英语高级口语教程

Lesson1

DoesTelevisionPlayaPositiveor

NegativeRoleintheModernSociety?

Text

DotheAdvantagesofTelevisionOutweightheDisadvantages?

Televisionisnowplayingaveryimportantpartinourlife.Buttelevision,likeother

things,hasbothadvantagesanddisadvantages.Dotheformeroutweighthelatter?

Inthefirstplace,televisionisnotonlyaconvenientsourceofentertainment,but

alsoacomparativelycheapone.Forafamilyoffour,forexample,itismoreconvenient

aswellascheapertositcomfortablyathome,withalmostunlimitedentertainmentavailable,

thantogooutinsearchofamusementelsewhere.Theydonothavetopayforexpensiveseats

atthetheatre,thecinema,ortheopera,onlytodiscover,perhaps,thattheshowis

disappointing.

Al1theyhavetodoispressabutton,andtheycanseeplays,films,operas,andshows

ofeverykind,nottomentionpoliticaldiscussionsandthelatestexcitingfootballmatch.

Somepeople,however,maintainthatthisispreciselywherethedangerlies.Thetelevision

viewertakesnoinitiative.Hemakesnochoiceandexercisesnojudgment.Heiscompletely

passiveandhaseverythingpresentedtohimwithoutanyeffortonhispart.

Television,itisoftensaid,keepsoneinformedaboutcurrentevents,allowsoneto

followthelatestdevelopmentsinscienceandpolitics,andoffersanendlessseriesof

programmeswhicharebothinstructiveandentertaining.Themostdistantcountriesandthe

strangestcustomsarebroughtrightintoone'ssitting-room.Itcouldbearguedthatthe

radioperformsthisservicejustaswe11;butontelevisioneverythingismuchmoreliving,

muchmorereal.Yethereagainthereisadanger.Wegetsousedtolookingatit,sodependent

onitsflickeringpictures,thatitbeginstodominateourlives.

Therearemanyotherargumentsforandagainsttelevision.Thepoorqualityofits

programmesisoftencriticized.Butitisundoubtedlyagreatcomforttomanylonelyelderly

people.Anddoesitcorruptorinstructourchildren?Ithinkwemustrealizethattelevision

initselfisneithergoodnorbad.Itistheusestowhichitisputthatdetermineits

valuetosociety.

II.Read

Readthefollowingpassages.Underlinetheimportantviewpointwhilereading.

1.WhyWatchTelevision?

Matthew:Televisionisundoubtedlyagreatinvention,butoneofthemainyou'vecriticisms

ofitisthatpeoplejustaren'tselectiveenough.Lesley,gotatelevision;how

doyoupickoutthesortsofprogrammesyouwanttowatch?

Lesley:Itryandlookattheprogrammesthatareontodecidewhichparticularonesinterest

me,ratherthanyouturningitonasevenoJclockandyouleavingitonuntil

half-pastelevenwhentheprogrammesfinish.

Matthew:Doyouthinkoftelevisionthoughasagreattime-waster?

Lesley:Un...Ithinkitcanbeatime-wasteranditdependsonhowparticularpeopleare

aboutwhattheywanttosee…Mm,itcanjustbeasortoftotalamusementforsomeone

andtotallyconsumingwithoutreallyconsideringwhatitisthey*rewatching.

Matthew:Aha,buthowdoyoupreventitcomingintoyourlifeandtakingoveryourevenings

andatthesametimeperhapsget...getoutofthetelevisionsomeofthesort

ofbestthings...bestprogrammesthat...thatundoubtedlyareontelevision?

Lesley:Well,Isupposeoneoftheproblemsis...willdependonwhataperson'slifestyle

is,andthatifhehasotheroutsideinterestswhichareequallyimportanttohim

astelevision,hewillthen,youknow,mm...bemorecarefulaboutwhichprogrammes

hewantstowatchbecausehehastimewhichhewantstouseforotherthings.

