ZOOS: ARE THEY GOOD FOR MAN OR BEAST? Do you believe that animals should be kept in zoos?
There are many people today who think they should not. In order to find out people’s opinions, we asked a group of 100 people, and we were surprised by the result. About fifty per cent thought it was good; thirty per cent thought they should be in wildlife parks and twenty per cent thought that wild animals should live only in the wild. Read the opinions of these people about keeping animals in zoos.
Woman: Yes, I think zoos are a good idea, because every¬one should know something about animals, and if animals aren’t kept in zoos, people can’t real¬ly learn anything about them. Well, only from the television, and that’s not the same, is it? Children can go to zoos in order to see what they’ve been learning about at school.
Man: Well, I’m not sure. I think we need zoos be¬cause people can only study wild animals when they’re in zoos, and we can learn so much from animals, don’t you think?
Teenage girl: What do I think about zoos? Gosh, I don’t know. Well, I think that, in order for us to learn about wild animals they must be kept in captivity of some kind, but it’s cruel to keep animals in small cages. Have you ever seen the lions and tigers in a zoo? They walk up and down, absolutely bored. No, I think that wildlife parks must be the best answer.
Old man: Em, no, I don’t agree with zoos. Wildlife parks? Well, I suppose they help to preserve natural conditions for the animals, but still, I’m not sure..
Young man: Oh no, I disagree with keeping animals in cap¬tivity, whether in zoos or wildlife parks. Ani¬mals should live in the wild if they were born in the wild. When they live in cages they become bored and they become even more dan¬gerous in a way.
Older woman: No, I don’t really agree with zoos or wildlife parks. I think the only animals which should be kept in captivity are small animals which can still run and climb. Oh, and, of course, if an animal is born in a zoo or a wildlife park, it should stay there because it could never live in the wild.
Task3.Give the Russian for the following phrases from the text (use your dictionary):
to find out people’s opinions; wildlife parks; to live in the wild; be kept in captivity; walk up and down; to preserve natural conditions; to become bored; to keep animals in cages.
Task4.Say whose point of view you support? Why?
Task5.Say whose point of view you disagree with? Why?
Task6. Complete the dialogue with these words and expres¬sions:
think, don't agree, my opinion, right, personally.
William: What do you ... about zoos?
Linda: In ... , they are a good thing. I’m for them.
William: Well, I ... . I’m against them. I don’t like to see animals in cages. ... I think zoos are bad for the animals and bad for us.
Linda: That’s not ... . They aren’t bad for the animals. Animals are aggressive. We have to put them in cages.
William: I ... . I ... animals like chimps and elephants can’t live a happy life in a cage.
Linda: That’s not ... . First, elephants don’t live in cages and, secondly, why don’t they escape all the time? In ... that’s because they are happy in zoos.
Task7.Match the words to the park symbol
Task8. Complete the sentences with one of the words given in the box.
skin, hole, web, claws, flock, trap, hive,
lead, net, kennel
1. There were so many mice in the house that we bad to buy a mouse
2. We collect honey from our bee ... .
3. There is a rabbit ... in the corner of the field.
4. Martin was wearing imitation snake ... boots.
5. Be careful! Our cat has very sharp ...!
6. As my dog is very big and disobedient, I keep it on a ... .
7. Our dog never got used to sleeping inits ... .
8. We had to sleep under a ... not to be bitten by mosquitoes.
9. A dirty black lamb was following the ... , baaing quietly.
10. An enormous black spider was spinning its ... across thewindow.
