In So Many Places, Cats Are the Stars
2024-08-10
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1From the United States and Britain to Russia and South America, cats often appear in famous public places.
2Cat fans say the animals bring value to the places where they live.
3Cats can add a cute element or reduce the number of rodents.
4Sometimes, cats even come to define the place they live in.
5In 2020, a green-eyed cat named Willow appeared at a Joe Biden campaign event in Pennsylvania.
6The cat jumped onstage and left with soon-to-be first lady Jill, who later wrote a book about the creature.
7But the White House is not the only well-known place in the United States to house cats.
8The Hemingway Homes and Museum, in Key West, Florida has fifty-nine cats that move freely through the estate.
9Half of the creatures are related to Hemingway's own six-toed cat, Snow White.
10Visitors are kept away from the furniture, but the animals sit on the writer's desk.
11A large "Cat Bible" shows the family history, or lineage, of the resident cats.
12Alexa Morgan of the Hemingway museum said the cats bring extra public interest.
13"We have visitors that come here for Hemingway, and then once they see the cats and they love them, then it's like they visit again so they can come back and see the cats," she said.
14In Britain, there is Lilibet.
15She is a Siberian Forest cat who spends time sitting by the fire at the Lanesborough Hotel in London.
16Plenty of people visit the hotel just to see the cat, who is named after Queen Elizabeth II, said managing director Stuart Geddes.
17Lilibet has special hair known as hypoallergenic fur.
18That means her hair is not likely to cause problems for people who are sensitive to cat hair.
19Lilibet is not the only cat living in an important British building.
20Hodge sits inside Southwark Cathedral, which was established in 1106.
21He moves around bringing happiness to visitors and going into the shop for treats.
22Not far away, across the Thames River, is Larry, the famous cat of 10 Downing St., the official home of the prime minister of Britain.
23Larry has stayed longer than most prime ministers - Kier Starmer is his sixth.
24Employed as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry pays his way by keeping the prime minister's office and home more cat than mouse.
25He has lasted longer than his rival Palmerston, a previous Foreign Office cat who retired to the British countryside in 2020.
26Cats also live in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
27About 80 cats get to call Catherine the Great's palace home in return for keeping the pest population down.
28They have their own press officer and volunteer assistants, who keep them publicized, fed, and watered while they walk around Russia's state museum.
29In Venezuela, under a banner of Hugo Chavez, an unnamed cat has become well-known to the journalists of Caracas.
30Often found moving near TV crews at the National Electoral Council, this mysterious animal keeps reporters company as they wait for updates.
31Far away in another part of the world, Lule is so beloved at the Day and Night bar in Pristina, Kosovo, that her cat face has become its symbol.
32Owner Genc Salihu says she is part of the family, and people come just to see and pet Lule.
33"She is very much the soul of this place," he said.
34I'm John Russell.
1From the United States and Britain to Russia and South America, cats often appear in famous public places. 2Cat fans say the animals bring value to the places where they live. Cats can add a cute element or reduce the number of rodents. Sometimes, cats even come to define the place they live in. 3Cats in the United States 4In 2020, a green-eyed cat named Willow appeared at a Joe Biden campaign event in Pennsylvania. The cat jumped onstage and left with soon-to-be first lady Jill, who later wrote a book about the creature. 5But the White House is not the only well-known place in the United States to house cats. 6The Hemingway Homes and Museum, in Key West, Florida has fifty-nine cats that move freely through the estate. Half of the creatures are related to Hemingway's own six-toed cat, Snow White. 7Visitors are kept away from the furniture, but the animals sit on the writer's desk. A large "Cat Bible" shows the family history, or lineage, of the resident cats. 8Alexa Morgan of the Hemingway museum said the cats bring extra public interest. 9"We have visitors that come here for Hemingway, and then once they see the cats and they love them, then it's like they visit again so they can come back and see the cats," she said. 10Cats in Britain 11In Britain, there is Lilibet. 12She is a Siberian Forest cat who spends time sitting by the fire at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. Plenty of people visit the hotel just to see the cat, who is named after Queen Elizabeth II, said managing director Stuart Geddes. 13Lilibet has special hair known as hypoallergenic fur. That means her hair is not likely to cause problems for people who are sensitive to cat hair. Lilibet is not the only cat living in an important British building. 14Hodge sits inside Southwark Cathedral, which was established in 1106. He moves around bringing happiness to visitors and going into the shop for treats. 15Not far away, across the Thames River, is Larry, the famous cat of 10 Downing St., the official home of the prime minister of Britain. Larry has stayed longer than most prime ministers - Kier Starmer is his sixth. 16Employed as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry pays his way by keeping the prime minister's office and home more cat than mouse. 17He has lasted longer than his rival Palmerston, a previous Foreign Office cat who retired to the British countryside in 2020. 18Russia and beyond 19Cats also live in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. 20About 80 cats get to call Catherine the Great's palace home in return for keeping the pest population down. They have their own press officer and volunteer assistants, who keep them publicized, fed, and watered while they walk around Russia's state museum. 21In Venezuela, under a banner of Hugo Chavez, an unnamed cat has become well-known to the journalists of Caracas. Often found moving near TV crews at the National Electoral Council, this mysterious animal keeps reporters company as they wait for updates. 22Far away in another part of the world, Lule is so beloved at the Day and Night bar in Pristina, Kosovo, that her cat face has become its symbol. Owner Genc Salihu says she is part of the family, and people come just to see and pet Lule. 23"She is very much the soul of this place," he said. 24I'm John Russell. 25Hilary Fox reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 26______________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28cute -- adj. attractive or pretty 29rodent - n. a small mammal (such as a mouse) 30onstage - adv. on or onto a stage 31estate - n. a property usually with a large house on it 32furniture - n. equipment that is necessary or useful (beds, desks, chairs, etc.) 33museum -n. a building where interesting and valuable things are collected and shown to the public 34treat -n. a special food to eat 35pay (your) way -idiom to earn your living or pay for staying in the place you live in 36palace -n. the home of a king or queen 37pest -n. an unwanted animal, like an insect or rodent, that damages homes or farms 38symbol - n. a sign, object or even a person that stands for or suggests another thing such as an idea or a country