Shadowing Practice: UNRELENTING: Tom Cotton Unflinchingly Grills TikTok's CEO At Senate Hearing On Child Online Safety - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Chairman.
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Chairman.
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Thank you, Senator Rono.
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Senator Kott.
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Mr. Chu, let's cut straight to the chase.
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Is TikTok under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party?
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No, Senator.
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We are a private business.
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Okay, so you can see that your parent, ByteDance, is subject to the 2017 National Security Law,
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which requires Chinese companies to turn over information to the Chinese government and conceal it from the rest of the world.
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You You concede that, correct?
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Senator, the Chinese business...
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That's another question.
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You conceded it early.
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Any company that does, any global businesses does business in China has to follow their local laws.
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Isn't it the case that ByteDance also has an internal Chinese Communist Party committee?
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Like I said, all businesses that operate in China have to follow their local law.
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So your parent company is subject to the national security law that requires it to answer the party.
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It has its own internal Chinese Communist Party committee.
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You answer to that parent company, but you expect us to believe that you're not under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party?
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I understand this concern, Senator, which is why we built Project Texas.
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Okay, it was a yes or no question.
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Okay.
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But you used to work for ByteDance, didn't you?
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You were the CFO for ByteDance?
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That is correct, Senator.
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In April 2021, while you were the CFO,
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the Chinese Communist Party's China Internet Investment Fund purchased a 1% stake in ByteDance's main Chinese subsidiary, the ByteDance Technology Company.
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In return for that so-called 1% golden share, the party took one of three board seats at that subsidiary company.
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That's correct, isn't it?
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It's for the Chinese business.
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Is that correct?
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It's for the Chinese business, yes.
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That deal was finalized on April 30th, 2021.
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Isn't it true that you were appointed the CEO of TikTok the very next day on May 1, 2021?
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Well, it's a coincidence.
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It's a coincidence that you and the CFO, that the Chinese Communist Party took its golden share in its board seat
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and the very next day you were appointed the CEO of TikTok?
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That's a hell of a coincidence.
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It really is, Senator.
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Yeah, it is.
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Okay.
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And before ByteDance, you were at a Chinese company called Xiaomi, is that correct?
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Yes, I used to work around the world.
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Where did you live when you worked at Xiaomi?
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I lived in China, like many experts. Where exactly?
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In Beijing, in China.
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How many years did you live in Beijing?
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Senator, I worked there for about five years.
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So you lived there for five years?
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Yes.
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Isn't it the case that Xiaomi was sanctioned by the United States government in 2021 for being a communist Chinese military company?
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I'm here to talk about TikTok.
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I think they then had a lawsuit and it was overturned.
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I can't remember the details.
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It's It was the Biden administration that reversed those sanctions, just like, by the way, they reversed the terrorist designation on the Houthis in Yemen.
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How's that working out for them?
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But it was sanctioned as a Chinese communist military company.
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So you said today, as you often say, that you live in Singapore.
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Of what nation are you a citizen?
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Singapore.
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Are you a citizen of any other nation?
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No, Senator.
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Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?
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Senator, I served my nation in Singapore.
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No, I did not.
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Do you have a Singaporean passport?
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Yes, and I served my military for two and a half years in Singapore.
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Do you have any other passports from any other nations?
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No, Senator.
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Your wife is an American citizen.
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Your children are American citizens.
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That's correct.
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Have you ever applied for American citizenship?
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No, not yet.
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Okay.
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Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?
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Senator, I'm Singaporean.
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No. Have you ever been associated or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party?
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No, Senator.
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Again, I'm Singaporean.
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Let me ask you some hopefully simple questions.
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You said earlier in response to your question that what happened at Tiananmen Square in June of 1989 was a massive protest.
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Anything else happened in Tiananmen Square?
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Yes, I think it's well documented.
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There was a massacre.
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There was an indiscriminate slaughter of hundreds or thousands of Chinese citizens.
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Do you agree with the Trump administration and the Biden administration that the Chinese government is committing genocide against the Uyghur people?
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Senator, I've said this before.
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I think it's really It's really important that anyone who cares about this topic
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or any topic can freely express themselves on TikTok.
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It's a very simple question that unites both parties in our country and governments around the world.
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Is the Chinese government committing genocide against the Uyghur people?
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Senator, anyone, including, you know, you can come into TikTok and talk about this topic or any topic that matters to you.
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You are a worldly, cosmopolitan, well-educated man who's expressed many opinions on many topics.
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Is the Chinese government committing genocide against the Uyghur people?
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Actually, Senator, I talk amazingly about my company, and I'm here to talk about what TikTok does.
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Yes or no, you're here to give testimony that's truthful and honest and complete.
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Let me ask you this.
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Joe Biden last year said that Xi Jinping was a dictator.
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Do you agree with Joe Biden?
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Is Xi Jinping a dictator?
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Senator, I'm not going to comment on any world leaders.
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Why won't you answer these very simple questions?
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Senator, it's not appropriate for me as a businessman to comment on world leaders.
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Are you scared that you'll lose your job if you say anything negative about the Chinese Communist Party?
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I disagree with that.
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You will find content that is critical of China on our platform.
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Are you scared that you'll be arrested and disappear the next time you go to mainland China?
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Senator, you will find content that's critical of China and any other country freely on TikTok.
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Okay, okay.
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Let's turn to what TikTok, a tool of the Chinese Communist Party, is doing to America's youth.
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Does the name Mason Edens ring a bell?
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Senator, you may have to give me more specifics, if you don't mind.
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Yeah, he was a 16-year-old Arkansan.
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After a breakup in 2022, he went on your platform and searched for things like inspirational quotes and positive affirmations.
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Instead, he was served up numerous videos glamorizing suicide until he killed himself by gun.
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What about the name Chase Nazca?
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Does that ring a bell?
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Would you mind giving me more details, please?
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He was a 16-year-old who saw more than a thousand videos on your platform about violence
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and suicide until he took his own life by stepping in front of a plane or train.
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Are you aware that his parents, Dean and Michelle, are suing TikTok and ByteDance for pushing their son to take his own life?
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Yes, I'm aware of that.
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Okay.
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Finally, Mr. Chu, has the Federal Trade Commission sued TikTok during the Biden administration?
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Senator, I cannot talk about whether there's any ongoing...
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Are you currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission?
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Senator, I cannot talk about any potential lawsuits.
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I didn't say potential, actual.
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Are you being sued by the Federal Trade Commission?
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Senator, I think I've given you my answer.
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I cannot talk about...
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The answer is no. Ms. Yaccarino's company is being sued, I believe.
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Mr. Zuckerberg's company is being sued, I believe.
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Yet TikTok, the agent of the Chinese Communist Party, is not being sued by the Biden administration.
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Are you familiar with the name Christina Kifara?
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You may have to give me more details.
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Christina Kofara was a paid advisor to ByteDance, your communist-influenced parent company.
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She was then hired by the Biden FTC to advise on how to sue Mr. Zuckerberg's company.
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Senator, ByteDance is a global company and not a Chinese communist company.
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Public reports indicate that your lobbyists visited the White House more than 40 times in 2022.
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How many times did your company's lobbyists visit the White House last year?
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I don't know that.
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Are you aware that the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee is on your platform?
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They have TikTok accounts?
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Senator, we encourage people to come on.
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Which, by the way, they won't let their staffers use their personal phones.
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They give them separate phones that they only use TikTok on.
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We encourage everyone to join, including yourself, Senator.
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So all these companies are being sued by the FTC.
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You're not.
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The FTC has a former paid advisory or parent talking about how they can sue Mr. Zuckerberg's company.
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Joe Biden's re-election campaign, the Democratic National Committee is on your platform.
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Let me ask you, have you or anyone else at TikTok communicated with or coordinated with the Biden administration,
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the Biden campaign, or the Democratic National Committee to influence the flow of information on your platform?
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We work with anyone, any creators who want to use our campaign.
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It's all the same process that we have.
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So what we have here, we have a company that's a tool of the Chinese Communist Party that is poisoning the minds of America's children, in some cases driving them to suicide,
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and that at best the Biden administration is taking a pass on, at worst maybe in collaboration with.
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Thank you, Mr. Chu.
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Thank you, Senator Cotton.
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So we're going to take a break now.
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We're on the second roll call.
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Members can take advantage of it.
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They wish the break will last about 10 minutes.
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Please do your best to return.
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English Speaking Practice: Analyzing a Senate Hearing Dialogue
This lesson helps you practice real-world English conversation skills by exploring a tense, fast-paced dialogue from a Senate hearing. You’ll learn to follow complex questions, identify formal tone, and mimic natural speech patterns—perfect for improving your listening and speaking abilities.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Unflinchingly: Without showing fear or hesitation (e.g., "He grilled the witness unflinchingly").
- Concede: To admit something is true (e.g., "She conceded the point after pressure").
- Golden share: A small but powerful stake in a company that gives control (e.g., "The party held a golden share").
- Cut straight to the chase: To get to the main point quickly (e.g., "Let’s cut straight to the chase—did you do it?").
- Coincidence: A surprising chance event (e.g., "It’s a coincidence we met here").
Practice Tips for Shadowing the Dialogue
The video features sharp, direct questions and concise answers, making it ideal for practicing the shadowing technique. Here’s how to use it:
- Start slow: Use a shadowing app to slow the audio by 25%. Focus on matching the rhythm of the questions—Senator Cotton speaks with short, forceful phrases. Repeat "Is that a hell of a coincidence?" to mimic his emphasis.
- Focus on pronunciation: Notice how "concede" is stressed on the second syllable (con-CEDE) and "coincidence" has a soft "s" sound. Use the shadow speak method: pause, repeat, and record yourself to compare.
- Match the tone: The dialogue is tense, so practice speaking with firmness (like the senator) and calmness (like the CEO). This helps improve your ability to convey emotion in English.
- Daily practice: Spend 10 minutes daily with the shadowing technique. Over time, you’ll notice your pronunciation and fluency improve—try shadowspeak with different parts of the conversation to challenge yourself.
Whether you’re using a shadowing app or just repeating aloud, this dialogue will help you master real-life English communication. Keep practicing, and you’ll soon speak with more confidence!
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.