LESSON B

Unusual Heroes

Cassius is very hardworking and intelligent.  When he was just two months old, Cassius went* to school
and then he started working.  Cassius is a work dog and his job is finding people after disasters*.  During
disasters, buildings sometimes fall down with people inside them.  They can’t get out.  Often they
cannot move or call for help. They are trapped*.  Friends, neighbors, and the police try to find them, but
people are not very good at this work.  Dogs are very good at it.  Cassius can smell the people who are
trapped inside buildings.  When he smells a person, he stops and sits.  This tells the police where to
look.   

This work is difficult and dangerous. Sometimes a part of a building breaks and falls while Cassius is
working. Cassius helped find people after the earthquake* in Haiti in 2010. He helped save a man’s life. 
The man was trapped under some rocks, but Cassius found* him. The police pulled the man out.  When
he does good work like this, he gets a hot dog.  After his work in Haiti, he won* an award*.   

Psycho is another hero.  He is very small—only ten pounds (4.5 kg), but he is very brave.  His owner’s
granddaughters were playing outside in the garden.  One of the girls looked up and she saw a
rattlesnake*. She was scared. The snake was going to bite her, but Psycho saw* it first. He quickly
jumped in front of the girl.  The snake didn’t bite the girl.  It bit* Psycho.  He saved her life. There are
many other brave and hardworking dog heroes like Cassius and Psycho.   

*went =  past of  go  

*disasters =  dangerous events  
*trapped =  not able to move  
*earthquake  = type of disaster  
*found = past of find  
*won  = past of win 
*award = prize  
*rattlesnake  = a dangerous animal 
*saw = past of see  
*bit = past of bite