The Reading / Listening - Pets and Children - Level 5

Pope Francis suggested that people who choose pets over children were acting selfishly. He was addressing an audience in Rome and told them that substituting children for pets was a "denial" of parenthood. He added: "Today, we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child. Sometimes they have just one, and that's it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children." Francis encouraged couples to adopt children. He said: "Having a child is always a risk, but there is more risk in not having a child."

Pope Francis has spoken out on this topic before. In 2014, he said choosing pets over children could harm our future. He called it "cultural degradation". He said the emotional relationship with pets was "easier" than the "complex" relationship with children. He called the downward trend in birth rates in many countries a "demographic winter". Not everyone agrees with the Pope's comments. The New York Post said Francis took his name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It added: "Dogs.…make us better.…They are superior to most people."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pets and Children - Level 4 or  Pets and Children - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59884801
  • https://nypost.com/2022/01/07/pope-francis-slam-of-pet-parents-prove-hes-never-owned-a-pup/
  • https://www.christiantoday.com/article/pope.francis.laments.couples.who.choose.pets.over.having.children/138009.htm


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. people who choose
  2. acting
  3. He was addressing an
  4. a "denial"
  5. we see a form of
  6. take the place
  7. Francis encouraged couples to adopt
  8. more risk in not
  1. of children
  2. of parenthood
  3. having a child
  4. selfishly
  5. children
  6. audience in Rome
  7. selfishness
  8. pets over children

Paragraph 2

  1. Francis has spoken out on this
  2. harm our
  3. the "complex" relationship
  4. the downward
  5. birth
  6. Not everyone
  7. the patron saint of
  8. They are superior
  1. animals
  2. rates
  3. to most people
  4. with children
  5. trend
  6. topic before
  7. agrees
  8. future

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Pope Francis suggested that people who (1) ___________________ children were acting selfishly. He was (2) ___________________ in Rome and told them that substituting children for pets was a (3) ___________________. He added: "Today, we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child. Sometimes they (4) ___________________, and that's it, but they have dogs and cats that take the place of children." Francis encouraged (5) ___________________ children. He said: "Having a child is always a risk, but there (6) ___________________ in not having a child."

Pope Francis has spoken out (7) ___________________ before. In 2014, he said choosing pets over children could (8) ___________________. He called it "cultural degradation". He said the emotional relationship with (9) ___________________ than the "complex" relationship with children. He called the downward trend in (10) ___________________ many countries a "demographic winter". Not everyone agrees with the Pope's comments. The New York Post said Francis (11) ___________________ from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It added: "Dogs...make us better....They (12) ___________________ most people."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PopeFrancissuggestedthatpeoplewhochoosepetsoverchildrenwerea
ctingselfishly.HewasaddressinganaudienceinRomeandtoldthemtha
tsubstitutingchildrenforpetswasa"denial"ofparenthood.Headded:"T
oday,weseeaformofselfishness.Weseethatsomepeopledonotwantto
haveachild.Sometimestheyhavejustone,andthat'sit,buttheyhavedo
gsandcatsthattaketheplaceofchildren."Francisencouragedcouplesto
adoptchildren.Hesaid:"Havingachildisalwaysarisk,butthereismoreri
skinnothavingachild."PopeFrancishasspokenoutonthistopicbefore.I
n2014,hesaidchoosingpetsoverchildrencouldharmourfuture.Hecall
edit"culturaldegradation".Hesaidtheemotionalrelationshipwithpets
was"easier"thanthe"complex"relationshipwithchildren.Hecalledthe
downwardtrendinbirthratesinmanycountriesa"demographicwinter"
.NoteveryoneagreeswiththePope'scomments.TheNewYorkPostsaid
FrancistookhisnamefromSt.FrancisofAssisi,thepatronsaintofanimal
s.Itadded:"Dogs...makeusbetter....Theyaresuperiortomostpeople.
"

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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