Extra reading. Amazing Animals. Read the text and do the tasks below.

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1 Extra reading Read the text and do the tasks below. Amazing Animals Animals now help humans in so many ways that go beyond their traditional functions as agricultural beasts of burden or for transportation. They increasingly help in urban and domestic environments. For example, the systematic training of guide dogs began in Germany during World War I to assist blinded veterans. In the late 1920s, Swiss-based American dog-trainer Dorothy Eustis heard of the programme and wrote an article about it. With the help of Morris Frank, she established the Seeing Eye training school in the USA in The practice of training guide dogs quickly spread around the world. The puppies are usually bred for the purpose by the organizations that train the dogs. The German shepherd, Labrador, Golden retriever, and Labrador-golden retriever crosses are the most widely used breeds since they possess the intelligence, calm temperament, physical attributes and natural desire to be helpful that their tasks require. Puppies usually spend their first year with foster families who socialize them and prepare them for more advanced training by teaching them basic obedience. At the age of about 18 months, the dogs begin formal training, which lasts from three to five months. During this time the dogs learn to walk with a harness, stop at roadside curbs, estimate the human partner s height if approaching low overhead structures, and even disobey a command if it would endanger the person. They are further trained to negotiate unexpected obstacles safely, and even to assess changes to their normal routes, such as temporary roadworks, new buildings or altered road layouts. More recently, hearing dogs have also become common. These animals, usually mixed-breeds rescued from animal shelters, are trained to alert their human partners to sounds such as an alarm clock or timer, a child s cry, or a ringing telephone. They alert their owners by touching them with a paw and leading them to the source of the sound. They are also trained to recognize danger signals such as fire alarms and the sounds of intruders. In these cases, they lie down in an alert position, giving the human partner an opportunity to take any necessary action. A dog s uncanny senses have also been of great assistance to those in need. Some dogs are trained to detect the presence of cancer by smell. Others are used to alert their human partners to the symptoms of, say, an approaching epileptic seizure or a drop in a diabetic s blood-sugar levels. The dog then touches an alarm to alert their owner or summon help. This sort of behaviour is second nature to canines. As any dog owner will know, their pets are highly aware of the slightest changes in their environments, particularly in the movements of their human companions, even when the animals appear to be dozing. Tony Cutler och Gleerups Utbildning AB. 1

2 For those who are allergic to dog hairs, salvation comes in the form of miniature horses that are able to help humans in similar ways. Small monkeys are very useful thanks to their motor skills. They are excellent at fetching, picking up dropped articles, moving items, switching lights and other electrical equipment on or off all invaluable assets to someone with mobility impairing diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Outside the domestic sphere, working animals continue to herd sheep, pull sleds and carry loads in mountainous regions. Even large horse breeds that were being phased out thanks to mechanisation have been making a comeback. In forest areas where low-impact alternatives are preferable to the overly destructive use of heavy machinery, trained horses and their handlers extract timber while doing minimal damage to the environment. Dogs are widely used by police and security forces in sniffing out explosives, drugs or escaped criminals. Seals and dolphins are trained by navies as part of protecting ships and harbours. They do this by, for example, detecting mines and recovering equipment in deep water. In agriculture, insects pollinate plants, fertilise the land, and keep ecosystems in balance. For example, snakes keep populations of rodents and insects in check and help protect human health. (If you don t like the idea of snakes doing such a valuable job, then horses come to our rescue in helping produce antidotes to snake venom.) So delicate are these ecosystems that humans have to be careful not to create imbalances by deliberately or accidentally importing non-native species into environments where they take over habitats and push out other animals. There is also a possibility that modern agricultural techniques could be harming bee populations, for example, which could have a catastrophic effect on plant pollination. Certain animals are suited to giving us early warnings of damage to the environment. Frogs are noted for being the first animals affected in an unhealthy ecosystem, just as the demise of caged canaries warned miners of deadly build-ups of gas. The converse is that if you have plenty of healthy frogs around, your natural surroundings are doing well. In addition to the work of helping humans, animal have also provided inspiration. Leonardo da Vinci studied birds, bats and insects, making numerous observations and sketches as he dreamt of building an ornithopter, a machine that flew with the help of flapping wings, though lack of lift-off proved an insuperable obstacle at the time. Modern aviation experts are certain his ornithopter was capable of sustained flight once underway. Even in the modern era when the problem of getting airborne has been solved and then some aviation experts have been continually challenged by the tight and finely calculated manoeuvrings of insects or hummingbirds to build aircraft that mimic those movements. Inspiration extends beyond the mechanical and utilitarian. Certain animals are such good companions for humans because they seem so cheerful, spontaneous, Tony Cutler och Gleerups Utbildning AB. 2

