英语阅读理解训练之Employ dogs as classroom assistants?

英国的教师协会提出了一个奇怪的想法，用狗在教室里做管理学生的助理，竟然还得到一些人的支持

A British teaching union(工会) famous for strange ideas has supported an idea to employ dogs as classroom assistants.

At the annual conference(年会) of the Professional Association of Teachers in Southport, northwest of England, one person suggested the use of properly-trained dogs to keep order in primary schools. Wendy Dyble, who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her co-workers (同仁)that she was not barking mad(疯狂透顶的). They obviously(明显地) believed her and supported her idea.

She said big dogs could help round up (使...聚拢)children, keep them in line, and clean up the milk they spill(洒出) on the floor. A big dog would also be helpful in breaking up fights (制止打架)and looking for lost things, like shoes or dolls(洋娃娃), she added. It would be nice for the teachers not to go around and have to watch each child to find the one who did something wrong.

The idea was supported by the Dog Defense League (犬类保护团体)but less so by bigger teaching unions.(而一些较大的教师协会却很少响应) A spokesman(发言人) for Education Secretary, (教育大臣)David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog (导盲犬)was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has a reputation(名誉) for coming up with strange ideas.

Task:

Answer the following question.

What do you think of the idea to employ dogs as classroom assistants?