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Unusual Pets

Learn English meaning of unusual pets

Date: Nov 18 2015

Themes: Hobbies, Pets

Grammar: It's vs. Its

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Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Pets can be a lot of fun! A lot of people own a cat or a dog and treat their pets like family. But taking care of a pet can be a hassle if you aren’t ready. Cats and dogs need a lot of love and a safe home.

It takes a lot of responsibility to care for someone else’s animal while pet sitting. Many people own unusual pets like snakes and lizards. These types of animals need special food. But if you educate yourself on what these exotic pets need, you can have a great time.

Jessica is telling Brian about the pet chameleon she is taking care of. Find out if they want to own an exotic animal in today’s English lesson.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jessica

Brian

Jessica: I am pet sitting a Jackson chameleon right now.

Brian: A what?

Jessica: A Jackson chameleon. And it’s actually kind of a hassle because my friend gave it to me in this enormous tank, and I have to feed it grasshoppers. I don’t know. It’s a little too exotic for me. I am a dog or a cat person.

Brian: I am definitely a dog person. Is a chameleon a reptile?

Jessica: Yeah, it looks like a really big lizard.

Brian: OK, like a lizard.

Jessica: Yeah, and if you put it in front of a mirror, its face puffs up really big when it sees its reflection. It’s a defense mechanism.

Brian: That sounds very interesting.

Jessica: I think the strangest pet I would be comfortable with is a turtle. Because then they can stay in the tank, but you can also bring them out to play with them. And they’re intriguing. They’re not as weird as a Jackson chameleon.

Brian: I had a turtle before. It laid an egg. The fish that was in the tank ate the egg. So I don’t know if I would do a turtle. It’s kind of depressing.

Jessica: I’ll stick with my dog.

Brian: Yep, dogs all the way.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Jessica is pet sitting her friend’s chameleon. She thinks it’s a hassle because it’s an exotic pet that needs special food like grasshoppers. She loves cats and dogs, but can also see herself owning a turtle.

Brian is having fun learning about the pet chameleon. He thinks its defense mechanism is intriguing. Brian tells a sad story about his old pet turtle. He prefers dogs.

Do you think you could take care of an exotic pet? What kind of pet would you own?

Comments

mehrab093

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I have fishes aquarium and I don’t like cat and dog

yhoma

Dominican Republic

I have a small dog (a girl). She is my life!... I would like to have a turtle too.

NIJ321655

United States

loves pets.

S&W

China

I don’t think I am able to take care of an exotic pet .Because I got goose bumps everytime that I watch them on TV.I also heard that if you feed a snake ,you also need to feed rats.

I like dogs especially Germany shepherd dog with pointy ears.

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

No, I can’t imagine myself sitting a chameleon, but I can consider a turtle. Turtles are cute.

Here, the typical pet to have is definitely a cat. Some keep dogs and I know a few who have turtles.

If I had the chance I would choose to have a smooth-furry cat. But unfortunately mom doesn’t allow pets at home

dawod

Afghanistan

I have a wonderful Wolf in my House It care in my House it loves to eat meets.

kotlesya

Belarus

With the greatest pleasure I would own a chameleon like this lesson talks about but pets shop don’t provide this kind of pet.

I dreamed to own a chimpanzee when I was a child. The hassle this monkey can bring never bothered me but in my country it is just impossible to own a chimpanzee.

Nowadays I dream to own an Aye-aye (lives in Madagascar) so much. I just adore this creation.

I also want to have an owl as my pet.

Briefly, I am an animal lover. I am an owner of the red-eard turtle, clawed frog and a Thai cat :-))))