Shadowing Practice: Understanding Malaria: Causes Of Malaria - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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the developed world today,
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the bite of a mosquito might at worst mean an irritating interruption to a warm summer's evening on the porch.
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If you happen to live in a more tropical climate,
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however, that itch could be the start of something far worse.
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In fact, as much as half of the world's population are at risk of a deadly infection called malaria,
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due to the bite of this blood-sucking menace.
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The disease isn't actually caused by the mosquitoes.
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They're what we call a vector.
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These buzzing little pilots are the vehicles for the actual killer,
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lurking inside the mosquito's salivary glands.
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A microscopic single-celled organism called Plasmodium is what's really responsible for the symptoms of weakness,
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aches, intense fever, and for an unlucky percentage who don't receive treatment, even death.
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There are five species of Plasmodium that infect humans,
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but the most dangerous is called Plasmodium falciparum,
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which is the cause of 90% of all malaria deaths.
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All these parasite species spread the same way.
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Mosquitoes pick up Plasmodium by biting a previously infected person who has the parasite in their blood.
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Later, the same mosquito delivers the parasite to another host the host through its saliva.
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The dangerous microbes quickly find their way inside red blood cells,
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where they breed in such numbers that the cells swell up and eventually explode.
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Luckily not all mosquitoes make for a suitable carrier.
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In fact just one genus will do for this picky parasite,
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a type of mosquito called Anophilus.
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Even then, it's only the female mosquito who feeds on human blood to nourish her young.
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Males prefer to dine on nectar.
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There are still more than 40 species of this particular mosquito across the world,
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which can be found on every continent except for Antarctica.
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They are all capable of carrying malarial parasites,
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yet not all countries have cases of malaria.
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Why not?
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Plasmodium microbes have no tolerance for the cold.
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The deadliest species, for example,
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can't reproduce if the temperature falls to far below 20 degrees Celsius.
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On the other hand, at 27 degrees,
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the microorganisms thrive and multiply with staggering speed.
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Colin Sutherland is a professor of parasitology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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According to him, that speed makes a tremendous difference.
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The mosquito, after it picks up the parasite by feeding on the blood of a person with the infection,
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then needs 15 to 20 days for the parasite to fully mature inside and it needs to expand inside the mosquito.
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Now if you think about the lifespan of the average mosquito,
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20 days is pushing it.
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So the mosquito has to survive that period of time.
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Now there's a problem for the parasite,
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which is in colder regions, it develops slower.
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So it's a race between the parasite getting ready to go to another person and the mosquito dying.
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And in colder places, and we used to have some malaria in southern England,
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but it's much easier to control because it's right on the edge of that temperature that's required.
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Mosquitoes also need moisture, and a lot of it.
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These insects lay their eggs in pools of stagnant or slow-moving water,
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where they hatch into larvae.
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The adults' delicate bodies are also susceptible to drying out,
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meaning they prefer humid atmospheres.
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These conditions tend to rule out cool, dry countries.
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But for some 90 countries spread around the equator,
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both Anopheles and Plasmodium have the perfect conditions to thrive,
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warm enough for the parasite to grow quickly and wet enough for the mosquito to spread it.
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You might not want to get too comfortable though.
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As the world continues to warm, climates will change.
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This tropical humid zone could expand,
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opening the way for Anopheles mosquitoes to breed in more environments.
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And just maybe, malaria will move with it.
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If you're lucky enough to live in a more developed part of the world,
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there are already ways to keep malaria at bay.
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We've known about some of them for centuries.
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Ancient texts on how to plan cities describe the importance of avoiding noxious wetland areas,
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such as swamps and marshes.
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The word malaria itself comes from the old Italian words meaning bad air.
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It's easy to see why.
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Before people knew much about the transmission of parasites,
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foul air near stagnant pools were considered responsible for causing illness.
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While the smell might be relatively harmless,
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stagnating warm water makes for the perfect mosquito breeding ground.
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In many parts of the world,
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humans have done a good job of eradicating mosquitoes by fumigating,
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clearing away rubbish and draining wetlands as cities expand.
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In other areas, human activity has encouraged mosquitoes to breed.
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From digging up the earth for mines,
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to leaving buildings to crumble,
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abandoning tyres and other rubbish,
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to having inadequate drainage where predator-free puddles form.
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Mosquito eggs can hatch in peace and quiet.
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Moving populations can also create the right conditions for malaria to spread,
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not just by carrying the parasite with them,
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but by changing the landscape to suit breeding mosquitoes.