3 stoical and forgiving. They demand that we pay attention to their moods. They express loss, sadness or a need directly and openly, and their expressions of happiness are a joy to behold. Oppressed as we often are by the circumstances of modern life, animals provide us with evidence of another perspective. Just watch a dog roll on the lawn, its legs in the air, barking at the sky, and try to keep a straight face. These animals are not upset by the state of the economy or past relationships. What matters is the here and now. That is why domestic pets make such great companions for those suffering from depression or similar conditions. Word list beasts of burden animals that carry heavy weights urban of town or city domestic adj - home blinded wounded and made blind/sightless veterans ex-members of the military breed (breed, bred, bred) produce, generate crosses mixed-breeds breeds types of an animal (for example: Alsatian, labrador, dalmatian) temperament nature, character attributes qualities, abilities socialize adapt to the social environment obedience willingness to do what one is told harness straps that allow a human to control an animal s movements curb edge of a pavement beside a road disobey refuse to do what one is told/ordered to do endanger put in danger negotiate here walk around assess recognise and evaluate altered changed hearing dogs dogs that hear for owners with poor hearing alert verb warn paw the foot of a dog, cat, etc. source origin, place from where something comes intruder people who go where they are not welcome or allowed alert adj ready uncanny here unusual, exceptional summon call second nature natural, elementary doze sleep lightly salvation rescue motor skills ability to carry out (carefully judged) movements fetch go and bring back invaluable precious, beyond price asset here aid, benefit, resource mobility impairing movement preventing/ restricting domestic sphere home environment herd verb drive and gather in one place sled vehicle pulled by dogs etc. on snow or ice phase out put out of service preferable to be preferred overly excessively, extremely handler person who controls an animal extract take out sniff out discover by using smell recover get/take back pollinate cause a plant/flower to be able to produce seed by adding or bringing pollen to it fertilise add natural material to the land that helps plants grow rodents animals such as mice and rats in check under control, within limits antidote a substance that stops a poison working in a body venom poison (especially one that is put in place by a delivery system, such as a snake s fangs) species (sing and plur) group of animals or plants of the same kind habitat area where animals etc. live demise here death caged locked in cages canary small, colourful tropical bird kept as pets in the West converse opposite lack of absence of, inability to get lift-off take-off insuperable unable to be solved/overcome, unconquerable sustained continuous once here from the moment that underway here in the air, flying, moving, airborne in the air, aloft, flying and then some and much more than that manoeuvrings controlled movements mimic imitate utilitarian useful stoical patient behold see, witness Tony Cutler och Gleerups Utbildning AB. 3

4 12 questions Choose the right answers a, b or c. 1 Guide dogs were first used to assist. a) former soldiers injured in WW1 b) blind Swiss soldiers c) military handlers searching for the enemy 2 When choosing dogs to be seeing eye companions. a) any breed will do b) only the most intelligent will do c) animals with calm temperaments are most valuable 3 Guide dogs need to be intelligent enough to. a) be disobedient b) assess risks independently c) take any route through or round a structure 4 If a hearing dog notices an intruder, it will. a) attack b) touch them with a paw c) adopt a particular position 5 Some dogs can. a) sense changes in people with medical problems b) diagnose medical conditions by smell c) raise the morale of people with illnesses 6 Monkeys are helpful in situations where. a) people are clumsy b) fine motor skills are useful c) blind people need to be led from place to place Tony Cutler och Gleerups Utbildning AB. 4

5 7 Working horses are used where. a) farmers can t afford expensive machinery b) smaller amounts of heavier items need to be moved c) farmers want to make a less destructive impact on forests or fields 8 Introducing new species or technology into an area can. a) upset the eco-balance b) help kill off rodents c) keep down populations of undesirable animals 9 Animals sometimes warn humans of unhealthy environments by. a) making a lot of noise b) moving away c) dying 10 The main problem for Leonardo s ornithopter was. a) how to keep flying once airborne b) getting off the ground c) landing safely 11 Animals provide humans with inspiration and hope through their habit of. a) living in the moment b) showing empathy c) always being playful 12 Animals can assist humans with mental and emotional problems by. a) entertaining them b) not brooding on the bad times c) never judging them Tony Cutler och Gleerups Utbildning AB. 5