Shadowing Practice: Volume 8 Test 2 - IELTS Listening Full Test - Learn English Speaking with Video

You will hear a number of different recordings, and you will have to answer questions on what you hear.

There will be time for you to read the instructions and questions, and you will have a chance to check your work.

All the recordings will be played once only.

The test is in four parts.

Write all your answers in the Listening Question booklet.

At the end of the test, you will be given 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

Now turn to Part 1 on page 2 of your question booklet.

Part 1.

You will hear a man called Peter phoning a sports center manager about a job.

First, you have some time to look at questions 1 to 4.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 4.

Hello, Fernley Sports Center.

How can I help you?

Yes.

I'd like to apply for one of the lifeguard jobs you advertised this week.

Right.

We can do that now, over the phone.

I'll just need some information from you.

Let me get a form.

Okay.

So let's start with your name.

Peter Smith.

Okay.

Can you let me have your home address?

It's 130 South Main Street, Lake Elsinore.

Okay.

I'm new around here.

Can you spell that for me?

Yes, it's E-L-S-I-N-O-R-E.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Got that.

And your phone number?

My home number's 951-674-3124, but it's best to ring me on my cell phone.

That's 0778-96245.

Okay.

Now, what do you do?

Are you still in college, or are you working full-time?

I'm in my second year here at Fernley, and this vacation I've got a job as a part-time waiter.

Okay.

I guess if you're at Fernley College you'll be studying physical education?

They all seem to do that there.

That's right.

Then I hope to go on and coach baseball in high school.

Something like that.

I guess it all depends on how I do in my final exams.

Okay.

Sounds good to me.

Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 5 to 10.

Now listen and answer questions 5 to 10.

Now, the next part of the form deals with qualifications.

Do you have the water safety certificate?

We absolutely insist on that.

Yes, I do.

So how long will it last before you have to do a refresher course?

I took it last November, so it will run out in October.

Okay, good.

Now, what about work experience as a lifeguard?

Well, I've had about four months' experience.

Which swimming pool was that at?

I need to have details of your employer, obviously, so we can get a reference.

Oh, it was at the beach here in Fernley.

I can get the number of the person you need to contact.

Good.

And do you have any other additional skills I can put down?

You can put down diving.

I've done that for a long time now.

I'm also keen on rock climbing, but that's not really relevant here.

No. Okay.

And I need to ask when you would prefer to work.

You can choose either Saturday mornings or any time Monday to Friday.

We've got enough people on Sundays at the moment.

Well, not Monday to Friday, because I'm at the restaurant weekday evenings.

Okay.

We open at 6.

Could you start that early?

No, that's fine.

I'd prefer that to working late.

Okay.

Now I need to speak to the committee who run the sports center here, but you should hear back from us pretty soon, and then they'll probably arrange an interview.

Thanks very much.

great now before you go I just like to ask you

how you found out about our advertisement we always ask this was it from the newspaper

or the radio I heard the advertisement this morning

when I was driving into college I don't usually read the

local paper all right thanks well that's all hope to see you soon That is the end of part one.

You now have one minute to check your answers to part one.

Part 2.

You will hear part of a radio program in

which a successful businessman is advising listeners on how to become a self-made millionaire.

First you have some time to look at questions 11 to 16.

Thank you.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.

Everybody dreams of becoming a millionaire one day.

So we asked Arthur Knowles, who made his millions in the plumbing business,

to give the budding entrepreneurs among you a few tips on how to make your first million.

Arthur, welcome to the programme.

Thanks, Sue.

So, Arthur, what advice do you have for our listeners?

100

Well, one thing I've heard people say is that when you're starting up a business, you can't afford to make mistakes.

101

Well, I believe in the old saying, a person who never made a mistake never made anything.

102

You can't really predict when you'll make mistakes

103

and you have to look at them as a positive experience and one that means you won't make the same mistake again.

104

You need to be able to cope with the world of business.

105

But according to recent American Business School studies, believing in yourself isn't enough by itself to guarantee success.

106

Confidence can be a good thing, but a person can have too much confidence.

107

And people who try to learn to be confident by buying those how-to-succeed books are just wasting their time.

108

The advice given in these American studies was that being a successful entrepreneur comes down to having the right attitude.

109

It's no good getting depressed every time something goes wrong.

110

Always keep your goals in mind and never give up, and don't listen to all the people around you who say, oh, this will never work.

111

One thing I've learned in business is that you don't have to be an expert in everything, like marketing, for example.

112

When I started my business, I tried to do it all myself, but I soon realised that although I knew everything there was to know about plumbing,

113

I didn't have much idea about how to sell my ideas.

114

So, I got someone who knew more about this to take care of the marketing side of things for me.

115

And as for leadership, well, you've got to be someone your workers look up to because you've been seen to make the right decisions.

116

You have to be able to control people but listen to them at the same time.

117

Some people are driven to make their companies successful but that too often leads to a ruthless approach.

118

Then there's the question of taking risks, even calculated ones.

119

I personally feel it's actually better to tread carefully when it comes to taking short-term risks.

120

You need a degree of vision, certainly, but it's easy to get carried away by your desire to increase profits.

121

And if things go wrong, you can end up losing more than you gain.

122

Before you hear the rest of the programme, you have some time to look at questions 17 to 20.

123

Now listen and answer questions 17 to 20.

124

So, if you have a great idea for a business, what should you do next?

125

Well, the first thing to ask yourself is whether there's a need for your product or service.

126

Can you cater for people's needs better than existing companies?

127

You don't need to worry about whether it's original or not, because there isn't always enough of a demand for completely new ideas.

128

And the second thing to ask yourself is, not what colour should the packet be or how much should it cost,

129

but do I care enough about this idea to dedicate the next ten years of my life to it?

130

Because realistically, that's how long it will take.

131

Tell us how you got started, Arthur.

132

How do you explain your early success?

133

Well, I started my business just as the economy was going into a recession, which wasn't the best time, and I was lucky to survive,

134

especially as the banks weren't being particularly supportive to small businesses at that time.

135

If I'd listened to the business advice I was given back then, I'd never have got started.

136

My strengths were that I knew I could provide a better service than my competitors, who really hadn't spotted the opportunities that were out there,

137

and that my wife had a good job

138

and was able to pay the household bills while I was getting the company on its feet.

139

The first couple of years were very tough, but I knew I would make it eventually.

140

OK, now we're going to take some calls from listeners...

141

That is the end of part two.

142

You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part two.

143

Thank you.

144

Part 3

145

You will hear two students of performance arts called Charlie and Gina

146

preparing to give feedback at the end of the second year of their three-year course.

147

First you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26.

148

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26. So, Gina,

149

we've got to give our tutor some feedback on how we

150

feel about the course now we've come to the end of our second year.

151

Is it OK with you if we have a chat together before we go and see him?

152

Sure, Charlie.

153

So, did you choose this university to do performance arts because it's got such a good reputation?

154

That's what hooked me in.

155

Well, there are other good places which I also considered, but

156

when I looked into things further I was impressed by the

157

connections this course has with a whole range of theatres of different types.

158

So even though I was tempted to go and study abroad, I decided to come here in the end.

159

And you don't regret it?

160

No, it's been brilliant, especially the options this year.

161

The body and dance option I did for this term has been particularly stimulating.

162

Hmm, I'm sorry I didn't go for that one too.

163

But I did dance and drama, which was brilliant too.

164

I think the most valuable option I've done was the movement analysis course we did in the first year.

165

Absolutely.

166

It's provided a great foundation for all our other work since then.

167

So let's talk about our work experience last summer.

168

You went to Finland, didn't you?

169

That's right.

170

I was at their National Ballet Theatre.

171

I didn't get the chance to go on stage, but I helped out with sewing clothes for current productions and even with designing some for future shows.

172

It was brilliant.

