Shadowing Practice: VOA Learning English - Agriculture Report # 397 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C1
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
⏸ Paused
40 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
2
Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine.
3
These include natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals.
4
Now, a winery in Canada has imported a natural way to control its grapevines.
5
The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario.
6
It has eight hectares of perfect rows of grapevines.
7
The vines, like other plants,
8
need to be pruned every year.
9
In general, dead or living parts of plants need to be removed to improve the shape or growth of the plant.
10
Pruning grapevines must be done very carefully.
11
Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better.
12
But at the Featherstone Winery,
13
no man or machine does the pruning.
14
Instead, the job is done by 40 cute little woolly lambs.
15
David Johnson owns the vineyard.
16
He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand.
17
Mr. Johnson says the young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job.
18
They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine,
19
but they are not tall enough to reach the grapes.
20
They only weigh about 22 kilos,
21
so they do not beat down the soil,
22
and their waste makes good organic fertilizer.
23
In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to prune the vines for seven weeks in the summer.
24
And when the pruning is done in August,
25
the lambs, well, you might not want to know this part.
26
They become lamb chops, tasty ones, says David Johnson.
27
He says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job.
28
There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand,
29
but there are not nearly as many in Ontario.
30
Also, even some organic pesticides are harmful to lambs,
31
and the lambs must be supervised so they do not prune too much.
32
David Johnson says the lambs carry out his environmental ideas about farming.
33
He says the lambs are lovely and peaceful,
34
and he likes having them in his vineyard.
35
People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job.
36
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
37
It was produced by Joyce Kreizak with support from the Park Foundation and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation.
38
You can hear more stories and subscribe to the daily podcast at environmentreport.org.
39
And you can find more of our agriculture reports at voaspecialenglish.com.
40
Thank you.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Context & Background

This report from VOA Special English focuses on innovative farming practices in the wine industry, specifically highlighting the Featherstone Winery in southern Ontario, Canada. The speaker discusses the use of lambs to prune grapevines, showcasing a natural and organic approach to agriculture. By employing these animals, the winery not only reduces costs associated with labor but also maintains a sustainable farming method that aligns with environmental values. This narrative reflects broader trends in agriculture where growers are seeking eco-friendly methods to combat pests and maintain healthy crops.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “Using new methods” - Useful for discussing any updates or innovations.
  • “Control harmful insects” - A good phrase when talking about pest management.
  • “Organic fertilizer” - Ideal for conversations about sustainable practices.
  • “Cost much less” - Great for comparing prices and efficiency in any context.
  • “Enjoy watching” - A simple way to express pleasure in observing something.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

If you want to improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills, the shadowing technique can be highly effective. Here’s a step-by-step guide using this video transcript:

  1. Listen Carefully: Start by listening to the transcript read aloud. Pay attention to the speaker's tone and intonation.
  2. Break It Down: Divide the transcript into small segments. Focus on one sentence or a few phrases at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
  3. Repeat After the Speaker: Use the shadow speak technique by repeating each segment immediately after the speaker. Focus on mimicking their pronunciation and rhythm.
  4. Practice Regularly: Incorporate this shadowing site into your daily English speaking practice to build consistency and confidence.
  5. Record Yourself: Lastly, record your speaking sessions. Compare your pronunciation with the original speaker to identify areas for improvement.

By following this structured approach, you can not only grasp the context of the video but also effectively enhance your language skills. Incorporating the shadowing technique with focused practice will lead to significant advancements in your English 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.

☕ Buy us a coffee