182. Should pets be treated as family members?

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Throughout history, animals have always been great companions to man. In today's society, we frequently treat our pets as members of family, nursing them when they are sick, and playing with them when they are well. I believe that the relationships that people have with their pets are healthy for many reasons.

Firstly, animals provide companionship for people who are too old to maintain regular friendships. It is most common for one spouse to outlive the other. Frequently, the surviving spouse does not remarry, and eventually, all his or her friends die. When one is elderly, it is difficult to make new friends. In this type of situation, having a pet as a companion is greatly preferable to spending all of one's time alone. While a pet cannot speak, it can understand its master's emotions, and usually responds accordingly.

Secondly, animals have been proven to reduce their master's stress. This is probably because an animal is always happy to see its master, and gives the master unconditional love. As long as the master is kind to his/her pet, the pet will be devoted and faithful. A pet also provides a friendly face after a stressful day. For example, I have a pet dog. After taking an exam, the only thing I want to do is go home and play with my dog. He always brings me much needed cheer and happiness.

Lastly, having an animal can prepare a young couple for having children. A young animal is very difficult to take care of. Let us take the example of a puppy.

One can never leave a puppy by itself. A puppy must be constantly taken care of; he must be toilet-trained and disciplined. Raising an animal to be happy and sociable is very much like raising a child to possess the same attributes. While a puppy is obviously easier to take care of than a child, it can show the prospective parents where some of the difficulties will lie when raising a baby.

In conclusion, I think having a very close relationship with a pet is healthy. Having a pet can reduce loneliness, stress, and prepare one for the huge experience of having a child. Pets are often referred to as man's best friend, and for good reason.

译文

182. 宠物应该被视为家庭成员吗？

纵贯历史，动物一直是人类非常好的伙伴。在今天的社会，我们常常把宠物看成我们家庭中的成员。他们生病时我们会护理照料他们，他们身体好时我们会陪他们玩耍。我认为有诸多的理由可以表明人类和他们的宠物所建立的关系是健康的。

首先，动物能像朋友一样陪伴那些因为过于年迈而无法维系正常友谊的老人们。由于夫妻中的一方的寿命通常会比另一方长，而且很多时候健在的一方不会再婚，最终老人的朋友也会相继去世。一个人老了以后，便很难再交到新的朋友。在这样的情况下，有一只宠物陪伴老人度过孤单的时光便是非常不错的选择。虽然宠物不会说话，但它能明白主人的情感，并且能据此做出反应。

其次，事实证明动物能够减轻它们主人的压抑情绪。这大概是因为动物见到主人时总会表现得很开心，还能带给主人无私的爱。只要主人对他的宠物好，宠物便会很爱主人并很忠诚。在经过了充满压力的一天之后，宠物还能带给我们欢乐。比如我的那只宠物狗，每次考完试，我唯一想做的事情便是回到家里和我的狗玩耍。他总给我带来很多我所需要的快乐和幸福。

最后，拥有一只动物能帮助一对年轻夫妇为拥有孩子做准备。照顾一只小动物是件很麻烦的事情。让我们拿一只小狗来做例子，主人绝对不能把小狗独自丢在一边，因为小狗必须不断得到照料。主人得教它怎样上厕所和守规矩。把一只动物培养得开心和友善，同培养一个孩子的过程非常相似。虽然照顾小狗明显要比照顾小孩容易，但它却能提示未来的父母在养育小孩时可能存在的一些困难。

总而言之，我认为和宠物建立亲密的关系是健康的。有了宠物可以减轻孤独和压抑，并能为养育小孩准备许多的经验。动物常被称为人类最好的朋友，这种说法是合情合理的。

Word List

nurse ［nə:s］ v. 护理
as long as 只要
maintain ［menˈtein］ v. 维持
stressful ［ˈstresfəl］ adj. 有压力的
spouse ［spaus］ n. 配偶
puppy ［ˈpʌpi］ n. 小狗
outlive ［autˈliv］ v. 比. . . 长命
disciplined ［ˈdisiplind］ adj. 受过训练的
preferable ［ˈprefərəbəl］ adj. 更可取的
sociable ［ˈsəuʃəbəl］ adj. 友善的
respond ［risˈpa:nd］ v. 回应
raise ［reiz］ v. 养育
accordingly ［əˈkɔ:diŋli］ adv. 据此
attribute ［əˈtribju:t］ n. 性质
unconditional ［ˌʌnkənˈdiʃənəl］ adj. 无论何种情况的