每日英语听力练习 - 五句挑战 #40.5

大家好，欢迎收听《地道英语》播客。我是安娜，您现在收听的是《每日五个英语》第二季第40周第五天的内容。没错，今天是周五，我们甚至可以戏称它为‘炸鱼日’。

Hello and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to week 40 day five of Your English Five a Day, the second season. Yes. It's Friday. We might even call it fry.

太棒了！因为今天我们要把本周学过的所有词汇都融入一个大故事里。在语境中学习词汇是最佳方式。你只需要定期收听，泡杯茶放松身心，静静聆听就好。如果你想复习本周或本系列（包括第一季和第二季）任何一周的词汇，可以免费使用我们专门为你打造的词汇库VocabularyVault，轻松进行复习。

Yay. Because this is the day when we bring together all the vocabulary that we've been working on this week in one big story. Learning vocabulary in context is the best way to learn it. So all you have to do is tune in on a regular basis, sit back and relax, maybe with a cup of tea, and listen. If you do want to review any of the vocabulary from this week or any week of this entire series, season one and two, then you can very easily for free by accessing the VocabularyVault, a database we've put together just for you so that you can revise with ease.

如需获取访问权限，我会在节目说明中留下链接和详细信息。现在让我们聚焦今天的故事——有趣的是，这个故事名叫《猫咪警察》。正当我打开故事准备朗读时，我家那只姜黄色的猫咪辛巴跳到了我的膝盖上，看来它也想听故事呢。

If you'd like to get access to that, I will leave a link and details in the show notes. For now, let's focus on today's story. Now, funnily enough, this story is called The Cat Police. And as I've opened up the story to start reading to you, my little ginger cat Simba has jumped up onto my lap. I guess he wants to hear it too.

它正呼噜呼噜地撒着娇。那么为了辛巴也为了你，故事开始了：这是那种当时让人糟心，事后却变成笑谈的经历。你懂的——发生时令人不快，但时过境迁后就成了可以分享的趣闻。

He's purring away. So for Simba and for you, here's the story. It was one of those things that feels quite upsetting at the time, but becomes a story you laugh about later. You know the kind. Something annoying or unpleasant when it happens, but once a bit of time passes, it becomes just another odd little episode to share.

这件事发生在今年早些时候。那天我像往常一样散步，有条安静的住宅街是我去河边的必经之路。我常沿着河边环形步道每日健走，而这条街直通河岸。走着走着，我遇见了一位朋友。

This one happened earlier this year. I was doing my usual walk. There's a quiet residential street I like to go down to reach the river. I often do a loop around the river as a daily walk, and this street leads me to the riverside. That day, as I was walking, I saw one of my friends.

她是个十足的妙人——71岁高龄却活力四射，打扮入时，充满朝气又带点古怪。虽说领着养老金，但绝非传统意义上的退休老人。她一生特立独行，至今依然如此。

She's a bit of a character in the best way. She's 71, though you wouldn't guess it from her energy or how she presents herself. Youthful, full of life, a little eccentric. She's not what you'd call a typical pensioner, even though she does get a pension. She's lived an unconventional life and still does.

她是位业余艺术家，如今闲暇时间多了便更专注创作。她还特别爱猫，她家老猫'王子'活了二十多年，可能有二十四岁，真是不可思议。

She's an artist, though not professionally. It's always been something she's done on the side, and now that she has more time, she's leaning into it more. She also really loves cats. Her old cat, Prince, lived for over twenty years. I think maybe twenty four, which is incredible.

王子只有一只眼睛，虽然我从未问过她原因。她过去常常用牵引绳带它出门。说实话，这很可爱。事实上，她现在正通过创作一本关于猫咪足迹和散步的插画书，将她对创意和猫咪的热爱结合起来。这将是对这只特殊猫咪及其与主人独特关系的真挚致敬。

Prince only had one eye, though I never actually asked her why. And she used to take him out on a lead. Honestly, it was adorable. In fact, at the moment, she's combining her passion for creativity and cats by working on an illustrated book about prints and their walks. It'll be a true homage to this special cat and the unique relationship he had with his owner.

有时我会加入她的小出行。无论是去咖啡馆还是在社区散步，人们看到王子这样外出总是很开心。它成了当地的小明星。哦，是的，我朋友是个十足的猫奴，对猫咪非常了解。

Sometimes I'd join her on those little outings. If we went to a cafe or walked around the neighbourhood, people were always delighted to see Prince out and about like that. He became a little local celebrity. Oh, yes. My friend is a big cat person and she knows a lot about them.

遗憾的是，王子不久前去世了。但在她还能带它散步时，她发现了另外两只住在同一条安静住宅街上的猫。那里有栋带美丽共享花园的公寓楼，我想在改建成公寓前应该曾是栋大房子。那个花园确实很特别，里面有全城最美的树之一。

Prince passed away a while ago, sadly. But while she was still walking him, she discovered two other cats that lived on that same quiet residential street. There's an apartment block with a beautiful shared garden, and I think it used to be a large house before they converted it into flats. The garden really is something. It has one of the most beautiful trees in the whole city.

