'When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play!'
2020-03-22
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English.
2The internet has taught us many things.
3One important lesson is this: Cats are funny, strange and often unpredictable animals.
4Their quirky personalities have made cats popular as household pets in homes across the United States.
5And they are great hunters.
6Mice are often on their top five kill list.
7But sometimes, a cat will not kill the animal it catches.
8Instead, the catch becomes kind of a toy or plaything.
9The cat seizes a mouse. Then lets it go. Catches it. Lets it go.
10Over and over again! It is good fun for the cat but frightening for the poor mouse.
11So, if you play cat and mouse with someone, you play a power game with them.
12You, the person with the power, are the cat.
13Maybe you pretend to give the other person something they want but then take it away.
14You toy with them. We often call a situation like this a cat-and-mouse game.
15For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
16A cat-and-mouse game is filled with lots of action: chases, near captures and repeated escapes.
17In extreme cases, a cat-and-mouse game is never-ending.
18Now, let's leave the game of cat and mouse and talk about playing in a different way.
19Let's imagine a classroom filled with young children.
20The teacher must leave the room for a couple of minutes.
21At first, everyone is well-behaved.
22But the longer the teacher is gone, the more the class acts up. It starts out slowly.
23Someone throws a piece of paper.
24A couple of students get up and walk around. Others start laughing loudly.
25Someone yells! Suddenly, all of the students are doing things they would never do with the teacher in the room.
26But you know what we say: When the cat's away, the mice will play!
27This expression means that people sometimes misbehave when no one is there to watch them.
28So, the teacher is the cat and the students are the mice.
29We often use this expression when talking about children and parents, employees and office supervisors and even people in committed relationships.
30And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.
31Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English. 2The internet has taught us many things. One important lesson is this: Cats are funny, strange and often unpredictable animals. Their quirky personalities have made cats popular as household pets in homes across the United States. 3And they are great hunters. Mice are often on their top five kill list. But sometimes, a cat will not kill the animal it catches. Instead, the catch becomes kind of a toy or plaything. 4The cat seizes a mouse. Then lets it go. Catches it. Lets it go. Over and over again! It is good fun for the cat but frightening for the poor mouse. 5So, if you play cat and mouse with someone, you play a power game with them. You, the person with the power, are the cat. Maybe you pretend to give the other person something they want but then take it away. You toy with them. We often call a situation like this a cat-and-mouse game. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it. 6A cat-and-mouse game is filled with lots of action: chases, near captures and repeated escapes. In extreme cases, a cat-and-mouse game is never-ending. 7Now, let's leave the game of cat and mouse and talk about playing in a different way. 8Let's imagine a classroom filled with young children. The teacher must leave the room for a couple of minutes. At first, everyone is well-behaved. But the longer the teacher is gone, the more the class acts up. It starts out slowly. Someone throws a piece of paper. A couple of students get up and walk around. Others start laughing loudly. Someone yells! Suddenly, all of the students are doing things they would never do with the teacher in the room. 9But you know what we say: When the cat's away, the mice will play! 10This expression means that people sometimes misbehave when no one is there to watch them. So, the teacher is the cat and the students are the mice. 11We often use this expression when talking about children and parents, employees and office supervisors and even people in committed relationships. 12And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories. 13Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 14Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 15________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17lesson - n. an activity that you do in order to learn something 18quirky - adj. unusual in especially an interesting or appealing way 19pet - n. a tame animal kept as a companion rather than for work 20pretend - v. to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing