Shadowing Practice: Unit 4 The Red PlanetReading Explorer 1 3rd Ed Video - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Mars is the most studied planet in the solar system after Earth.
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Today, NASA and other space programs are working to send people to Mars.
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However, we still have much to learn about the Red Planet.
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Scientists believe Mars was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
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It is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the second smallest planet in the solar system.
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Its diameter is almost the width of Africa,
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and its surface area is similar to that of all of Earth's continents combined.
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Just like Earth, Mars is a rocky planet.
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The ancient Romans named the planet Mars after their god of war because of its blood-red appearance.
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We now know that Mars is red because it is covered with red dust.
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Today, Mars is dry, barren and cold.
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Mars can be as low as minus 142 degrees Celsius.
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But scientists think that billions of years ago, Mars was much warmer and had liquid water on its surface.
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Scientists have found lake beds and river valleys on Mars, showing us where water once flowed.
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Mars also has volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.
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It is three times the height of Mount Everest and was once active.
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But by about 50 million years ago, all volcanic activity on Mars stopped.
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Water can still be found on Mars in the form of polar ice caps.
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Because of this, some scientists believe that life may have once existed on the Red Planet.
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Since the 1960s, scientists from around the world have launched missions to Mars.
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They want to understand the planet, its past and its present.
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They hope to discover that the planet can support life once again.
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There are some who even think that life on Mars might be the key to a bright new future for humanity.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Unit 4 The Red PlanetReading Explorer 1 3rd Ed Video”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Mars, planet, scientists, solar. This video has 23 sentences and 302 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:51. The speaker talks slowly, about 106 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| volcano noun | /vɑlˈkeɪ.noʊ/ | A vent or fissure on the surface of a planet (usually in a mountainous form) with a magma chamber attached to the mantle of a planet or moon, periodically… |
| barren adjective | /ˈbæɹən/ | Not bearing children, childless; hence also unable to bear children, sterile. |
| volcanic adjective | /vɔlˈkænɪk/ | Of or pertaining to a volcano or volcanoes. |
| polar adjective | /ˈpoʊlɚ/ | Of, relating to, measured from, or referred to a geographic pole (the North Pole or South Pole); within the Arctic or Antarctic circles. |
| minus | /ˈmaɪ.nəs/ | Made less or reduced by (followed by an expression of number or quantity). |
| width noun | /ˈwɪtθ/ | The state of being wide. |
| continent noun | /ˈkɑntɪnənt/ | One of the main contiguous landmasses, separated by water or geological features, on the surface of a planet, sometimes including its continental shelves and… |
| diameter noun | /daɪˈæmɪdɚ/ | Any straight line between two points on the circumference of a circle that passes through the center of the circle; a chord that passes through the center of… |
| combine verb | /kəmˈbaɪn/ | To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite. |
| rocky adjective | /ˈɹɑki/ | Abounding in, or full of, rocks; consisting of rocks. |
| humanity noun | /hjuˈmænɪti/ | Humankind; human beings as a group. |
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 | was formed · is covered · be found |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have found · have launched |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may have · might be |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most studied · the largest |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: diameter /daɪˈæmɪdɚ/, humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/
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 scientist, volcano, barren.
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.