Spark Study Buddy (Challenger): Hong Kong Gen Z embrace exotic pets
The story on this page has some tougher vocabulary words and questions to improve your understanding and English grammar.
Snakes have become the pets of choice for Gen Z in Hong Kong. Photo: Austin ZhangContent provided by British Council
[1] Forget about cats, dogs and fish. In Hong Kong, Gen Zers – born between 1997 and 2012 – are increasingly looking for exotic pets, specifically ones that are easy to care for. Snakes tick both those boxes.
[2] “There are lots of snake keepers around my age in Hong Kong like [those still in] secondary school,” said Royce Wong, an 18-year-old who helps out at Slave World. It is a reptile and amphibian pet shop in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok neighbourhood. “Some of my classmates keep snakes because they’re actually not that terrible,” he added. “Snakes are pretty chill. They do not require a lot of set-up and are easy to keep.” Wong believes the shapes and colourations of snakes make them popular. They also have calm, mysterious personalities.
[3] Maggie Chung is a 22-year-old who works at Fishman Shop, another Mong Kok pet store selling reptiles. She is also a snake lover. “I think they’re really cute and [most pet ones] do not bite. They are fun to play with,” she said. She is particularly fond of ball pythons. “They look really cool to me.”
[4] The ball python can grow to a maximum length of 182cm. Also known as the royal python, it is the smallest of the African pythons. This non-venomous species is named so because it curls into a ball when frightened.
[5] Matthew Cheong is a 25-year-old who also works at Fishman Shop. He said the lowest price for a pet snake, such as a hognose – a common name referring to several species with upturned snouts – is around HK$600 (US$80). Some species can cost thousands. Pythons of different morphs can cost more. Morphs are unusual colourations or patterns resulting from gene mutations. The rarer the morph, the more expensive the snake.
[6] Dr Fiona Woodhouse is the deputy director of animal welfare at the Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). She said factors deterring people from keeping snakes as pets include time constraints and lack of experience. “The main negative factor for snake keeping is the potential negative impact on the welfare of the snakes themselves and the complexities of keeping them happy and healthy,” she said.
[7] The veterinary surgeon also explained that, depending on the species, snakes can be dangerous to people. They could bite when they feel threatened or agitated or are trying to feed. “Prospective snake owners must extensively research the specific reptile species they plan to care for to address the snake’s welfare requirements adequately,” she said.
Source: South China Morning Post, December 19
Questions
1. Which phrase can replace “tick both those boxes” in paragraph 1?
A. meet both requirements
B. miss both targets
C. fulfil neither conditions
D. exceed both expectations
2. Based on paragraph 2, list two reasons why Wong thinks snakes are not difficult to care for.
3. What do hognose snakes have, according to paragraph 5?
4. According to paragraph 5, the more common the morph of a snake, the …
A. fewer patterns it has.
B. more colours it has.
C. less expensive it costs.
D. more expensive it costs.
5. Based on paragraph 7, what is one risk of keeping snakes?
6. Below is a summary of the story. Two of the sentences have a grammar mistake. Find the errors and write the corrections. If there is no mistake, put an x. The first one has been done for you. (3 marks)
Answers
1. A
2. They do not require a lot of set-up, and they are easy to keep.
3. upturned snouts
4. C
5. Certain species can be dangerous to people, potentially biting when they feel threatened or agitated or when they are trying to feed. (accept all similar answers)
6. (i) (replace “but”) because of / due to; (ii) x; (iii) (replace “few”) little