跟讀練習: How the British Empire Collapsed - 通過影片學習英語口語

選擇練習模式

每種模式都會開啟全屏練習室。

168 句

如果句子過短或過長，請點選 Edit 進行調整。

At its peak in the 1920s, the British Empire controlled over a quarter of the Earth's entire land mass.

It was a dominant global force, a seemingly unstoppable empire that existed for over three and a half centuries.

And yet, within just a few decades, the British Empire would completely disintegrate.

Colonialism is about ensuring that wealth and resources enrich the home nation.

The Second World War was a killing blow to the British Empire, accelerating a chain of events that would see countries withdrawing from the empire en masse,

in some cases at the cost of thousands of lives.

In this four-part series, we'll explore the fight for independence from colonial rule by journeying through IWM's latest exhibition, Emergency Exits.

But first, in this episode, we need to understand the British Empire as a whole.

How did it work?

What did Britain gain from controlling so many countries?

And why, after centuries, did it all come tumbling down?

our deceptively simple concepts.

Fundamentally an empire is acquired to bring benefit to the nation

that owns it and some places are acquired because they guarantee that that benefit will continue because they're in key strategic locations.

Well although empire is often presented as a much more more complex sort of proposition.

At its heart, it's about ensuring the benefits flow to the home nation.

This is exactly how the British Empire operated.

Each colony directly benefited and enriched Britain and British people.

This usually came in the form of resources, with each region contributing different materials to sustain the empire.

Historically, this was often at the expense of indigenous populations who were regularly oppressed and abused.

Despite Britain formally abolishing slavery in the early 1800s,

local populations were still mistreated and exploited across the empire through to the 20th century.

Indentured labourers worked in extremely harsh conditions for little to no pay, all the way up to the First World War.

When that conflict began, it created a whole new set of challenges for those living in colonised countries.

The Empire not only provided resources and soldiers,

it carefully managed how it used those resources and crucially it carefully managed how it used those people.

So the people of empire were restricted to particular roles, often non-combat roles.

This is a sealed pattern jacket.

So the idea behind things like this is that they were made once

and then this would be the example

that all of the manufacturers of these jackets would go back to in order to make sure

that their products were the same.

And this is a sealed pattern for the South African Native Labour Corps.

And the crucial thing about the roles that the guys who wore this performed was that they were support roles.

Fundamentally, the British government didn't want black soldiers fighting white soldiers,

white German soldiers in Europe as in Europe.

And they also wanted to ensure that the roles

that they had were carefully managed and based upon those ideas about what people in the colonies should do,

rather than a sense of what they could do.

So the South African Native Labour Corps was restricted to non-combat logistical roles,

portering, fetching, carrying, digging and so on.

Indian, African and Caribbean servicemen made an enormous contribution to the First World War, helping to secure Allied victory.

Yet after the conflict, their contribution was widely forgotten.

As the Commonwealth War Graves Commission concluded in 2021,

up to 350,000 people who had served and died for Britain were not commemorated in the same way as their white comrades,

or possibly not commemorated at all.

Imagery and the use of imagery is really really important in wartime.

So it's really carefully curated the images that are put out by each side

because they wish to portray themselves in a certain light and their enemies in a very different light.

This photograph was taken from a German prisoner of war and shows black people chained labour forces that have been

recaptured by Germany, the power that controls them.

These people are chained in ways that ordinarily would invoke feelings of horror,

of disgust, memories of transatlantic slavery.

If British soldiers were captured by German soldiers, they wouldn't have been chained by the neck.

The types of treatment

that these men are receiving here is extraordinarily different to the type of treatment

that even enemy combatants would receive when made prisoners.

And don't forget these people are technically on the same side.

And here the person that goes through these images and decides

which ones are going to be used to illustrate certain things about the enemy

has made a really interesting point and a very revealing point.

He says that we should be very careful that we're not suggesting

that the enemy is doing anything that is necessarily improper by the treatment of these men.

Because, as the censor says, it's very likely that this is exactly how British forces would treat.

And the quote here describing these men is native delinquents.

At the end of the First World War, the question arose of what to do with the colonies of the defeated German and Ottoman empires.

In the end, Britain gained control of several of these colonies through League of Nations mandates, which included control over Palestine,

Mesopotamia and other parts of former German colonies in Africa.

