—Well, no.

—Yes, but he didn't respond.

—We plan to go to the park on Sunday to feed the goldfish there.

    People normally think of dogs as man's best friends, but to Brian Wilson, his two pet parrots are his best friends.

    It all began in 1995, when Brian was still a fire fighter. A car accident caused serious damage to his brain. After several months of treatment, Brian's doctors said that he would never talk again and would have to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.

    However, according to Brian, his two pet parrots didn't give up easily. They kept talking to him day and night, until one day, he said one word, then another, and all of a sudden was talking like a normal person again!

    Brian was so thankful that he decided to set up a home for birds which are not wanted by their owners.

    Now 15 years later, his house is home to about 80 birds, including a great variety of birds like several macaws, cockatoos and African grays. The birds fly around from room to room, some cackling, others talking like humans. Though they all have big cages, Brian lets them fly freely inside the house.

    Over the years, Brian has developed a special relationship with birds. The birds who bite other humans, seem to like him and can get along with him well. He is now called a bird whisperer.

    Brian pays for most of the costs of looking after the birds from his own money, but has recently established a foundation to accept donations. He and his birds also earn money by performing at birthday parties, weddings and other social events.

    For people who want to adopt Brian's birds, they have to volunteer at the foundation for three months, before they can take the pet home.

Are you ready for this?

    Are there any companions(同伴) better than pets? Who else can be so lovely and understanding? Not much beats(胜过) a pet to make you laugh after  bad exam. Pets are cute  friendly. But to keep one at home needs a lot of care and attention.  you want an animal at home, think (care) beforehand.. Do you have enough time to take care of it? What (happen) when it gets (big)? Talk to your parents to get some advice.

    The second question may be what pet  (choose). Not all animals are good pets. Many wild ones carry diseases and can be dangerous for children. Some of  (they) need special care that you cannot give. If you want a pet from the wild, check that it is safe and healthy. When taking care  your animals, make sure you always wash your hands.  (keep) pets teaches you care and responsibility. When animals feel you are kind to them, they pay you back. Animals have feelings too. So be kind to them.

    "Well, we're in our new house. Let's get a new pet to get along with it," Mrs Brown said to her husband.

    "That sounds like a pretty good idea," he answered. "Do you want to see the ads in the newspaper?"

    "Let's go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Since tomorrow is Saturday, we both can go," she said.

    The next morning the Browns met Mr Snow at the animal shelter. "We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes," Mr Snow said, "so I need to ask you some questions."

    After they talked for a while, the Browns decided to get a small dog. It wouldn't need a big house or a big yard. A small dog would bark and warn him if someone tried to break into their house. After Mr Snow gave the Browns a book on pet care, they chose one and wanted to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hadn't checked her yet. So Mr Snow told them to return on Sunday.

    On Sunday afternoon the Browns went to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said, "Shadow has had all of her shots. She will be healthy. "The Browns thanked the doctor and took Shadow home.

内容提示：⑴如果你想养宠物狗，了解它的肢体语言非常重要；

⑵狗会通过左右摇摆尾巴来表达自己的高兴；

⑶如果狗很有信心，它会直视物体，抬起尾巴，你很难看到它眼睛的白色部分；

⑷如果狗感到害怕，它会压低头部，尾巴下垂，并看着它害怕的物体，有时它也会通过叫声表达自己的恐惧。

Dogs are our friends.