14. Do you think animal therapy is useful?

It goes without saying animal therapy is useful. It helps withdrawn (замкнутым) children. Because of their incredible shyness, these children have problems socialising and communicating with others. Animal therapy makes disturbed (взволнлванных) patients more comfortable, and as a result, more willing to open up (открыться) and talk about their problems. ‘Pet therapy’ has been used widely by health professionals around the globe and not only in situations involving children. Pets have a great effect on the self-esteem (чувство собственного достоинства)and happiness of elderly people living in nursing homes, too. Their outlook on life becomes long lasting and most of them are able to reduce the medication (лечение, лекарство) they are using. Of course, you don’t have to be ill or elderly to benefit from having a pet. Most professionals agree that simply having a pet can be calming for the pet-owner. Generally speaking, it seems that people who are fond of animals and care for their pets are more likely to be more caring and sociable in their relationships with other human beings.

15. What are the pros and cons of public transport?

Obviously, there are many benefits to public transport. Firstly, without public transport most people would not

be able to get to work and the roads would be very congested with private cars. So public transport is a much more efficient way to travel than a private vehicle. But one of the drawbacks of using public transport is that it is often very crowded and not as comfortable to travel with as your own car. It can be very uncomfortable especially during the morning and evening rush hours when buses are packed and this is made worse if there is a lot of congestion on the roads as well. Although travelling in your own vehicle is more comfortable, private transport causes a lot of problems on the roads in towns and cities. Sometimes you see a car with only one person in it. This is very selfish as it contributes to traffic congestion. It is much better to use public transport where you have one vehicle carrying lots of people. Another problem is that there is not enough parking space for all the cars and roads can become blocked when there are too many cars parked along them. Public transport works out much cheaper than having your own vehicle. Having a car is very expensive because you pay a lot of money to buy it and then you also have to pay a lot for things like maintenance, insurance, tax and petrol. If you use public transport regularly, you can buy a travel card each month and this is cheaper than buying a ticket every day. I don’t have a car because they cause a lot of pollution. My personal opinion is that people should use public transport for travel or ride a bike or even walk. People would be healthier and have more money if they stopped using their cars.

15. What are the pros and cons of travelling abroad?

Many people say that travel broadens the mind because you can learn about the people and cultures of other parts of the world. But I would say that this depends on the person who is travelling. Some people just go to another country to lie on a beach and don’t even want to try the local food. If the person who travels abroad is interested in learning about the place they are visiting, then foreign travel can be educational. It’s fair to say that in the past it was very difficult for ordinary people to travel abroad and that nowadays there are many more opportunities for foreign travel. Mass tourism and package holidays are quite cheap these days so travelling abroad is no longer something that only wealthy people can do. I think it’s great that most people can have the chance to visit other countries if they want to. One thing that should be mentioned, though, is that mass tourism can cause many environmental problems. Many beautiful places in the world have been ruined because lots of hotels and restaurants have been built in them. This is the real disadvantage of foreign travel these days. Many people forget that it can be enjoyable to travel in your own country. Every country has beautiful countryside and interesting historical sites. Even your own! When you travel in your own country you learn more about your own culture and history. Also, it is good for the local economy because you are spending your money in your own country. I believe more people should consider taking holidays in their own country.