Matthew:Doyouthinkthoughthat...thatin...inasensetelevisionhaski1ledpeople*s

owner...sortof,creativityortheirabilitytoentertainthemselvesbecauseif

they'reboredalltheydoisjustturnonthetelevision?

Lesley:Yes,Ithinkthatisadanger,andIthinkthat..infactiswhatishappeningto

alotofpeoplewhouseitastheir…theirmain...umfieldofamusementand

becausetheydonthaveotheroutsideinterestsandevenwhenpeoplecomeround

they*11leavethetelevisiononandnotbe,youknow,particularlyinterestedin

talkingtothem,youknowthetelevisionwillbethemainthingintheroom.

Matthew:Peter,haveyougotatelevision?

Peter:Ihave,infactI'vegottwotelevisions.

Matthew:Doyouwatchthemalot?

Peter:Er...noI...Iwatchveryseldomer...Infact,IfindthatIwatchtelevision

mostwhenI'mmostbusy,whenI'mworkinghardestandIneedsomesortofpassive

wayofrelaxing,somethingwhichrequiresnothingofme,thenIwatchtelevision

alot.WhenI'vegotmoreenergyleft...um...inmyownprivatetime,inmyfree

time,thenIfindIdomoredifferentthings.Idothingslikeumreading,orgoing

out,orworkingonanything...myhobbies.

Matthew:Doyouthinkthoughthatpeoplecanliveaperfectlyhappylifeiftheyhaven't

gotatelevision?

Peter:Ohyes,Ithinkpeoplewhodon'thaveatelevisionorpeoplewhoentertainment.

Don'twatchtelevisioncanbeexpectedtobemorehappy.YoucanassumeIthink

iftheyneverwatchtelevisiontheyarehappierpeoplethanthepeoplewhowatch

alotoftelevision,becauseIthinkthattelevisiongoeswiththekindof1ife

whichleavesyouwithnothingtospare,nothingleft,youhavetobegivenpotted,

passiveentertainment.

Matthew:Butinthatcaseyou...youseemasthoughyou'recompletelyagainsttelevision,

isthattrue?

Peter:No,it'snot.I...Ihaveatelevisioninfact,IhavetwoasIsaid,buterI...

I...Ithinkthere，sadilemma,adifficultsituation.Televisioninitselfisvery

good;a...alotoftheinformationandalotoftheprogrammesareveryinstructive,

theyintroduceyoutothingsyoumayneverhavethoughtofbeforeorneverhave

heardaboutbefore.Butinwatching,itmakesyouverypassive;yousitforhour

afterhourandyougetveryreceptiveandveryunquestioninganditseemstome

theimportantthinginlifeistobeactive,to...todothings,tothinkthings

andtobeascreativeaspossible,andtelevisionpreventsthis.

