Shadowing Practice: The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS unit 1 getting ready to listen - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Recording 2 1.
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You will hear a telephone conversation between a man and his daughter Susie about a birthday party they need to organise.
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2. You will hear a woman speaking on the radio about buying presents for people of different ages.
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3. You will hear two biology students explaining their research ideas to their university lecturer.
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4. You will hear an ecology student giving a presentation about a recent field trip to Canada.
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Recording 2 1.
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You will hear a telephone conversation between a man and his daughter, Susie, about a birthday party they need to organise.
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2. You will hear a woman speaking on the radio about buying presents for people of different ages.
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3. You will hear two biology students explaining their research ideas to their university lecturer.
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4. You will hear an ecology student giving a presentation about a recent field trip to Canada.
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Recording 3 1.
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I'm not sure, but I think it starts with an F.
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Two No, I'm pretty sure it's double L.
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Three Is that M for Mary?
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Four Sorry, was that last letter a T or a C?
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Five Do you know if it's spelt with a CH or SH?
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Recording 4 1 And can I have your name, please?
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Yes, it's Andrew Brown.
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Is that spelt the same as the colour?
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Yes, but with an E at the end.
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2 And what's your address, in case we need to post any information out to you?
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Oh, OK.
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I live at 63 Beaton Road.
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That's B-E-T-O-N.
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Sorry, was that last letter N or M?
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N for November.
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3. Do you have a website I can go to?
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Yes.
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Just go to www.kickers.com.
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Is that K-I-C-K-E-R-S?
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That's right.
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All one word and all lowercase.
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Four.
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Where shall we meet then?
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Somewhere in the city?
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That's a good idea.
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What about at that hotel on the corner of Queen Street and Mary Street?
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What's it called?
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Oh, it's the Rose Hotel, like the flower.
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Yes, that's the one.
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I'll see you there at seven.
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Right, and can I get your car registration number?
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Uh-huh.
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Have you got a normal one, or is it one of those specially made ones that's a word or a name?
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No, I haven't got the money for a personalised plate.
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It's just three letters and three numbers.
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It's HLP 528 numbers it's h l p five two eight
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recording four one and can i have your name please yes it's andrew brown is
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that spelt the same as the color yes but with an e at the end two and what's your address
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in case we need to post any information out to you.
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Oh, OK.
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I live at 63 Beaton Road.
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That's B-E-T-O-N.
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Sorry, was that last letter N or M?
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N for November.
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3. Do you have a website I can go to?
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Yes.
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Just go to www.kickers.com.
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Is that K-I-C-K-E-R-S?
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That's right.
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All one word and all lowercase.
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Four.
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Where shall we meet then?
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Somewhere in the city?
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That's a good idea.
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What about at that hotel on the corner of Queen Street and Mary Street?
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What's it called?
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Oh, it's the Rose Hotel, like the flower.
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Yes, that's the one.
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I'll see you there at seven.
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Right, and can I get your car registration number?
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Uh-huh.
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Have you got a normal one, or is it one of those specially made ones that's a word or a name?
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No, I haven't got the money for a personalised plate.
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It's just three letters and three numbers.
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It's HLP 528.
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19. F.
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15. G.
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62. H.
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110 pounds.
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I 31st. J.
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27th.
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Recording 5.
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A. Third.
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B. Ten dollars fifty.
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C. Sixth.
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D. Seventy.
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E. Nineteen.
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F. Fifteen.
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G. Sixty-two.
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H.
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110 pounds I.
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31st J.
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27th Recording 6 1 I hope you've enjoyed your stay with us.
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Yes, it was lovely.
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But I had to pay £95, which seems a bit expensive.
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Last time I stayed here I only paid £80.
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Yes, I'm sorry, madam.
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We had to increase our prices considerably this year,
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but that is actually a discounted price as you're a regular guest.
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It would normally be £105.
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Oh.
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Two.
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Now, on Thursday, there will be a special class, which will be given by a wonderful local artist.
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As this isn't included in your fees, you will need to pay for this on the day.
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We've kept the costs low.
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It's only ten dollars for our regular students here.
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If you want to bring along anyone else who hasn't studied with us before, the cost for them is fifteen dollars.
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We charge them an extra five dollars for the use of equipment, which old students have already paid for.
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3. Can you tell me how big the garage is?
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I just want to make sure our cars will fit.
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Let me have a look.
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How big are your cars?
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Mine's about 1.5 metres wide and my wife's is almost the same.
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Hmm, I don't think it's wide enough, I'm afraid.
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It says here that it's 3.5 metres across
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and you need at least a metre between the cars to be able to open the doors.
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You're right.
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What about the height?
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Mine's a van I use for work and I carry a lot of equipment on top.
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Let me see.
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It's two and a half metres.
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Would that be tall enough?
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Not for my big ladders, no. I'd like three metres at least.
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I'm thinking of taking my children to the Gold Coast in the holidays.
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Can you tell me how much it would cost on the bus?
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I don't want to drive all that way.
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Right.
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You'd qualify for a family ticket, which is the cheapest way to do it.
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It'll be $55 altogether.
