Shadowing Practice: TOEFL Listening Practice | Lecture | Poor Contrast Sensitivity - Learn English Speaking with Video

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66 sentences
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thousands of people worldwide suffer from a condition called poor contrast sensitivity.
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Contrast sensitivity is the crispness of our vision.
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It enables us to see objects or colors that do not clearly stand out from their backgrounds.
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While this condition can be treated, correction involves wearing glasses or contact lenses or having surgery.
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However, recent research may have provided another solution.
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David Sanderson reports.
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People with poor contrast sensitivity have problems with night driving, including seeing pedestrians walking along poorly lit streets.
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They need extra light to read because they tire easily,
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and they may even stumble in the street when they fail to distinguish a step or curb of a similarly colored sidewalk.
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Poor contrast sensitivity affects the elderly and those suffering from amblyopia, or lazy eye.
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Recently, neuroscientists at the University of Rochester in New York used video games to carry out experiments on poor contrast sensitivity.
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Professor Frank Alexander explains.
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The images we see are processed by the brain into information about our environment.
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Neuroscientists have been studying how certain video games can enhance your eyesight and consequently, brain function.
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In this particular experiment,
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researchers studied two groups of college students who both played video games for 50 hours during a nine -week course.
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One group played action -packed shooter games such as Unreal Tournament and Call of Duty,
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which require precise, visually -guided aiming at targets, while the other played less intense puzzle games like Sims.
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The results indicated that gamers who play shooter games experienced a 43 to 58 % improvement in their contrast sensitivity,
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while those who played non -action games showed none.
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Fast action video games improved the student's spatial resolution or ability to see small objects,
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even when closely packed together on a cluttered screen. In fact, the students who played action games were able to distinguish such
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objects even in the chaotic visual scenes of a game because gaming sharpens vision.
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It also assists the brain in processing situations that are visually complex,
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allowing a player to keep track of multiple items simultaneously while processing information that is constantly being updated or changed.
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Poor contrast sensitivity was once considered impossible to change naturally, that is, without wearing glasses or undergoing surgery.
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This research confirms that it can be improved.
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Consequently, the brain makes better use of the visual information it receives.
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Interestingly, games that best improved contrast sensitivity were unpredictable and required aiming at various targets while distinguishing friend from enemy before shooting.
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This demands consistent alertness and analysis of what's happening on screen.
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But was the improvement temporary or permanent?
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This was crucial to the research.
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The subjects were tested two days after the gaming period, after six months, and then two years later.
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The results confirmed the initial findings video games extend our visual system to its limits
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and the brain adapts itself accordingly the effects remain even two years after the initial gaming period is over
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these findings will be applied to contrast sensitivity in people suffering from amblyopia
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thus helping to give them stereo vision so
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that both eyes are working together and also to the elderly whose contrast sensitivity has deteriorated with age.
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In addition, the research is relevant to jobs requiring the fast, accurate processing of visual stimuli such as piloting a plane,
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scanning x -rays, and screening luggage at airports.
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Scientists are also interested in how video games can improve learning,
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so that one day developers can create games that intrinsically enhance memory, perception, and other mental capabilities.
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Number 1.
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What is poor contrast sensitivity?
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Number 2.
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What was the purpose of the research?
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Number 3.
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What was the main finding of the research study?
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Number 4.
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Which feature of the games did researchers identify as most significant?
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Number 5.
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How can this research be applied outside the medical field?
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Contrast sensitivity is the crispness of our vision.
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It enables us to see objects or colors that do not clearly stand out from their backgrounds.
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And they may even stumble in the street when they fail to distinguish a step or curb of a similarly colored sidewalk.
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Neuroscientists have been studying how certain video games can enhance your eyesight and consequently brain function.
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The results indicated that gamers who play shooter games experienced a 43 % to 58 % improvement in their contrast sensitivity.
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Consequently, the brain makes better use of the visual information it receives.
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Interestingly, games that best improved contrast sensitivity were unpredictable and required aiming at various targets while distinguishing friend from enemy before shooting.
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Poor contrast sensitivity affects the elderly and those suffering from amblyopia, or lazy eye.
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These findings will be applied to contrast sensitivity in people suffering from amblyopia,
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thus helping to give them stereo vision so that both eyes are working together.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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You Thank you.
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We'll be right back so

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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: sensitivity, contrast, brain, poor, visual. This video has 66 sentences and 794 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:27. The speaker talks slowly, about 76 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 76% 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
contrast noun/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/The degree of this difference.
sensitivity noun/ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/The quality or state of being sensitive; sensitiveness.
suffer verb/ˈsʌfɚ/To undergo hardship.
distinguish verb/dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics.
consequently adverb/ˈkɑnsɪˌkwɛntli/As a result or consequence of something; subsequently.
elderly adjective/ˈɛldɚli/old; having lived for relatively many years.
shooter noun/ˈʃuːtəː/Someone who shoots something; a gunner, archer, etc.
enhance verb/ɪnˈhæns/To augment or make something greater.
confirm verb/kənˈfɝm/To strengthen; to make firm or resolute.
experiment noun/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of…
indicate verb/ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.
enable verb/ɪˈneɪ.bəl/To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to.
similarly adverb/ˈsɪm.ə.lə.li/In a like style or manner.
lazy adjective/ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
researcher noun/ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/One who researches.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
work together verbTo be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone.
carry out verb/ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/To hold while moving it out.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going onhave been studying
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itcan be treated · are processed · being updated
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingstudents who both · those who played · students who played

Pronunciation to watch

  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/, shooter /ˈʃuːtəː/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/
  • Long words — get the stress right: sensitivity /ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/, consequently /ˈkɑnsɪˌkwɛntli/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, similarly /ˈsɪm.ə.lə.li/, visually /ˈvɪzju.əli/

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 contrast, sensitivity, suffer.

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 →