【明報專訊】Instead of buying a pet, Pat opts for pet adoption. She visits a home for abandoned animals.

The decision to keep a pet must not be rashly made. To make such a decision is to commit yourself to taking care of a life. Unfortunately, pets are abandoned for various reasons - because, for example, they are ill or their owners can no longer keep them at their homes. In fact, we must think carefully about our responsibility before we buy or adopt any animals.

If we keep pets, we have to learn about their needs. For example, dogs need larger space and longer walking time than cats. Moreover, as our pets stay all day at home, it is important not only to provide them with ample food and a hygienic environment but also to spend sufficient time with them.

Be empathetic! Our pets stay with us for life!

■Mission 1

That is very strange with the animals. They are not producing the correct sounds! Match each animal on p 4 and 5 to the correct onomatopoeic word (擬聲詞) that describes its sound.

“ Cow: Squeak? ”

“ Dog: Chirp? ”

“ Mouse:Oink? ”

“ Cat: Quack? ”

“ Duck: Moo? ”

“ Bird: Woof? ”

“ Pig: Meow? ”

■Mission 2

Pat is playing with an animal. Join the dots to reveal what it is!

(see the picture)

“ MoMo: Golden Retrievers (金毛尋回犬) are friendly, tolerant and clever! They are often trained to become guidedogs (導盲犬) or carry out duties like detecting drugs and providing therapy. They are called Retrievers because they used to retrieve fowls for hunters. ”

■Mission 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words to learn about Society for Abandoned Animals, a charity which helps abandoned animals in Hong Kong.

offer / promote / establish / house / face

Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA) is a charitable organisation that 1. ________ animal rights in Hong Kong. Its motto is "Love Animal, Respect Life, No Killing or Abandoning". 2. ________ in 1997, SAA takes care of abandoned animals from owners who 3. ________ difficulties in raising them. It also supports animal adoption and arranges for adoption services. Furthermore, it 4. ________ a range of veterinary services at its medical centre, which is in Yuen Long. There animals may have body checks, vaccinations, blood tests and microchip implantations. Besides looking after common pets like cats and dogs, it runs a farm facility that 5. ________ abandoned farm animals.

(answers on next text)

■English highway: -phrasal verbs

Opt in, opt out

Opt means "choose" and is often followed by "for", but "opt in" and "opt out" have different meanings.

Opt in to something - participate in it

Opt out of something - not to participate in it

e.g. You will see your name on the list if you have opted in.

■Key words

adoption 領養

empathetic 有同理心的

■Glossary

abandoned (adj) 被遺棄的

commit (v) 承諾

ample(adj) 足夠的

therapy (n) 治療

fowl (n) 家禽

motto (n) 座右銘

veterinary (adj) 獸醫的

vaccination (n) 接種(疫苗)