2.ChildrenandTelevision

Housewife:WhatdoIthinkoftelevision?Um,um,well,um,itkeepsthefamilyathome,

thekidsdon，tgooutatnightsomuchnow,theycomestraightinfromschool

mostofthem,theyruninandstraight,wellthetelevision'sonwhentheycome

in,Iwatchitmyselfduringtheafternoon.Er,wellit'scompanyreallyand,

er,we11,thenthekidscomehome,theyeattheirtea,Ihavenotroublewith

themeatingtheirteabecausetheyjust

well,theydon，tevenlookatwhattheyeat,theyjustsitdownand,erm,they

eatitandtheyliketheprogrammesand,anditkeepsthemquietwhileI'mcooking

theteafortheirdadwhenhecomeshomeanhourlaterandteaisreadywhenthe

newsisonwhenhecomesin,and,erandthenewsisonorperhapsthefootbal1

matchorsomething,er,theyhavetobequietthen,they'renotveryinterested

inthatthemselves,theylikethecartoonsandthingsbut,em,yeah,well,Ithink

television，sgreat,er,wegetonmuchbetterinthehousenow,um,well,we've

gotthingstotalkabout,erm,youknow,ifImissaprogramme,er,ifI'mcooking

orsomethinginthekitchen,Imissabitofwhat*sgoingon,ImeanIhavethe

dooropensoIcanhear,butifImissabitthentheywilltel1me,andthen

perhapslaterorperhapsthenextdaywe，11haveachataboutit,youknow.It

givesussomethingtotalkaboutreally.Um,Idon，tthinkithurtsthekids,

Idon'tthinkit'saproblem,youknow,like,er,itstopsthem,makestheireyes

gofunnyorsomething,Idon，tthinkit'saproblemlikethat.Idon'tthink

it'saproblematall.They've...they*velearnedalotfromtelevision,Ithink,

they，realwayspipingupwithquestionsandlearningalotfromthetelevision.

3.TelevisionIsDoingIrreparableHarm

“Yes,butwhatdidweusetodobeforetherewastelevision?”Howoftenwehearstatements

likethisTelevisionhasn'tbeenwithusallthatlong,butwearealreadybeginningto

forgetwhattheworldwaslikewithoutit.Beforeweadmittedtheone-eyedmonsterinto

ourhomes,weneverfounditdifficulttooccupyoursparetime.

Weusedtoenjoycivilizedpleasures.Forinstance,weusedtohavehobbies,weused

toentertainourfriendsandbeentertainedbythem,weusedtogooutsideforouramusements

totheatres,cinemas,restaurantsandsportingevents.Weevenusedtoreadbooksandlisten

tomusicandbroadcasttalksoccasionally.Allthatbelongstothepast.Nowallourfree

timeisregulatedbythegogglebox.Werushhomeorgulpdownourmealstobeintimefor

thisorthatprogramme.

Wehaveevengivenupsittingattableandhadingaleisurelyeveningmeal,exchanging

thenewsoftheday.Asandwichandaglassofbeerwi11do-anything,providingitdoesn't

interferewiththeprogramme.Themonsterdemandsandobtainsabsolutesilenceandattention.

Ifanymemberofthefamilydarestoopenhismouthduringaprogramme,heisquickly

silenced.

Wholegenerationsaregrowingupaddictedtothetelly.Foodisleftuneaten,homework

undoneandsleepislost.Thetellyisauniversalpacifier.Itisnowstandardpractice

formothertokeepthechildrenquietbyputtingthemintheliving-roomandturningon

theset.Itdoesn，tmatterthatthechildrenwillwatchrubbishycommercialsorspectacles

ofsadismandviolence-solongastheyarequiet.

Thereisalimittotheamountofcreativetalentavailableintheworld.Everyday,

televisionconsumesvastquantitiesofcreativework.Thatiswhymostoftheprogrammes

aresobad:itisimpossibletokeeppacewiththedemandandmaintainhighstandardsas

well.Whenmillionswatchthesameprogrammes,thewholeworldbecomesavillage,andsociety

isreducedtotheconditionswhichobtaininpre-literatecommunities.Webecomeutterly

dependentonthetwomostprimitivemediaofcommunication:picturesandthespokenword.

Televisionencouragespassiveenjoyment.Webecomecontentwithsecond-hand

experiences.Itissoeasytositinourarmchairswatchingothersworking.Littlebylittle,

televisioncutsusofffromtherealwor1d.Wegetsolazy,wechoosetospendafineday

insemi-darkness,gluedtooursets,ratherthangooutintotheworlditself.Television

maybeasplendidmediumofcommunication,butitpreventsusfromcommunicatingwitheach

other.Weonlybecomeawarehowtotallyirrelevanttelevisionistoreallivingwhenwe

spendaholidaybytheseaorinthemountains,farawayfromcivilization.Inquiet,natural

surroundings,wequicklydiscoverhowlittlewemissthehypnotictyrannyofKingTelly.

