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Almost everyone who has owned a pet knows the experience of bonding with an animal. Do most pet owners know the experience of bonding with an animal? Yes, almost everyone who has owned a pet knows the experience of bonding with an animal. Have you ever bonded with an animal? For many pet owners, these animals become our friends and family members. Do many people think of their pets as family members? Yes, many people think of their pets as family members. According to research over the last few decades, these animal human relationships can improve our health. What can animal human relationships help improve? Animal human relationships can help improve our health. Since the 1980s, we have known that having a connection with an animal reduces blood pressure. Do animal relationships increase or reduce blood pressure? Animal relationships reduce blood pressure. Contact with animals has also been shown to reduce stress hormones, which

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allows our bodies to heal faster. Does contact with animals reduce stress hormones? Yes, contact with animals reduces stress hormones. Does stress cause our bodies to heal faster or slower? Stress causes our bodies to heal slower. Animals are also believed to increase oxytocin, which is a hormone related to feelings of love and trust. What kind of feelings are related to oxytocin? Feelings of love and trust are related to oxytocin. Have you ever heard of oxytocin? This may be the reason that animals aren’t just good for our physical health, but also good for our mental and emotional health. Is oxytocin the reason animals are good for our emotional health? Yes, oxytocin

Speaking Fluency #94 Animal  Human  Healing  -­‐‑  Speaking  Fluency  #94    Here  are  the  questions  with  answers.  Pause  the  recording  and  speak  out  loud.  You  don’t  have  to  be  perfect.  Just  speak  quickly  and  have  fun.  Remember,  if  you  want  to  improve  your  speaking,  you  have  to  speak  a  lot.  

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might be the reason animals are good for our emotional health. Owen Howkins is a 7-year-old boy in England with a rare medical condition that only affects 30 people around the world. How old is Owen? Owen is 7. Where is he from? He is from England. Is his condition common or rare? His condition is rare. This condition causes his body to be constantly tense. He’s very muscular because his muscles never relax. Why is he very muscular? He is very muscular because his muscles never relax. This is a very painful condition and it affects his balance. Because his muscles are always contracting, he has trouble walking and needs to use a wheelchair. Does his condition affect his balance? Yes, his condition affects his balance. Does he have trouble walking? Yes, he has trouble walking. Why does he have trouble walking?

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He has trouble walking because of his condition. Hachii is a dog, who has also suffered at a young age and struggled with balance problems. Does Hachii also have balance problems? Yes, Hachii also has balance problems. Does Hachii also use a wheelchair? No, Hachii doesn’t also use a wheelchair. Someone put a rope around Hatchii’s neck and tied him to a train track when he was just a puppy. Was Hatchii tied to a train track? Yes, he was tied to a train track. Why would someone do something so terrible? Hatchii was hit by a train. His leg and tail were damaged beyond repair and had to be amputated. What was damaged? His leg and tail were damaged. How badly were they

http://deepenglish.com  Speaking  Fluency  #94  

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damaged? They were damaged beyond repair. Did they have to be amputated? Yes, they had to be amputated. Owen’s mother heard about Hatchii’s story and went to see him. When she first saw Hatchii she felt an immediate connection. How did she feel? She felt an immediate connection. Have you ever felt an immediate connection with an animal or a person? And the feeling was mutual. When Hatchii saw her, he waved his tail stump for the first time. Was the feeling mutual? Yes, the feeling was mutual. Owen's mother took Hatchii home to Owen and describes their first meeting "as electric and spiritual, as corny as that sounds." Did she say their first meeting was electric? Yes, she said their first meeting was electric. Did she say their first meeting was spiritual? Yes, she said their first meeting was spiritual. Did she say it sounds corny? Yes, she said it sounds corny. Do you think it sounds corny? She said that Hatchii understood Owen's condition and they immediately bonded. Who understood Owen’s condition? Hatchii understood Owen’s condition. Did they bond? Yes, they immediately bonded. Owen says that Hatchii has changed his life. They are great friends and share conversations and experiences that only they understand. Who has changed Owen’s life? Hatchii has changed Owen’s life. What do they share? They share conversations and experiences that only they understand. When you see Owen with Hatchii, his face lights up. How does Owen look when he is with Hatchii? Owen’s face lights up when he his with Hatchii. Hatchii has also made Owen more confident around other people. How does Owen feel around people now? Owen now feels confident around other people. Before meeting Hatchii, Owen felt that people were looking at him in a negative way because of his condition and this made him feel incredibly shy. How did Owen think people were looking at him? Owen thought people were looking at him in a negative way.

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He now feels people are looking at Hatchii and this gives him a chance to tell his story and connect with other people over conversations about his special dog. Are people looking at Owen or Hatchii? People are looking at Hatchii. Does this give Owen a chance to talk to other people? Yes, this gives Owen a chance to talk to other people. He used to be afraid of people, but now Owen loves to go out and talk to new people. How did Owen used to feel? He used to feel afraid of people. How does he feel now? Now, he loves to go out and talk to new people. Watch the video of Hatchii and Owen below. When you’re watching this video, let go of any desire to understand everything. If you want to improve your English listening and speaking fluency, you need to become comfortable with some ambiguity. Relax, listen to the story, focus on the main points, not the details, and let us know what you think in the comments.

photo  by  Greg  Westfall:    http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagesbywestfall/3696669962/