Shadowing Practice: THE WORLD'S FRIENDLIEST CITY - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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The world's friendliest city.
17 sentences
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The world's friendliest city.
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A team of social psychologists from California has spent six years
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studying the reactions of people in cities around the world to different situations.
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The results show that cities where people have less money generally have friendlier populations.
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Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which is often known for its crime,
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comes out top, and the capital of Malawi, Lint-Longui, comes third.
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But what makes one city friendlier than another?
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The psychologists from California State University say it has got more to do with environment than culture or nationality.
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They carried out a study into the way locals treated strangers in 23 cities around the world.
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The team conducted their research through a series of tests where they dropped pens
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or pretended they were blind and needed help crossing the street.
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The study concludes that people are more helpful in cities with a more relaxed way of life such as Rio.
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While they were there, researchers received help in 93% of cases
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and the percentage in Lit Long Way was only a little lower.
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However, richer cities such as Amsterdam and New York are considered the least friendly.
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Inhabitants of Amsterdam helped the researchers in 53% of cases and in New York just 44%.
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The psychologists found that in these cities people tend to be short of time so they hurry and often ignore strangers.

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About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "THE WORLD'S FRIENDLIEST CITY" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.