Unit 3 Reading and writing
Reading
7 Read the text. Then answer the questions.
(10 marks)
1 What do dog owners do for dogs?
2 How do we know dogs are good for the heart?
3 Why are dog owners fitter than other people?
4 How can dogs help you make friends?
5 Why are dogs good for children?
Writing
Write a discussion essay on the following
question: Are you in favour of or against
keeping animals in zoos? Explain your answer.
HOW CAN DOGS LOOK AFTER
HUMANS?
People who have dogs look after them, buy them
food, take them to the vet’s and take them out for
walks. You might ask ‘What do dogs do for us?’
The answer is surprisingly long.
Recent research has discovered that dogs can
help people who have had heart problems. The
research followed the progress of a group of
people who had suffered heart attacks. A year
later, the patients who had dogs were healthier
than the patients who didn’t have dogs.
Another study did an experiment about stress. It
found that dog owners recover faster from
difficult situations than people who don’t have
dogs. Dogs helped more than friends!
Of course, dog owners are often fitter. They are
usually physically active because they have to
take their dog for a walk twice a day and are
therefore less likely to be fat. Older people who
have dogs are usually more mobile too.
Another advantage is that dogs can help you
make more friends. People often stop and talk to
people who are walking their dogs. People who
have more social relationships often live longer.
Dogs can be especially good for children. When
children get upset, they often talk to their pets
and confide their secrets to them. Dogs can be
very intuitive and seem to understand.
So, all in all, dogs look after us very well.