Shadowing Practice: The Next Atomic Bomb Is Made of DNA - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 10 sentences and 170 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:54. The speaker talks fast, about 190 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• harm /hɑːm/ (noun) — Physical injury; hurt; damage.
• virus /ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/ (noun) — A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and…
• resource /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ (noun) — Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel.
• increasingly (adverb) — Increasing in amount or intensity.
• gene /d͡ʒiːn/ (noun) — A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form…
• salary /ˈsæləɹi/ (noun) — A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or…
• terrorist /ˈtɛɹəɹɪst/ (noun) — A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals.
• genetic /d͡ʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/ (adjective) — Relating to genetics or genes.
• laboratory /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/ (noun) — A room, building or institution equipped for scientific research, experimentation or analysis.
• affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/ (adjective) — Able to be afforded; inexpensive or reasonably priced.
• widespread /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/ (adjective) — Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused.
• simultaneously /ˌsaɪmlˈteɪnɪəsli/ (adverb) — Occurring at the same time.
• marvel /ˈmɑɹvəl/ (verb) — To become filled with wonderment or admiration; to be amazed at something.
• poorly /ˈpʊɹ.li/ (adverb) — In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
• vaccine /vækˈsin/ (noun) — A substance given to stimulate a body's production of antibodies and provide immunity against a disease without causing the disease itself in the treatment…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.

Pronunciation to watch

• Long words — get the stress right: laboratory /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/, affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, simultaneously /ˌsaɪmlˈteɪnɪəsli/, annihilation /əˌnaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like harm, virus, resource.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: