英语听力—环球英语 1474 Cats on the Internet

 　　Voice 1

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Joshua Leo.

　　Voice 2

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

　　Voice 1

　　Maru is a popular international star. He lives in Japan. But people all over the world know him. Every day, millions of people watch his short films, or videos, on the internet. They watch Maru play. They watch him explore his environment. They watch as he discovers new things. But there is something about Maru that may surprise you. He is a cat.

　　Voice 2

　　If you have ever used the internet, you may have noticed that there are a lot of cats. Other people have noticed this too. In fact, experts have even studied it! People love sharing pictures and videos of their cats. And people love seeing and watching them too! But why is that? Today’s Spotlight is on cats on the internet.

　　Voice 1

　　Cats have been interesting to people for a long time. In many different cultures, people believed cats were full of mystery. In ancient stories from Egypt and Greece, goddesses took the form of cats. Later, in other parts of Europe, cats began to represent something else. Some people said that cats represented the devil². But cats also lived with people as pets. Today, cats are a very popular pet. In fact, Scientific American magazine says there are more than 600,000,000 cats living with humans worldwide.

　　Voice 2

　　But how did cats go from pets to internet stars? As early as 1870, people took pictures of their cats. The old pictures show cats doing normal things. Sometimes the pictures even include signs with words on them. Some were even supposed to be funny! These were very similar to the kinds of silly cat pictures on the internet now. But the first cats to appear on the computer appeared in the early 1990s. People shared pictures of their cats on an early form of the internet. They talked with each other about the best way to care for cats. Then, in the late 1990s, blogs began appearing on the internet. Using blogs, people could write more about their cats, and even share videos. Some websites even devoted³ whole days to posting cute or funny pictures of cats. People shared more and more pictures and videos of cats.

　　Voice 1

　　Today there are many famous internet cats. Some cats are famous for their videos and websites. These are cats like Maru, the cat from the beginning of this program. The woman who owns Maru puts new videos on youtube often. People visit his website or youtube to see what Maru is doing. People can buy things from Maru too like shirts and cups. He even has three books written about him. Another famous cat is called “Grumpy Cat”. Grumpy cat looks as if she is angry, or grumpy all the time. Grumpy cat usually appears in pictures.

　　Voice 2

　　Pictures are a popular way cats exist on the internet. Some are memes, like Grumpy Cat. People share these memes over the internet. These cat picture memes often show a cat in a strange or funny position. They often include funny words. They use wrong words or letters as if the cat is speaking in a strange form of English.

　　Voice 1

　　One of the most famous cat memes is called “I can has cheezburger?”. In this picture, there is a fuzzy gray cat. Its eyes and mouth are all open wide. A person has used a computer program to write the words “I can has cheezburger?” at the top of the picture. The picture is cute. But it is also funny. The cat looks as if he is asking for a cheeseburger! This picture was the first on a website about cat memes. This website is even called “I can has cheezburger”. This website began as a place to share cat memes. Ben Huh bought the small website in 2007, with a group of investors⁴. But today, it is part of a group of sites. He earns millions of dollars every year managing them.

　　Voice 2

　　But even just making and sharing cat videos and memes on the internet can be a full-time⁵ job. In 2006, William Braden was in film school in the United States. He needed to produce a film for his final project. He chose to make a film about his black and white cat Henry. He made the film in a traditional French style. A voice on the video says Henry’s thoughts in the French language. Today, Braden makes Henry videos and manages his cat’s projects as his job.

　　Voice 1

　　Braden knows that this job sounds silly. But he uses some of the money to give back to cats. He donates some of the money he earns to cats living in shelters. These shelters help cats whose owners have hurt them, or cats who do not have homes. They can use the money to buy cat food and supplies, and to pay for adoption⁶ fees.

　　Voice 2

　　But why do people on the internet like cats so much? How can websites like these be successful? Some experts believe that cats amaze⁷ us. Often, it is very difficult to train a cat. So, when people see a cat do something amazing, they know it did the trick without training.

　　Voice 1

　　Or are cats popular because they are funny? Laura Miller⁸ is a writer for the magazine Salon⁹. She suggests that cats always seem dignified¹⁰ and important. They look as if they think they are better than everyone else. So, when we see a cat in a funny position, we think the cat is getting what it deserves¹¹. It is becoming less important. That can be very funny to people.

　　Voice 2

　　Or maybe people just love seeing cats on the internet because cats are cute. Michael Newall is a philosopher¹² of art at the University of Kent. He thinks cats make people think of small babies. So, seeing funny and cute pictures of cats makes people react strongly.

　　Voice 1

　　We may never know the answer. But we do know one thing. Cats will be on the internet for a long time. Matt Smith produces videos and pictures for the internet. He explains why he thinks there will always be more cats on the internet.

　　Voice 3

　　“There are also almost always more pictures of cats. There is a lot of video of cats because so many people have cats. That means there is a lot of basic material for meme creation¹³.”

　　Voice 2

　　What about you? Do you watch cat videos on the internet? Do you enjoy cat memes? Which ones are your favourites? Tell us your thoughts about cats on the internet. Write to us at radio @ radioenglish . net. Or leave a comment on the script¹⁴ page of this program.

　　Voice 1

　　The writer of this program was Liz Waid. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Cats on the Internet’.

　　Voice 2

　　You can also find us on Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 devil   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• It is easier to raise the devil than to lay him.召鬼容易驱鬼难。
• Susie,you're a determined little devil.苏茜，你真是个坚决的小家伙。

3 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

6 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

7 amaze   

vt.使惊奇，使惊愕

参考例句：

• He stood in amaze at the sight.他看到那种景象，惊愕得呆呆地站在那里。
• You will soon amaze the world with your brilliant feat.你会一鸣惊人的。

8 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

9 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

10 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

11 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 philosopher   

n.哲学家，哲人

参考例句：

• The philosopher has his ideas built on the rock of reason.那位哲学家把思想稳固地建立于理性之上。
• What a philosopher seeks after is truth.一个哲学家所追求的是真理。

13 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

14 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。