Why the Pet Shop Staff Said No to Selling Me a Fish?
Vocabulary
1. Meditation /ˌmɛd.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/ Synonyms: contemplation, reflection, thoughtfulness.
Sample Answer: Meditation is a practice that involves deep thought and reflection.
2. Unawares /ˌʌn.əˈwerz/ Synonyms: unexpectedly, without warning.
Sample Answer: I entered the room unawares, not expecting to find a surprise birthday.
3. Dilemmas /daɪˈlem.əz/ Synonyms: predicaments, challenging choice.
Sample Answer: Ethical dilemmas often require careful consideration of conflicting values before making a decision.
4. Professed /prəˈfest/ Synonyms: declared, asserted.
Sample Answer: The politician professed a commitment to transparency, promising to be honest.
5. Quandary /ˈkwɒn.də.ri/ Synonyms: dilemma, confusion.
Sample Answer: Faced with a moral quandary, he had to choose between his principles and the demands of the situation.
Listening
Please take a moment to review the comprehension question prior to listening
1. What caught the narrator "unawares" during his visit to the pet shop?
2. Why did the narrator almost have "stitches" during the conversation with the staff member?
3. How did the staff member justify the separation of betta fish in cups?
Click here to show the text
I had a range of feelings visiting a pet shop this week and a kind of meditation moment resulted in an old question sprouting from an interesting discourse with a member of staff. Coming through the door of the shop, I returned the greeting of a young gentleman staff member. Call me harsh, but there was something new-job-ish about the speed with which he “sourced” the two goldfish I requested. Hmm. Except, that wasn’t all of it. No, something extra that caught me unawares.As he made his way slowly back to the tank where the goldfish were, I saw his first moment of something-to-hide-ness, and the subsequent, “What size tank have you,” almost had me in stitches. “Just a container for my daughter,” I answered in truth, hands indicating a more than modest 10 inches long. His feeling that it was important to have regard to the well-being of the pets was a first. I had to admire his take on what had for so long been a heartless exercise.
What a bizarre coincidence coming across this the same week I penned a blog entry about the deep ethical dilemmas of pet ownership. My heartfelt thoughts about how rare it is that a civil exchange between real people — ones not looking for a fight — can be had to delve into and around such critical issues.
He had me almost convinced. Almost that is until he said to show him the tank before the fish bag is handed over! Well, that blew the whole thing I concluded. There wasn’t any doubt that the young man was being utterly sincere but it wasn’t exactly the way you could ask everyone to show their tank first, I remember wondering. As someone having navigated life in a different era, particularly in charity work, I respected the gentleman though, especially in a world where values are often overshadowed by financial considerations.
However, my respect for his judgment began to wane as I followed him to the row of cups, each imprisoning a betta fish and labeled with a price. He explained that separating them was necessary to prevent aggression, a point upon which I had to defer — but the extremity of each fish’s confinement screamed “overkill” for however many hours the store would be open that day. (“Overkill,” I thought, was a curious term for a practice that was far from unusual to this store or any other.) More than anything, the crowded conditions raised questions about the alignment of such practices with the staff’s professed values.
My inner dialogue raged on. I could not help but wonder: Were these ethical values personal, or did they reflect corporate policies? If compassionate ethics is the prepended statement, isn’t the initial removal of exotic pets from their natural environments and their potential impact on the local environment more vibrant considerations?
As I left the door, my heart was a blend of gratitude, appreciation for one employee’s dedication, and a lingering quandary of the existence of the pet industry. I departed with the hope that the sincerity displayed was genuine, yet with an underlying curiosity about the overall commitment to ethical pet care, and whether other assumptions were influencing the staff’s decision not to sell me the fish.
Comprehension questions
1. What caught the narrator "unawares" during their visit to the pet shop?
Answer: Something extra during the goldfish request caught the narrator by surprise.2. Why did the narrator almost have "stitches" during the conversation with the staff member?
Answer: The sudden question about the tank size and its unexpectedness.3. How did the staff member justify the separation of betta fish in cups?
