地道美语听力播客:Buying a Pet（在线收听）

地道美语听力播客English as a Second Language Podcast (ESLPod)，是一家位于美国加州洛杉矶的英语教育研究机构推出的英文听力会话，于2005年7月23日首播， 主播Dr. Jeff McQuillan为南加州大学的语言学博士， 现专注于外国语学生的英语学习研究。该播客在iTunes store播客的教育子分类中，与Grammar Girl Just Vocabulary常居前三甲.

My niece is turning 8 next week and I decided to buy her a new pet. She had been asking her parents for a pet for a long time. But, they were worried about taking care of a pet. I told them I would go to the pet store to see if I could find a pet that wouldn't be too much of a bother.

I walked into a big pet store and looked around. I saw cages with dogs and cats. There were also bird cages with birds of every color. I even saw some snakes!

I saw a sales clerk and asked him for help. I told him that I was looking for a pet that was easy to take care of. He suggested a cat or a kitten. But, I told him that my niece was allergic to cats. Then, he suggested a puppy. I walked over to the rows of dog kennels and asked the clerk how often they needed to be walked. He said that usually, they needed to be taken out three to five times a day. That was much too much work, I told him.

He then showed me some birds, including a parrot. Then, I asked him how often the cages had to be cleaned, and when he told me, I nixed that idea.

Finally, he took me to the back of the store. I have the perfect pet for you, he said. I looked around and saw acquariums full of fish. There were about 20 different kinds. The clerk said that they were very easy to take care of. With the right equipment, you don't have to clean the tank regulary and all you have to do is feed the fish. That was it! The perfect solution.

The next time I visited my niece, she told me she loved her fish. She had named them all. She even named one after me. It was called "Jeffish." Get it? Now, she's happy and so are her parents. Just before I left, my niece asked me: When can we go to Disneyland ?

Ah, the work of an uncle is never done.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse