Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
For thousands of years, people have kept cats as pets. A cat is usually very independent and requires less attention than a dog. Cats can be cuddly and sweet, but they can also meow, hiss and behave badly.
Sara’s cat has been very bad lately. She decided it was time to take a very big step. Find out what it is and hear Sara and Vanessa discuss their cats.
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.
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Sara: I just took a very big step with one of my cats the other day.
Vanessa: What was that?
Sara: We let him go outside. He’s always been an indoor cat.
Vanessa: Oh, that is a big step. That can be very scary if a cat’s lived inside its whole life.
Sara: Yeah, it was really, really scary, but he’s just always…he’s kind of bad. He’s like, always pouncing on our backs when we try to get something from the closet or attacking our guests, and he wanted to go outside really badly, so we just thought we should give him a chance.
Vanessa: That’s the thing about cats, they’re very independent creatures.
Sara: He’s doing a great job.
Vanessa: Is he?
Sara: Yeah, he is.
Vanessa: Does he come back at night?
Sara: Uh huh, he comes back at night. He comes back in to get food. He sits in our laps and purrs.
Vanessa: Has he brought you any presents yet? Presents that he maybe has hunted for?
Sara: I’m a little worried about that.
Vanessa: That’s not a very nice thing to find on your doorstep.
Sara: Have you ever found one of those presents on your doorstep?
Vanessa: I have. My cat actually goes outside, but she goes on a leash. Even when she is tied up, she catches adorable little things like chipmunks and brings them to me as a present. I have to tell her what a good job she does, and then she purrs. So sometimes I end up with a few dead chipmunks, but at the same time my cat’s very loving, and she’ll crawl in my lap. It’s really nice just to have this warm, furry creature that can curl up on you.
Sara: It’s true. Even my bad cat can be really really sweet too.
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Discussion
Sara tells Vanessa that she just started to let her cat go outside on his own. She says it is scary to just let him go, but he was behaving badly in the house. Sara decided to give her cat a chance to be outdoors.
Vanessa agrees that this is a big step, and asks Sara if her cat has killed any mice or birds and brought them back to the house. Sara is worried about this, and asks Vanessa if her cat behaves this way. Vanessa explains that even though her cat goes outside on a leash, she still catches chipmunks and brings them home.
Vanessa says she doesn’t mind an occasional dead animal around the house because her cat is very loving and likes to sit on her lap. Sara agrees that cats can be very bad but also very sweet.
Do you like cats? Do you let your cat outside? Does your cat hunt like Vanessa’s?
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