Shadowing Practice: TOEFL Listening Practice | Lecture | Hurricanes - Learn English Speaking with Video

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few events can rival the power of a hurricane
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we only have to look back at the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 to realize this.
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While hurricanes are a natural phenomenon, some experts believe human activity may actually be impacting on their development.
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Tom Parker reports.
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Each year in the tropical regions surrounding the equator, hundreds of storms form at sea, some of which will intensify to hurricane level.
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Research suggests that the strength and duration of these storms is on the increase.
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Global warming could well be behind this shift.
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Hurricane expert Julia James explains how hurricanes form and talks about the possible influence of climate change on hurricanes.
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Hurricanes develop in warm tropical regions, both north and south of the equator.
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One prerequisite for hurricane formation is a warm ocean surface, at least 27 degrees Celsius.
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When equatorial winds pass over the sea, they suck up the warm, moist air.
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As the air is forced upwards, it gets cooler and condenses into clouds.
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This can result in the formation of cloud clusters and thunderstorms, known as tropical disturbances.
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The majority of these die out, but some go on to develop into full -blown hurricanes.
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This happens when converging equatorial winds set off a chain reaction of rising and sinking air.
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As wind speeds increase, cool air is sucked underneath the rising warm air and the storm begins to rotate.
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It will only be given hurricane status if wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour.
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and it's only when it hits land
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and is cut off from its supply of heat
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that it loses momentum
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but not without first unleashing winds of up to 185 miles per hour on coastal areas
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so a warm ocean surface is a key ingredient in hurricane development
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some experts have theorized that
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because global warming is heating up our oceans it is also boosting hurricane formation carbon dioxide and other man -made greenhouse gases
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Raise the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.
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This leads to warmer sea surface temperatures, and a warm ocean will produce higher levels of water vapor than a cool one.
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This water vapor plays an important role in fueling hurricanes and keeping them spinning.
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It also increases precipitation when the storm reaches land.
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During Hurricane Katrina, rainfall exceeded 12 inches near New Orleans.
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Evidence that hurricanes are becoming more severe is quite compelling.
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What we've seen in recent years is an increase in both the strength and duration of storms, with a higher percentage of devastating
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Category 4 and 5 hurricanes hitting land annually.
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Between 1970 and 2005, this figure doubled worldwide.
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But whether this trend can be attributed to human activity has yet to be scientifically established.
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Similarly, some experts have hypothesized that the violent storms we are seeing can actually be attributed to natural fluctuations in ocean currents.
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Whatever the case, if our seas continue to get warmer, hurricane -related losses in the 21st century may be devastating,
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especially given the fact that coastal populations are becoming denser and denser all the time.
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Number 1.
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How does a hurricane begin?
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Number 2.
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When is a hurricane at its most powerful?
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Number 3.
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According to Julia James, what can increased amounts of carbon dioxide lead to?
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Thank you.
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Number four.
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What happened globally between 1970 and 2005?
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Number 5.
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What disturbing assumption does the speaker arrive at?
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Number 1.
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How does a hurricane begin?
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Hurricanes develop in warm tropical regions, both north and south of the equator.
52
One prerequisite for hurricane formation is a warm ocean surface, at least 27 degrees Celsius.
53
When equatorial winds pass over the sea, they suck up the warm, moist air.
54
As the air is forced upwards, it gets cooler and condenses into clouds.
55
This can result in the formation of cloud clusters and thunderstorms, known as tropical disturbances.
56
Number 2.
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When is a hurricane at its most powerful?
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it will only be given hurricane status
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if wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour and it's only
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when it hits land and is cut off from its supply of heat
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that it loses momentum
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but not without first unleashing winds of up to 185 miles per hour on coastal areas number three according to julia James,
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what can increased amounts of carbon dioxide lead to?
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Carbon dioxide and other man -made greenhouse gases raise the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.
65
This leads to warmer sea surface temperatures, and a warm ocean will produce higher levels of water vapor than a cool one.
66
This water vapor plays an important role in fueling hurricanes and keeping them spinning.
67
It also increases precipitation when the storm reaches land.
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Number four.
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What happened globally between 1970 and 2005?
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Evidence that hurricanes are becoming more severe is quite compelling.
71
What we've seen in recent years is an increase in both the strength
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and duration of storms with a higher percentage of devastating
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Category 4 and 5 hurricanes hitting land annually.
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Between 1970 and 2005, this figure doubled worldwide.
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Number 5.
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What disturbing assumption does the speaker arrive at?
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Whatever the case, if our seas continue to get warmer, hurricane -related losses in the 21st century may be devastating,
78
especially given the fact that coastal populations are becoming denser and denser all the time.
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Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “TOEFL Listening Practice”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: hurricane, warm, storm, wind, ocean. This video has 79 sentences and 852 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:26. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 75% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
hurricane noun/ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/A severe tropical cyclone; an intense storm rotating around a central eye.
tropical adjective/ˈtɹɑ.pɪ.kəl/Of or pertaining to the tropics, the equatorial region between 23 degrees north and 23 degrees south.
cloud noun/ˈklaʊ̯d/A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air.
coastal adjective/ˈkoʊstəl/Relating to the coast; on or near the coast; longshore.
dense adjective/ˈdɛns/Having relatively high density.
dioxide noun/daɪˈɑksaɪd/Any oxide containing two oxygen atoms in each molecule.
vapor noun/ˈveɪpɚ/Cloudy diffused matter such as mist, steam or fumes suspended in the air.
suck verb/sʌk/To use the mouth and lips to pull in (a liquid, especially milk from the breast).
duration noun/dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/An amount of time or a particular time interval.
percentage noun/pə(ɹ)ˈsɛntɪd͡ʒ/The amount, number or rate of something, regarded as part of a total of 100; a part of a whole.
atmosphere noun/ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body.
arrive verb/əˈɹaɪv/To reach; to get to a certain place.
spin verb/spɪn/To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
annually adverb/ˈæn.jʊə.li/Once every year without fail, yearly
assumption noun/əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordMeaning
pass over verbTo bypass or disregard in favour of someone or something else.
die out verbTo become extinct.
heat up verbTo heat, to cause to become hotter.
set off verbTo leave; to set out; to begin a journey or trip.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itis forced · is sucked · be given
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave theorized · we've seen · have hypothesized

Pronunciation to watch

  • The “th” sounds: underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, thunderstorm /ˈθʌn.dɚˌstɔɹm/, hypothesize /haɪˈpɑ.θəˌsaɪz/, theorize /ˈθɪɹ.aɪz/
  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/, precipitation /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, unleash /ʌnˈliʃ/
  • Long words — get the stress right: momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/, precipitation /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/, similarly /ˈsɪm.ə.lə.li/, phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hurricane, tropical, cloud.

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 →