C2 level Speaking – Evolution of Dogs

 

Check that you know the following C2 level vocabulary and prepare to use it to talk about the evolution of dogs from wolves.

 

• unprecedented — never having happened or existed before (e.g., the partnership between humans and wolves).
• apex predator — top-level predator in a food chain (humans and wolves as competing apex predators).
• mutual evolution / co-evolved — two species evolving together, influencing each other reciprocally.
• cross-species bond — deep connection between different species.
• domestication syndrome — cluster of physical/behavioral traits appearing in domesticated animals (floppy ears, shorter snouts, etc.).
• neural crest cells — embryonic cells whose altered migration causes many domestication traits.
• cascading (changes/effects) — chain reaction spreading through multiple systems.
• self-selecting — naturally choosing/being selected for a niche without external force (bold wolves self-selecting near humans).
• scavenger / scavenge — feeding on leftover waste/food scraps (wolves scavenging human dumps).
• persistence hunting — chasing prey to exhaustion over long distances.
• metabolic cost — energy expenditure or physiological toll (of sleep deprivation).
• alarm bark — warning vocalization to alert of danger.
• ecological dominance — controlling or outcompeting others in resource use/environment.
• outcompete — surpass competitors in survival/resources.
• food surplus — excess food allowing non-subsistence roles.
• specialization / specialized crafts — focusing on specific skilled roles (enabled by surplus).
• long-distance trade networks — extensive exchange systems over far areas.
• oxytocin — bonding hormone released during human-dog eye contact.
• hardwired — innate/built into biology, not learned.
• large-scale cooperation — coordinated effort in big groups/societies (possibly enabled by dog-bonding empathy).

 

C2 Speaking Task (2–3 minutes monologue)

“Discuss whether the unprecedented cross-species bond between early humans and wolves, achieved through mutual evolution and co-evolved traits, was decisive in making modern humans the sole surviving apex predator.

Explain:

• how self-selecting bold wolves began to scavenge near camps, triggering domestication syndrome via altered neural crest cells and cascading changes;
• how dogs enhanced persistence hunting, reduced the metabolic cost of sleep deprivation with their alarm bark, and helped humans outcompete Neanderthals for ecological dominance;
• how food surplus enabled specialization, specialized crafts, and long-distance trade networks;
• and how the hardwired oxytocin response during eye contact may have fostered expanded empathy and large-scale cooperation.

 

In your response, you must naturally incorporate and correctly use at least 10 words or phrases from the following C2-level vocabulary list.

Support your view with examples from the video.”