文章大意:本文是一篇记叙文。主要讲述了非营利组织Pet Partners通过将人类和宠物组成团队提供动物援助,来自俄亥俄州的Juanita Mengel与治疗猫Lola Pearl成为伙伴,从中受益。
Every day Juanita Mengel, a 67-year-old woman from the state of Ohio, wakes up and puts on her prosthetic (假体的) leg.
Then, Mengel does the same for Lola-Pearl, her five-year-old cat. Lola-Pearl also missed her back left leg. Mengel has many cats. Most of them have disabilities. But Lola-Pearl is special. She is a therapy (治疗) cat. And, she and Mengel are partners of a kind. They are among 200 therapy cat teams registered in the United States by the non-profit group, Pet Partners.
The group helps humans and pets alike by setting them up into teams to provide animal-assisted (帮助) therapy. The teams visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools and assist those in need. Besides dogs and cats, Pet Partners registers other species as therapy animals, including horses, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, birds and mini pigs.
Taylor Griffin is national director at Pet Partners. She said, “Therapy animals are animals who’ve been gauged whether they are suitable for assisting some people, and are based on their ability to meet new people and enjoy the process.”
Mengel said Lola-Pearl showed signs that she would make a good therapy cat soon after the animal joined her family. “I just knew she would be a good therapy because she was so good with people. People really were attracted to her, too,” Mengel said.
Mengel was a traveling nurse when she was in a car accident that almost killed her. One of her legs could not be saved. Later, she connected with a friend in the state of Missouri who had a severely injured kitten. The cat’s legs were twisted together. An animal medical specialist worked to repair the damage, but in the end, they had to remove one of the baby cat’s legs. That kitten was Lola-Pearl.
Mengel took Lola-Pearl as her cat after talking with her friend. Despite the difficulties Mengel has faced, she is grateful to Lola-Pearl and their work in Pet Partners.
“It’s a really rewarding experience,” she said. “I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit.”
4. What can we know about Pet Partners?
A.It mainly provides animal-assisted therapy. | B.It is a non-profit group founded by Taylor Griffin. |
C.It only offers help to patients in hospitals. | D.It doesn’t register birds as therapy animals. |
5. What does the underlined word “gauged” mean in paragraph 4?
A.Guessed. | B.Designed. | C.Explained. | D.Measured. |
6. How did Juanita Mengel get to know Lola-Pearl?
A.By working in Pet Partners. | B.Through one of her friends. |
C.By repairing Lola-Pearl’s leg. | D.Through moving to Missouri. |
7. Which of the following can best describe Juanita Mengel?
A.Optimistic and helpful. | B.Proud and humorous. |
C.Talkative and thoughtful. | D.Honest and talented. |