4.TelevisionIsGoodforPeople

TVmaybeavitalfactorinholdingafamilytogetherwherethereare,forexample,

economicproblemsandhusbandandwifeseematbreakingpoint.Thedangerousinfluenceis

surelynomorethanwhatallofusareexposedtoeveryday...inadvertising,inthe

press.

Primaryandsecondaryeducationhaveimprovedoutofallrecognitionsincethearrival

ofTVinthehomeandthisisnotonlybecauseofprogrammesdesignedforschools.Through

TVachildcanextendhisknowledgeanditprovidesvitalfoodforhisimagination.

5.TelevisionIstoBlame

TVpassesontochiIdrenthecorruptingvaluesofacorruptsociety.It'sonlyamatter

oftimebeforewecangivestatisticalevidenceofhowmanycriminalssocietyhasgiven

birthtoinfrontoftheTVonSaturdaynight.

YoucanblameTVforthefactthatchildrentakelongertolearntoreadthesedays

andbarelyseethepointanymoreofacquiringtheski11.InmyopinionwatchingTVshould

bestrictlyconfinedto"treats”.

Lesson2

ArePetsGoodforMankind?

Text

PetsAreGoodforYou

Thebasicmeaningof"pet"isananimalwekeepforemotionalratherthaneconomic

reasons.Apetanimaliskeptasacompanion,andweallneedcompanionstokeepusfeeling

happy.Butpetsofferusmorethanmerecompanionship;theyinviteustoloveandbeloved.

Manyownersfeeltheirpetsunderstandthem,foranimalsarequicktosenseangerandsorrow.

Oftenacatordogcancomfortusattimeswhenhumanwordsdon,thelp.Wefeelloved,too,

bythewaypetsdependonusforahome,forfoodanddrink.Dogsespecially,lookupto

theirowners,whichmakesthemfeelimportantandneeded.

Apetcanbesomethingdifferenttoeachmemberofthefamily,anotherbabytothemother,

asisterorbrothertoanonlychild,agrandchiIdtotheelderly,butforallofuspets

providepleasureandcompanionship.Ithasevenbeensuggestedthattinypetsshouldbe

sentascompanionstoastronautsonspaceships,tohelpreducethestressandloneliness

ofspaceflights.

InthisPlasticAge,whenmostofusliveinlargecities,petsareparticularly

importantforchildren.Apetinthefamilykeepspeopleintouchwiththemorenatural,

animalworld.Seeingananimalgivebirthbringsunderstandingofthenaturalnessof

childbirth,andseeingapetdiehelpsachildtocopewithsorrow.Learningtocarefor

apethelpsachildtogrowupintoalovingadultwhofeelsresponsibletowardsthose

dependentonhim.Rightlyweteachchildrentobegoodtotheirpets.Theyshouldlearn,

too,thatpetsaregoodforushumanbeings.

II.Read

Readthefollowingpassages.Underlinetheimportantviewpointswhilereading.

1.AnUnmatchableCat

Iwassickthatwinter.Itwasinconvenientbecausemybigroomwasduetobewhitewashed.

Iwasputinthelittleroomattheendofthehouse.Thehouse,nearlybutnotquiteon

thetopofthehill,alwaysseemedasifitmightslideoffintothecornfieldsbelow.

Thistinyroomhadadoor,alwaysopen,andwindows,alwaysopen,inspiteofthewindy

coldofaJulywhoseskieswereanunendinglightclearblue.Thesky,fullofsunshine;

thefields,sunlit.

Butcold,verycold.Thecat,abluishgreyPersian,arrivedpurringonmybed,and

settleddowntosharemysickness,myfood,mypillow,mysleep.WhenIwokeinthemornings

myfaceturnedtohalf-frozensheets;theoutsideofthefurblanketonthebedwascold;

thesmelloffreshwhitewashfromnextdoorwascoldandclean;thewindliftingandlaying

thedustoutsidethedoorwascold-butinthecurveofmyarm,alightpurringwarmth,the

cat,myfriend.

