Shadowing Practice: TEST 9 PART 2 - LUYỆN TẬP VÀ THỰC HÀNH LISTENING - TỰ HỌC VSTEP - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
Questions 1 to 4.
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92 sentences
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Questions 1 to 4.
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You will hear a student talking to a housing officer about living with a homestay family.
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Yes, what can I do for you?
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My friend is in homestay,
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and she really enjoys it,
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so I'd like to join a family as well.
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Okay, so let me get some details.
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What's your name?
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My name is Keiko Uchini.
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And you're female.
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And your nationality?
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I'm Japanese. And you're how old?
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I'm 28 years old.
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Now, you live at one of the colleges. Which one?
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Willow College, room 21C.
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And how long are you planning on staying with Homestay?
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About four months.
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And what course are you enrolled in?
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Well, I've enrolled for 20 weeks in the Advanced English Studies.
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Okay.
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Do you have any preference for a family with children or without children?
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I prefer...
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I mean, I like young children,
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but I'd like to be with older people.
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All right.
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Now, what about you?
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Are you a vegetarian, or do you have any special food requirements?
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No, I am not a vegetarian,
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but I don't eat a lot of meat.
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I really like seafood.
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Are you familiar with the public transport system?
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No. What about the trains?
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I like catching the train.
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They are much faster.
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Now, let me go check on the computer and see who I've got.
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I'll check my records, and I'll give you details this afternoon.
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Thank you for helping me.
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It's a pleasure.
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Bye.
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Question 5 to 8.
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You will hear an interview with a representative of a wildlife park called Paradise Wildlife Park.
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OK, now I understand that the park is involved in one or two projects at the moment.
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That's right.
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Since 1994, we've been working with various partners to raise money and help coordinate something called Project Life Lion.
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So you're obviously concerned about environmental issues.
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Yes.
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The park continuously monitors its environmental impact.
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To do that, we have our own independently written environmental management system.
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One thing that I see you run is something called adopt an animal.
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Tell me about that.
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Yes, adopting an animal is a great way to mark a special occasion for yourself or for a friend or loved one.
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Now, talking of tickets, people can get season tickets for the park, can't they?
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That's right.
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Our season tickets are very popular and extremely good value for money.
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But are you open all year?
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Yes.
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We're open 365 days a year.
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Now, people can also take part in what you call experience days, can't they?
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Yes.
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The experience days are great to give to someone who is twelve or over as a gift.
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Finally, if I wanted to work in the park,
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what chance would I have?
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Pretty good right now.
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I might apply.
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Thanks for talking to me today.
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You're welcome.
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Questions 9 through 12 You'll hear an interview with Sophie Morrison, a translator.
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Sophie, you're a native English speaker and you've been working as a translator for some time now.
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I'm currently doing a lot of legal text.
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The details of court cases can be interesting and the language quite challenging.
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And what kind of language gives you the most problems?
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The kind of expressions used in technology, perhaps, or science?
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Actually, I don't have much trouble with those.
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What's still quite tricky, though,
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is when someone mentions a person or an event,
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perhaps in their country's history.
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So do you normally deal with big private firms or with state institutions like local government?
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Well, I was once contacted by an insurance company,
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and I did a job for them.
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But nearly always it's a case of an agency asking if I'd be willing to do a particular text.
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That must speed things up a lot.
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Yes, but it can still be a very long working day.
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I don't mind which part of the day I'm working, though.
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That's one of the advantages of working from home.
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How do you see the long-term future of translating?
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Will it continue to be a good area to work in?
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Oh, I think so.
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Professional standards are higher than they've ever been,
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and the increasingly wide range of languages used internationally
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means that the demand for high-quality translation will keep growing for many years to come.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking using this video offers an invaluable opportunity to immerse yourself in realistic conversational contexts, particularly in scenarios related to everyday life, such as interacting with housing officers or discussing environmental projects. By engaging with authentic dialogues, you not only enhance your English speaking practice but also gain insights into how native speakers express themselves in various situations. The video features a student, Keiko, who seeks to join a homestay family, providing listeners with a relatable narrative that emphasizes clarity, intent, and the social nuances involved in making such arrangements.

Furthermore, using this video to practice the shadowing technique allows learners to mimic native speakers, improving their fluency and pronunciation. As you repeat after the speakers, you'll develop a more natural rhythm and flow, essential components for effective communication in English. By integrating the shadowing technique into your routine, you can significantly enhance your listening comprehension alongside your speaking abilities.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Understanding the structures and expressions used in the dialogues can vastly improve your conversational skills. Here are a few key grammatical structures and expressions from the video:

  • "I'd like to..." - This polite form of expressing desire is a common way to make requests or preferences known. For example, "I'd like to join a family as well."
  • "Do you have any preference for..." - This phrase is used to inquire about specific choices or inclinations, as seen when discussing living arrangements.
  • "I prefer..." - This expression is valuable when stating personal likes, which enhances the clarity of opinions when having discussions.
  • "Are you familiar with..." - This phrasing helps initiate conversations about someone's knowledge or experience, useful in many social contexts.

Focusing on these expressions within the context of the dialogues enhances your ability to construct similar sentences in everyday conversations, making them a vital part of your vocabulary development when you learn English with YouTube.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking, it's crucial to be aware of certain pronunciation challenges that may arise from the dialogue:

  • "homestay" - This term may be pronounced quickly, so take care to enunciate each syllable to avoid blending sounds.
  • "environmental" - A longer word that could trip up learners; focus on the syllables to ensure correct pronunciation: en-vi-ron-men-tal.
  • "coordinated" - This word can be difficult when spoken at a natural pace; practice breaking it down into manageable parts.

By paying attention to these pronunciation traps, you can refine your speaking skills and build greater confidence in your English communication. Regular practice using the shadowing site can make these challenging words easier to master and integrate into your daily conversations.

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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