men have kept pets since ancient times. we can see from discoveries in the pyramids in egypt and from scenes on decorated wall-coverings of european castles that our ancestors were as in-

terested in pets as we are.

one reason for keeping pets is their utility. when our dog barks, it warns us of thieves. a cat keeps down the mice and rats in homes. when men depended on hunting for food they found hunting-dogs extremely useful. they also used a type of bird to aid them in their search for food.

companionship is a non-utilitarian reason for keeping pets. if people are living by themselves they feel lonely, and having a pet relieves this loneliness to some extent. we like to have some companion with us even if this companion is not human. we feel the need to have another living being to share

our daily lives. having a companion, even if it is only an animal, gives us a feeling of warmth and an interest in something else beyond ourselves.

some people even prefer pets to other people. pets are not as demanding as people sometimes are. in particular,pets do not demand of us that we should talk when we wish to remain silent. some people do talk to pets as if they were human beings, but they have the satisfaction of knowing that the

pets cannot answer back and engage them in argument. pets seem content with so very little.

養寵物

從遠古時期，人們就開始飼養寵物。埃及金字塔里的種種發現，歐洲城堡華麗穹頂上的繪畫都充分說明：我們的祖先和我們今天一樣喜歡寵物。

養寵物的其中一個原因就是它們的實用性。狗吠叫警告我們小心盜賊，貓消滅田鼠和家中的老鼠。在依靠打獵獲取食物的年代，人們意識到獵狗舉足輕重的作用。那時，

人們還同時使用一種小鳥來幫助他們尋找食物。

養寵物的另一個非實用的原因就是要它們和自己做伴。獨自生活常常會感到孤單。養寵物可以從某種程度上緩解這種孤獨感。我們喜歡有伴兒陪著，即使這個伴兒并

不是人類。我們感覺需要另一個生命分享自己每日的生活。同伴，即使只是個動物，也可以給我們一種溫暖的感覺，讓我們對除自己以外的其他事物感興趣。

一些人愛寵物勝過愛其他人。寵物不像人那樣有時會有各種各樣的要求。特別是當我們不想說話時，寵物不會逼我們開口。不過一些人會把寵物當作人一樣和它們交談，他們很高興這些動物不能回答他們的問題，不會和他們爭論。只需一點點，寵物們就很容易知足了。

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