Atthebackofthehouseawoodentubwassetintotheearth,outsidethebathroom,

tocatchthebathwater.Nopipescarryingwatertotapsonthatfarm;waterwasfetched

byox-drawncartwhenitwasneeded,fromthewe11abouttwomilesaway.Throughthemonths

ofthedryseasontheonlywaterforthegardenwasthedirtybathwater.Thecatfel1into

thistubwhenitwasful1ofhotwater.

Shescreamed,waspulledoutintoacoldwind,washedinpermanganate,forthetubwas

filthy,andheldleavesanddustaswellassoapywater,wasdriedandputintomybedto

warm.Butshegrewburninghotwithfever.Shehadpneumonia.Wegaveherwhatmedicine

wehadinthehouse,butthatwasbeforeantibiotics,andsoshedied.Foraweekshelay

inmyarmpurring,purring,inarough,tremblinglittlevoicethatbecameweaker,then

wassilent;

Lickedmyhand,openedhugegreeneyeswhenIcalledhernameandbeggedhertolive;

closedthem,died,andwasthrownintothedeepoldwe11-overahundredfeetdeepitwas-which

hadgonedry,becausetheundergroundwaterstreamshadchangedtheircourseoneyear.

Thatwasit.Neveragain.AndforyearsImatchedcatsinfriends，houses,catsinshops,

catsonfarms,catsinthestreet,catsonwalls,catsinmemory,withthatgentle,blue-grey

purringcreaturewhichformewasthecat,theCat,nevertobereplaced.

Andbesides,forsomeyearsmylifedidnotincludeextras,unnecessaries,ornaments.

Catshadnoplaceinanexistencespentalwaysmovingfromplacetoplace,roomtoroom.

Acatneedsaplaceasmuchasitneedsapersontomakeitsown.

Andsoitwasnotuntiltwenty-fiveyearslatermylifehadroomforacat.

2.MotherPaysMoreAttentionto

PetDogThantoHerYoungBoy

DearAnnLanders:Ihopeyouwillpublishyouranswertothisletterbecausethereis

afamilyouttherethatneedshelp-fast!

Myfriend(T11cal1herKrista)marriedaniceguyin1978.He'sasalesreponthe

readmostofthetime.KristaandCalhadasonfiveyearsago.Anicefamilyunit.About

amonthafterJuniorwasborn,CalgaveKristaapurebredbeagle.Shewentcrazyaboutthe

dogandtreatedhimbetterthanthebaby.

WhenJuniorwasoldenoughtocrawl,hebegantopullthedog'stailandhithimwhen

hethoughtnobodywaslooking.

Twomonthsago,Juniorbeganurinatinginunexpectedandinappropriateplaces.First,

intohismother'sshoe,theninherpurse,nextherjewelbox.Afterhewaspunishedfor

ruiningthejewelbox,hefoundsomescissorsandcuthismother，sstringofpearls.

AtfirstKristaattributedtheurinatingtoJunior，slaziness.Itoldherifitwere

laziness,hewouldjustwethispantsandnotseekspecialplaces.

LastChristmasDay,itsnowedheavily.IcalledKristatochat.Shesoundedbreathless.

Iaskedherwhatshehadbeendoing.vebeenplayingoutsideinthesnowwiththedog,“

washerreply.IaskedwhereJuniorwas.Shereplied,Upstairs,watchingtelevision,I

guess."Whatdoyouseehere,Ann，?Signme-AWorriedFriend.

3.DogsHaveaSenseofHumour

Thequestionofwhetherdogshaveasenseofhumourisoftenfiercelyargued.Myown

opinionisthatsomehaveandsomehaven，t.Dachshundshave,butnotBernardsorGreatDanes.

Apparentlyadoghastobesmalltobefondofjoke.YouneverfindaGreatDanetrying

tobeacomedian.

