تمرین مکالمه

Dog Whisperer

In the 1920s, a circus clown and a scientist conducted a series of psychic experiments on telepathy.

In the 1920s, did a circus clown conduct a series of psychic experiments?

Yes, in the 1920s, a circus clown conducted a series of psychic experiments.

Who else conducted a series of psychic experiments? A scientist conducted a series of psychic experiments. Were they experiments on memory? No, they weren’t experiments on memory. They were experiments on telepathy.

The results were intriguing.

Were the results boring? No, the results weren’t boring. The results were intriguing.

Vladimir Durov was Russia’s most famous animal trainer.

Who was Vladimir Durov? Vladimir Durov was Russia’s most famous animal trainer.

He was also a popular circus clown who claimed he could communicate with dogs via “mental suggestion.”

Was he also a popular circus clown? Yes, he was also a popular circus clown.

Did he claim he could communicate with rats? No, he didn’t claim he could communicate with rats. He claimed he could communicate with dogs. How could he communicate with dogs? He could communicate with dogs via “mental suggestion.”

Durov said he discovered the rare gift by accident.

What did Durov say he discovered by accident? Durov said he discovered the rare gift by accident.

As a young boy, he broke into an abandoned house and came face-to-face with a dangerous dog.

What did Durov break into? He broke into an abandoned house. And what did he come face-to-face with? He came face-to-face with a dangerous dog.

Was he an adult when he did this? No, he wasn’t an adult when he did this.

He was a young boy.

The animal rushed at him like a bull out of a gate.

Did the animal crawl at him? No, the animal didn’t crawl at him. The animal rushed at him. How did the animal rush at him? The animal rushed at him like a bull out of a gate.

Durov caught the canine’s eye and mentally compelled the hound to stop.

Did Durov catch the canine’s eye? Yes, Durov caught the canine’s eye. What did he mentally compel the hound to do? He mentally compelled the hound to stop.

The dog retreated, and Durov left the house safe and sound.

What did the dog do? The dog retreated. And how did Durov leave the house?

Durov left the house safe and sound.

Skeptics point out that it might have been Durov’s body language which stopped the dog in its tracks.

What do skeptics point out? Skeptics point out that it might have been Durov’s body language which stopped the dog in its tracks.

They do not believe it was necessarily an open and shut case of telepathy.

Do they believe that it was an open and shut case of telepathy? No, they do not believe it was necessarily an open and shut case of telepathy.

Durov and his supporters begged to differ.

Did Durov beg to differ? Yes, Durov begged to differ. Who else begged to differ? His supporters begged to differ.

One such supporter was scientist Bernard Kazhinskiy.

Was Bernard Kazhinskiy one such supporter? Yes, Bernard Kazhinskiy was one such supporter. Was he a lawyer? No, he wasn’t a lawyer. He was a scientist.

The former electrical engineer believed living creatures could broadcast information like a radio.

Was he a former chemical engineer? No, he wasn’t a former chemical engineer. He was a former electrical engineer. What did he believe? He believed living creatures could broadcast information like a radio.

Kazhinskiy decided to test his pet theories on Durov and his dogs.

On whom did Kazhinskiy decide to test his pet theories? Kazhinskiy decided to test his pet theories on Durov and his dogs.

In 1922, he arrived at Durov’s labs with a small team of researchers.

When did he arrive at Durov’s labs? He arrived at Durov’s labs in 1922. With whom did he arrive? He arrived with a small team of researchers.

Over the next two years, the duo would conduct thousands of experiments together.

Over the next two years, would the duo conduct experiments together? Yes, over the next two years, the duo would conduct experiments together. How many experiments would they conduct together? They would conduct thousands of experiments together.

Durov would begin the process by staring into his dog’s eyes.

How would Durov begin the process? Durov would begin the process by staring into his dog’s eyes.

He would focus all his mental powers on painting a picture of the exact task he wanted the dog to perform.

Would he focus all his mental powers on painting a picture? Yes, he would focus all his mental powers on painting a picture. What would he paint a picture of? He would paint a picture of the exact task he wanted the dog to perform.

He would then order the dog to make the mental image a reality.

Would he ask the dog? No, he wouldn’t ask the dog. He would order the dog.

What would he order the dog to do? He would order the dog to make the mental image a reality.

Prior to the order, Durov would also stroke the sides of the dog’s head.

Prior to the order, would Durov also stroke the top of the dog’s belly? No, prior to the order, Durov wouldn’t also stroke the top of the dog’s belly.

Prior to the order, Durov would also stroke the sides of the dog’s head.

He believed such a movement could induce a trance-like state in the dog.

What kind of state in the dog did he believe could such a movement induce?

He believed such a movement could induce a trance-like state in the dog.

It denied the dog of its will, and the dog became part of Durov’s own internal ‘ego’.

Did it deny the dog of its food? No, it didn’t deny the dog of its food. It denied the dog of its will. What did the dog become part of? The dog became part of Durov’s own internal ‘ego’.

During the experiments, Durov would successfully order dogs to retrieve specific books from another room.

Would Durov order dogs to retrieve random magazines from another room?

No, Durov wouldn’t order the dogs to retrieve random magazines from another room. He would order the dogs to retrieve specific books from another room. Were his orders successful? Yes, his orders were successful.

Kazhinskiy also built a Faraday cage.

What kind of cage did Kazhinskiy build? Kazhinskiy built a Faraday cage.

Such a device blocks the transmission of electrical signals.

What does such a device block? Such a device blocks the transmission of electrical signals.

Sure enough, when Durov was in the cage with the door closed, he was unable to mentally communicate with his dogs.

When the door was closed, what was Durov unable to do? When the door was closed, Durov was unable to mentally communicate with his dogs.

But with the door open the dogs “carried out every order with precision.” With the door open, how did the dogs carry out every order? With the door open, the dogs “carried out every order with precision.” The innocent curiosity of Kazhinskiy’s experiments would later be hijacked by the Cold War.

What would happen to the innocent curiosity of Kazhinskiy’s experiments?

The innocent curiosity of Kazhinskiy’s experiments would later be hijacked by the Cold War.

Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union carefully studied Kazhinskiy’s results.

Who carefully studied Kazhinskiy’s results? Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union carefully studied Kazhinskiy’s results.

The two superpowers wanted to harness telepathic power for military means.

Were they superpowers? Yes, they were superpowers. Did they want to harness telepathic power? Yes, they wanted to harness telepathic power.

Why did they want to harness telepathic power? They wanted to harness telepathic power for military means.

They hoped it would give them an edge in their battle of wills.

Did they hope it would give them an edge? Yes, they hoped it would give them an edge. In what did they hope it would give them an edge? They hoped it would give them an edge in their battle of wills.

Yet none of their attempts proved as successful as what Durov could do with his dogs.

Did their attempts prove as successful as what Durov could do with his dogs? No, none of their attempts proved as successful as what Durov could do with his dogs.

Perhaps the circus clown had unique powers.

Did the circus clown have unique powers? Um, perhaps the circus clown had unique powers.

Or maybe he just knew how to speak the language of dogs.

What do you think? Could Durov speak the language of dogs?