Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a parakeet
    • ex. I taught my pet parakeet some English words.
  2. a descendant
    • ex. My friend is a descendant of George Washington.
  3. thrive
    • ex. Our garden is thriving this year. We have so many tomatoes!
  4. a predator
    • ex. Wolves and bears are the biggest predators in the area.
  5. be aware of (something)
    • ex. Jake usually reads on the train, so he isn’t aware of the people around him.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A recent study confirmed that there are now more than 8,000 wild parakeets living in and around Paris. The tropical birds are descendants of two groups of parakeets that escaped from Paris airports in the 1970s and 1990s. Parakeets are originally from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, but they’re sold all over the world as pets.

Wild parakeets are also now living in Amsterdam, Madrid, Frankfurt, and many other European cities. Officials estimate that there are more than 50,000 in London and 12,000 in Brussels. They believe that the parakeets are thriving in European cities because they have easy access to food and very few predators. Also, in winter, the cities are usually warmer than the countryside.

Surprisingly, many city residents are not aware of the wild parakeets. The tropical birds are bright green, but they usually stay close to trees. Thankfully, the parakeets don’t seem to be a danger to the native animals in most areas. However, in southern Spain, they’ve had a negative effect on the local bats that sleep in the same kind of trees.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

The Wild Parakeets

  • Do you think European cities should do anything about the wild parakeets (ex. catch and sell them, move them to zoos)? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Surprisingly, many city residents are not aware of the wild parakeets. Do you think it's possible that there are many wild parakeets living in your area as well? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The parakeets were going to be pets, but they escaped and are now thriving in the wild. In your opinion, if pet owners can't take care of their pets anymore, is it okay to set them free (in the wild)? Why or why not? Discuss.

Pet Birds

  • In your opinion, are birds good pets? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's okay to keep pet birds in small cages? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you have a pet parakeet. What words and phrases will you teach it (ex. “good morning,” “be quiet”)? Why? Discuss.