ACT English practice test 20

Man's Best Friend

[1]

More and more, people are treating their pets like royalty. Where once it was considered extravagant to put a sweater or a pair of shoes on a dog that₁ it is almost to the point now where it is considered an abuse not₂ to dress your dog for cold weather! Large pet stores are not the only ones that benefit₃ from people's interest in dogs—raising pets has become an industry all its own, with significant representation in the clothing, publishing, and entertainment industries, to name a few. How did we ever get this way?

[2]

Archaeologists have found cultural and skeletal evidence of domesticated dogs as far back as 6500 BCE in Mesopotomia and as far back as 8300 BCE in what is now North America. Put simply, dogs have been around as domesticated animals for a long time and in all different parts of the world. Some historians suggest that dogs as a species evolved into something close to their current form as many as 100,000 years ago, and many historians estimate that dogs were first domesticated as many as 15,000 years ago. There are over 800 different breeds of dogs, and many more that cannot be classified into a single breed.₄

[3]

Although₅ dogs have been bred and domesticated for many reasons throughout history, the primary reason for their breeding in ancient times was their usefulness as hunting companions. Dogs' agility and sense of smell still, to this day, help hunters to capture their prey. Dogs were also often used as protectors, whom₆ primary responsibility was to sit in front of a residence or place of gathering and scare away would-be robbers and evildoers.

[4]

[1] Since the eighteenth century, by way of example₇, dogs have been seen more as companions and family members than in such impersonal roles₈ as hunters or guardsmen. [2] From this point in time, the dog has increasingly filled the role of domesticated pet, and according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 39% of Americans currently own at least one dog, and there are no fewer then₉ 74 million owned dogs in the United States. [3] Inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, a social philosophy evolved that began to treat all individuals as social equals, and people's attitudes toward dogs begins₁₀ to take on a more personal character. [4] Dogs came to be prized for their loyalty and sacrifice, and as early as 1855, many have suggested, the American English phrase "man's best friend" was already commonplace in the language.₁₁

[5]

It should be no surprise, then, given this long and progressive history of dog ownership, that people come to think of their dogs more and more as near-human members of their families. Think about all the indispensable, yet underappreciated₁₂ roles that dogs play in our lives—they are not just our pets and "best friends"; they are also indispensable to the practices of law enforcement, firefighting, and assistance to the visually impaired, to name just a few. Although it may seem at first that dogs are just lazy pets, on the one hand₁₃ they are really much more than that. Have a look₁₄ around and you'll find that dogs are an essential part of our modern society. So what if they've got their own hotels and day spas these days—don't you think they've earned them?₁₅

Man's Best Friend

[1]

More and more, people are treating their pets like royalty. Where once it was considered extravagant to put a sweater or a pair of shoes on a dog that⁶¹ it is almost to the point now where it is considered an abuse not to dress your dog for cold weather! Large pet stores are not the only ones that benefit⁶² from people's interest in dogsâraising pets has become an industry all its own, with significant representation in the clothing, publishing, and entertainment industries, to name a few. How did we ever get this way?

[2]

[3]

Although⁶⁴ dogs have been bred and domesticated for many reasons throughout history, the primary reason for their breeding in ancient times was their usefulness as hunting companions. Dogs' agility and sense of smell still, to this day, help hunters to capture their prey. Dogs were also often used as protectors, whom⁶⁵ primary responsibility was to sit in front of a residence or place of gathering and scare away would-be robbers and evildoers.

[4]

[1] Since the eighteenth century, by way of example⁶⁶, dogs have been seen more as companions and family members than in such impersonal roles⁶⁷ as hunters or guardsmen. [2] From this point in time, the dog has increasingly filled the role of domesticated pet, and according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 39% of Americans currently own at least one dog, and there are no fewer then⁶⁸ 74 million owned dogs in the United States. [3] Inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, a social philosophy evolved that began to treat all individuals as social equals, and people's attitudes toward dogs begins⁶⁹ to take on a more personal character. [4] Dogs came to be prized for their loyalty and sacrifice, and as early as 1855, many have suggested, the American English phrase ""man's best friend"" was already commonplace in the language.

[5]

It should be no surprise, then, given this long and progressive history of dog ownership, that people come to think of their dogs more and more as near-human members of their families. Think about all the indispensable, yet underappreciated⁷² roles that dogs play in our livesâthey are not just our pets and ""best friends""; they are also indispensable to the practices of law enforcement, firefighting, and assistance to the visually impaired, to name just a few. Although it may seem at first that dogs are just lazy pets, on the one hand⁷³ they are really much more than that. Have a look⁷⁴ around and you'll find that dogs are an essential part of our modern society. So what if they've got their own hotels and day spas these daysâdon't you think they've earned them?

English practice 20