Shadowing Practice: What happens to old electronic devices when you upgrade? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
31 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
We are constantly upgrading our devices, but what happens to the old devices that are left behind?
2
As the technological revolution kicks into overdrive, the world is generating more electronic waste.
3
Tonight in Earth Matters, one company is trying to reboot how we recycle our old tech.
4
CBS's Evan Moon takes us inside the process.
5
New phone, new laptop, new gadget.
6
But what happens to the old ones?
7
From smart watches to digital doorbells, millions of devices are sitting unused or heading for the trash.
8
Each average American has about 25 devices.
9
People used to think of them as trash.
10
They're really a treasure.
11
Electronics are the fastest growing waste stream in the world, according to the UN.
12
ERI, Electronic Recyclers International, is working to reduce all that waste.
13
We visited their New Jersey facility.
14
Oh my goodness!
15
Look how many phones!
16
Since 2010, the growth of e-waste has outpaced normal single plastic recycling five times over.
17
Right now, the world is generating more than 130 billion pounds of electronic waste.
18
ERI's co-founder and CEO, John Shigarian.
19
100% of your electronics, when responsibly recycled, could go back into the circular economy.
20
All the steel, the gold, the silver, the lead, the copper, the aluminum.
21
Not only does it go back to what he calls the SpaceX and NVIDIA economies, recycling old tech helps safeguard the environment.
22
This is full of hazardous material, including lead.
23
But the reality is only about 15 percent of electronics are being recycled in the U.S.
24
What's keeping people from recycling?
25
People are worried about their personal information, their data, their banking information, their social security number.
26
That's why ERI makes military-grade data wiping part of the process.
27
Shigerian says as the earth starts to run out of valuable materials, urban mining from discarded electronics can help bridge the gap.
28
The technological revolution is still underway.
29
We have to be just more thoughtful and more intentional.
30
ERI is in every zip code, working with cities like New York to place drop-off bins in thousands of buildings, and with major retailers, including Best Buy, Staples, and Salvation Army.
31
Evan Moon, CBS News.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
✨ Recommend Video
B21
132 sentences
Food waste is the world's dumbest problem
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B29
32 sentences
How Is Your Phone Changing You?
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
142 sentences
The Internet Didn't Fail. It Was Taken.
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
90 sentences
Brian Cox School Experiments: plastics – industry video
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
117 sentences
Things I refuse to upgrade even though I can afford to!
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B221
40 sentences
Zuckerberg tells Harvard grads: Don't be afraid to make mistakes
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C18
156 sentences
How Quantum Batteries Break Every Rule of Charging
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
13 sentences
ngày 28 tháng 9, 2026
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
155 sentences
The perfect technology for creeps?
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B28
35 sentences
The Story of Us
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
169 sentences
Powering The Internet is Becoming a Big Problem
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
81 sentences
Radioactive Waste - The Journey to Disposal
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 31 sentences and 355 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:18. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| electronics noun | /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɑ.nɪks/ | The study and use of electrical devices that operate by controlling the flow of electrons or other electrically charged particles or by converting the flow of… |
| trash noun | /tɹæʃ/ | Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse. |
| generate verb | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.ɹeɪt/ | To bring into being; give rise to. |
| technological adjective | /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/ | Of, relating to, or involving technology, especially modern scientific technology. |
| founder noun | /ˈfaʊ̯n.dəː/ | One who founds or establishes (a company, project, organisation, state, etc.). |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| copper noun | /ˈkɒpə/ | A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element. |
| upgrade verb | /əpˈɡɹeɪd/ | To improve, usually applied to technology, generally by complete replacement of one or more components. |
| laptop noun | /ˈlæp.tɑp/ | A laptop computer. |
| bin noun | /ˈbɪn/ | A box, frame, crib, or enclosed place, used as a storage container. |
| treasure noun | /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/ | A collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| aluminum noun | /əˈlu.mɪ.nəm/ | American, Canadian, and Philippines standard spelling of aluminium. |
| wipe verb | /waɪp/ | To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) |
| circular adjective | /ˈsɜɹ.kjə.ləɹ/ | Of or relating to a circle. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| drop off verb | To fall asleep. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| leave behind verb | To abandon. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: trash /tɹæʃ/, treasure /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: electronics /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɑ.nɪks/, technological /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/, aluminum /əˈlu.mɪ.nəm/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like electronics, trash, generate.
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.