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Caroline Maxwell works for the charity group Malaria No More.
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According to her, as people are forced to move into unplanned settlements,
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the environment can change with them.
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One of the biggest challenges around malaria control is things like urbanisation or people moving to spontaneous settlements such as shantytowns.
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And often when this is done in a very rapid way,
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it's not in a controlled fashion at all.
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So you get poor drainage systems,
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you get stagnant water, and that again can increase the breeding for mosquitoes.
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And so it's really important that governments or town planners come together
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and ensure that things are done in a very systemised way,
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that irrigation projects, drainage and
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so on are done in a very controlled fashion to reduce people being exposed to the mosquito that carries malaria.
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Destroying natural environments is also increasing the risk of bringing more people into contact with this deadly disease.
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Dr Sutherland describes another example where humans moving into new areas can increase the risk of disease.
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There's a kind of malaria that is at home in the monkeys of Southeast Asia,
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mainly live in the forests and rarely have interaction with humans.
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But as the environment is being changed and forests are being cleared for plantations and human habitation,
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the monkeys are forced to live close to the humans.
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Now the mosquitoes that bite those monkeys are biting humans who are getting this kind of malaria which the monkeys have.
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So that's been an increasing problem only in a few countries in Southeast Asia.
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So that's an example of where humans have changed the environment and malaria risk has gone up.
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With enough money, countries might be able to afford better sanitation,
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efficient waste disposal programmes, or ways to keep their environment free of pooling water,
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wiping out mosquitoes before they can even breed.
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Governments can designate land as national reserves,
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preventing it from being cleared.
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Wealthy nations can also afford treatments to clear the illness from human populations,
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driving Plasmodium to extinction with preventative medications.
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Not all nations have such resources, unfortunately.
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In less economically developed countries,
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individuals' poverty might mean they can't afford these treatments
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or don't complete their prescription to keep some drugs on hand for next time,
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which increases the parasite's resistance to the medication.
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If we're to ever have hope of controlling and wiping out malaria,
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we need to consider how to work together in this fight.
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There's an acceptance that it takes a global level of effort
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from partnership between many countries and many organisations to make a difference.
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And it's taken that level,
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a global level of effort,
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to push back this disease locality by locality.
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You know, it's step by step and reducing malaria at the most vulnerable places first and then moving on.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with this informative video on malaria provides a valuable opportunity for English learners to practice speaking in a scientific context. Understanding the topic of malaria, its causes, and effects enhances vocabulary while offering insights into global health issues. By discussing these themes, learners not only expand their language skills but also build confidence in articulating complex subjects. Practicing through such content is ideal for IELTS speaking practice, helping students prepare for discussing real-world issues during their exams. Furthermore, learners can develop their fluency by mimicking the speaker's tone and pacing, which enhances both comprehension and oral skills.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Analyzing the transcript reveals several key structures that can help improve English speaking ability:
- Passive voice: The speaker often uses passive constructions, such as "the disease isn't actually caused by the mosquitoes." This emphasizes the action while keeping the doer in the background, allowing learners to understand how to focus on actions over subjects.
- Conditional clauses: Phrases like "if the temperature falls too far" illustrate the use of conditional sentences, which are essential for discussing hypothetical situations and their implications.
- Present continuous tense: The speaker employs sentences like "the microorganisms thrive and multiply," demonstrating how this tense conveys ongoing actions, an important aspect of developing fluency in English.
- Quantifying expressions: The use of phrases like "as much as half of the world's population" shows how to articulate quantities and reach broader discussions, enhancing vocabulary in numerical contexts.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you work through the video, pay close attention to these potentially tricky pronunciations:
- Malaria: This word can be challenging; practice breaking it down into syllables: ma-lar-ia.
- Plasmodium: Ensure to pronounce each part clearly as plas-mo-di-um, focusing on the stress on the second syllable.
- Anopheles: This mosquito genus can trip up many; pronounce it as an-of-a-lees, paying attention to the 'ph' sound and the stress on the third syllable.
- Temperature: The pronunciation of 'temperature' can be tricky; emphasize the middle syllables: tem-per-a-ture, practicing slow enunciation.
Utilizing a shadowing app or shadowing site will aid in refining your pronunciation further, allowing you to mimic the speaker's intonation and pacing effectively. By practicing these patterns and focusing on pronunciation, you'll significantly improve English pronunciation and build greater confidence in your speaking abilities.
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.
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