美国国家公共电台 NPR--A girl asked if she could keep a unicorn in her yard. LA County gave her a license

A girl asked if she could keep a unicorn¹ in her yard. LA County gave her a license²

Transcript³

A six-year-old on a quest to keep a unicorn in her backyard figured she'd get the hard part out of the way first — getting permission from animal control.

In mid-November, eager to cut through the red tape, Madeline wrote a letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control with a straightforward⁴ request. (The county redacted her last name from the letter on its social media posts.)

"Dear LA County," it reads. "I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response."

Director Marcia Mayeda obliged a few weeks later, writing back with good news. The department does in fact license unicorns⁵, she said, under certain conditions.

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Those include polishing the unicorn's horn at least once a month with a soft cloth, feeding it watermelon (one of its favorite treats) at least once a week, covering it with only nontoxic and biodegradable sparkles and giving it "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows."

Confident that Madeline will meet the five requirements, Mayeda also sent her a "preapproved unicorn license" for her elusive⁶ future pet — in the form of a certificate on pink paper with curlicue script, as well as a heart-shaped tag engraved⁷ with the words "permanent unicorn license."

And, because unicorns "are indeed very rare to find," the department is also giving Madeline a plush unicorn — wearing the tag, of course — to keep her company during her search, as a token of its appreciation⁸.

"It is always rewarding to hear from young people who thoughtfully consider the requirements of providing a loving home to animals," Mayeda wrote. "I commend your sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County."

Mayeda told the Washington Post that this is the first time the department has received a request for a license for a unicorn — or any mythical⁹ creature — in her more than two decades working there.

She said she and her colleagues deal with a lot of "emotionally draining" and "life-and-death" issues on the job, whether that's seeing cases of animal abuse or animals hurting people, or making decisions about having to put down dangerous or sick animals.

So Madeline's letter has considerably¹⁰ brightened their spirits, she said, adding that "everybody was just so touched and charmed and just thrilled with it." They were also impressed with the first-grader for wanting to ask permission in the first place, and doing her research to figure out how to go about that.

Madeline's mother didn't want to discourage her when she asked for a unicorn, so suggested it might come down to getting government approval, Mayeda told The New York Times.

"Madeline said, 'OK,' and she marched off and an hour later she came back and said, 'Will you help me mail this?' " Mayeda said.

While the letter was received and replied to in a matter of weeks, Madeline still hadn't gotten the response as of Friday, since her mom thought the license would be a perfect birthday present for later this month.

She is due to visit the department this week, under the guise¹¹ of visiting an animal care center to discuss her unicorn license application. Safe to say she's in for a magical surprise.

1 unicorn   

n.(传说中的)独角兽

参考例句：

• The unicorn is an imaginary beast.独角兽是幻想出来的动物。
• I believe unicorn was once living in the world.我相信独角兽曾经生活在这个世界。

2 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

5 unicorns   

n.（传说中身体似马的）独角兽( unicorn的名词复数 )；一角鲸；独角兽标记

参考例句：

• Unicorns are legendary beasts. 独角兽是传说里的野兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Assemble50 Elder Druids, 30 Silver Unicorns and10 Green Dragons do defend it. 募集50个德鲁伊长老，30只银色独角兽和10条绿龙用于防御。 来自互联网

6 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

7 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

9 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

10 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

11 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。