unit11.ppt

Unit  11    Animals

Part  A                           

Communicative  Function       Making Suggestions

       In daily life we are often approached by our friends or relatives for advice.  In return we make suggestions to them as to what they should do.  In other words, we put forward an idea for them to consider.   In this exercise we are going to focus on various ways of making suggestions in English.

Now listen to the recording and complete the conversation.

A:  Linda, I want to buy Tom a pet for his birthday. What shall I give him? Could you give me some suggestions?

B:  Why don’t you buy him a dog? Dogs are so friendly.

A:  Yes, I know. But he has got a dog.

B:  How about a rabbit? Rabbits are lovely.

A:  But Tom doesn’t like rabbits.

B:  Have you thought about buying him a bird?

A:  He hates birds.

B:  Then you can buy him some tropical fish. They are pretty.

A:  That’s a good idea. Where can I get them?

       B:    The market. Shall we go right now?

       A:    All right.

Useful Expressions for Making Suggestions

l  Don't you think we should (take the dog for a walk)?

l  Shall we (get some dog food from that store)?

l  Why don't we (buy Johnny a pet for a gift)?

l  Why don't you (leave your dog to your neighbor while you're on holiday)?

l  Why not (feed the cat now)?

l  How about (buying some tropical fish)?

l  What about (building a hutch for the rabbit)?

l  You'd better (clean up the rabbit hutch).

l  If I were you I'd (go and buy a parrot in the market).

l  Have you thought about (having a dog for company)?

l  I was wondering if you’d ever thought of (buying Jimmy some gold fish for his birthday).

l  I think it might be a good idea to (buy him a pet mouse. He was born in the year of the rat). 

Listening   Strategy

Detecting Liaison in Connected Speech

       In connected speech words are not spoken separately. The final consonant of a word is often linked to the first vowel of the next word. This is called liaison. Liaison occurs most often with the sound /r/. When a word ending with "r" or "re" goes before a word beginning with a vowel sound, the sound /r/ is usually pronounced as a link.

Listen to the recording and supply the missing words in the following blanks.  

1.    Nowadays more and more people keep animals like dogs and cats as pets.

2.  Some people would be interested in a dog care center.

3.  An average day at Dog Ma costs a dog owner about 25 dollars.

4.       This is a big help for those dog owners who do not drive.

5.       Dogs are friendly but they need to be fed and taken out for a walk every day.

6.       Grandma doesn’t want a bird for a pet because birds make a lot of noise and a lot of mess.

Part  B   

Pre-listening Task

Questions for Discussion   

You are going to talk about animals and pets. Read the following questions and discuss them with your partner.

1.       Do you or your family keep pets? Why or why not?

2.       What animals or birds do you think are good as pets?

3.       What are the positive effects of having a pet to the owner? (Consider, for example, companionship, the healing power of pets.)

4.       What is the negative side of keeping animals as pets?

5.       What do people do with their pets when they are away from home?

6.       Do you have any solution to the problem?

7.       Have you ever heard of Dog Ma?  Can you guess what Dog Ma stands for?

Demo:

2. What animals or birds do you think are good as pets?

      I think the best animal we can keep at home is cat. A cat, especially a white cat, is my favorite. Cats are relatively clean and quiet. They don’t eat much and they are clever. What’s more, the owners don’t have to walk their cats in the early morning when most people are still sleeping in bed. So we often see people walk their dogs in the morning, but never see anyone walk their cats.

4. What is the negative side of keeping animals as pets?

      As the saying goes, there are always two sides to a coin. The bad thing about keeping a pet is that the owner has to spend a lot of time and sometimes money on the pet. A pet can cause different kinds of trouble, too. As it is an animal after all and you cannot always expect it to understand or keep the rules of human beings. Another bad thing is that, when animals become people’s pets, they lose their freedom.

Language Focus   

l  Here are some useful sentences and structures that you might find handy in discussing the above questions:

l  I've got a dog /cat /hamster / turtle / at home. It's cuddly / a cute little thing and just like my friend.

l  I love my dog / cat for it never bothers me / always listens and never answers back.

l  My pet is a good companion/makes me laugh/helps me make friends with other people with pets/keeps me fit because I have to take it out for walks/gives me unconditional love.

l  My dog is / intelligent / clever / loyal / reliable / quick to sense my anger or sorrow.

l  I couldn't help crying / feeling really sad / when my dog  went missing / fell ill / got hurt.

l  Pets are good company, especially for lonely old people / to help people kill loneliness.

l  It's relaxing watching tropical fish swimming in the tank.

l  People are spending a great deal of money on their pets every year.

l  Keeping pets costs time and money. I can't afford either.

l  Some owners never clear away their pets’ feces in public places, which, as a result, have polluted our environment.

l  Pet dogs and cats can transmit / might be a vehicle of disease to human beings.

l  I don't think it's right to cage birds, chain dogs and keep cats locked inside the house.

l  People feel sorry to leave their pets alone at home when they go on holiday / a business trip.

l  People ask their next door neighbor / friends / relatives to look after their pets when they are away.

