“Father” of pets 寵物“爸爸”

周云

有這樣一位爸爸，只領養(yǎng)那些年老的動物，盡管知道它們活不了多久，他還依然堅持……

難詞探意

1. viral /?va?r?l/ adj. 病毒的;病毒引起的

2. misconception /?m?sk?n?sep?n/ n. 誤解;錯覺

3. numerous /?nu?m?r?s/ adj. 許多的

When Steve Greig lost his beloved dog Wolfgang seven years ago， his life changed forever. He adopted many dogs over the years—all of whom have been in their last few years of life. He chose to rescue these senior dogs because they otherwise wouldnt have had a home. Greig started posting family photos of his pets on Instagram， and his followers grew quickly. He currently has more than 894，000 Instagram followers. In addition to nine dogs， he has a pig， two rabbits， two ducks， four chickens， two cats， and a 50?pound turkey.

His mission didnt begin with the intention of going viral， but rather simply to honor Wolfgangs memory. He wanted something good to come out of the tragedy， so he went to a shelter and adopted the oldest dog there. After that， he started photographing his daily life with his animals. “It was certainly never intentional. They are just such a part of my life. Ill come into a room and theres a chicken sitting on a dog and it will be a great picture，” he said.

Shortly after he started posting， his inbox was filled with messages of others adopting senior dogs as well. His fame led to his book， which teaches kids about valuing what is old

instead of looking for the next new thing. His house is equipped with dog doors and has a

secured kitchen area. While it sounds like disaster， Greig has things under control. But he admits that he couldnt do it without his housekeeper， who comes three times a week. “Im a fairly neat person，” he said. People are usually shocked at the cleanliness and cant believe how many animals he has. Bikini the pig is well trained， according to Greig. “She has a doggy door， and shell use it unless Im there because shed rather wait for me to open the door，” he said， adding that pigs are actually really clean creatures， despite popular misconceptions. Bikini tries to go to the bathroom as far away from where she sleeps as possible.

Greig has had numerous direct messages on Instagram asking how he can bear to adopt senior dogs， knowing the end is near. The answer is simple for him： Love doesnt have a time frame. He has never regretted taking in any of his animals， even once he loses them. “Whether its three months， three years， or ten years， its still love， and it enhances your life，” he says. Greigs Instagram posts are certainly adorable and heartwarming， but theres more to it for him. He hopes that they inspire his followers to adopt a senior dog of their own.

[Reading][Check]

1. Why did Steve Greig adopt senior dogs？

A. He wanted to look for shelters for them.

B. He wanted to study their last few years lives.

C. He wanted to increase his followers on Instagram.

D. He wanted to release his loneliness and sadness in his spare time.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3？

A. His book about how to raise dogs is popular.

B. His posts inspire others to adopt senior dogs， too.

C. Bikini is harder to train and dirtier than other animals.

D. He keeps cleaning his house three times a week by himself.

3. Which of statements may Steve Greig agree with？

A. Sharing is meaningful.

B. Love will change as time goes by.

C. Adopting senior dogs makes you live longer.

D. Valuing old things is better than looking for new ones.

[Language][Study]

Sentence for writing

While it sounds like disaster， Greig has things under control. 雖然聽起來像是災難，但格雷格控制住了局面。

【信息提取】while 在本句中表示“雖然;盡管”。

【句式仿寫】盡管我樂意幫忙，但是沒有多少時間。