birth to in front of the TV on Saturday night.

You can blame TV for the fact that children take longer to learn to read these days

and barely see the point any more of acquiring the skill. In my opinion watching TV should be strictly confined to "treats".

Lesson 2

Are Pets Good for Mankind?

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Pets Are Good for You

The basic meaning of "pet" is an animal we keep for emotional rather than economic reasons. 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. We feel loved, too, by the way pets depend on us for a home, for food and drink. Dogs especially, look up to their owners, which makes them feel important and needed.

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, 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, when most of us live in large cities, pets are particularly

important 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, and seeing a pet die helps a child to cope with sorrow. 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.

II . Read

Read the following passages. Underline the important viewpoints while reading.

1. An Unmatchable Cat

I was sick that winter. It was inconvenient because my big room was due to be whitewashed.