The addition of former German and Ottoman colonies into the British Empire means that in the 1920s Britain's empire is huge.

It controls around a quarter of the globe.

But while these mandates were part of the British Empire, they did not operate in the same way as other British colonies.

The League of Nations oversaw the administration of these territories with the goal of guiding them towards eventual self-governance.

Other empire countries operated differently too.

Dominions such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand were former colonies with their own governments

and a high degree of autonomy while still remaining under British sovereignty.

Crown colonies such as Kenya,

Jamaica and Hong Kong were more directly controlled by Britain with the British governor appointed by the Crown who directly ruled them.

Protectorates were under British protection but with varying levels of control depending on the specific territory and its circumstances.

A key turning point came in 1931 when Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster.

This granted the Dominions full legislative independence from Britain

and formed a Commonwealth of Nations that were autonomous communities within the British Empire.

The statute formalised the shift from imperial rule to a more cooperative and voluntary structure for the founding members,

which consisted of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State, and Newfoundland.

Notably, this freedom was only granted to white governed and established states.

At this point, not a single government of a dominion was made up of the people who lived in the country before European settlers arrived.

When the Second World War broke out, the Empire's resources and supply lines became even more critical as they were now directly supporting the war effort.

This poster

that we're standing in front of is a really great illustration

of both the extent of the British Empire during the Second World War and immediately after, and also the complex ways in which it was governed.

So the thing that it really reveals is kind of one of the purposes, the main foundational purposes of empire,

which is to extract resources from the countries that are part of it and bring those resources

or the wealth that comes from trade in those resources back to the motherland.

And that's particularly important during war because Britain relies upon the empire for all sorts of products,

all sorts of natural resources, and of course for labour and soldiers, sailors and airmen who come from these countries.

But the crucial thing as we look at it is it talks about those principal products.

And one of the things that the British Empire does is that it frequently describes itself,

or it is described, as something that is a contributory kind of partnership, so that there is equality on both sides.

And of course, while many people in these countries were very proud of their links to Britain, very proud of their service to the Empire,

there remains this idea that fundamentally this is about extracting vital resources in order to continue the war effort.

100

The resources of the Empire allowed Britain to stay in the fight, but access to those resources was coming under threat.

101

As Japan expanded its own empire during the Second World War, many British territories, along with their vital resources, fell under Japanese control.

102

Hong Kong, Malaya and Burma were all rapidly occupied, but most costly of all was the fall of Singapore.

103

Not only was it the largest surrender in British military history,

104

but Britain also lost control of a vital strategic location and access to the crucial raw materials provided by Malaya.

105

The fall of Singapore is described by Winston Churchill as the greatest capitulation in British history.

106

A shattering moment for Britain and a great tragedy because the thousands of British prisoners of war that are taken,

107

the thousands of civilian internees are treated with appalling brutality by their Japanese captors.

108

Many are murdered, thousands are tortured.

109

And then following Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Union flags return.

110

This particular flag was flown over the municipal buildings in Singapore in September 1945.

111

An empire maintains its power in part by conveying to people that it is uniquely good at governing.

112

And as Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore says, when they see Britain removed from Singapore and the Japanese Empire come in,

113

suddenly that logic seemingly no longer applies.

114

And that is a really powerful realisation.

115

When the war ended, Britain regained control of its Southeast Asian territories.

116

But whilst geographically the empire seemed to be whole once again, socially, politically and economically, it would never be the same.

117

It cost a lot to fight the Second World War.

118

Britain's economy is extremely damaged and one of the things Britain then looks to do is to rebuild,

119

reassert itself on the global stage.

120

Post-war Britain was struggling.

121

Significant war debt and damaged infrastructure meant economic recovery was far from immediate.

122

Food was still being rationed and housing was in short supply.

123

And so the issue of empire became less significant in relation to all the problems people were experiencing at home.

124

However, these territories would offer a way to ensure that Britain could rebuild by once again exploiting the resources that they provided.

125

The interesting paradox at the heart of empire is of course they cost a lot to maintain.

126

So in order to bring those resources in, in order to guarantee that trade, it requires an outlay.

127

Getting that balance right between how much Britain wants to spend on securing its empire

128

and what it is getting from its empire becomes a crucial question here in London.

129

The Second World War highlighted the unequal relationship between Britain and its colonies, particularly in India.

130

The Bengal Famine of 1943 resulted in the deaths of between two and three million people.

