Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Worksheet: gap-fill, open cloze

Level: B2 Aptis point: Vocabulary + Grammar, Discourse Markers

World's best job? Newcastle cat rescue centre looking for volunteers to cuddle kittens

A cat-rehoming centre in Newcastle (1)_____ put out an odd plea for volunteers that should have people falling over themselves to sign up for: it needs kitten cuddlers.

The Westgate Ark centre has (2)______ set up to help rehome rescued cats and kittens, many of which are feral or semi-feral.

Kittens have a period (3)__________ three and seven weeks when they need to be handled, which is called “socialisation,” and is crucial to a cat’s development. It is the period (4)_______ they get used to people, other animals and everyday sights and sounds.

“If you miss that window of opportunity and they’re not exposed to people extensively by that age then they become feral or semi-feral, and (5)_____ older they become the harder it (6)______ to domesticate them,” said Mr Black, the founder of the Westage Ark cnetre.

The centre has put out the call for “cat cuddlers” on its site to help the kittens during their socialisation process, and to help with the older cats that are feral or semi-feral, but which still need getting used to being around people if they (7)_____ going to be rehomed.

“We have some wonderful volunteers, but we don’t have enough,” Mr Black said, adding that many of his volunteers work (8)______ time and can only help out at certain times of the day.

The number of cats being looked after and rehomed varies widely (9)______ week to week; at the moment the centre is looking after 15 cats, but “a few weeks ago it was more than double that,” he said.

Mr Black is hoping to expand the clinic into a non-profit neutering clinic for cats and dogs in the future, but that until the centre has enough money to fund the operation, it will focus (10)_______ rehoming cats.

Contributed by: (Anna Morgachova)© The British Council, 2013

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Adapted from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worlds-best-job-newcastle-cat-rescue-centre-looking-for-volunteers-to-cuddle-kittens-9836159.html

Contributed by: (Anna Morgachova)© The British Council, 2013

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Contributed by: (Anna Morgachova)© The British Council, 2013

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Contributed by: (Anna Morgachova)© The British Council, 2013

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)

Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Pro-ELT Teacher Training Materials

Contributed by: (Anna Morgachova)© The British Council, 2013

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)