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The mothers met while walking their beloved dogs in the local park, the Donald Mcdonald Reserve,
several years ago and developed a friendship that began with small talk about their pets. This quickly turned
to afternoon get-together, where kids, dogs and grown-ups formed firm friendships.
Now the pair and their pets meet several times a week on the grass near Sandringham College, a place
for a huge network of dog owners who have formed all kinds of friendships and a good old-fashioned sense
of community. Dogs, it seem, are good for social life.
The combination (结合) of excited kids and dogs could be a recipe (处方) for disaster and Miller says it
is surprisingly harmonious (和谐的). "There are some other people who don't have kids but have started to
meet us quite regularly," she says. "the other day, there were seven dogs, five adults and six children all
walking around the park together."
Friendships formed through pets seem to cross cultural and age barriers (阻碍) and often include helping
when someone is sick or needs help to care for a bet. A woman says she's answered several SOS calls from
elderly people who have become ill suddenly and need a help. "The friendships are such that you see these
people every day and you get to know them and they trust you with their pets and know they can call you at
the last minute," she says.
One dog owner says that, even as a child, she noticed how dogs could act as conversational ice-breakers
for adults. Like people, dogs are also social creatures. "Dogs need to meet others," she says, "they are pack
animals."
1. The friendships formed through walking dogs usually began with _____. [ ]
A. detailed descriptions of the pets
B. polite greetings to the pets
C. short conversations about the pets
D. lots of work of walking dogs
2. What's the result of the combination of dogs and people? [ ]
A. Dogs may cause disasters for children.
B. People can live harmonious lives with dogs.
C. People without children are lonely.
D. The park is very crowded.
3. How do people benefit from friendships formed through pets? [ ]
A. People know each other too well to have secrets.
B. They can help him \ her when a person is in need.
C. It's easy for people to call each other.
D. People can only get help at the last minute.
4. According to the last paragraph, dogs _____. [ ]
A. are ice-breakers for children
B. are like people in many ways
C. are unnecessary for children
D. naturally like getting together