131

Despite no major shortfall in food production, British colonial policies and inflation, along with the denial of aid,

132

caused mass starvation and disease that was entirely avoidable.

133

It was one of the greatest systematic failures in the history of the British Empire.

134

And now, with Britain in a weakened economic position and a new Labour government in power, the Indian independence movement was stronger than ever.

135

In 1947, the Indian Independence Act officially ended British rule

136

and created the two independent dominion states of India and Pakistan after nearly two centuries of colonial rule.

137

Within two years of the end of the Second World War, this jewel in the imperial crown becomes independent.

138

The rest of the empire sees India and Pakistan becoming independent and wants the same thing.

139

If India can achieve independence, what about my country?

140

So many people have come back from the Second World War hungry for change

141

and the world that they have returned to is also changing.

142

The United States is not prepared to bankroll the idea in perpetuity that European empires are still a good thing.

143

The United Nations has been set up, and its members include countries that are themselves fighting for a better future.

144

All of these things come together in this period.

145

That means by the end of the 1950s, these changes are now inevitable.

146

Britain's weakened position on the world stage was exemplified by the Suez Crisis of 1956, when Britain, along with France and Israel,

147

invaded Egypt to recover control of the Suez Canal.

148

The landings received international condemnation, including from several Commonwealth countries.

149

Britain soon backed down under UN and US pressure and was left embarrassed on the international stage.

150

It was a clear demonstration that Britain's future role would have to be in line with,

151

in particular, US interests and aspirations in the growing Cold War.

152

If the Second World War was the fatal blow to the British Empire, the Suez Crisis was the final nail in the coffin.

153

In the UK there are different opinions as to the extent to which Britain should maintain its empire.

154

But broadly, within government, the idea is pretty simple.

155

Whatever happens next has to be on British terms." Over the following 15 years,

156

15 countries would gain independence and by 1980, only a handful of territories would remain under British control.

157

However, while independence came easily for some countries, for others the struggle for autonomy would turn deadly.

158

Throughout the 1950s, Britain fought a series of bloody wars in an attempt to retain direct control over its dwindling empire

159

and ensure that the post-colonial future was as rewarding as its colonial one.

160

These conflicts and rebellions would become known as emergencies in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus.

161

So whatever comes next in these countries, Malaya in terms of its economic benefits,

162

in Kenya in terms of its relationship with its white settler government

163

and who owns and benefits from the land and in Cyprus, this incredibly important location.

164

In all of these places,

165

there are real benefits for Britain in maintaining some form of control.

166

And it's that that means Britain is prepared to go to war.

167

Visit Emergency Exits, the fight for independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus.

168

now at Imperial War Museum London.

下載應用

流利口語所需的一切

AI 發音評分逐句打分

音標練習掌握每個音

詞彙學習建立你的詞庫

詞彙遊戲邊玩邊學

掃碼

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

同頻道

The reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep

FOR YOU

本課的詞彙與口語要點

這節 C1 級別的口語課以影片“How the British Empire Collapsed”為素材。影片中反覆出現的詞有：empire, British, Britain, resources, countries。這段影片共有 168 個句子、2406 個單詞可供跟讀。講話部分時長為 18:19。說話人語速平穩，每分鐘約 131 個詞，很適合跟讀。 84% 的單詞屬於英語最常用的 3,000 詞，其餘的詞建議在練習前先學一下。

影片中的重點詞彙

影片中最難的 15 個單詞，附發音和釋義：

單詞	發音	釋義
govern 動詞	/ˈɡʌv.ən/	治理, 治
fundamentally 副詞		根本地, 從根本上
weaken 動詞	/ˈwikən/	削弱, 減弱 /減弱
restrict 動詞	/ɹɪˈstɹɪkt/	限制, 制限
statute 名詞	/ˈstæt͡ʃuːt/	法規 /法規, 法令
exploit 名詞	/ˈɛksplɔɪt/	功勛 /功勳, 勛績 /勳績
autonomy 名詞	/ɔˈtɑ.nə.mi/	自治
rebuild 動詞	/ɹiːˈbɪld/	重建, 再建
mandate 名詞	/ˈmændeɪ̯t/	授權 /授權, 權利 /權利
extract 名詞	/ˈɛkstɹækt/	精
surrender 動詞	/səˈɹɛndə(ɹ)/	投降
abolish 動詞	/əˈbɑl.ɪʃ/	取消, 廢除 /廢除
airman 名詞	/ˈɛɹ.mən/	飛行員 /飛行員
aspiration 名詞	/ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/	希望
capitulation 名詞		投降

