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Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a surge
    • ex. The city experienced a surge in tourism during the holiday season.
  2. trigger
    • ex. Hot weather triggers a headache for Ken.
  3. a foster home
    • ex. My friend has a foster home for dogs. The dogs stay there until they find a new family.
  4. a perception
    • ex. Some people have a perception that cats are not friendly, but that is not true.
  5. foster
    • ex. I’d like to foster a cat for a few weeks to help it get well.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Many cats give birth during warmer months, which leads to a surge of kittens. About 1.5 million kittens enter shelters every year, especially during May and June. The situation triggers a big problem for shelters. Many animal shelters in the U.S. don’t have the time and money for very young kittens that need 24-hour care. So, shelters need more foster homes to take care of these kittens so they can survive.

According to Hannah Shaw, an animal care expert, there’s a perception that fostering animals costs a lot of money. However, many shelters now pay for food, supplies, and medical care for the animals. Volunteers only need to give their time and love. In addition, companies like Hill’s Pet Nutrition help by giving food to shelters that support foster homes.

Another reason people don’t foster is that they think special training is needed. But anyone can learn how to foster with much online information and support from shelters. Shaw said it might seem scary to foster, but it’s often just because people haven’t done it yet. Shelters are ready to help and teach volunteers how to do it.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Fostering Animals

  • Would you like to foster an animal? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Animal shelters often pay for food and medicine for animals that are fostered. What other reasons do you think might encourage people to foster animals? Discuss.
  • What kind of people do you think should foster animals (ex. rich people, people who don’t work full-time)? Discuss.

Perceptions

  • What perceptions do you have about taking care of animals (ex. it’s too much work, it’s fun)? Discuss.
  • Shaw said it might seem scary to foster, but it's often just because people haven't done it yet. What do you think would change people’s minds about fostering animals? Discuss.
  • What is your perception of animal shelters? Discuss.