英语听力精选进阶版 6054（在线收听）

Dogs that can retrieve cash from ATMs and empty washing machines help disabled people lead more independent lives, but can they also help change disruptive teenagers' behaviour?

A unique TV experiment, "Dog House", follows five unruly youngsters as they're taught to become dog trainers. The idea is simple. Kids really like dogs. But can the skills involved in training them - patience, consistency, rewarding good behaviour – give these teenagers the discipline they need in their own lives?

The teens involved were put forward by local schools in West Sussex, who had run out of ideas of how to deal with them.

Liam was typical - 14 years old, sullen, aggressive, foul mouthed and about to be permanently excluded from school. Allie, Rob and Ellie, had similar problems – they couldn't concentrate, they didn't like being told what to do and they had serious anger problems. Katrina was different. She was so shy that she had developed agoraphobia, she suffered from depression and had taken herself out of mainstream education.

Gradually, working with the dogs began to have an impact on the kids. But, in order to fully appreciate the significance of what they were doing, they needed to meet the disabled people who benefited from having these dogs. The meetings had a profound impact on the teenagers. After meeting Eileen Hobson and her dog Sailor, Liam changed his ways and his unlikely friendship with severely disabled wheelchair user Eileen blossomed.

Two months into the course Liam began to connect with the dogs too - particularly a young yellow Labrador called Aero. The relationship flourished so much that the dog often knew instinctively what the teenager wanted him to do before he'd even asked. "He just knows," says Liam.

Liam's school noticed a huge change in his whole outlook. His teacher Nick Brown said "More than anything I see a confident and happy young man. It's been superb."

GLOSSARY 词汇表

ATMs 自动提款机

disabled people 残疾人

disruptive 调皮捣蛋的

unruly 任性的

dog trainers 训狗人

consistency 一贯性

discipline 纪律

put forward by 由…挑选出

to deal with 处理

sullen 阴沉的，不高兴

foul mouthed 满口脏话

permanently excluded (from school) 永远被驱逐出(学校)

being told what to do 受人教诲

agoraphobia 广场恐怖症 

taken herself out of 自我脱离某个地方

to fully appreciate 完全领悟

blossomed 开花，繁荣 （在文章中指两人成了好朋友）

flourished 蒸蒸日上

to connect with 和…达成了共鸣，有默契

knew instinctively 本能反应