173

I got to know a lot of students studying at the local dance school, and I may get the chance to go back there next summer.

174

Hmm.

175

I've been offered more work at the place where I was working in Canada.

176

Great!

177

So what do you think you gained most from the experience?

178

I think I've got much better at controlling my stress levels.

179

For me, it was probably the fact that I learned a lot about collaborating with others rather than working independently.

180

I was lucky to be able to do that in a situation that wasn't too stressful.

181

Also, I had to organise my time well, but I've always been reasonably good at that.

182

That's good.

183

So, we've got quite a few things ready to say to our tutor.

184

It'd be a good chance to ask him any questions we have too, of course.

185

I also think it could be helpful to discuss our future plans.

186

For example, what we're planning to do our dissertations on.

187

Sure.

188

I was unsure about whether to focus on globalisation in dance or on stage design.

189

I did an essay on globalisation in my first year and really enjoyed it.

190

But then I saw a spectacular production at the Royal Opera House and that settled me on stage design.

191

I know another student who's planning to work on that too, so we can discuss things together a bit.

192

OK, that could be useful.

193

I'm planning to do something on current trends in contemporary dance for my dissertation.

194

That sounds pretty challenging.

195

It's a big topic.

196

It might not be easy to organise in a coherent way.

197

I've thought about it quite a lot, and I think that'll be OK, and I feel confident about how to write a longer piece of work.

198

I'm in a bit of a panic, though, about how I'll get through all the literature.

199

There seems to be so much.

200

Hopefully it won't all be relevant.

201

Quite.

202

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30.

203

Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

204

So have you made any career plans yet?

205

I'm still undecided.

206

I've thought about performance, of course.

207

Yes, I think lots of graduates from here take that route, but it's a hard life, involving lots of tough, repetitive practice,

208

as well as actually appearing on stage.

209

Yes, but the performance I've met know that's essential for the job

210

and say they wouldn't change what they do for the world.

211

I know lots of graduates go into education, teaching at various levels, but that means doing some kind of post-grad certificate.

212

But I think it would be interesting, rewarding work.

213

I was wondering about theatre management as a possible option.

214

That's what our tutor did before he got into teaching, isn't it?

215

Yes, but he said he quickly realised it wasn't for him.

216

He wasn't earning enough to live on.

217

I can imagine his communication skills are better than his business skills as well.

218

Marketing's a possibility, of course.

219

Sure.

220

I've read something saying it can be an interesting career, though I don't think many graduates go for this.

221

But that might mean there's not so much competition, as in many other fields of dance.

222

Right.

223

So, now shall we make a list...

224

That is the end of part three.

225

You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to part three.

226

Part 4.

227

You will hear part of a presentation to biology students on new research into sea lions.

228

First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

229

Thank you.

230

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

231

Hello, everybody.

232

I'm here today to tell you about a new research study

233

that my team here at the university is doing on the sea lions that live along the coast of Western Australia.

234

You may be wondering why we've been studying this animal.

235

Well, Australian sea lions have been identified as an endangered species, so there's a real need to count them and find out just how many there are.

236

Up until 1892, the population of these animals was severely depleted because of hunting.

237

That's no longer allowed.

238

But today there is a new danger.

239

Sea lions often forage for food in the same areas along the coastlines where there are nets used to catch sharks.

240

Unfortunately, they tend to get caught up in the nets by accident and drown.

241

Now, we wanted to monitor the population of sea lions in this area, but we weren't sure of the best way to do it.

242

There are several different animal tracking methods, which vary in their effectiveness, and there are different factors to consider.

243

One of the most important of these is the cost.

244

But you also have to consider how easy your chosen method is to use.

245

You may choose a traditional method, like a plastic tag.

246

They're relatively straightforward to attach, but they're really only suitable to use with animals that you can catch quite easily.

247

You might also go with a more modern method like GPS tracking, which uses satellite technology to transmit data on the animal around the clock.

248

One drawback for marine animals, though, is that they don't transmit a signal in the ocean, You only get data when they're on land.

