Pet hiking is becoming a new fashion

四川雙流中學 蔣建平（特級教師）

難詞探意

1.stretch/stret?/v.抻松；拉直

2.flexible/?fleks?bl/adj.靈活的

Dogs love to get out and stretch their legs,which not only helps to keep them in shape,but enables them to keep the extra pounds off.Pet hiking has been popular recently,getting dogs off the sidewalk.

Three years ago,Denver resident Brittany Redding was stressed out,working 60 hours a week while studying in graduate school full time.The only thing that helped was taking her four dogs hiking.“That's when it hit me that I should do that as a job,”she says.After graduating in June 2016,she founded Take a Hike.Her company,like a number of others around the country,takes dogs to explore beyond the neighborhood.

Before taking on the tracks,Brittany meets with each dog and his or her owner to get a sense of the pet's character.Then she schedules a meet-and-greet with other dogs that will join the hike to be sure to match their personalities.Each hiking is about two hours long and includes transportation to and from the track for around$70 per outing.“Hiking allows dogs to meet new friends and explore new tracks,smells,and wildlife,”she explains.

Michael Mizenko thinks sending his pet,Ajax,on weekly hikes with Take a Hike has made Ajax a happier dog.Over the past two years,hiking has taught Ajax how to stay off the pavement,be more social and remain calm in the car.“It has made him a flexible easy-going guy,”Michael says.

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1.Why has pet hiking been popular currently?

A.It is beneficial to pets'shape and health.

B.Dogs strongly desire their owners to go hiking.

C.The owner's house is not big enough for dogs.

D.Animal health specialists recommend people to do it.

2.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A.Dog hiking has brought great enjoyment to Brittany.

B.Take a Hike is very popular in the neighborhood.

C.How hard the study life of Brittany was.

D.Why Brittany founded Take a Hike.

3.What does Brittany want to make sure before taking her customers'dogs to go hiking?

A.The character of each dog.

B.The distance of the track.

C.The environment of the track.

D.The emotions of both dogs and their owners.

4.How often does Michael Mizenko send his pet to hike with Take a Hike?

A.Every day.

B.Twice a week.

C.Once a week.

D.Every other week.

Language

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Difficult sentence

Then she schedules a meet-and-greet with other dogs that will join the hike to be sure to match their personalities.

【翻譯】________________________________________________________________________

【點石成金】這是一個主從復合句，that will join the hike是限制性定語從句，關系代詞that代替先行詞other dogs在從句中作主語。