Answer: The staff member explained that separating them was necessary to prevent aggression.Reading
I had a range of feelings visiting a pet shop this week and a kind of meditation moment resulted in an old question sprouting from an interesting discourse with a member of staff. Coming through the door of the shop, I returned the greeting of a young gentleman staff member. Call me harsh, but there was something new-job-ish about the speed with which he “sourced” the two goldfish I requested. Hmm. Except, that wasn’t all of it. No, something extra that caught me unawares.
As he made his way slowly back to the tank where the goldfish were, I saw his first moment of something-to-hide-ness, and the subsequent, “What size tank have you,” almost had me in stitches. “Just a container for my daughter,” I answered in truth, hands indicating a more than modest 10 inches long. His feeling that it was important to have regard to the well-being of the pets was a first. I had to admire his take on what had for so long been a heartless exercise.
What a bizarre coincidence coming across this the same week I penned a blog entry about the deep ethical dilemmas of pet ownership. My heartfelt thoughts about how rare it is that a civil exchange between real people — ones not looking for a fight — can be had to delve into and around such critical issues.
He had me almost convinced. Almost that is until he said to show him the tank before the fish bag is handed over! Well, that blew the whole thing I concluded. There wasn’t any doubt that the young man was being utterly sincere but it wasn’t exactly the way you could ask everyone to show their tank first, I remember wondering. As someone having navigated life in a different era, particularly in charity work, I respected the gentleman though, especially in a world where values are often overshadowed by financial considerations. However, my respect for his judgment began to wane as I followed him to the row of cups, each imprisoning a betta fish and labeled with a price. He explained that separating them was necessary to prevent aggression, a point upon which I had to defer — but the extremity of each fish’s confinement screamed “overkill” for however many hours the store would be open that day. (“Overkill,” I thought, was a curious term for a practice that was far from unusual to this store or any other.) More than anything, the crowded conditions raised questions about the alignment of such practices with the staff’s professed values.
My inner dialogue raged on. I could not help but wonder: Were these ethical values personal, or did they reflect corporate policies? If compassionate ethics is the prepended statement, isn’t the initial removal of exotic pets from their natural environments and their potential impact on the local environment more vibrant considerations? As I left the door, my heart was a blend of gratitude, appreciation for one employee’s dedication, and a lingering quandary of the existence of the pet industry. I departed with the hope that the sincerity displayed was genuine, yet with an underlying curiosity about the overall commitment to ethical pet care, and whether other assumptions were influencing the staff’s decision not to sell me the fish.
Speaking
1- Share your thoughts on a situation where someone asked you unexpected questions, making you feel caught off guard.
Key Points:
Feeling caught off guard/ strenghts and weaknesses/ open for improvement
Sample Answer:During a job interview, the unexpected question about my weaknesses caught me unawares, but I managed to respond positively by highlighting areas of improvement. .
2- Discuss your experience visiting a store where the staff's actions surprised you.
Key Points: Surprising experiences during a store visit/ unsure about their policy/ confused3-Explain your opinion on the ethical treatment of pets in pet shops.
Key Points: Ethical treatment of pets/ respect/ care4- Describe a time when you felt torn between conflicting viewpoints.
Key Points: 4.conflicting viewpoints/ Pros and cons before taking a decision5- Share your perspective on ethical values and doing business.
Key Points: Balance between ethical values and financial considerations.Writing
Summarize the text in a concise paragraph using your own words
Click to see sample summary
The narrator shares his reflections on a recent visit to a pet shop, highlighting unexpected experiences and ethical dilemmas. The encounter with a staff member prompts thoughts on the alignment of pet shop practices with proclaimed values. The narrator's respect for the employee's dedication wavers as he observe the confined conditions of betta fish.Quick Grammar
Past perfect
One grammar case present in the text is the use of the past perfect tense in the sentence: "I had written a blog entry about the deep ethical dilemmas of pet ownership." The past perfect tense is employed to indicate an action completed before another past action, emphasizing the chronological order of events..