影片中出現的短語動詞

單詞	釋義
back down 動詞	做出讓步 /做出讓步
break out 動詞	逃出
come under 動詞	在……之下
go through 動詞	通過 /通過

影片中的語法

說話人最常用的結構，並附上影片中的原話：

結構	影片中的用法
被動語態 be + 過去分詞 — 強調發生了什麼，而不是誰做的	is acquired · are acquired · is often presented
現在完成時 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去發生但與現在仍有關聯的事	have been · has made · have come
定語從句 who / which + 從句 — 補充說明人或事物	guys who wore · people who had · people who lived

需要注意的發音

說話人用了 7 次縮略和弱讀形式，例如 we're, didn't, don't。請按聽到的簡短形式來說。

“sh” 和 “zh” 音: abolish /əˈbɑl.ɪʃ/, aspiration /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/, crucially /ˈkɹuːʃəli/, foundational /faʊnˈdeɪ.ʃə.nəl/, starvation /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/
長單詞——注意重音位置: commemorate /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/, autonomy /ɔˈtɑ.nə.mi/, aspiration /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/, contributory /ˈkɑntɹɪbjəˌtɔɹi/, deceptively /dɪˈsɛptɪvli/

中文母語者容易讀錯的音：

/v/ — 不要讀成 /w/，上齒輕觸下唇: govern /ˈɡʌv.ən/, avoidable /əˈvɔɪdəbl̩/, deceptively /dɪˈsɛptɪvli/, starvation /stɑɹˈveɪʃən/, invade /ɪnˈveɪd/
詞尾子音 — 要讀清楚，後面不要加母音: commemorate /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/, enrich /ɪnˈɹɪt͡ʃ/, restrict /ɹɪˈstɹɪkt/, statute /ˈstæt͡ʃuːt/, exploit /ˈɛksplɔɪt/
/r/ 和 /l/ 的區別: rebuild /ɹiːˈbɪld/, bankroll /ˈbæŋk.ɹoʊl/, crucially /ˈkɹuːʃəli/, brutality /ˌbɹuːˈtælɪti/, accelerate /ɪkˈsɛl.əˌɹeɪt/

如何用這段影片練習

先完整聽一遍影片，不要開口，記下不認識的單詞。
用正常速度逐句跟讀，每句重複到你的節奏與說話人一致為止。
錄下自己的聲音並與原聲對比，特別注意 govern, fundamentally, weaken 這類單詞。

什麼是跟讀法？

跟讀法 (Shadowing) 是一種有科學依據的語言學習技巧，最初開發用於專業口譯員的培訓，並由多語言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。這個方法簡單而強大：您在聽英語母語原聲的同時立即大聲重複——就像是一個延遲1-2秒緊跟說話者的影子。與被動聽力或語法練習不同，跟讀法強迫您的大腦和口腔肌肉同時處理並模模擬實的講話模式。研究表明它能顯著提高發音準確性，語調，節奏，連讀，聽力理解和口語流利度——使其成為雅思口語備考和真實英語交流最有效的方法之一。

影子跟讀法: 閱讀完整分步指南 →

跟讀練習: How the British Empire Collapsed - 通過影片學習英語口語

選擇練習模式

下載應用

同頻道

The reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

推薦影片

Why the British Empire Fell Apart - Won Two Wars, Then Lost Its Empire

C1 Most Comprehensive Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE Exams

World War II: The Complete Story (1939–1945) 🌍⚔️ | Learn English Through History

UK universities are being killed by deliberately designed neoliberal government policy.

No Slaves? No Aliens? How the Pyramids Were Really Built| English Lesson & Connected Speech (B2–C1)

ENGLISH SPEECH | SHASHI THAROOR: Britain owes reparations to India (English Subtitles)

Libya: How To Kill a Nation

Eco 155: Principles of Macroeconomics Class 1

The First Mass Extinction as Explained by Lindsay Nikole

America’s White Slavery Crisis They Don’t Teach You About

"She Is Our Caesar" | The Crown (Olivia Colman, Charles Dance)

Why Europe Doesn't Build Skyscrapers