Animals

Ever since true humans appeared on Earth, they have lived in close association with animals. They needed animals for tasks that required strength and speed. People depended on animals for food and clothing, but they also found a source of pleasure and spiritual strength in the animal life.

Humans domesticated some animals for food, clothing, power and companionship. Through protection and selective breeding people changed early domesticated forms into highly productive dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Bull despite the domestication of many species, we still depend on wild animals for food and clothing. Besides, a lot of animals arc used for medical research. In addition, wild animals provide recreation in the form of hunting, bird watching, and visits to zoos and wildlife reserves.

Unfortunately, unmanaged commercial exploitation has driven some species of wild animals to the edge of extinction. For example, 143 elephants are slaughtered in Africa every day to get ivory. At this rate, they'll be wiped out in 25 years. What can we do to help animals survive? First of all, environmental organizations must analyse the consequences of humans' actions. Besides, people should create nature reserves for wild animals and birds. And of course, we must take care of those animals that are around us. There are a lot of abandoned animals in cities and towns, because their owners got rid of them. We must build and run animal shelters where neglected animals can find safety, food and veterinary care.

Nowadays a lot of people keep pets at home. A pet is a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than utility. Domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs make good pets because they have been bred for thousands of years to coexist with humans.

Some people keep exotic pets like snakes, lizards or wild cats. Of course, exotic pets are fascinating and beautiful to watch. However, very often people keep exotic pets only in order to look extraordinary. They regard them as a status symbol. But captivity is not natural for wild animals. It is a constant stress to them, so they may become very aggressive as they get older. Besides, wild animals need to be examined by a vet with special knowledge and training in wildlife medicine. That's why it's not desirable to keep exotic animals as pets.

To sum up, we can say that for centuries animals have been our friends and companions, and we must do our best to ensure that this coexistence will continue in the future.

1. What is the role of animals in people's lives? 2. What did people use animals for in the past? 3. What do they use them fog now? 4. Why do people keep pets at home? 5. What animals make good pets? 6. Why do people keep exotic pets? 7. Is it dangerous to keep exotic pets? Why? 8. Would you like to keep a pet? Why? 9. How can we help animals?

Trees

Trees are amongst the biggest and longest-living things on Earth, some dating back longer than the oldest buildings. Trees are one of the most valuable parts of the environment. People like trees for a lot of reasons.

As well as being nice to look at, trees also play an important role in improving the quality of our life. They offer shade and shelter, which in turn reduces the amount of energy needed to heat and cool nearby buildings. They also give us a lot of fruit to eat and the place for children to play. Besides they remove impurities from the air we breathe.

Urban trees are especially important because for many people they provide the only daily contact with the natural world. What's more, urban trees also provide a home for birds, small animals and butterflies. Without the trees we would lose the pleasure of seeing these creatures in our cities.

Regrettably, however, trees in cities are now coming under | threat. There is a limit to the level of pollution they can put up with, and down at street level their roots are being seriously disturbed by digging needed to make a way for modern telephone, television and other cables.

On a world-wide scale forests help to slow down the effects of global warming by using up the gas known as carbon dioxide and giving out the oxygen we need to breathe. The world's largest rainforests (in Brazil, Africa and South East Asia) supply about 80 percent of the oxygen for the world's fresh air.

Rainforests also give us thousands of valuable wild plants. One square kilometre of rainforests sometimes contains 250 different types of plants, including 125 different trees. These plants and trees are valuable because scientists use them to make a lot of medicines.

Unfortunately, every year an area of rainforest as big as England and Wales disappears. Large companies cut down the trees for valuable hardwood and for wood for making paper. There are also forest fires. This breaks the ecological balance and deprives lots of animals of places to live. Every day about 50 kinds of rainforest plants and animals become extinct. Whole systems of plant and animal life are disappearing forever.

If nothing is done about it, soon there will be very few trees and animals on Earth. Environmental protection is more than just picking up litter. We must take into consideration all factors that people's survival depends upon.

 

 

1. Why do people like trees? 2. Why are trees one of the most valuable parts of the environment? 3. How can trees and wild plants help to cure people? 4. What is happening to rainforests now? 5. Are trees in cities in safety now? Why? 6. How does the disappearance of forests influence animals and birds? 7. What can people do to protect plant and animal life?