狗對人類的貢獻和幫助很多。它們不僅能做完美的寵物，還可以在很多方便給我們提供幫助?，F在，研究發現，它們可以在大學里用來幫助學生減壓。本集 “隨身英語” 介紹人類最好的朋友是如何幫助在校學生減壓放松，克服考前緊張焦慮的情緒。

Vocabulary: dogs  詞匯: 犬類

Some people say that dogs are man’s best friend – good companions, loyal and loveable. Of course, they can be more than just a pet as certain breeds are excellent working dogs too. We know about the amazing help guide dogs give to blind people and, more recently, a new role has been found for the animals – working as therapy dogs in universities.

Research by Washington State University in the US, has found spending time with a pooch can help stressed out students. Patricia Pendry from the university told the BBC that a study of 300 undergraduates had found weekly hour-long sessions with dogs brought to the university by professional handlers had made stressed students at "high risk of academic failure" or dropping out, "feel relaxed and accepted". The dogs helped them to concentrate, learn and remember information.

I know that stroking a dog helps me to relax; other research has shown that petting animals can reduce stress hormone levels and anxiety, so it makes sense to introduce them into an environment where people are stressed. The BBC’s education correspondent Sean Coughlan writes that around 1,000 campuses in the US already use therapy pets and it’s becoming more common in the UK. For example, The University of Middlesex has employed ‘canine teaching assistants’ to help stop lonely students dropping out. Fiona Suthers, head of clinical skills at the university, says that five Labradors had a “stringent assessment” to ensure they had the right temperament. But she adds “it’s hard to describe the impact of just having a dog lying down in the corner of a class.”

Using dogs for therapy can also help the dogs themselves. In Wales, Swansea University Students’ Union has used rescued greyhounds to help students unwind between exams. Sessions allow mistreated and abandoned dogs to interact with humans and begin to trust them again. Student Union education officer Chloe Hutchinson told the BBC that “a lot of students have dogs at home and might be a bit homesick, especially around exam time when it is stressful and you just want your home comforts.” So if you’re a student who’s been working like a dog, but you still feel like you haven’t a dog’s chance in passing your exams, maybe introducing a four-legged friend into your life might be the help you need.

詞匯表

man’s best friend 人類最好的朋友，狗
companion 伙伴
pet 寵物
breed （動植物的）品種
guide dog 導盲犬
therapy dog 治療犬
pooch 狗
handler 訓狗師
stroke 撫摸，輕撫
pet 愛撫，撫摸
canine 犬的
Labrador 拉布拉多犬
temperament 性情，性格
greyhound 靈緹犬
mistreated 被虐待的
abandoned 被遺棄的
work like a dog 勤奮地工作
a dog’s chance 一點機會也沒有，毫無希望
four-legged friend 四腿的朋友，狗

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What did 300 undergraduates in the US find after they had spent some time with therapy dogs?

2. What can reduce stress hormone levels?

3. True or false? Greyhound dogs were used at Swansea University to help abandoned and mistreated students.

4. How did staff at the University of Middlesex know the therapy dogs they used had the right temperament?

5. Which phrase used in the article means ‘leaving something before you have finished what you had planned to do’?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. My brother is a good travel _______, so I often go on holiday with him.

handler                       pet                              companion                 pooch

2. The animal rescue centre is looking for donations to help _______ horses.

mistreating                 mistreated                   mistreat                     mistreats

3. I’ve been _______ to get this project finished – but I’m almost done and then I’m going on holiday!

working like a dog      working with a dog      worked like a dog      work like a dog

4. My girlfriend has a fiery _______ - she likes to argue about everything but I still love her!

stroking                      dog’s chance               breed                        temperament

5. The hotel was amazing – it had all the _______ such a coffee machine, a sofa and a huge TV.

home comfortable      home comfort             home comforts           homing comforts

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What did 300 undergraduates in the US find after they had spent some time with therapy dogs?
They found spending time with dogs, helped them to concentrate, learn and remember information.

2. What can reduce stress hormone levels?
Research has shown that petting – or stroking - animals can reduce stress hormone levels and anxiety.

3. True or false? Greyhound dogs were used at Swansea University to help abandoned and mistreated students.
False. Mistreated and abandoned greyhound dogs were used to interact with humans and begin the process of building trust with them again.

4. How did staff at the University of Middlesex know the therapy dogs they used had the right temperament?
Five Labradors had a “stringent assessment” to ensure they had the right temperament.

5. Which phrase used in the article means ‘leaving something before you have finished what you had planned to do’?
Dropping out. “The University of Middlesex has employed ‘canine teaching assistants’ to help stop lonely students dropping out.”

2.  請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. My brother is a good travel companion, so I often go on holiday with him.

2. The animal rescue centre is looking for donations to help mistreated horses.

3. I’ve been working like a dog to get this project finished – but I’m almost done and then I’m going on holiday!

4. My girlfriend has a fiery temperament - she likes to argue about everything but I still love her!

5. The hotel was amazing – it had all the home comforts such a coffee machine, a sofa and a huge TV.