The document discusses the dual role of pets in British households, highlighting both their companionship value and the troubling ethical considerations surrounding animal treatment in society, including experimentation and exploitation. It also explores a personal narrative of attending an air show, depicting the excitement and visuals of the event. Additionally, it addresses environmental concerns related to packaging, urging for more sustainable methods due to the detrimental impact of waste on the planet.

1. COMPREHENSION 1
ANIMAL LOVERS?
Over half the homes in Britain have pets and as a result, the British spend almost a thousand
million pounds a year on domestic animals. In fact, many people treat their pets like members
of the family. Pets can actually enhance our lives and health. Childless couples often keep a pet
because they need to play the role of parent to strengthen their identity as couple. Lonely,
elderly people may keep a pet, such as a cat or a dog for company or protection. Pets have also
been used in therapy to help retarded youngsters develop a sense of responsibility and self-
worth.
However, while we treat our own animals with love and devotion, do we care about the way
the society at large treat animals? In 2000, almost three million experiments on animals took
place. These included warfare experiments and the testing of drugs, cosmetics and cleaning
fluids. Animals are also slaughtered for their meat, skins and fur. In many cases, these animals
are kept in terrible conditions and are cruelly treated by private companies and governments
alike. However, thanks to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Uncaged
(organisation which fights vivisection in the UK), there is a light at the end of the tunnel. With
slogans like “Buy a fur and slip into something dead” or brochures on the cruelty of vivisection,
these organisations are forcing consumers, private industry and governments to examine their
consciences.
ARE THE FOLLOWING TRUE OR FALSE?
A) The British are a nation of animal lovers. ______
B) For some people, pets are like their own children. ______
C) Pets are a danger for our health. ______
D) Lonely people need a cat for protection. ______
E) Pet therapy can help mentally handicapped children. ______
F) In Britain, experiments on animals are rare. ______

2. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1.- Why do British spend so much money on domestic animals?
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2.- What is the result of having pets for childless couples?
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3.- What is the result of having pets for retarded youngsters?
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4.- What kind of experiments are carried out on animals?
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5.- Who usually keep animals in bad conditions?
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6.- What do PETA and Uncaged want consumers to do?
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3. COMPREHENSION 2
The Roar of the Thunderbirds
The ringing phone jarred me awake. “Hello,” I answered sternly, wondering who would dare to
call me so early on a Saturday morning. “Get up, Maria. We’re going to an air show today. Be
ready in half an hour.” Before I could object, Raul hung up. Raul usually took me to interesting
events, but an air show? At that moment, sleeping late seemed much more appealing. Still, I
got dressed and greeted Raul thirty minutes later. “I expect a good show,” I warned.
As he drove to the field, he described the Thunderbirds, an elite squadron of Air Force
pilots. I listened in silence, too sleepy and grumpy to be excited. When we arrived, I was
surprised to see a large number of people standing at the edge of a big airfield. We found a
place to stand in the growing crowd.
Six gigantic F-16 jets sat on the runway. The gleaming white bodies of the fighter planes
threw off a glare in the hot sun, and I shielded my eyes with my hand. I could see a cockpit
covered by what looked like hard, black plastic. Raul called it a “canopy.” The wings, nose, and
tail of each jet were painted with three stripes. The first was red, the next white, and the last
one a blue so dark that it looked like the night sky. Over each right wing were the letters USAF.
Just then, an announcement crackled over a loudspeaker. The show was beginning. Six
pilots dressed in bright red jumpsuits marched briskly onto the airfield. They climbed into the
cockpits and pulled on their helmets. Aloud BOOM shook the crowd as the pilots started the
jet engines. The squadron leader pulled down his canopy, and the others followed in quick,
precise order. The pilots then turned to the crowd, gave a thumbs-up sign, and the six jets
roared off into the distance.
The squadron turned and headed back over the airfield in a diamond formation.
Streams of white smoke trailed behind them in the brilliant blue sky. The jets flew so close
together they looked as though their wings were actually touching. They made another pass
over us, doing flips and rolls and dives. The announcer called out the names of the maneuvers:
“Five Card Loop, Wing Rock-and-Roll, Cuban Eight.” Several times I found myself gasping,
thinking the jets were about to crash.
Back and forth, up and down, the F-16s roared overhead. Without our noticing it, one
jet peeled off from the others. Suddenly it appeared out of nowhere, roaring over our heads.
The ground shook. It sounded like a bomb exploding behind us.
We screamed and then laughed in relief as he single jet joined the others. Too soon, the
show was over. The Thunderbirds landed, taxied down the runway, and parked. The crowd
cheered wildly as the pilots approached, shaking hands, saluting, and signing autographs. I
applauded and cheered along with everyone else.
Raul looked over at me and smiled. “Well, was this worth getting up for?”