Butitisfataltoletanydogknowthatheisfunny,forheimmediatelyloseshishead

andstartsoverdoingit.Asan'exampleofthisIwouldpointtoRudolph,adachshundI

onceowned,whosesloganwas,'Anythingforalaugh”.Dachshundsarealwaystheworst

offendersinthisrespectbecauseoftheirpeculiarshape.Itisonlynaturalthatwhen

adogfindsthathismereappearancemakestheviewingpubliclaugh,heshouldimaginethat

Natureintendedhimtobeacomedian.

IhadacottageatthetimeoutsideanEnglishvillage,notfarfromafarm.Wherethey

keptducks,andonedaythefarmercalledonmetosayhisducksweredisappearingand

suspicionhadfallenonmyRudolph.Why?Iasked,andhesaidbecauseminewastheonly

dogintheneighbourhoodexcepthisownTowser,andTowserhadbeensocarefullytrained

thathewou1clnottouchaduckifyoubroughtittohimwithorangesauceoverit.

Iwasveryannoyed.IsaidheonlyhadtogazeintoRudolph'struthfulbrowneyesto

seehowbaselesswerehissuspicions.Hadhenot,Iasked,heardoffoxes?Howmuchmore

likelythatafoxwastheBadGuyinthestory.Hewasbeginningtolookdoubtfulandseemed

abouttomakeanapology,whenRudolph,whohadbeenlisteningwiththegreatestinterest

andatacertainpointhadlefttheroom,cametrottinginwithaduckinhismouth.

Yes,dachshundsoverplaytheirsenseofhumour,andIsupposeotherdogshavetheir

faults,buttheyseemunimportantcomparedwiththeirvirtues.

4.ManandAnimal

InancientEgypt,peoplebelievedthatthecatwasagod.Whenacatdieditsowners

showedtheirsadnessbythestrangehabitofshavingtheireyebrowsoff(Morerecently,

inthelastcenturyinfact,thefamousEnglishwriterCharlesDickenshadacatwhowas

veryfondofhim.Thecatdidn，t1iketoseeDickensworkingtoohard.Atnight,whenthe

catwantedtosay"Stopwriting!〃tohismaster,heoftenputoutDickens'candlewith

hispaw!

Whenanimalsbecomepets,theresult,afteranumberofgenerations,isasmalleranimal

withasmallerbrain.Rabbits,forexample,whichliveaspetsinagarden,aremuchless

intelligentthantheirwildcousins.Ofcourse,mandoesn，talwayskeepanimalsforpleasure.

Manyanimalshavetoworkfortheirmasters.

TherewasonceafarminNamibia,Africa,whichhad80goats.Insteadofagoatherd,

therewasafemalebaboon.Shetookhergoatstothehillseverydayandbroughtthemback

atnight.Shealwaysknewexactlywhichgoatswerehers-whichismorethanmanyhumanscould

do!

5.DoAnimalsCommunicate?

Whenwethinkofcommunication,wenormallythinkofusingwords-talkingface-to-face,

writingmessagesandsoon.Butinfactwecommunicatefarmoreinotherways.Oureyes

andfacialexpressionsusuallytellthetruthevenwhenourwordsdonot.

Thentherearegestures,oftenunconscious:raisingtheeyebrows,rubbingthenose,

shruggingtheshoulders,tappingthefingers,noddingandshakingthehead.

Thereisalsotheevenmoresubtle“bodylanguage〃ofposture:areyousitting-or

standing-witharmsorlegscrossed?Isthatpersonstandingwithhandsinpockets,held

infrontofthebodyorhiddenbehind?Eventhewaywedressandthecolourswewear

communicatethingstoothers.

So,doanimalscommunicate?Notinwords,althoughaparrotmightbetrainedtorepeat

wordsandphraseswhichitdoesn，tunderstand.But,aswehavelearnt,thereismoreto

communicationthanwords.

