共同成长见仁见智My grandmother became a widow in 1970.Shortly after that,we went to the animal shelter to pick out a puppy to keep her company.Grandma and Penny,the dog,quickly became very fond of each other,and that fondness grew much stronger about three years later when Grandma had a stroke.Grandma could no longer work,so when she came home from the hospital,she and Penny were constant companions.As the years passed,Grandma and Penny became inseparable.If Grandma went to take her nap,Penny walked along beside her and stayed by her side until she awoke.As Penny aged,she could no longer jump up on the bed to lie next to Grandma,so she lay on the rug beside the bed.The time came when both my grandmother and Pennys health were failing fast.Penny couldnt get around very well,and Grandma had been hospitalized several times.During these times,Penny sat at the window looking out for the car bringing Grandma home and would excitedly wait at the door when grandma came through it.Each homecoming was a grand reunion between the two.On Christmas Day in 1985,Grandma was again taken to the hospital.Penny,as usual,sat watching out the window for the car bringing Grandma home.Two mornings later when the dog woke up,she couldnt seem to work out the stiffness in her hips as she usually did.The same morning,she began having seizures(抽搐).At age fifteen,we knew it was time.My mother and aunt tool her to the vet and stayed with her until the end.We had to tell her about it while she was in the hospital because when we pulled up at the house,the first thing Grandma would look for was her beloved Penny watching out the window and then happily greeting her at the door.Grandma shed some tears but said she knew that it had to be done so Penny wouldnt suffer.That night while still in the hospital,Grandma had a massive heart attack.After fifteen years of living companionship,Grandma and Penny passed away within a few hours of each other.God had it al worked outPenny was waiting at door when Grandma came home.【问题导入】 随着社会经济的发展，在外地工作的子女日益增多;即使不在外地工作，多数子女成家立业后都选择与父母分开居住，这就不可避免地造成老年人的孤独寂寞。在这种情况下，饲养宠物的老年人逐渐增加。饲养宠物也带来了许多社会问题，人们众说纷纭，意见不一。你是如何看待饲养宠物着一问题的呢？What is your opinion about keeping pets?A senior student:I love dogs and cats.They are very lovely and friendly.I want to keep one,but I have no time.A cleaning woman:I disagree the deed of keeping pets,especially taking them for a walk on the streets.Each morning I have to clean up some wastes on the ground.A doctor:There are many bacteria on pets.It is dangerous for the owner because pets can cause some diseases some of which are fatal,such as hydrophobia(狂犬病).An office worker:This story is moving.I have sympathy for the lonely old people.We should take some more measures to deal with the problem of keeping pets.My view:_读书做人【话题链接】 Christopher Reeve是一位著名的演员，可是由于事故而瘫痪。为了早日攻克治疗瘫痪这一难关，他倡导成立了基金会，以资助脊髓损伤研究。SupermanChristopher ReeveThe actor Christopher Reeve,who worked tirelessly to promote stem-cell research after being paralyzed(瘫痪)in a riding accident in 1995,has died.Reeve went into a coma(昏迷)on 9 October after suffering a heart attack during treatment for an infected wound,and died the following day without regaining consciousness at the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco,New York.Although best known for playing Superman in four films,Reeve established the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation(CRPF)in 1999,to fund research into the treatment of spinal(脊髓的) injury.In particular,he advocated research into stem cells and the CRPF funded international research programmes to that end.Stem cells are the raw materials of the body:they can turn into many different types of cell.Scientists hope that stem cells might one day be used to repair or replace damaged tissue(组织).However,many are against research into stem-cell therapy(治疗)on ethical grounds because it sometimes involves harvesting cells from human embryos(胚胎).“Christopher Reeve has done an amazing job promoting responsible stem-cell research across the world,” says Stephen Minger,professor at Kings College,London.“Christopher was a hero to many people,” says Kathy Lewis,president of the CRPF.“We will continue in his honor to be firm in our goal of finding treatments and cures for paralysis.”“He was one of the leading figures who encouraged debate on the subject of human embryonic stem-cell research,” says Miodrag Stojkovic,stem-cell researcher at the University of Newcastle upon Tynes Centre for Life,UK,“We will miss his contribution.”【问题导入】 在美国，资助慈善事业和公益事业是一种美德。有的人长期资助某个项目，有的人甚至把自己的财产都捐献出去,政府也制订了相关政策鼓励这种行为。【想一想】 Why do so many people respect Christopher Reeve?_