Task 5. (4 points)
Read the article. Four fragments have been removed from the text. Complete each gap
(5.1.-5.4.) with the fragment which fits best and put the appropriate letter (A-E)
in the gap. There is one fragment that you do not need to use.
ARE YOU A CAT OR A DOG PERSON?
Cat people really are different from dog people, it turns out, according to a study conducted
by scientists from the University of Texas. Specifically, dog people are more extrovert
and agreeable; cat people are more neurotic, but also more open to new experiences. This is one
of the more straightforward findings of ‘anthrozoology’, the study of human-animal relations,
but as the psychologist Hal Herzog makes clear in his brilliantly titled book Some We Love,
Some We Hate, Some We Eat, that's about as straightforward as it gets. 5.1. That's most
evident, of course, in the way we treat our dogs as quasi-humans while blithely consuming pigs
and cows.
Restricting the discussion to pet-keeping, however, you might imagine things would be
clearer - everyone knows pets make us happier and healthier. Who’d argue with that?
Well, a fair few anthrozoologists, in fact. Herzog notes that pet ownership has been shown to
correlate with better survival in coronary patients and lower levels of depression among the
elderly. 5.2. Studies of ‘therapy animals’ are similarly ambiguous: dogs seem to bring
psychological benefits, dolphins don't. Yet pet owners, in surveys, are emphatic that their pets
make them feel better. As long as you believe something makes you happier, surely in some
sense, by definition, it does. If we convince ourselves that relations with pets are as rewarding
as those with humans, they can be. There are also some research findings to support this theory.
5.3. Those who interacted with a robotic dog showed the same improvements.
Half of British dog owners, meanwhile, say their pets feel shame and guilt. Yet, cleverly
constructed research found that dogs look ‘guilty’ only when owners believe they've
misbehaved, and respond accordingly, whether or not they really have. 5.4. And some
would even say that the latter, being mostly based on words, are characterised by greater
ambiguity. There’s an argument that animals’ lack of language enriches the interaction.
By freeing it from the complexities and confusion of thought it leaves only wordless clarity.
As the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle puts it: ‘I have lived with several Zen masters - all of
them cats.’
abridged from www.guardian.co.uk
A. As a cat person, though currently petless, I accept that trade-off. To live with a cat is
to invite challenge and growth.
B. Herzog cites one study showing that interacting with a dog reduced loneliness in nursing-
home patients. But there was a catch.
C. Then again, a Warwick University study found no effect on loneliness in adults, and
a Finnish one found pet owners got less exercise and were more susceptible to kidney
disease and arthritis.
D. However, to say that our relationships with pets are all in our heads isn’t necessarily
to diminish their value. Isn’t the same true about our relationships with humans, too?
E. The overriding conclusion of anthrozoology, though usually expressed in more scholarly
terms, is that people are really weird about animals. ‘The only consistency in the way
humans think about animals,’ he writes, quoting a colleague, ‘is inconsistency.’
TRANSFER YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET!
dla absolwentów klas dwujęzycznych
8
Official CKE answer key found in corpus at arkusze/jezyk-angielski-2012-maj-matura-dwujezyczna-odpowiedzi (matura.lol's automatic pairing missed it); transcript at .../jezyk-angielski-2012-maj-matura-dwujezyczna-transkrypcja. 'Are You A Cat Or A Dog Person?' missing-fragment gap-fill: 5.1 -> E (overriding conclusion of anthrozoology is that people are 'weird about animals' / inconsistency, following the cat/dog vs pig/cow example). 5.2 (after mention of better survival/lower depression correlations, before 'Studies of therapy animals are similarly ambiguous') -> C (Warwick University study found no effect on loneliness; Finnish study found pet owners less healthy - continues the 'ambiguous' theme). 5.3 (after 'some research findings to support this theory', before 'Those who interacted with a robotic dog showed the same improvements') -> B (Herzog cites a study: interacting with a dog reduced loneliness in nursing-home patients, but there was a catch - the catch being the robotic dog getting the same result). 5.4 (after discussion of dogs' 'guilty' looks being about owner belief, before 'There's an argument that animals' lack of language enriches interaction') -> D (relationships with pets being 'in our heads' doesn't diminish their value, same as with humans - sets up the comparison with human relationships/language). (A 'As a cat person...' is the extra, unused fragment.)
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