English Conversation Questions

Dogs

Questions

1. Do you like dogs?
2. Are dogs really “a man’s best friend”?
3. What kinds of dogs do you like and dislike?
4. Do you think dogs have a good life?
5. In what ways are dogs helpful to humans?
6. Are there many abandoned dogs in your town?
7. In English, dogs go “woof woof”. How about in your language?
8. What does a “dog-eat-dog world” mean? Is it true?

Videos

Trace the history of how wolves, one of humanity’s oldest rivals, evolved into the domesticated dogs we call “man’s best friend.”

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Since their emergence over 200,000 years ago, modern humans have established communities all over the planet. But they didn’t do it alone. Whatever corner of the globe you find humans in today, you’re likely to find another species as well: dogs. So how did one of our oldest rivals, the wolf, evolve into man’s best friend? David Ian Howe traces the history of humanity’s first domesticated animal.

Lesson by David Ian Howe, directed by Cabong Studios.

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Keywords: Dogs | Friends | History
BBC
The ‘Inside the Animal Mind’ team rig a house with cameras for a week to test a theory: that dogs use their sense of smell to keep track of time.

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an animal? This series gives startling and revelatory answers. Combining jaw-dropping demonstrations of animals’ abilities with revealing photography, Chris Packham travels the world to uncover the secrets of the animal mind.

Chris explores the remarkable ways animals use their senses. Focusing on dogs, he discovers how their powerful sense of smell creates a bizarre alternative reality.

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Category:  Nature & Environment
Keywords: Dogs | Pets | Time

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks — but that saying might not be as trustworthy as you’d think.
Hosted by: Olivia Gordon

Category:  Nature & Environment
Keywords: Age | Dogs | Learning | Tricks
In Alaska’s Denali National Park, you’ll find six million acres of sprawling forests, majestic mountains, active glaciers and flowing rivers. In the midst of this vast natural beauty, around two million acres of federally protected

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wilderness exists. Here motorized transport is prohibited. So how does one get around in the winter? Enter the Denali dogs. Denali is the country’s only national park with a working sled dog kennel. Let’s go meet the hard-working huskies!

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Keywords: Dogs | travel
Gregory Berns spent his entire life around dogs. So when his most beloved pet passed away, he began to wonder whether his dog reciprocated the same love and care he felt for him. As a neuroscientist at Emory University,

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he took his curiosity to the test. Now, he scans the brains of dogs using MRI machines, trying to decode canine behavior using brain activity.

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Keywords: Dogs | Medicine | Training
Vox
Their life arc is our life arc— from city to suburb, from tragedy to bliss. Special thanks to all Vox staffers and family that sent over their dog videos.

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When Alvin lost his dog Rainbow, he felt as though a human has died.

Humans have a special — and somewhat an odd — relationship with dogs. 60% of Americans own a pet, and the most popular of them are dogs. Our relationship with them actually goes back pretty far. Some scholars believe that wolves and humans hunted and lived among each other — and the reason humans came out on top was because we partnered with wolves. Then, as we evolved so did our furry friends. Now, we treat these animals like family. We give them names, keep them safe, and share our lives with them. So when it’s time for them to go, it feels a lot like we’re losing a part of the family.

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Keywords: Death | Dogs | Family | Pets

Vocabulary:
cove
secluded
float
shore
anchor
lighthouse
greenhouse
handsaw
hammer
power tool
nail
board (noun)
ton
land sick
biomass
canoe
paddle
real estate
prosper
fulfilled

Expressions:
subsistence living
hon

Vocabulary:
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word
word

Expressions:
expression
expression
expression
expression

Vocabulary:
prestigious
involuntary
swindler
fraudulence
unwarranted
concern
unfounded
impostor
syndrome
faculty
pervasive
prevalent
disproportionately
underrepresented
downplay
abnormality
self-esteem
spiral
accolade
threshold
susceptible
voice (verb)
peer
dismiss
excel
ease
mentor
competence
banish
frank

Expressions:
nagging doubt
shake a feeling
put something to rest
surefire way

Vocabulary:
filmmaker
principle
handcuff
clown
distill
underdog
aspect
familiar
unfamiliar
chopsticks
keyboard
organic
grounded
clarity
stuntman
steady
gag
perfectionist
rhythm
distinct
continuity
elbow
bunch
flail around
unlike
invincible
impressive
humanize
asset
payoff
relentlessness
finale

Expressions:
kick ass
going above and beyond
get smacked in the face
sell a joke

Vocabulary:
explosion
smoke (noun)
engine
unique
pilot
route
unemotional
terror
instant
reach out (to someone)
postpone
urgency
purpose
regret
humanity
ego
reflect
eliminate
frame (verb)
artistic
talent
bawl
miracle

Expressions:
bucket list
brace for impact
mend fences
make sense
connecting dots