【英语趣味课堂】狗狗们-Dogs

 Todd: Hello, Matt!

Matt: Hello, Todd!

 

Todd: Matt, I'm going to ask you some questions about pets.

 

Matt: OK.

 

Todd: First question, do you have a pet?

 

Matt: Yes, my pet at my mom's house we have three pets; two dogs and a cat. My family actually raises dogs for helping¹ blind people.

 

Todd: Oh, really?

 

Matt: Yeah.

 

Todd: Wow, like how do they train the dogs?

 

Matt: How do they train the dogs? Well, I mean it's a long process right? We get them when they're puppies² and so we train them basic. You know, sit, come... really basic things. Then after they're about two year old they go to a different training school.

 

Todd: Oh, wow. That's great!

 

Matt: Yeah!

 

Todd: Well, how many dogs do they usually train at a time?

 

Matt: Oh, just one. We have our own dog and then we have a dog that we have that we are training.

 

Todd: Oh, OK.

 

Matt: Yeah, just one dog at a time.

 

Todd: Do you ever see the dogs you trained like out on the street or anything?

 

Matt: Sometimes we see them. They'll have like sort of conventions³ of reunions of the pets. Yeah, you get to see them every once in awhile.

 

Todd: Oh, wow! That's cool. Why do people keep pets?

 

Matt: I guess the most important thing is companionship, right? So there is always somebody there for you that will like you no matter what.

 

Todd: Yeah, that's true. OK. Besides cats, dogs and fish, what are some other pets people keep?

 

Matt: Well, I guess if you are Siegfried and Roy you can keep a tiger or lion. I guess all types of things don't they?

 

Todd: Yeah.

 

Matt: I mean, my friend has a snake. I don't know if you mention that snake, ferrets and insects, spiders...

 

Todd: OK.

 

Matt: All kinds of things.

 

Todd: All right. Yeah, like there is so many. What are some costs associated with keeping a pet?

 

Matt: Food is probably the biggest cost. But also if you keep the dog, particularly a dog in your house when they are puppies and we have a lot of puppies they'll chew up everything they can so we're constantly replacing shoes and you know, cleaning up pee from the carpet and things like that. It can be a hassle.

 

Todd: Yeah, OK. Thanks a lot Matt. By the way, where are you from?

 

Matt: I'm from the U.S.A., from Minnesota.

 

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

raise (dogs)

My family actually raises dogs for helping blind people.

To 'raise' a dog means to care for a dog from the time they are very young until they are mature. Notice the following:

 

It is easy to raise your children in the suburbs⁴.

We used to raise chickens a few years ago.

training school

Sometimes, they train the dogs in a training school.

To 'train' an animal is to teach it to act the way you want it to.  Animals learn these things at a training school. Notice the following:

 

Most people send their dogs to training school.

He trained his dog to roll over.

keep pets

Why do you think people keep pets?

To 'keep' a pet to is have an animal that lives in your house that you care for.  Notice the following:

 

We kept rabbits as pets for a long time.

Would you ever keep a pet snake?

associated with or biggest cost

What would you say is the biggest cost associated with keeping a pet?

The 'biggest cost' refers to the most expensive part of something.  Notice the following:

 

For most people the biggest cost associated with having a car is the gasoline⁵.

What's the biggest cost associated with having a house?

hassle

Cleaning up pee and things like that can be a hassle.

A hassle is a difficult or frustrating⁶ task.  Notice the following:

 

Planning parties can be a big hassle.

Is it a hassle to give me a ride home?

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 puppies   

n.（常指不满一岁的）小狗(puppy的复数)；小狗，幼犬( puppy的名词复数 )；浅薄自负的年轻男子

参考例句：

• a litter of puppies 一窝小狗
• The bitch bore six puppies. 母狗生了六只小狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 conventions   

（某一职业、政党等的人士召开的）大会( convention的名词复数 )； 协议； 习俗； （美国）全国代表大会

参考例句：

• They broke away from conventions. 他们打破了常规。
• They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary. 他们不顾社会习俗，并未意识到自己在做些与众不同的事。

4 suburbs   

n.郊区，城郊( suburb的名词复数 )；四乡；隧；四郊

参考例句：

• The poor suburbs traditionally formed the bedrock of the party's support. 贫穷的郊区在传统上构成了支持该党的牢固基础。
• The new college will be located in the suburbs. 这所新建的学院将设在郊区。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gasoline   

n.(美)汽油

参考例句：

• This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里。
• There is still some gasoline left in the tank.油箱里还剩下一些汽油。

6 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》