4. 1. Why was Maria irritated with Raul in the first paragraph?
A. He did not give her enough time to get ready.
B. He forgot to call the night before.
C. He woke her up too early.
D. He usually took her to boring places.
2. Which of the following best describes Maria’s original attitude toward the air show?
A. reluctant
B. enthusiastic
C. neutral
D. cheerful
3. Which of the following sentences uses descriptive language?
A. Before I could object, Raul hung up.
B. Raul called it a “canopy.”
C. Back and forth, up and down, the F-16s roared overhead.
D. Too soon, the show was over.
4. The phrase, so dark that it looked like the night sky, is an example of —
A. simile
B. metaphor
C. common language
D. personification
5. The sentence, Six pilots dressed in bright red jumpsuits marched briskly onto the airfield,
uses —
A. context clues
B. a figure of speech
C. main points
D. precise words
6. Which of the following is the implied main idea of the passage?
A. Sleeping late is fun, but so is watching an air show.
B. The writer was surprised at how much she enjoyed the air show.
C. Air shows are loud and draw large crowds.
D. The Thunderbirds are a popular attraction, and people come a long way to see them.
7. Why did the crowd laugh when the jet flew in from behind them?
A. They were glad to realize they were safe.
B. They thought the pilot had lost his way.
C. They were surprised that the other jets had forgotten the single jet.
D. The announcer had just told them a funny story.

5. 8. What are the Thunderbirds trained to do?
A. take turns flying
B. watch the crowd
C. perform precise stunts
D. create extreme noise
9. Which of the following words describe the jets?
A. gleaming white bodies
B. hard, black plastic
C. wings, nose, and tail
D. streams of white smoke
10. What answer will the writer most likely give to Raul’s question in the last paragraph?
A. “It was pretty good.”
B. “It was too scary.”
C. “I’m glad I got up.”
D. “I like to sleep late.”

6. COMPREHENSION 3
Green Packaging
Manufacturers are currently competing with each other to produce a form of green packaging.
Packaging is an important part of marketing these days, but much of it is a threat to the
environment. There are two reasons for this. The production of such packaging uses up a great
deal of energy and the cartons, wrappers, etc are often difficult to dispose of when they become
waste material.
People in most countries have become aware of the damage which modern living is doing to the
environment, and many of them are concerning themselves with the conservation of the
environment for future generations. Thus, both politicians and scientists are now looking at the
issues of energy-saving and waste disposal with a view to making them more environmentally-
friendly.
As far as packaging is concerned, it is vital that it is either recyclable or biodegradable. For
example, instead of throwing out newspapers and glass bottles with their household rubbish,
people in several countries are being encouraged to put these in special containers to allow the
material to be recycled. Some household waste, such as vegetable peelings, is naturally
biodegradable and so decomposes gradually until it disappears.
Man-made goods are not so easily disposed of. Goods and packaging made of plastic create
waste material that is particularly difficult to get rid of. This means that huge landfill sites have
to be dug out so as to bury the plastic waste underground, possibly causing problems for future
generations.
Just as much of a problem is industrial waste, since the effluent from factories often contains
chemicals which can lead to the pollution of water supplies. Waste from factories has to be
monitored carefully in order to avoid this.
Technological advances using nuclear power have added to the waste problem. The disposal of
nuclear waste causes particular concern because it is radioactive and so possibly dangerous to
life.
The high standard of living, which the people of many countries now enjoy, has resulted in a huge
increase in waste material. This could have a terrible effect on the ecology of the planet. There
is no doubt that urgent action must be taken to save our environment from possible disaster.

7. A) Match each word in Column A with its meaning in Column B. Write the corresponding letter in the
box next to the word.
B) Match each word in Column A with its opposite meaning in Column B. Write the corresponding
letter in the box next to the word.
Read and Understand
A Write whether each of the sentences below is True or False.
1. The environment suffers when there is heavy packaging of the things we buy. ( _____ )
2. Politicians and scientists are not giving any attention to the problems of the environment. ( _____ )
3. Newspapers and glass bottles can be recycled. ( _____ )
4. It is difficult to get rid of plastic goods. ( _____ )
5. Rich countries take care to cut down on waste. ( _____ )
Column A Letter Column B
1. Currently g a. supply of power
2. environment b. products
3. energy c. used again
4. dispose of d. surroundings
5. recycled e. is not there anymore
6. disappears f. harmful
7. goods g. now
8. dangerous h. remove
Column A Letter Column B
1. difficult b a. solutions
2.future b. easy
3.throwing out c. discouraged
4. encouraged d. taken away from
5. problems e. suffer from
6. often f. past
7. added to g. collecting
8. enjoy h. seldom

8. B Answer these questions in full sentences.
1 What are the two reasons that packaging is harmful to the environment?
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2. Which groups of people are looking at the issues of the environment?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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3. What are the important qualities for packaging to be green?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A) In each sentence below, you will find an error with the subject-verb agreement (concord).
Underline the error and rewrite the sentence by using the correct concord.
Example:
Sentence with error: In a modern society, people enjoys a high standard of living.
Corrected sentence: In a modern society, people enjoy a high standard of living. (people is a
plural noun. Therefore, you cannot add “s/-es” to the verb!! � )
1. Too much packaging harm the environment in two ways.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Future generations will suffer unless people today conserves the environment.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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Spot the Error

9. 3. The writer advises that every household do its part by recycling.
_____________________________________________________________________________
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4. Usually people gets rid of waste by dumping it into landfills.
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5. Nuclear waste are dangerous because it is radioactive.
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