Animal experts offer several reasons why cats have become so popular as house pets. They say cats need less care than dogs. And cats do not seem to suffer as much as dogs from being alone if the owners are away.
Still millions of other people do not like cats at all. They say dogs are better and more loving pets. They say cats do not have much feeling. They believe cats stay with people only to be fed.
Cat owners defend their pets against such criticism. They say cats are just much more independent than dogs.
A student of animal medicine explains the situation this way: Dog follow you around. They want you to talk to them and play with them a lot of the time. Cats like more space and more privacy. This does not mean they do not love their owners.
Cat owners often like to read about cats. Many books about cats are in American libraries and bookstores. Cats also appear as the heroes of newspaper comics, television programs and movies. Among the most famous is Garfield. He is an orange, striped tiger cat.
Garfield eats too much. His owner, John, is always trying to get the cat to lose weight. However, Garfield usually eats what he wants. He often shows more intelligence than his owner.
Listen to the passage and answer the following questions. 1. More than sixty-four million cats live in American homes as pets. 2. American homes keep costly cats in order to let them take part in competitions. 3. They are not expected to work for their food and they wait for their owners to serve them. 4. Americans are increasingly serious about their cats. 5. Cat owners buy tons of food, toys and other equipment. 6. They need less care and they do not seem to suffer a lot from being alone when the owner are away. 7. Cats like more space and more privacy. 8. Garfield is an orange, striped tiger cat. He often shows his intelligence and does many clever things. Part 2 Oral Work When you take a walk in any of the cities in the West, you often see a lot of people walking dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, but the reason why people keep a dog has changed. In the old days, people used to train dogs to protect themselves against animal attacks. And later they ca
me to realize that a dog was not only useful for protection but willing to obey his master. But now people in the city need not protect themselves against attacks of animals. Why do they keep dogs, then? Some people keep dogs to protect themselves from robbery. But the most important reason is for companionship. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friend to play with. For young couples, a dog is their child when they have no children. For old couples, a dog is also their child when their children have grown up.
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