they don't even teach that here.
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I haven't made many friends either.
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Everyone thinks it's so easy to meet people, but the other students seem very unfriendly to me.
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They do have a lot of interesting clubs.
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There's a photography club I might join.
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One thing that's nice is the campus.
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It's very attractive.
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There are a lot of trees and nice places to sit outside.
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There's even an outdoor cafe.
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I guess that's what you're paying for.
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4. I came here because I wanted to study art.
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The photography department is famous.
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The teachers are well-known working artists.
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Some people think that just because you're good at something doesn't mean you can teach it.
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But the teachers here are great.
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The campus is really just a building downtown, so it isn't very nice to look at.
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There's no gym or cafeteria or clubs or anything.
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My schedule is terrible.
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All my classes are at 8 in the morning.
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That's hard for me because I like to stay up late and work on my photos.
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I'm so busy that I haven't really paid much attention to the other students, but they seem very nice.
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Sometimes at art schools, the students are too competitive.
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I think this place is different though.
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Listening 3 One.
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This campus is really beautiful.
251
It's like a park.
252
There are lots of plants and trees everywhere.
253
That was one of the reasons I decided to come here.
254
Another was the teachers.
255
I heard the teachers were really great, but a lot of them don't seem to be very interested in teaching.
256
They give boring lectures, and they don't seem to have time to talk to students after class.
257
Another problem is my schedule.
258
I have trouble getting into the classes that I need.
259
It's because the school is overcrowded.
260
However, the other students I've met have been really great.
261
I've made some wonderful friends.
262
2. I've been at this school for two years now.
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It's not the most attractive campus.
264
The buildings are ugly.
265
They look like cement blocks.
266
And there are hardly any trees or plants.
267
One thing that I do like here is the gym.
268
It's a great place to go between classes.
269
You can swim in a beautiful pool, and the workout room has modern equipment.
270
It's funny that the gym looks so nice, while the rest of the campus doesn't.
271
I'm pretty happy with my classes, and my teachers are very helpful.
272
They have plenty of time to see you outside of class.
273
I have a great schedule right now.
274
All of my classes start in the afternoon, so I can sleep in.
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I love sleeping in.
276
Three.
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I'm afraid I haven't been happy here at all.
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I think I made a mistake.
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It costs a lot of money, but just isn't worth it.
280
The classes are really boring, and they don't seem very useful.
281
I want to take a computer science class, and they don't even teach that here.
282
I haven't made many friends either.
283
Everyone thinks it's so easy to meet people, but the other students seem very unfriendly to me.
284
They do have a lot of interesting clubs.
285
There's a photography club I might join.
286
One thing that's nice is the campus.
287
It's very attractive.
288
There are a lot of trees and nice places to sit outside.
289
There's even an outdoor cafe.
290
I guess that's what you're paying for.
291
4. I came here because I wanted to study art.
292
The photography department is famous.
293
The teachers are well-known working artists.
294
Some people think that just because you're good at something doesn't mean you can teach it.
295
But the teachers here are great.
296
The campus is really just a building downtown, so it isn't very nice to look at.
297
There's no gym or cafeteria or clubs or anything.
298
My schedule is terrible.
299
All my classes are at 8 in the morning.
300
That's hard for me because I like to stay up late and work on my photos.
301
I'm so busy that I haven't really paid much attention to the other students.
302
But they seem very nice.
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Sometimes at art schools, the students are too competitive.
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I think this place is different, though.
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Pronunciation.
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One.
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I like the campus, the classes, and the teachers.
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Two.
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She likes the food, the people, and the sports.
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Three.
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I don't like my schedule, my teachers, or the homework.
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Dictation.
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So, how do you like your school?
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Well, I like some things, but I don't like other things.
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Such as?
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I like the campus, the teachers, and the students.
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But I don't like the food, the gym, or the clubs.
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How about you?
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Just the opposite.
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I really like the food, the clubs, and the pool.
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What don't you like?
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I guess I don't really like the classes, the teachers, and the homework.

What Speaking Skills Can You Build from This Campus Life Video?

This video is a goldmine for mastering everyday campus communication—a key fluency milestone for students or anyone preparing for IELTS speaking practice. The dialogues mirror real-life interactions, from ordering food to asking about grades, helping you sound natural in situations you’ll actually face. Whether you’re practicing with a shadowing app or role-playing, these scenes train you to respond quickly and confidently, a must for fluency.

Your Go-To Phrase Bank for Campus Chats

Keep these reusable expressions handy—they’ll pop up in almost any campus setting:

  • “Why don’t you [action] and I’ll [action]?” (Perfect for splitting tasks, like getting food or studying.)
  • “Can you explain what [X] means?” (A polite way to clarify feedback, crucial for talking to professors.)
  • “Are you here for [class/event]?” (Great for starting conversations in common areas like gyms or labs.)
  • “Take this seat here in the front row.” (Useful for guiding others, whether in class or a meeting.)

These phrases work for shadowspeak too—repeat them aloud to mimic the rhythm and tone of native speakers.

Fix Your Pronunciation and Rhythm with These Scenes

The video’s casual, conversational pace highlights a common challenge: reduced speech. Listen closely to how “Got it” (instead of “I’ve got it”) or “Be right back” (with a quick “be”) flow naturally. These short, connected phrases are where many learners stumble, but practicing with a shadowing app can help you nail the rhythm. Pay attention to intonation in questions like “Can I take it out?”—the rise at the end signals politeness, a detail that boosts your IELTS speaking score. By shadowing these dialogues, you’ll learn to speak with the ease of someone who’s “been there,” making your English sound less scripted and more authentic.

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 →