狗对人类的贡献和帮助很多。它们不仅能做完美的宠物，还可以在很多方便给我们提供帮助。现在，研究发现，它们可以在大学里用来帮助学生减压。本集 “随身英语” 介绍人类最好的朋友是如何帮助在校学生减压放松，克服考前紧张焦虑的情绪。

Vocabulary: dogs  词汇: 犬类

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.

词汇表

man’s best friend 人类最好的朋友，狗
companion 伙伴
pet 宠物
breed （动植物的）品种
guide dog 导盲犬
therapy dog 治疗犬
pooch 狗
handler 训狗师
stroke 抚摸，轻抚
pet 爱抚，抚摸
canine 犬的
Labrador 拉布拉多犬
temperament 性情，性格
greyhound 灵缇犬
mistreated 被虐待的
abandoned 被遗弃的
work like a dog 勤奋地工作
a dog’s chance 一点机会也没有，毫无希望
four-legged friend 四腿的朋友，狗

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

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. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

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.  阅读课文并回答问题。

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.  请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

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.