Real-life Reading Unit 20 Animal Adoption 

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Have you ever thought about adopting a dog? Before you adopt a cuddly furry ball of fun, there are some things you need to know. Please read the following information and answer the questions below to show you are ready to be the daddy or mommy of a dog.

Adoption Up, Euthanasia Down

Reasons for Euthanasia 2019, the USA

Owner’s Request 17%

Medical 35% Court’s Order 1%

Rabies Testing 7%

In the United States, over one in three households owns Aggressive a dog. In 2019, 60 million households owned a total of 89.7 Behavior 40% million dogs. It’s estimated around 3.3 million dogs entered the 3,500 animal shelters across the US, from which approximately 1.6 million dogs were adopted. However, 1.7 million weren’t so lucky and 670,000 dogs were euthanized. While euthanasia, or “mercy killing”, has reduced significantly over the years, we still have work to do.

Three Lessons to Learn for To-be Adopters

Lesson 1 : Your lifestyle matters.

Think about the type of person you are along with your lifestyle and living surroundings. You should also try to research different dog breeds and their temperaments in order to match up perfectly with a dog. Shelter workers will help you with application and screening processes. Lesson 2 : Expect mistakes.

Even if a dog has been well trained, the anxiety of moving from a shelter to a totally new environment can cause accidents. The first two weeks are the hardest, so please do expect mistakes from your new companion. If you don’t, it will hurt both sides. Both you and your new companion need to learn about each other’s schedules. Lesson 3 : Understand their language.

Understanding how your dogs communicate with you means you’ll be able to recognize when they’re feeling confident and happy, as well as times when they might be feeling worried or frightened. So it is important that you take some time, in advance of adoption, to research some basic dog body language.

Body Language Meaning belly-rub pose I’m relaxed and happy. tail between legs I’m anxious. upper body down with head up I’m ready to play. tail straight up, wide-eyed I’m on alert.

Prices for Adopting a Dog or Dogs

Dogs Puppies Age 2 months to 6 months Price $ 400

Adolescents 6 months to less than 2 years $ 350

Adults 2 years to 9 years

$ 200 Seniors 9+ years $ 70 * Buddy Adoption: If you adopt one more adult or senior dog at the same time, the adoption price of the buddy dog will be 40% off.

Reading Comprehension

1. According to the numbers provided and the pie chart, how many dogs were euthanized for aggressive behavior in the United States in 2019?

A680,000 B640,000 C268,000 D234,500

2. Why is it important for to-be adopters to research their lifestyles before adopting a dog?

ATo make sure they can find a compatible dog.

BTo help shelter workers screen the dogs.

CTo avoid the application and screening process.

DTo acquire a cute designer dog.

3. What does the author mean by saying “... if you don’t” in Lesson 2?

It means “If you don’t

4. According to the dogs’ body language chart, what message does the dog in this picture try to communicate to its owner?

5. Rosemary has decided to adopt Milo and Kitty, the files of which are presented as follows. According to the price chart, how much does Rosemary need to pay?

MILO (A536694) Male 1 year, 6 months old KITTY (A536719) Female 5 years old

Words and Idioms

1. adopt [E `dapt] v. 領養

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have no children of their own, so they adopted a baby girl last year.

2. shelter [`SHltP] n. 收容所；避難所

They opened a shelter to provide free housing and food for homeless people. 3. approximately [E ` praksEmItlI] adv. 大約

It is estimated that approximately 1,000 people attended the great man’s funeral. 4. significantly [sIg

` nIfEkEntlI] adv. 顯著地；相當地

With Jenny ’s help, my grades have improved significantly—from 38 to 83.

5. surroundings [sE ` raUndINz] n. 周遭環境

Sophia was well liked by her new colleagues and settled very well in her new surroundings. 6. breed [brid] n. 1（動物）品種 2（人）類型

My favorite breed of dog is Golden Retriever.

7. screening [` skrinIN] n. 篩檢；檢測

Cancer screening aims to detect cancer before symptoms appear. 8. anxiety [AN

` zaIEtI] n. 焦慮

Jason seems to feel a lot of anxiety about the presentation. He looks so nervous and worried.

9. schedule [` skHdZUl] n. 行程表；時刻表

The president has a super busy schedule. I’m wondering how much time she has to eat for lunch or dinner. 10. alert [E `lQt] n. 警戒狀態；警報

If a dog is on alert, its tail is held high up over the back and its eyes are wide open. 11. adolescent [cAdB` Hsnt] n. 青少年

Dave is 17 years old. As an adolescent, he is not as dependent on his parents as he used to be. 12. in advance (of...) ph. 提前；在⋯之前

You are advised to book the ticket weeks in advance because it sells out quickly.

Words for Recognition

★ cuddly adj. 可愛的；令人想抱的 ★ furry adj. 毛茸茸的 ★ euthanize v. 將⋯安樂死（euthanasia n. 安樂死） ★ to-be adj. 待成為⋯的 ★ temperament n. 性情 ★ buddy n. 夥伴

Vocabulary Exercises

I. Words in Context: Fill in each blank with a word or an idiom from the box. Change the word form if necessary.

anxiety adopt alert shelter significantly surroundings screening adolescent approximately breed schedule in advance

1. We’re already one month behind . I’m afraid we can’t meet the deadline. 2. Allison likes her new neighbor and adapts to the new quickly. 3. After undergoing a series of , the patient was diagnosed as kidney cancer. 4. I’ll make copies of the files so that the attendees can refer to them at the meeting. 5. There is growing public over levels of air pollution in central Taiwan. 6. This politician is a rare —he’s truly honest and decent. 7. The volunteers built a temporary for the earthquake victims. 8. You had better be on for anyone who looks suspicious.

II. Cloze Test: Choose the correct answer to each question.

Now you ’ ve decided to adopt a dog. But there are some important things you have to know 1. adoption. First, make sure your lifestyle and your living 2. are compatible with the dog. Say, if you are a retired stay-at-home senior citizen, you might not make the best companion to a very active German Shepherd. Second, be patient. When dogs are in the 3. , they are taken good care of by volunteers. So, when they move to a new environment with a new family, they will feel a lot of 4. . It takes a little time for them to get used to the new home—two or three weeks or so. You need to trust and bond with your dog. Third, know their language. Dogs do talk—not with words but with their action. Understanding their body language helps you react appropriately to their emotions and needs. Above all, when you take it home, you have to remember that it’s a lifelong commitment. Love it. Don’t abandon it. You will find that your life has been 5. changed by this cuddly furry ball of fun. 1. Aregardless of Bin advance of Con behalf of Dat the cost of 2. Adestinations Bsurroundings Cperspectives Dportions 3. Aschedule Bscreening Cshelter Dscandal 4. Aexistence Bgenerosity Cdiscrimination Danxiety 5. Aintently Bconventionally Csignificantly Dabsurdly