084　animals

Words
Wild domesticated bear wolf elephant giraffe whale shark snake monkey rat mouse rabbit panda cow sheep pig horse tiger dragon phoenix chicken bird lizard

Phrases
Conduct animal experiments
Keep an animal in a zoo
Cause a species to die out
Become extinct / endangered
Protect a species
Breed animals (for food)

Beginner
A: I was just watching a documentary on tv about people us dogs for various purpose. It was very interesting.
B: I love dogs. They have been used as guards for centuries. Nowadays, they are often used to find illegal drugs and bombs by the police and customs officers.
A; the documentary also pointed out that they are used by shepherds to round up sheep and by rescue workers to find people trapped under rubble or snow.
B; horses are useful to people too. We use them for sports and recreation.
A: don’t forget that horses are still used in many countries to pull ploughs and carts.
B: can you ride a horse?
A: yes, I can. I don’t ride regularly though. How about you?
B: I can ride too. Perhaps we could go horse riding together at the weekend?
A: what a good idea!

Intermediate
A; what do you think of the way people use and treat animals?
B: I think most people treat animals well, but we are often cruel to animals. When we raise animals for food, the conditions they live in are often poor.
A; perhaps people should stop eating animals. We could grow more crops.
B; what would you do with all the animas? You couldn’t just let them go. Besides, some people would still hunt them. Meat has become an integral part of our diet.
A; we could provide them with better conditions anyway. We should certainly try to improve the conditions at zoos. We should try to recreate the natural conditions as much as possible.
B: that’s true. I think zoo are a good idea, because they allow people to get close to animals. I think it’s good for kids to see wild animals.
A; I agree. I’m an adult and I love going to the zoo. I don’t like animals experiments though. I believe that we can do tests in other ways.
B; I read that the number of animals being used in experiments is falling dramatically as new techniques are being introduced.
A: that’s good news. The good thing is that most people treat their pets well.
B; sometimes you read about people who have been cruel to pets or other animals, but those stories are rare.
A: have you every given money to any of the charities that take care of animals.
B: yes, I have. They do an excellent job.