فرنلیش - fce listening about strange pets

1 The following animals can all be kept as pets. Look at the list then discuss the questions below.

Why do you think some people prefer these animals to more traditional types of pets?

2 You will hear an interview with a pet shop owner. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

Ants, spiders, snakes and rats may not sound like ideal house companions, but as Sally Jefferson can confirm, an increasing number of animal lovers in the Radio Carston area have taken to keeping them as pets. Sally is the owner of Animal Crackers, a large pet shop in the centre of Carston. Sally, why the move away from cats and dogs?
Well, primarily, I think the trend reflects changing lifestyles. Cats and dogs need a lot of looking after, whereas insects and spiders, for example, are very low-maintenance - they more or less take care of themselves. And that's perfect for busy working couples who are out of the home most of the day and can't afford to spend a great deal of time on the more traditional kinds of pets. And, er, and then of course, there's the so-called educational pet, ants in particular.
Yes, I was surprised to hear that you sell a lot of them in your shop.
That's right, leaf-cutter ants mostly.
You can create your own colony in an ant farm - that's a glass box like a big fish tank filled with clean sand or soil. You can watch them in their nest, digging tunnels and cutting leaves, all collaborating to achieve a common goal. It's a great lesson in the benefits of teamwork, especially for children. And for that reason a lot of parents come in and buy them.
And do the kids like them?
Yes, most do - after all, ants are fascinating creatures to watch close up. But of course, they're not furry or cuddly, and children can't interact with them in the same way that they can with a cat or a dog. If you pick them up or try to play with them, they can give you quite a nasty bite. So inevitably some children start to grow tired of them, pay less attention to them.
Right. And how about spiders? You were telling me before the programme that you sell tarantulas - can they be handled?
It's not advisable, but in this case it's more because of the risk involved to the tarantula than to the owner. They do bite, of course, and as we've seen in films sometimes with fatal results. But a bite from the species we sell is rather like being stung by a bee. No, the main problem is that they are fragile creatures and if they run around when they're on your hand or arm, there's a danger they'll fall off and hurt themselves very badly. So best not to get them out of their cage too often.
No, indeed. Now let's move on to another type of pet that seems to be in fashion these days -snakes. Do they need a lot of care and attention?
That really depends on the species you buy different species have different requirements. What's common to the com snakes and ball pythons that we sell is that they can sometimes go for months without eating. So, if you're going on holiday you don't have to worry about finding someone to feed them while you're away. However, it's important to realize that many snakes have a lifespan of more than twenty years- so you need to be aware that you are making a long-term commitment when you buy one.
And what sort of things do they eat?
Mice, mainly, and perhaps rats or even rabbits for some of the larger species. It's better lo give them pre¬killed animals, which can be bought frozen at reasonably little cost from pet stores. Besides being more humane for the mice and rats and so on, it's also safer for the snakes. A rat can seriously wound a snake when it's acting in seff-defence.
Interesting that you mention rats, because of course, they too are kept as pets nowadavs, aren't they?
That's right. They make very good pets and they don't bite quite as readily as most people think. You need to bear in mind, though, that they like being with other rats, so they really need to be kept in pairs or even groups and in a large cage, too. Technically, of course, they're nocturnal animals but they're very flexible creatures - they will adapt to their owners' schedules and are happy to come out and play when people are around during the day.
You don't feed them to the snakes, do you.Sally?
No, don't worry, we never do that ...

3 Do you think it's right to keep animals such as those mentioned in the listening as pets? Why/Why not?

Which pets have you owned? What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying the same animal?

1 The suffixes -ible and -able are used to form a number of adjectives; -ibly and -ably are used for corresponding adverb forms. Can you remember what the underlined word refers to in each of the following examples from the listening?

2 Add an appropriate prefix and/or suffix to the part of the word in bold in the sentences below. The completed word may be an adjective, an adverb or a noun. Nouns may be singular or plural. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Question No. / 11

0 This chair is a little uncomfortable . I'm going to sit somewhere else.

1 The weather here is predict : take an umbrella with you, just in case.

2 You can't touch your right elbow with your right hand. It's a physical poss .

3 I wouldn't say I was incredrich, but I'm certainly comfortwell-off.

4 The hotel management does not accept responsfor the loss of valu.

5 We'll have to walk to the village. It's accessto cars.

6 Her written work has improved considersince she started the course.

1 In Unit 2, you saw that if a verb follows a preposition, the gerund is used. Complete the gaps in these extracts from the listening with a preposition.

An increasing number of animal-lovers ... have taken to keeping them as pets.

If the subject of the gerund is different to the subject of the phrasal verb, a noun or an object pronoun is added.

3 A number of linking words also function as prepositions, and can be followed by gerunds.

Besides being more humane for the mice and rats and so on, it's also safer for the snakes.

David got to the interview on time, despite the bus breaking down on the way.

Read more about Prepositions with gerunds on pages 220-1 of the Grammar reference.

4 In 1-4, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given.

Question No. / 4

1 Paul eats lots of fried food, even though he knows it's very bad for his health.

UNHEALTHY

Paul eats lots of fried food, despite it is for him.

2 Although I threw away a lot of my old clothes, I still don't have much room in my wardrobe.

RID

In spite a lot of my old clothes, I still don't have much room in my wardrobe.

3 I decided not to drive to work, and went there by bus.

INSTEAD

I decided to get the bus to work there.

4 Sven missed the meeting because his flight was delayed by three hours.

RESULT

Sven missed the meeting as a delayed by three hours.