Page 28 - Exercise 1

Page 28 - Exercise 1

1) People in Britain usually like animals. A lot of families have got a pet. Dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish and budgerigars (budgies) are all popular pets. There are a lot of programmes about animals on TV, too.

2) Most children in Britain live in towns and cities, so they don’t often see animals, apart from squirrels and pigeons in the park. However, there are a lot of zoos and safari parks, where you can see wild animals. And you can also visit some farms. Pupils often go to these places on school trips. Birdwatching is a popular hobby, too.

3) There aren’t a lot of large wild animals in Britain. There aren’t any wolves or bears, but there are deer and wild pigs. There are eagles in Scotland, too. And in southwest of England you can see wild horses. Sometimes, animals from other countries escape from zoos and homes. So there are wallabies (small kangaroos) in some part of Britain, and you can sometimes see parrots in gardens and parks. Some people even think that there are panthers in Britain.

4) A lot of wild animals are in danger, because their homes are disappearing, so people try to protect them. For example, you can’t knock down an old building if bats or owls live there. Sometimes the government wants to build a new road, but local people stop it because some rare frogs or butterflies live there. A lot of people put out food in their gardens for wild birds, and for hedgehogs, too.

5) Not all wild animals are popular. Some are pets. People don’t like mice or rats in their houses, of course, and pigeons are a problem in town centres. There are a lot of foxes in towns and cities, too. At night they come out and look for food in rubbish from homes and restaurants. You often see rabbits in the countryside. Gardens don’t like them, because they come into gardens and eat the vegetables.