VOA文化艺术2024--In So Many Places, Cats Are the Stars

From the United States and Britain to Russia and South America, cats often appear in famous public places.

Cat fans say the animals bring value to the places where they live. Cats can add a cute element or reduce the number of rodents². Sometimes, cats even come to define³ the place they live in.

Cats in the United States

In 2020, a green-eyed cat named Willow⁴ 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.

But the White House is not the only well-known place in the United States to house cats.

The 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.

Visitors 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.

Alexa Morgan of the Hemingway museum said the cats bring extra public interest.

"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.

Cats in Britain

In Britain, there is Lilibet.

She 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.

Lilibet 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.

Hodge sits inside Southwark Cathedral, which was established in 1106. He moves around bringing happiness to visitors and going into the shop for treats.

Not 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.

Employed as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, Larry pays his way by keeping the prime minister's office and home more cat than mouse.

He has lasted longer than his rival Palmerston, a previous Foreign Office cat who retired⁵ to the British countryside in 2020.

Russia and beyond

Cats also live in the Hermitage Museum in Saint⁶ Petersburg, Russia.

About 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.

In 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.

Far 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.

"She is very much the soul of this place," he said.

Words in This Story

cute -- adj. attractive or pretty

rodent¹ - n. a small mammal (such as a mouse)

onstage - adv. on or onto a stage

estate - n. a property usually with a large house on it

furniture - n. equipment that is necessary or useful (beds, desks, chairs, etc.)

museum -n. a building where interesting and valuable things are collected and shown to the public

treat -n. a special food to eat

pay (your) way -idiom to earn your living or pay for staying in the place you live in

palace -n. the home of a king or queen

pest -n. an unwanted animal, like an insect or rodent, that damages homes or farms

symbol - n. a sign, object or even a person that stands for or suggests another thing such as an idea or a country

1 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

2 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

3 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

4 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。