Shadowing Practice: Why the World’s Biggest Aquarium is Being Built in Secret - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
73 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
This is Abu Dhabi, home to some of the world's most striking construction projects.
2
And there's another one being built right here.
3
It might not look like much yet, but work is underway to build a record-breaking aquarium, one that will blow all the others out of the water.
4
The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago holds about 19 million litres of water.
5
Qimlong Ocean Kingdom in China holds 49 million and is currently the world's largest.
6
But when SeaWorld Abu Dhabi completes it'll likely contain a whopping 58 million litres of water.
7
That's the same as 23.2 Olympic pools.
8
Designing and building a tank this big poses an extreme engineering challenge.
9
It has to withstand immense water pressure, letting the right amount of light for tens of thousands of species to survive
10
and immerse millions of visitors in an underwater world.
11
This is how Abu Dhabi is building the world's largest aquarium.
12
year, millions of people flock to Abu Dhabi for its white sandy beaches, unique architecture and world-class resorts.
13
In the middle of it all, there's Yas Island, where tourists' wildest dreams come true.
14
It's a 25-kilometre strip of land packed with hotels, restaurants, theme parks, malls, a Formula 1 track and pretty soon SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.
15
When its doors open in 2023, the Marine Life theme park will span 183,000 square metres.
16
Inside there'll be five floors of displays with more than 68,000 marine animals, including manta rays, sea turtles, reptiles and amphibians.
17
Oh my.
18
Unlike other SeaWorlds, this one won't have any orcas.
19
But it will have this, the endless vista, a 20-metre vertical window stretching up across several levels.
20
Now this isn't just any old design challenge.
21
The team has to construct a structure that millions of people can pass through
22
and create a liveable habitat for thousands of different animals.
23
So-called immersive aquarium design like this aims to replicate a natural environment,
24
and usually includes elements like artificial coral or rocks and little access to sunlight to prevent algae growth.
25
Now, the aquarium in Abu Dhabi is a lot bigger than most, so all these factors, from strength to sunlight, are going to be magnified.
26
But before we get into all that, a quick word from today's sponsor, Masterworks.
27
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is part of a $3.2 billion investment in new construction at Yass Island.
28
But the developers' spending spree stands in pretty stark contrast to the rest of the world,
29
where investors are seeing some of their worst losses in history. $36 trillion in stocks
30
and bonds were wiped out in less than a year.
31
And Goldman Sachs has told investors that the classic stock-bond strategy may not be enough for the future.
32
It's already down an average 34% this year, its worst performance in 100 years.
33
Goldman Sachs' ideal allocation for stocks has shrunk from 60% to around 45%.
34
But you You can take that money you're no longer investing in stock and put it into real assets, like fine art.
35
Goldman says this can protect your purchasing power, even in the face of rapidly climbing prices.
36
In fact, the last time inflation was this high, art appreciated more than real estate and even stocks, according to the Masterworks All Art Index.
37
Masterworks lets you invest in high-value contemporary art from legends like Picasso and Banksy for a fraction of the full price.
38
When Masterworks resells a painting you're invested in, you get a share of the potential profits.
39
Despite massive losses in other markets, Masterworks has sold eight paintings, five this year alone.
40
Those sales produced net returns to their investors of up to 39%.
41
There's a waitlist to join Masterworks' 575,000-plus members, but you can skip it just by clicking the link in the description.
42
Now let's get back to the video.
43
You're probably wondering how aquarium glass like this doesn't shatter from the sheer pressure of millions of litres of water.
44
Well, normally big aquariums aren't actually made with glass.
45
Instead, they're built with massive acrylic sheets called plexiglass.
46
That's because acrylic is up to 17 times stronger than regular glass and half as dense.
47
It's also clearer than glass and is easier to bend into shapes like curbs, tubes and bubbles.
48
Now acrylic isn't just used in aquariums.
49
You'll also find it at your local hockey rink, inside submarines and in aeroplane windows.
50
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi wouldn't give us details on exactly how their tanks are being engineered, But the acrylic walls at the Georgia Aquarium,
51
which has about half the capacity of the one in Abu Dhabi, are two feet thick.
52
And of course, there's the small question of exactly how to get millions of litres of water into these tanks.
53
We're not exactly sure how SeaWorld plans to do it in Abu Dhabi, but there are generally two ways this happens.
54
If an aquarium is landlocked, like the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, then millions of litres of tap water are pumped into the building and treated to remove chemicals.
55
In Georgia, the team added 680,000 kilo bags of instant salt to create a saltwater tank.
56
But if an aquarium is by the coast, you've got the option of bringing water straight in from the sea.
57
Where are we?
58
Are we close to open ocean?
59
Yes, I think, well, I don't know.
