Shadowing Practice: VOA Learning English - Health Report # 392 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
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35 sentences
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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
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The World Health Organization declared swine flu as the first international pandemic of the century on June 11th.
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The WHO decided to raise its alert against the new H1N1
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flu virus to the highest level after a meeting of health experts in Geneva.
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The announcement means that countries must keep a close watch on the virus.
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WHO Director General Margaret Chan said,
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the world's rich and poor countries must come together to make sure no countries are left behind without help.
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As of June 11, 74 countries had reported almost 30,000 cases of the H1N1 flu virus.
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144 deaths were reported.
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A World Health Organization official,
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Keiji Fukuda, said the virus continued to spread in North America,
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and there were increasing reports from South America as well as from other southern countries.
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The United States has had by far the most confirmed cases.
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More than 13,000 were reported as of June 8, including 27 deaths.
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The H1N1 outbreak began in Mexico in March.
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Mexico has reported more than 100 deaths.
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Dr. Fukuda said the public should understand what a pandemic means.
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It means that the spread of the virus has continued and
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that it has become established in at least two areas of the world.
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He said it does not mean that the severity of the situation has increased
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or that people are getting seriously sick at higher numbers.
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Dr. Fukuda, an acting assistant director general,
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said the WHO has been working with the member states to prepare for a pandemic.
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Scientists are working on vaccines to protect against the new virus.
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have been gathering supplies of antiviral drugs.
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But public health officials have also had to consider the risks if the public overreacts to a pandemic declaration.
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Dr. Fukuda pointed out that hospitals might quickly fill with people who are worried but not especially sick.
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Then hospitals might not be able to care for other patients who really do need help.
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The last flu pandemic was in 1968,
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caused by the so-called Hong Kong flu.
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Scientists say the common name for the new disease, swine flu, is misleading.
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The virus combines human, bird, and pig viruses.
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But eating meat from pigs has not been a danger.
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And that's the VOA Special English Health Report.
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For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This VOA Special English Health Report on the H1N1 pandemic provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to engage with relevant global issues while improving their speaking skills. By practicing shadow speech techniques with this video, you can enhance your listening comprehension and pronunciation accuracy. Engaging with current topics not only enriches your vocabulary but also allows you to understand how language is used in real-life situations. This context helps learners connect with the material more meaningfully, fostering greater retention and fluency.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The report’s speaker utilizes several grammatical structures and expressions that are beneficial for English learners. Here are three key structures:

  • Present perfect tense: "As of June 11, 74 countries had reported almost 30,000 cases." This tense is vital for discussing ongoing situations and statistics.
  • Passive voice: "The virus continued to spread." Using passive constructions is common in formal reports and emphasizes the action rather than the subject.
  • Conditional phrases: "If the public overreacts…" This structure is essential for speaking about hypothetical situations and understanding cause-and-effect relationships.

By shadowing these sentences, learners can practice how to frame similar statements in their conversations, enhancing their overall speaking capabilities.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you develop your English speaking practice with this video, pay attention to these tricky pronunciations:

  • H1N1: This abbreviation can lead to confusion; practice saying it clearly as “H one N one.”
  • Pandemic: Many students mispronounce it as "pan-demik." The correct pronunciation is “pan-DEM-ic,” stressing the second syllable.
  • Health officials: The term may come across as complex, so ensure you practice the liaison between the words to produce a smoother flow: "health officials" should sound like "helth-fish-uls."

Mastering these challenging words through shadowspeaks allows learners to communicate more effectively and confidently during discussions about health and global issues.

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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