Takedogsforexample.Theybaretheirteethtowarn,wagtheirtailstowelcomeand

standfirm,withhairerect,tochallenge.Thesesignalsaresurelythecanineequivalent

ofthehumanbody-languageoffacialexpression,gestureandposture.

Colourcanbeanimportantmeansofcommunicationforanimals.Manybirdsandfishchange

colour,forexample,toattractpartnersduringthematingseason.Andmatingitselfis

commonlyprecededbyaspecialdanceinwhichbothpartnersparticipate.

6.She'sAllfortheBirds!

Twiceaweek,58-year-oldMrs.WinifredCassshopsinthemarketforhermainsupplies,

“toppingup〃dailybycallingatlocalshopsonherwayhomefromwork.Butshe'snotbuying

familygroceries!

Shereturnshomeladenwithheavybagsofmixedhencorn,pigeoncorn,peanutsandlarge

packetsofbirdfoodtofeedherlarger"family”,thewildbirdsofneeds.Andshe'sbeen

doingthisfor16years.

Daily,shefeedsthebirdswhichfrequenthergarden,theareaaroundtheshopwhere

sheworkspart-time,andseveralpatchesofwaste-groundnearherhome.Then,twiceevery

week,sheloadsthecarryingbasketwithbagsofgrainontohertricycleandsetsoutto

pedalthe20-minuterideuptothecitycentre.

“Inthemorning,birdsonmyownroofathomehangalmostupsidedowntryingtosee

methroughthewindows.Shelaughed.Insevereconditionslastwinter,Ihadasmanyas

fourrobinsinmygardenatthesametime,thoughthey*rewellknowntobeterritorialbirds.

〃It'samazinghowmanydifferentkindsofbirdsIseeinthecityitself.InParkSquare,

aswellastheusualstarlings,pigeonsandsparrows,therearebluetits,greattits,

thrushes,doves,andsometimesevenseagulls.

ItallstartedwhenWinifredwasworkingatacafe.Sheusedtothrowoutstalebread

andbuns,anddevelopedsuchaninterestinthewildbirdswhichacceptedherofferings

thatshestartedtakingfoodalongtothoseinCitySquareaswell.

Ononeoccasion,anoldladysittinginthesquareremarkedthatthebirdscoulddo

withamorenutritiousdiet.SoWinifredbeganbuyingcornforthem.

“Intheend,Iwascarryingsomuchweightandtrampingsofarthatmyfeetandarms

reallyached?shesaid.triedusingwheeledshoppers,butwiththeweightofallthat

corntheywerebreakingwithinweeks!SoIsplashedoutandboughtthistricycle.

WinifredhascomeacrossotherwiId-lifeonhertravels,too.〃Istoptofeedfamilies

ofhedgehogswhichIfoundatthesideoftheraiIwaynearthepark,“shesaid.

Despiteherloveofbirds,she，dneverwanttokeeponebecauseshecan*tbearseeing

themcaged.

Disasterstruckrecentlywhenacarreversedintoherparkedtrike,damagingitswheels.

Buttwolocalbusinessmen,hearingofheractivities,decidedkindlytohelpbyreplacing

thewheelsforher.

Sonowthe“BirdWomanofLeeds“isbackinactionagain,doingthejobsheloves

best-caringforthehostoffeatheredfriendswhohavecometorelyonher.

7.TooManyPetsinFrance

InFranceacampaignhasbeenlaunchedtowarnagainstthedangerofathreatening

over-population...ofpets!Thecountryisthesecondmostdenselypopulatedcountry

intheworldasfarasdomesticanimalsareconcerned.Atthemomentitisinhabitedby

morethan8%milliondogsandalmostasmanycats.EverysecondfamilyinParisownsone

ormorepets,whichcauseproblemsofhygienethatcannotbesolved.Intheyear2000France

willhavemorethan15milliondogsifnodrasticmeasuresaretakentostopthisincrease.

TheFrenchorganizationfortheprotectionofanimalshasappealedtotheownersto