Listening Tasks

A Passage

Dog Ma

Word  Bank

furry         n.  covered with fur  毛茸茸的

guilty        a.  suffering from a sense of guilt  内疚的，自责的

average       a.  ordinary, usual  平常的，普通的

extra         a.  additional  额外的

overnight      a.  for or during the night  在夜间

dog day-care center   a place where dogs are sent to be taken care of when their owners are away or at work, usually during the day宠物狗日托中心

Rebecca         丽贝卡(女子名)

Script

Dog Ma

    Washington D.C. is a city where people in politics, law and business work more than eight hours each day. Hundreds of thousands of dog owners hate to leave their dogs alone every workday. So they take their furry friends to a dog day-care center in the Washington area. There the dogs play with other dogs and the workers. They also play with toys and they can rest in comfort.  

       Rebecca was a successful high level official at a big company but she did not find her job very satisfying. Her working hours kept getting longer and longer. She felt very guilty about leaving her two dogs inside the house for long periods of time. She knew she was not the only dog owner in Washington in this situation. She felt other people would be interested in a day-care center for dogs. So in 1998 Rebecca left her company and opened Dog Ma near the United States Capitol Building. Since then the business has grown to include one part-time and four full-time workers. One worker lives at the center.

       On a normal day, about 30 dogs are at the center. About 25% of them are younger than one year old. An average day at Dog Ma costs a dog owner about 25 dollars.

       Dog Ma also offers extra services. Dogs can stay overnight when their owners go out of town. Owners can pay to have their dogs washed and their fur and nails cut. The center also offers dog training and even transportation to and from the center. That is a big help for those dog owners who do not drive.

Language and Culture Notes 

1. Background information  Westerners like keeping animals, especially dogs, as pets. Dogs are considered very good and loyal companions to their owners. Stories abound about how they bravely saved their owners in dangerous and difficult situations and what healing power pets can have. However, dogs need to be fed and taken out for a walk several times a day. It is very difficult for owners who work long hours to take care of their pets. Some owners in American cities employ professional dog walkers to take their dogs out for exercise and recreation. These people often have five or even ten dogs at one time on leashes. Dog owners also feel sad to leave their pets at home while they go on holiday. So the idea of a day-care center for dogs has caught on and business at such centers is booming.

2. The Capitol Building  The building that houses the U.S. Congress

3. furry friend  Referring to the dog. “Furry” means covered with “fur”, which is the thick, short, soft hair of certain animals such as dogs and bears.

Exercise 1:  Listening for general understanding 

Listen to the recording once and choose the right answers to the questions you hear.

1.    What is Dog Ma?

       a. A center which accepts stray dogs sent by warm-hearted people.

b. A center where dogs are taken care of when their owners are away or at work.

c. A center where dogs are trained according to their owners' requirements.

d. A center where a dog can do whatever it likes so long as its owner has paid.

2.    What can you learn from the passage?

       a. Dog Ma seems to have a long history.

       b. Dog Ma seems to be a state-owned business.

       c. Dog Ma seems aimed at people with a good income.

       d. Dog Ma seems to be located in the country.

Exercise 2:  Listening for details             

Listen to the recording again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. Rebecca is called Dog Ma because she is like a mother to dogs who need to be taken care of.      ( F )

2. Rebecca had two dogs and she sent them to a day-care center for dogs during workdays.     ( F )

3. Rebecca opened Dog Ma because she was not very successful in her career.   ( F )

4. Most of the dogs sent to the center are over one year old.       ( T )

5. There are now five workers at the center and each one usually takes care of 30 dogs a day.  ( F )     

6. In Washington D.C. some people often work extra hours and don't have much time to stay with their pets. ( T )

Speaking   Tasks

Pair Work

Listen to the conversations and repeat after the recording. Practise the conversations with your partner, playing the role of A or B. Then work with your partner to create your own conversations by replacing the underlined parts with your own words. 

Conversation  1

A:    It must be very difficult for dogs to live in cities.

B:    1) Why's that?

A:    Well, most of them are locked up in apartments when their owners are away.

B:    2) That's true. But there must be 3) a lot of excitement for them sometimes too, when they are taken out for a walk. All the people in the streets, and the other pets, and all the interesting smells, especially from restaurants…

A:    4) You're making me hungry... Yeah, but I think all dogs would really prefer to be 5) running wild, and chasing smaller animals.

B:    6) Yes, exactly. It's their nature.

A:    I've heard that in major American cities, many people employ "dog walkers" to take their dogs out for some exercise.

B:    7) Some people do use dog walkers, yes. I've seen that. One person walking along with five or ten dogs at one time on leashes.

A:    8) It must be quite a sight

Conversation 2

A:   Hi, Carol. What are you reading?

B:    Oh, Hi, Tom. I’m reading 1) an interesting article about pets. It says there are actual medical benefits from owning pets. 2) Can you believe it?

A:    Well, from my experience I know 3) watching tropical fish swimming in a tank can make you feel so relaxed.

B:    Mmm, that’s true—the gentle movements, the lovely colors. But medical tests have shown that people’s blood pressure actually goes down when they talk to their pets.

A:    Well, animals—especially dogs—give such unselfish love. 4) So it’s no surprise. you feel relaxed when you talk to your dog.

B:   Yes, dogs are 5) terrific companions.

A:    Sure. Does the article say anything about the downside to owning a pet?

B:    Well, it does mention that having a pet 6) can limit your freedom.

A:    Quite true. 7) You don't want to go out and leave your pet alone at home.

B:   Certainly not. I guess it's almost like having another child to take care of.

A:    Well, sometimes you have to 8) give up a little freedom to get affection.