249

There are certain large animals in remote areas that have to be tracked using a helicopter.

250

The polar bear is a good example.

251

Now, an important part of tracking is being able to clearly identify the animal.

252

Some, like zebras, are identified by markings such as their stripes, while the dolphin usually has distinguishing scars on its body that can help tell them apart.

253

Sea lions don't have any markings like this.

254

which is just one of the challenges of tracking them

255

when researchers in perth tried to use electronic tags in a sea lion study they found

256

that the sea lions had removed their tracking devices by deliberately

257

rubbing up against rocks this was something the researchers hadn't anticipated

258

researchers in california studying american sea lions tried a different method they applied paint to the animals.

259

They thought this would be a better, less invasive means of identification.

260

Unfortunately, this didn't work so well either because sea lions molt every year and shed their fur along with the identifying mark.

261

So let's look at our current study.

262

We have several aims that we'd like to achieve.

263

The first of these is to try to establish whether sea

264

lions can be identified from the whiskers on their face these are much coarser than a cat's whiskers

265

so easier to see our theory is

266

that the pattern of these whiskers may be as individual as a fingerprint on a human

267

if this is in fact true then we think this could be an effective way to identify them

268

our second aim is to come up with a diagram of sea lion whisker patterns

269

so this can be used as a guide for us

270

and other studies we're using a few different methods to help us do all this we know

271

that we need to build up a wide range of visual data

272

so firstly we've been in touch with zoos around australia to

273

gather photographs from them of the faces of any sea lions

274

they have this won't be enough to achieve our purpose though

275

so we're also broadening our search by inviting the public to take part in our research.

276

We're hoping this will result in hundreds of useful images we can use.

277

That is the end of Part 4.

278

You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 4.

279

Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 279 sentences and 3046 words to shadow. The speech runs for 26:23. The speaker talks at a steady 115 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% 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

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
lion noun	/ˈlaɪən/	A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe.
carefully adverb	/ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/	With care; attentively, circumspectly.
researcher noun	/ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/	One who researches.
tutor noun	/ˈtjuːtəː/	One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction.
listener noun	/ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/	Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast.
feedback noun	/ˈfiːdˌbæk/	Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.
certificate noun	/səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/	A document containing a certified statement.
realise verb		Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize.
entrepreneur noun	/ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ/	A person who sets up a business; generally, a person who owns and manages a business and assumes its financial risks.
advertisement noun	/ˈædvɚˌtaɪzmənt/	A commercial solicitation designed to sell some commodity, service or similar.
millionaire noun	/ˌmɪl.i.əˈnɛə(ɹ)/	Somebody whose wealth is at least one million (10⁶) currency units (usually understood to exclude holders of hyperinflated currencies).
dissertation noun	/ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/	A formal exposition of a subject, especially a research paper that students write in order to complete the requirements for a doctoral degree in the US and a…
transmit verb	/tɹænsˈmɪt/	To send or convey from one person, place or thing to another.
plumbing noun	/ˈplʌmɪŋ/	The pipes, together with the joints, tanks, stopcocks, taps, and other fixtures of a water, gas, or sewage system in a house or other building.
markings noun		the pattern of colouration on a particular animal

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
put down verb		To insult, belittle, or demean.
build up verb		To erect; to construct.
carried away adjective		Made excessively emotional or excited, so that one goes too far.
come down to verb		To reach by moving down or reducing.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
find out verb		To discover, as by asking or investigating.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 82 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, ruthless /ˈɹuːθləs/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dissertation /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/, reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, sheet /ʃit/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/, entrepreneur /ˌɑn.tɹə.pɹəˈnɝ/, advertisement /ˈædvɚˌtaɪzmənt/, millionaire /ˌmɪl.i.əˈnɛə(ɹ)/, dissertation /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/

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 lion, carefully, researcher.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've had · I've done · I've heard
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	will be played · will be given · you've been seen
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	person who never · people who try · someone who knew

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?