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Normally, a child's fare is $25 and an adult is $45.
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Oh, that's a good deal.
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I'm trying to organise a party, and I wondered if your hotel had a room we could use.
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We do have several function rooms.
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What date did you have in mind for the party?
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I'll just warn you, we're already fully booked for most of June.
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The first available date I have is the 14th of July.
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Oh, that's not a problem.
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It's for my dad's birthday, which isn't until the 1st of August.
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That's a Tuesday.
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Yes.
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So I'd like to hold it at the end of July, on the Saturday before.
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So that's the 29th?
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Yes, that's right.
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Recording 6 1.
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I hope you've enjoyed your stay with us.
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Yes, it was lovely.
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But I had to pay 95 pounds, which seems a bit expensive.
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Last time I stayed here I only paid 80 pounds.
150
Yes, I'm sorry, madam.
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We had to increase our prices considerably this year,
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but that is actually a discounted price as you're a regular guest.
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It would normally be a hundred and five pounds.
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Oh.
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Two.
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Now, on Thursday there will be a special class, which will be given by a wonderful local artist.
157
Because this isn't included in your fees, you will need to pay for this on the day.
158
We've kept the costs low.
159
It's only $10 for our regular students here.
160
If you want to bring along anyone else who hasn't studied with us before, the cost for them is fifteen dollars.
161
We charge them an extra five dollars for the use of equipment, which old students have already paid for.
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Three.
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Can you tell me how big the garage is?
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I just want to make sure our cars will fit.
165
Let me have a look.
166
How big are your cars?
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Mine's about 1.5 metres wide and my wife's is almost the same.
168
Hmm, I don't think it's wide enough, I'm afraid.
169
It says here that it's 3.5 metres across
170
and you need at least a metre between the cars to be able to open the doors.
171
You're right.
172
What about the height?
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Mine's a van I use for work and I carry a lot of equipment on top.
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Let me see.
175
It's two and a half metres.
176
Would that be tall enough?
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Not for my big ladders, no. I'd like three metres at least.
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4. I'm thinking of taking my children to the Gold Coast in the holidays.
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Can you tell me how much it would cost on the bus?
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I don't want to drive all that way.
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Right.
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You'd qualify for a family ticket, which is the cheapest way to do it.
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It'll be $55 altogether.
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Normally, a child's fare is $25 and an adult is $45.
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Oh, that's a good deal.
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Five.
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I'm trying to organise a party, and I wondered if your hotel had a room we could use.
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We do have several function rooms.
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What date did you have in mind for the party?
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I'll just warn you, we're already fully booked for most of June.
191
The first available date I have is the 14th of July.
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Oh, that's not a problem.
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for my dad's birthday, which isn't until the 1st of August.
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That's a Tuesday.
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Yes, so I'd like to hold it at the end of July, on the Saturday before.
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So that's the 29th?
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Yes, that's right.
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Recording 7.
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1. We had a good response to our survey,
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and we found that while 80% of our students drink coffee only 15% drink tea with the rest preferring water
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two over 800,000 people in the US are estimated to have tried skiing this may seem a large number
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but it represents just over 0.26% of the total population of 300 million so per capita it is surprisingly small
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three it's estimated that India is home to between 38,000
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and 53,000 wild elephants while Africa has between 470,000 and 690,000 exact figures are difficult to determine.
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4. An elephant can weigh between 2.5 and 5 tonnes.
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This is comparable to the tongue of the blue whale, which alone can weigh 2.7 tonnes.
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In fact, a blue whale can weigh 15 times more than an elephant
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and can grow to about 10 times the size of a standard bus.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 208 sentences and 1642 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:18. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| metre noun | /ˈmiːtəɹ/ | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in… |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| spell noun | /spɛl/ | Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. |
| fifteen noun | /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ | An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut. |
| elephant noun | /ˈɛlɪfənt/ | A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia. |
| weigh verb | /weɪ/ | To determine the weight of an object. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| telephone noun | /ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/ | A telecommunication device which converts data or sounds (usually speech) into electrical signals which are then transmitted to enable two or more people to… |
| discount noun | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | A reduction in price. |
| registration noun | /ˌɹɛd͡ʒ.ɪˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The act of signing up or registering for something. |
| presentation noun | /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ | The act of presenting, or something presented. |
| estimate noun | /ˈɛs.tɪ.mət/ | A rough calculation or assessment of the value, size, or cost of something. |
| garage noun | /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ | A building (or section of a building) used to store a car or cars, tools and other miscellaneous items. |
| biology noun | /baɪˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | The study of all life or living matter. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring along verb | To escort or carry an item or person to a destination. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've enjoyed · We've kept · hasn't studied |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be given · isn't included · are estimated |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | class, which will · ticket, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 44 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: registration /ˌɹɛd͡ʒ.ɪˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, specially /ˈspɛʃəli/
- Long words — get the stress right: registration /ˌɹɛd͡ʒ.ɪˈstɹeɪ.ʃən/, biology /baɪˈɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, considerably /kənˈsɪdəɹəbli/, ecology /ɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like metre, pound, spell.
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.