Pets Are Good for you

The basic meaning of "pet" is an animal we keep for emotional rather than economic reasons. (1) A pet animal is kept as a companion, and we all need companions to keep us feeling happy. But pets offer us more than mere companionship; they invite us to love and be loved. Many owners feel their pets understand them, for animals are quick to sense anger and sorrow. Often a cat or dog can comfort us at times when human words don’t help (2). We feel loved, too, by the way pets depent on us for home, for food and drink. Dogs especially, look up to their owners, which makes them feel important and needed. (3)

A pet can be something different to each member of the family, another baby to the mother, a sister or brother to an only child, a grandchild to the elderly, (4) but for all of us pets provide pleasure and companionship. It has even been suggested that tiny pets should be sent as companions to astronauts on space ships, to help reduce the stress and loneliness of space flights.

In this Plastic Age, (5) when most of us live in large cities, pets are particularly for children. A pet in the family keeps people in touch with the more natural, animal world. Seeing an animal give birth brings understanding of the naturalness of childbirth of the naturalness of childbirth, and seeing a pet helps a child to cope with sorrow. (6) Learning to care for a pet helps a child to grow up into a loving adult who feels responsible towards those dependent on him. Rightly we teach children to be good to their pets. They should learn, too, that pets are good for us human beings.

I. Listen

Listen to the text with the help of the following notes.

1. The basic meaning of "pet" is an animal we keep for emotional rather than economic reasons: "宠物“ 的基本含义是，我们出于感情原因，而不是经济目的而饲养的一种动物。

2. when human words don’t help: 人的语言安抚无济于事时。

3. Dogs especially, look up to their owners, which makes them feel important and needed: 特别是狗对其主人的尊重使用权他们产生一种举足轻重和不可缺少的感觉。

4. A pet can be something different to each member of the family, another baby to the mother, a sister or brother to an only child, a grandchild to the elderly: 对家庭的每一个成员来说，一只宠物有着不同的作用：对母亲来说，它是另一个孩子;对独生子女来说，它则成了一个妹妹或弟弟;老人面前，它又变成了孙子。

5. In the Plastic Age: 在这一塑料时代(即指当今塑料制品取代了自杀的生活用品)。

6. Seeing an animal give birth brings understanding of the naturalness of childbirth, and seeing a pet die helps a child to cope with sorrow: 观察一只动物的分娩可以帮助人理解婴儿出生的自然过程;而看到一只宠物的死去则可以帮助孩子怎能样面对痛苦。