Speaking Part 1 · Pets / Animals 5 題 Band 7+ 範答 + 寵物詞庫

Q1. Do you have a pet?

I don't at the moment, unfortunately — my apartment building doesn't really allow them, and I travel for work often enough that it probably wouldn't be fair on the animal. That said, my parents have a fairly chaotic golden retriever called Mango, and I tend to visit most weekends partly so I can take him for a long walk around the neighbourhood.

Q2. Did you have pets when you were a child?

Briefly — we had a pair of goldfish when I was maybe eight or nine, but I'd be lying if I said they counted as a real pet experience. My grandparents had a mixed-breed dog called Lucky though, and I remember spending whole summers at their house in Yilan essentially just following him around. That's probably where my soft spot for dogs comes from.

Q3. What kind of animals do you like?

I'm very much a dog person, although I've come round to cats a lot more in my twenties — I used to find them a bit aloof, but now I appreciate that they don't need constant entertaining. I also have a slightly odd fondness for capybaras, possibly because the internet has convinced an entire generation that they're the most chilled-out animals on earth.

Q4. Are pets popular in your country?

Increasingly so, I'd say. Twenty years ago, owning a small dog was still seen as a bit of a luxury in Taiwan, but now you can barely walk through a park in Taipei without seeing people out with their Shiba Inus or French Bulldogs. Pet cafés have also exploded — there's a whole industry now built around people who love animals but can't keep one at home.

Q5. Do you think it's good for children to grow up with pets?

On the whole I'd say yes, provided the family is genuinely committed — I don't think it's fair to the animal otherwise. Kids who grow up with a dog or a cat tend to pick up a sense of responsibility quite early; you can't exactly ignore a hungry puppy. It also teaches them about loss in a gentle way, which is a lesson you'd rather your child learn through a hamster than through a grandparent.

Band 6: No, I don't have a pet. Because my apartment is too small. But I like dogs very much.

Band 7+: Not at the moment, sadly — my building doesn't really allow them, and I'm out of the house too much to do it properly. My parents have a golden retriever though, so I get my weekly dog fix whenever I'm over for dinner, which is genuinely one of the best parts of visiting them.