1. Pet-keeping is a time-honored tradition. One of the reasons for people to raise dogs or cows was usefulness. While people in the past hunted animals and kept them in their backyards, the civilised man today is less cruel towards them and is less exploitative(利用的).
2. We keep animals as pets because they are attractive. We all have the urge to possess something that has aesthetic（审美的）value, and this is why we treasure paintings or fine furniture. Keeping pets is one form of this urge. A Siamese cat in the house can be a decorative object. Pets are playful animals and they amuse us. A little rabbit amuses us by its playful and lively runs.
3. Many parents find it helpful to have pets in the house for their children. Having pets is an excellent way of developing in children the love of animals and responsibility. Children get the opportunity to take on full responsibility for another creature’s life. It will be an educational experience for a child to watch the natural life cycle of an animal. There are psychological benefits for children. Pets are welcome friends for children who are lonely. Pets are excellent companions. Keeping pets means giving love and being loved. We find comfort in giving care and receiving care in return. We get pleasure from their appearance and their behavior.
4. As more people move into apartments, there are limitations on keeping of animals like dogs and monkeys. Therefore, caged animals have increased in popularity. Birds fall into this group. We keep them for their beautiful songs and feathers. Fish-keeping is a widespread hobby and the keeper can observe their behavior in the glass tank and study its entire life cycle. The cat is a fine house pet and it fits neatly into human habitation(居住地) without requiring its own cage. They are wonderful hunters, if there are rats around.
5. Pets satisfy man’s desire to care for a bit of nature. The pet owner has the responsibility for supplying those needs that nature provides. Pets are amusing and entertaining, but we are in a way doing animals harm by making them live in a human environment. Are we not enslaving(奴役)them?
| A．Adults keep pets with their children. |
| B．Pet-keeping has a very long history. |
| C．Pet-keeping may do harm to animals. |
| D．People keeps pets for their aesthetic need. |
| E．Caged pets become increasingly popular. |
| F．Pet-keeping is helpful for children’s growth. |
2 . Some parents said that they had difficulty in getting along with their children. I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are holding firmly at one another’s hands for reassurance.
They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up crowded round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or actin g in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come — with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts.
1. In this passage, the author wants to tell______.| A．teenagers to try to decide things for themselves |
| B．readers to try to be popular with people around |
| C．parents to try to control and guide their children |
| D．people to try to understand and respect each other |
| A．There is no popularity that really counts. |
| B．It is not good for a teenager to disagree with his or her classmates. |
| C．What many parents are doing is helping their children to go on their own ways. |
| D．Most teenagers claim to do whatever they want, but they are actually doing the same. |
