Shadowing Practice: TOEFL Listening Practice | Lecture | Thrill-Seeking Gene - Learn English Speaking with Video
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no guts no glory
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it's the battle cry of thrill seekers everywhere as they dive off cliffs jump out of planes
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and ski down avalanche chutes and they do it all just for the rush.
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But where do these daredevils get the guts to risk their lives over and over again?
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Some scientists believe there's something about adventure junkies that's different from the rest of us, something they're born with.
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Could it be that thrill -seeking is literally in their blood?
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Dr. Julia Farnsworth is here to explore the latest research with us.
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Dr. Farsworth, welcome to the show.
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What does the latest research show?
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Is thrill -seeking really inborn?
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Thanks, Larry.
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Yes, there is no evidence that thrill -seeking has a strong genetic component.
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Researchers have identified at least two distinct genes that they believe are responsible for thrill -seeking behavior.
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Both of these genes have to do with the brain chemical called dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical.
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Dopamine is the substance that makes your brain feel all warm and wonderful inside.
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What researchers have found is that the brains of thrill -seekers don't produce and absorb enough dopamine.
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This prompts them to go the extra mile to get a dopamine fix, and that means charging into high -sensation activities,
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ones that really make palms sweat and heart rates soar.
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That's fascinating.
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Are there any figures about how many people may actually have these genes?
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Researchers believe that at least 30 % of us carry the thrill -seeking genes, but not everyone who has them,
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they say, feels the need to jump out of airplanes.
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For some people, intellectual challenges can provide the same satisfaction,
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and just having the genes doesn't mean that you will necessarily crave new sensations all the time,
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which leads critics to argue that the researchers genetic theory is a little too simplistic.
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But whether flirting with danger is nature, nurture, or a combination of both, there's no question that it can quickly become a deadly habit.
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Hundreds of thrill -seekers a year are killed pursuing a rush.
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Researchers are also exploring whether
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or not the same genes may play a role in self -destructive adventure -seeking such as drug and alcohol abuse.
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So where to from here?
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What will scientists do with their newfound knowledge?
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Well, it's still rather unclear.
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When I asked one researcher if he thought scientists should come up with a cure for self -destructive adventure -seeking,
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he replied, without thrill -seekers in the world, we wouldn't have any
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United States of America because Columbus never would have taken off.
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We never would have put a man on the moon, and we wouldn't have Wall Street.
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I don't think we want to get into the business of treating core personality traits unless they're really harmful to the person.
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So, at least for the moment, listeners, it appears that there's no new wonder drug on the way to take away the urge for adventure,
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nor will a blood test be available anytime soon to find out whether you have the thrill -seeker genes.
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But there is good news in store for those of you who are couch potatoes.
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Scientists say they may also have discovered the gene for laziness.
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What is the main idea of the segment?
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What is true of thrill -seekers and the levels of dopamine in their brains?
44
According to scientists, how many people carry the genes for thrill -seeking?
45
What is true about people who have the thrill -seeking genes?
46
Why does the speaker mention
47
Columbus, Wall Street, and putting a man on the moon?
48
no guts no glory
49
it's the battle cry of thrill seekers everywhere as they dive off cliffs jump out of planes and ski down avalanche chutes.
50
And they do it all just for the rush.
51
But where do these daredevils get the guts to risk their lives over and over again?
52
Some scientists believe there's something about adventure junkies that's different from the rest of us, something they're born with.
53
Could it be that thrill -seeking is literally in their blood?
54
Dr. Julia Farnsworth is here to explore the latest research with us.
55
Dr. Farsworth, welcome to the show.
56
What does the latest research show?
57
Is thrill -seeking really inborn?
58
Thanks, Larry.
59
Yes, there is no evidence that thrill -seeking has a strong genetic component.
60
Researchers have identified at least two distinct genes that they believe are responsible for thrill -seeking behavior.
61
Both of these genes have to do with the brain chemical called dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical.
62
Dopamine is the substance that makes your brain feel all warm and wonderful inside.
63
What researchers have found is that the brains of thrill -seekers don't produce and absorb enough dopamine.
64
This prompts them to go the extra mile to get a dopamine fix, and that means charging into high -sensation activities,
65
ones that really make palms sweat and heart rates soar.
66
That's fascinating.
67
Are there any figures about how many people may actually have these genes?
68
Researchers believe that at least 30 % of us carry the thrill -seeking genes, but not everyone who has them,
69
they say, feels the need to jump out of airplanes.
70
For some people, intellectual challenges can provide the same satisfaction
71
and just having the genes doesn't mean
72
that you will necessarily crave new sensations all the time
73
which leads critics to argue that the researcher's genetic theory is a little too simplistic
74
but whether flirting with danger is nature nurture
75
or a combination of both there's no question
76
that it can quickly become a deadly habit hundreds of thrill seekers a year are killed pursuing a rush
77
Researchers are also exploring whether or not the same genes may play a role in self -destructive adventure -seeking, such as drug and alcohol abuse.
78
So where to from here?
79
What will scientists do with their newfound knowledge?
80
Well, it's still rather unclear.
81
When I asked one researcher if he thought scientists should come up with a cure for self -destructive adventure -seeking,
82
he replied, Without thrill -seekers in the world, we wouldn't have any
83
United States of America, because Columbus never would have taken off.
84
We never would have put a man on the moon, and we wouldn't have Wall Street.
85
I don't think we want to get into the business of treating core personality traits unless they're really harmful to the person.
86
So, at least for the moment, listeners, it appears
87
that there's no new wonder drug on the way to take
88
away the urge for adventure nor will a blood test be
89
available anytime soon to find out whether you have the thrill -seeker genes.
90
But there is good news in store for those of you who are couch potatoes.
91
Scientists say they may also have discovered the gene for laziness.
92
What is the main idea of the segment?
93
What is true of thrill -seekers and the levels of dopamine in their brains?
94
According to scientists, how many people carry the genes for thrill -seeking?
95
What is true about people who have the thrill -seeking genes?
96
Why does the speaker mention
97
Columbus, Wall Street, and putting a man on the moon?
98
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: thrill, gene, seeking, seeker, researcher. This video has 98 sentences and 1192 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:23. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 24 of its 98 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thrill verb | /θɹɪl/ | To suddenly excite someone, or to give someone great pleasure; to (figuratively) electrify; to experience such a sensation. |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | 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… |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| adventure noun | /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ | A feeling of desire for new and exciting things. |
| rush verb | /ɹʌʃ/ | To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully. |
| genetic adjective | /d͡ʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/ | Relating to genetics or genes. |
| explore verb | /ɪkˈsploɹ/ | To examine or investigate something systematically. |
| sensation noun | /sɛnˈseɪʃən/ | A physical feeling or perception from something that comes into contact with the body; something sensed. |
| destructive adjective | /dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/ | Causing destruction; damaging. |
| guts noun | /ɡʌts/ | The entrails or contents of the abdomen. |
| necessarily adverb | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | Inevitably; of necessity. |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| discover verb | /dɪˈskʌvə/ | To find or learn something for the first time. |
| glory noun | /ˈɡlɔːɹi/ | Great beauty and splendor. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| take off verb | To remove. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
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 | have identified · have found |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | everyone who has · people who have |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are killed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, wouldn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, sensation /sɛnˈseɪʃən/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/, avalanche /ˈævəlɑːnʃ/, chute /ʃut/
- Long words — get the stress right: necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, intellectual /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/
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 thrill, gene, researcher.
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.