Task 1. You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

Lots of people keep pets and it looks like the number of pet owners is growing. In 2018, dogs were the leading type of pet. The number of pet dogs worldwide was about 471 million. The second most popular pet is, of course, the cat  — the

population of cats is only a little lower.

Pet owners usually treat their animals like members of the family and give them lots of time and attention. The animals reflect that behaviour  — they make the most devoted friends to people. When there are several pets in the household, they usually get along well. Even animals that are enemies in the natural environment live peacefully in people’s houses. There are lots of photos and videos on social networks proving that cats and dogs enjoy each other’s company and often play together.