Shadowing Practice: When will the next mass extinction occur? - Borths, D'Emic, and Pritchard - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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About 66 million years ago, something terrible happened to life on our planet.
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About 66 million years ago, something terrible happened to life on our planet.
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Ecosystems were hit with a double blow as massive volcanic eruptions filled the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and an asteroid roughly the size of Manhattan struck the Earth.
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The dust from the impact reduced or stopped photosynthesis from many plants, starving herbivores and the carnivores that preyed on them.
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Within a short time span, three-quarters of the world's species disappeared forever, and the giant dinosaurs, flying pterosaurs, shelled squids, and marine reptiles that had flourished for ages faded into prehistory.
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It may seem like the dinosaurs were especially unlucky, but extinctions of various severities have occurred throughout the Earth's history, and are still happening all around us today.
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Environments change, pushing some species out of their comfort zones while creating new opportunities for others.
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Invasive species arrive in new habitats, outcompeting the natives.
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And in some cases, entire species are wiped out as a result of activity by better adapted organisms.
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Sometimes, however, massive changes in the environment occur too quickly for most living creatures to adapt, causing thousands of species to die off in a geological instant.
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We call this a mass extinction event, and although such events may be rare, paleontologists have been able to identify several of them through dramatic changes in the fossil record, where lineages that persisted through several geological layers suddenly disappear.
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In fact, these mass extinctions are used to divide the Earth's history into distinct periods.
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Although the disappearance of the dinosaurs is the best known mass extinction event, the largest occurred long before dinosaurs ever existed.
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252 million years ago, between the Permian and Triassic periods, the Earth's land masses gathered together into the single supercontinent Pangaea.
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As it coalesced, its interior was filled with deserts, while the single coastline eliminated many of the shallow tropical seas where biodiversity thrived.
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Huge volcanic eruptions occurred across Siberia, coinciding with very high temperatures, suggesting a massive greenhouse effect.
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These catastrophes contributed to the extinction of 95% of species in the ocean, and on land, the strange reptiles of the Permian gave way to the ancestors of the far more familiar dinosaurs we know today.
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But mass extinctions are not just a thing of the distant past.
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Over the last few million years, the fluctuation of massive ice sheets at our planet's poles has caused sea levels to rise and fall, changing weather patterns and ocean currents along the way.
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As the ice sheets spread, retreated, and returned, some animals were either able to adapt to the changes, or migrate to a more suitable environment.
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Others, however, such as giant ground sloths, giant hyenas, and mammoths went extinct.
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The extinction of these large mammals coincides with changes in the climate and ecosystem due to the melting ice caps.
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But there is also an uncomfortable overlap with the rise of a certain hominid species originating in Africa 150,000 years ago.
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In the course of their adaptation to the new environment, creating new tools and methods for gathering food and hunting prey, humans may not have single-handedly caused the extinction of these large animals, as some were able to coexist with us for thousands of years.
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But it's clear that today, our tools and methods have become so effective that humans are no longer reacting to the environment, but are actively changing it.
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The extinction of species is a normal occurrence in the background of ecosystems.
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But studies suggest that rates of extinction today for many organisms are hundreds to thousands of times higher than the normal background.
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But the same unique ability that makes humans capable of driving mass extinctions can also enable us to prevent them.
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By learning about past extinction events, recognizing what is happening today as environments change, and using this knowledge to lessen our effect on other species, we can transform humanity's impact on the world from something as destructive as a massive asteroid into a collaborative part of a biologically diverse future.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with this video on mass extinctions not only enhances your knowledge of an essential scientific topic but also provides an excellent platform for practicing your English speaking skills. By listening to the speakers describe complex ecological concepts, you can develop your vocabulary and grasp intricate narrative structures. This makes it a perfect opportunity to use a shadowing app for shadow speech exercises, where you mimic the speakers in real-time. This method can help you improve English pronunciation and boost your fluency, as you repeat phrases and sentences that incorporate advanced vocabulary and idiomatic expressions related to biology and environmental science.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

While watching the video, you can observe several crucial grammatical structures that can reinforce your linguistic skills:

  • Passive Voice: The speaker uses passive constructions, such as "were hit" and "are used," to describe events and processes. Understanding this structure helps highlight the focus on actions rather than the subject performing them.
  • Conditional Sentences: Phrases like "if most living creatures adapt" showcase conditional forms, which express hypothetical situations. Mastering these forms can greatly enhance your ability to discuss possibilities.
  • Complex Sentences: The speakers often utilize complex sentences, incorporating clauses for description, such as “as massive volcanic eruptions filled the atmosphere.” This structure allows for more detailed and nuanced speaking, beneficial for shadow speak practice.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing your speaking skills, it’s important to pay attention to pronunciation challenges present in the video. Here are some tricky words to focus on:

  • Devastation: This word can become muddled; practice articulating it clearly to convey the gravity of the subject matter.
  • Extinction: Be mindful of the vowel sounds and the stress on the second syllable, as it often trips up non-native speakers.
  • Anthropocene: This is a multi-syllabic word that may be new to many learners, making it crucial to practice its pronunciation thoroughly.

By focusing on these elements, and utilizing a shadowing app for practice, you can refine your skills significantly, making your speech more fluid and confident.

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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