Shadowing Practice: UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 - Urgent priorities for the UK - Learn English Speaking with Video
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26 sentences
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1
Climate change is a global problem.
2
The world is already around a degree warmer than it was, due to extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity.
3
Scientists have warned for some time that a temperature rise of 2 degrees
4
or more risks severe and potentially irreversible changes to our planet.
5
2016 is set to be the warmest year ever recorded.
6
If so, it will be the third record -warmest year in a row.
7
Last year's Historic Paris Agreement was an important step towards tackling this.
8
But the effects of climate change are already being felt in the UK.
9
Average temperatures are increasing, and there is a trend towards milder winters and hotter summers.
10
We can also expect more frequent floods, like those we've seen in recent years.
11
And there are plenty of other challenges on the horizon.
12
which is why the Committee on Climate Change has carried out a comprehensive scientific assessment of the risks
13
and opportunities for the UK.
14
The climate change risk assessment is the result of more than three years of work involving hundreds of leading scientists
15
and experts from both the public and private sectors.
16
It shows that the greatest threats to the UK come from periods of too much
17
or too little water increasing average and extreme seasonal temperatures
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and rising sea levels action is needed to tackle six key risks the increasing chance of more severe
19
and widespread flooding risks to public health from higher temperatures including
20
in overheating homes a risk of shortages in public water supplies and scarce water for farming
21
a threat to nature including loss of native species, food price spikes and potential disruption to UK and global food production,
22
and risks from new and emerging pests and diseases affecting people, animals and plants.
23
The longer action is delayed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changes, the higher the costs and risks will be.
24
Climate change is happening now.
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This new UK risk assessment identifies where more effort is necessary and urgent to address these risks.
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It's time to act.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017 - Urgent priorities for the UK”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: risk, climate, temperature, assessment, increasing. This video has 26 sentences and 343 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:20. The speaker talks at a steady 147 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% 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:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| assessment noun | /əˈsɛsmənt/ | The act of assessing or an amount (of tax, levy or duty etc) assessed. |
| flood noun | /flʌd/ | An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water. |
| 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… |
| tackle verb | /ˈtækəl/ | To force a person to the ground with the weight of one's own body, usually by jumping on top or slamming one's weight into them. |
| greenhouse noun | /ˈɡɹːnˌ(h)aʊs/ | A building used to grow plants, particularly one with large glass windows or plastic sheeting to trap heat from sunlight even in intemperate seasons or… |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| delay noun | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity. |
| potentially adverb | /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/ | In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way. |
| comprehensive adjective | /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/ | Broadly or completely covering; including a large proportion of something. |
| involve verb | /ɪnˈvɑlv/ | To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include. |
| frequent adjective | /ˈfɹiː.kwənt/ | Done or occurring often; common. |
| widespread adjective | /ˌwaɪdˈspɹɛd/ | Affecting, or found throughout, a large area (e.g. the entire land or body); broad in extent; widely diffused. |
| urgent adjective | /ˈɜː.d͡ʒənt/ | Requiring immediate attention. |
| mild adjective | /ˈmaɪld/ | Gentle and not easily angered |
| horizon noun | /həˈɹaɪ.zən/ | The visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is set · being felt · is needed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have warned · we've seen · has carried |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, shortage /ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/, disruption /dɪsˈɹʌpʃən/, emission /ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, comprehensive /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/, irreversible /ˌɪr.ɪˈvɝ.sə.bəl/
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 assessment, flood, scientist.
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.