阅读理解。

阅读理解。

     Donna is 19 years old and loves animals, which is why I’m always happy to leave my dog with her
when I go on holiday. Donna also helps to train hunting dogs, but recently, her boyfriend told me, she
returned home from a farm in tears after being told to hit some dogs.“She wasn’t being asked to hit them
because they didn’t behave well,” he said. 
    "She was told to punch these puppies with a closed fist simply to let them know who is boss." Donna
refused. Good for Donna. In my view, you hurt an animal for only two reasons: as a way to teach it an
important lesson, such as not to run into the road; or because you like hurting animals.
     Last summer, I attended a horse race. I don't know much about horses, but I was alarmed when I
saw a horse with a huge ulcer(溃疡) on its leg. "Surely this horse won't race?" I asked. I was very
surprised that nobody in the crowd seemed concerned.
     The horse began the race, but later it fell heavily. It had broken its leg. The next thing I saw was its
dead body in a bag, being driven past. No one seemed to care, except those who'd bet on it. I know
people care for horse racing, but do they really care for horses? I doubt it.
     Oh, but it's tradition, I hear you say. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we didn't occasionally
hit, shoot and chase animals? Traditions are made by man and can be unmade. It was once acceptable
to kill servants when their master died, to visit the mental hospitals to laugh at the patients, or to watch
public execution(执行死刑).
     Nor should it be forgotten that in our progress to a more civilized world, animals have played an
important role: they have fed us, carried us, worked for us, rescued us, died for us and sometimes just
saved us from loneliness. Surely by now they deserve our kindness. At the very least, they deserve our
respect.

     Brian knew he had been drinking more and more, but he was convinced that he'd return to more
moderate drinking when he wasn't so pressured at work, and that "a few too many drinks now and then"
wasn't a major problem."
     My wife and father were on me to stop drinking, but you know how critical and protective family can
be," said Brian. "So I blew them off."
     It wasn't until his friend Jack spoke up that Brian started to think differently. "That really hit home,
because I wouldn't expect a friend to confront me with something that personal unless it was very
important," said Brian. "
     Jack said he was really concerned about me. He pointed out that my personality changed after I had
a few beers--that I became belligerent(寻衅的). For a normally easy-going guy, that was a dramatic
change in behavior." Jack could see that Brian's numerous drinking binges(放纵) were causing problems. Brian was frequently calling into work sick and falling behind in his work, and his marriage was seriously
on the ropes. Brian was teetering on the edge of disaster. "I didn't want to see a good life and a good
friendship ruined," said Jack, "so I approached Brian, shared my honest observations with him, and
suggested that he seek help."
     After a couple days of soul searching, though still reluctant, Brian took Jack's suggestion and was
assessed by an addiction professional. The expert recommended that Brian check into a treatment center, and one day later Brian did so.
     Many people fear taking the path that Jack took. Speaking up to a friend who may have a problem
with alcohol or other drugs can be a tricky undertaking.
     Yet it's true that a concerned friend can do a lot. Most people don't recognize they have a substance
abuse problem and most don't seek help for a problem until someone close to them intervenes(干预).