First of all, watch the video through so that you can get the gist of what is being said.
Now watch the video more carefully, paying attention to the following features of spoken English:
- Conversation fillers to gain thinking time until ideas come to mind: Well; like; you know
- Use of so as a linking word
- Use of actually and really to emphasize the information we're about to give
- Showing understanding: I see
- Reacting to what you have just heard: Terrible
- Use of vague language: or something
- Involving listeners in the conversation: What do you think?
- Showing agreement: Yeah, yeah; Exactly
Now it's over to you again. If possible, get together with a friend or relative and discuss hunting with them. Do you think that hunting is a sport? What's your take on fox hunting and hunting in general? In what conditions do animals live in factory farms? Are you ready to pay a higher price for meat and products from free-range farms? What other ways do you know of in which animals are mistreated?
When you talk, don't forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have revised today.
It’s interesting how there’s really a lot of people that are into hunting. What is the situation now in England, regarding fox hunting?
Well, it was officially banned in 2005 but people still go hunting with dogs and riding…
But they don’t hunt foxes?
Well, there’s lots of little loopholes in the law, for example, some people organise artificial trails, so they like they make a trail that the dogs can follow, so they still go as if they were hunting, but then opponents say that sometimes actually foxes get caught up in there and then they hunt it and kill it anyway.
So it’s an accident?
It seems to be going on still, fox-hunting, even if it’s been banned.
Why was it banned?
Well, people, animal rights activists and the majority of people in England don’t like it because, you know, they say it’s cruelty against animals, it’s an enjoyment of suffering, you know, people enjoying suffering, also a lot of hunters, hunting is associated with the upper-class in England, so there’s a bit of resentment because of that.
But they just banned fox-hunting, not anything else?
Yeah, well it’s the ban hunting with dogs so…
I see, that’s more cruel.
So basically the dogs chase the fox until it gets really tired and then they sort of rip it to pieces. It’s not very nice.
Terrible.
But there’s this thing, I think you can hunt, you find the fox and if it comes out of a bush or something you can shoot it, so it’s not actually against killing the fox.
It’s just with the dog.
It’s just doing it with dogs, but it’s like a big gang of dogs, gang up against the poor fox.
It’s curious because in many cultures hunting is… it’ll always been there and of course, there’s different people who defend it. They say, well, everyone, especially people eat meat, then it’s just getting closer to your food in some way, to know where it really comes from.
Or somebody has to hunt in order for us to have meat to eat so…
What do you think?
Well, it’s true, and some of the ways animals are treated in farms…
It’s worse!
… particularly factory farming is terrible so…
I was driving in the States once and I drove past a farm where they are raising pigs to slaughter and it was… that was cruel, you know, if a pig could live instead on a farm in… until the day came that somebody wants, you know, like have a happier life.
Yeah, it would be nice if they could ban factory farming, wouldn’t it and animals could live a bit freer.
So, out of curiosity, do you both think that maybe they should ban all factory farming and everybody should hunt?
There are extremes.
Mamma, give me your gun, I’m going to hunt cauliflower, you know.
I don’t want to go hunt, but you can’t ban hunting altogether or then you just have those factory farms, so… and I don’t think that’s a good… solution
Or you can have free-range, free-range farming where the animals can walk round a bit, round a bit, and then… the thing with fox hunting is we don’t need the fox, so it’s like killing it, but then farmers they kill foxes anyway because the foxes eat their chickens so… the foxes… a number of foxes have to die every year, so if the hunters don’t kill them, then the farmers will probably put down poison or traps…
Something.
So maybe, I don’t know.
I saw a show once where a farm was very open, they had enough land per pig, pigs and they said, the more the pigs run the better the meat is.
Yeah, yeah.
And they could classify the meat as… like a reserve of meat.
Good.
Skinny pig.
Well, exercised pig.
Fit pig.
I also have a friend who was a vegetarian, but only a vegetarian because they eat happy meat, so animals…
So animals that have been treated well.
Exactly.
I’d like to be that.
Yeah.
That was interesting.
Fluffy today is your day.
I may not eat rabbits, I like them too much.