60
California's Monterey Bay Aquarium, yes, that's the one slightly adapted in Finding Dory, is located on the coast.
61
So they built two 16-inch pipes
62
that sit just above the sea floor of the Monterey Bay and pump up to 2,000 gallons per minute into the building.
63
Deep-sea water is full of nutrients like nitrate and phosphate that allow marine plants and animals to grow.
64
But it also means lots of barnacles, algae and invertebrates can clog up the intake pipes.
65
So every six weeks the team shoots large foam plugs through the pipes to clear out any growth.
66
This isn't the first time that the UAE has kept new mega developments under wraps until they're complete.
67
Over in Dubai, the world's deepest pool was quietly constructed under a building structure so that when it officially opened, it dwarfed the previous record.
68
Just a year ago, SeaWorld's press releases said the new site would hold 25 million litres of water.
69
Today, the developer says it's expected to hold 58 million litres.
70
This will be the first new SeaWorld marine life park in more than 30 years.
71
And if the UAE's past endeavours are anything to go by, it's going to be unlike anything we've seen before.
72
This video was made possible by Masterworks, you can skip their queue at the link below.
73
And as always, if you enjoyed this video and you'd like to immerse yourself in the definitive video channel for construction, make sure you're subscribed to The B1M.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C19
Why Europe Doesn't Build Skyscrapers
British AccentIELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B24
The World's Most Beautiful Bridge Just Opened
British AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
Germany Has Finally Built a Decent Airport
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
New York's Buckling Tower: What Happens Now?
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
What is This $3BN Machine Under New York?
British AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
Powering The Internet is Becoming a Big Problem
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C18
Vietnam’s $67BN Gamble on High-Speed Rail
British AccentIELTS PrepBusiness EnglishUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B24
38 sentences
Coral Bleaching: A Marine Biologist Explains
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
73 sentences
How An Oil Tanker Works And Designed
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
172 sentences
Why The Entire Ocean Is Terrified of Sperm Whales
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
82 sentences
The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
296 sentences
I MADE A RIVER AQUASCAPE FOR THE PERFECT NANO FISH! Aquascape Tutorial
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B25
145 sentences
Learn Everyday British English Exploring the British Seaside in Summer 🇬🇧
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
96 sentences
How cruise ships got so big
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
18 sentences
Underwater lion dance wows crowds | Vietnam Today
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
399 sentences
What’s Really Hidden Beneath the Pyramids of Giza? | The UnXplained
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2371 sentences
Building the world's largest WORKING iPhone!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why the World’s Biggest Aquarium is Being Built in Secret”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: aquarium, Dhabi, Abu, litres, Masterworks. This video has 73 sentences and 1118 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:04. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aquarium noun | /əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/ | A tank, often made of glass, for keeping live fish or other aquatic animals. |
| litre noun | /ˈli.tɚ/ | The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ. |
| acrylic adjective | /əˈkɹɪl.ɪk/ | Derived from acrylic acid or acrylonitrile. |
| investor noun | /ɪnˈvɛs.tə(ɹ)/ | A person who invests money in order to make a profit. |
| alga noun | /ˈæl.ɡə/ | Any of many aquatic photosynthetic organisms, including the seaweeds, whose size ranges from a single cell to giant kelps and whose biochemistry and forms are… |
| immerse verb | /ɪˈmɜɹs/ | To place within a fluid (generally a liquid, but also a gas). |
| metre noun | /ˈmiːtəɹ/ | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in… |
| sunlight noun | /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/ | All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth. |
| construct verb | /ˈkɑn.stɹʌkt/ | To build or form (something) by assembling parts. |
| developer noun | /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/ | A person or entity engaged in the creation or improvement of certain classes of products. |
| aeroplane noun | /ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n/ | Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings. |
| amphibian noun | /æmˈfɪbɪən/ | An animal of the Amphibia; any vertebrate that does not have amniotic eggs, typically living both on land and in water. |
| barnacle noun | /ˈbɑɹnəkl̩/ | A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships. |
| endeavour noun | /ɪnˈdɛv.ə/ | British standard spelling of endeavor. |
| immersive adjective | /ɪˈmɜːɹ.sɪv/ | Tending to immerse. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| clear out verb | To completely empty. |
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) |
| pass through verb | To go through, to travel through, to transit or lie across a place or from one place to another. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being built · be magnified · were wiped |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has told · has shrunk · has sold |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 21 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, isn't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shatter /ˈʃætɚ/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/, sheer /ʃɪɚ/, inflation /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: aquarium /əˈkwɛɹ.i.jəm/, developer /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/, invertebrate /ɪnˈvəːtɪbrət/, kilometre /kɪˈlɑmɪtəɹ/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/
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 aquarium, litre, acrylic.
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.