我确信这点。秋天时树叶会变成最鲜艳的红色，春天则开满花朵。是那种会让你驻足观赏的树。总之，那两只猫经常在花园里。很长一段时间都是它们俩，但最近有一只去世了。

I'm sure of it. In autumn, its leaves turn the brightest red, and in spring, it's full of blossom. It's the kind of tree you stop to look at. Anyway, the two cats often sat in the garden. For a long time, it was the two of them, but one passed away recently.

现在只剩下一只，明显已经年迈。我朋友多年来一直探望这些猫，对它们很熟悉，甚至认识主人。那天我看到她时，她正跪在栏杆旁喂剩下的那只猫。她觉得它看起来有点瘦，想给它些额外的食物。

Now there's just one, and it's clearly getting on in years. My friend has been visiting these cats for years. She got to know them well and even knows the owners. That day, when I saw her, she was kneeling near the railings feeding the remaining cat. She thought it looked a bit thin and wanted to give it some extra food.

她说主人们去度假了，虽然应该有人照顾它。但她还是为它准备了湿粮和干粮，像个贴心的小护理包。她穿着常穿的那套衣服：长裙、靴子和超大号运动衫。那种总是带着淡淡洗衣粉香气的衣服，清新温暖，仿佛当天早上才从晾衣绳上取下来。她不爱打扮，但不知怎的这身搭配很和谐。

The owners were away on holiday, she said, though someone was supposed to be looking after it. Still, she brought both wet and dry food for it, a proper little care package. She was wearing her usual outfit, a long skirt, boots and an oversized sweatshirt. One of those ones that always smells a bit like laundry, fresh and warm, as if it had just come off the line that morning. She's not one to dress up, but somehow it all seemed to go together.

是有点古怪，但很适合她。我总觉得她身上有淡淡的薰衣草香，不是浓烈的香水味，而是与她性格相配的淡雅香气。我们站在那里聊天，她一边喂猫。猫咪很开心，发出呼噜声，蹭着她，吃着东西。一切看起来都很好。

A bit eccentric, yes, but it suited her. I always think that she smells faintly of lavender, not a strong perfume, but a light perfumed scent that matches her personality. We stood there chatting while she fed the cat. It was happy, purring, rubbing against her, eating. Everything seemed fine.

有一次，我注意到一楼公寓里有个女人打开百叶窗看了我们一眼，又关上了。这算不上友好的举动，但我们只是站在公共人行道上聊天。这没什么奇怪的。突然情况急转直下，另一个一楼公寓的男人猛地推开百叶窗开始冲我们吼叫。

At one point, I noticed a woman inside one of the Ground Floor flats opening her shutters, looking out at us, then closing them again. It wasn't exactly a warm gesture, but we were just standing on a public pavement chatting. Nothing strange about that. Then suddenly things took a turn. A man from another Ground Floor flat flung his shutters open and began shouting at us.

他吼得特别凶，充满攻击性且声音很大。他叫我们别喂那只猫，说这不关我们的事，还让我们赶紧离开。我朋友试图解释，说她认识那只猫和它的主人。她只是担心猫看起来太瘦了，而且她也没做错什么。

Proper shouting, aggressive and loud. He told us to stop feeding the cat, said it wasn't our business, and then we should leave. My friend tried to explain herself. She said she knew the cat and the owners. She was worried it looked thin, and she wasn't doing anything wrong.

但他根本听不进去，一直大喊大叫。完全没法和他讲道理。有次他甚至威胁要报警，讽刺的是他才是那个行为充满威胁和恐吓的人。再说了，我很确定警察不会因为有人举报两个女人在街上聊天摸猫就出警。

But he wouldn't listen. He just kept yelling. There was no reasoning with him. At one point, he even threatened to call the police, which is ironic because he was the one behaving in a threatening and intimidating way. Also, I'm pretty sure the police aren't going to come if you tell them that two women are chatting on the street and petting a cat.

这显然是虚张声势的威胁。当时我就站在那里，没再喂猫也没多说话，而这个男人还在冲我吼叫。我比他高得多——虽然这并不重要——但整件事显得特别荒谬。他吼得好像我们犯了什么十恶不赦的大罪似的。

It was an empty threat, but still. Now I was just standing there, not feeding the cat, not saying much, and this man was screaming at me too. I'm much taller than him. Not that it matters, but still, it felt ridiculous. He was shouting like we'd done something terrible.

我朋友始终保持冷静。她还在尝试解释，但我看得出都是徒劳。他根本不想听。他又说要报警，还补了句'我这就过来'，意思是准备出来当面找我们算账。

My friend remained calm. She kept trying to explain herself, but I could see there was no point. He wasn't interested in listening. He said again, he'd call the police and then added, I'm coming over. He meant he was going to come out and confront us properly.

花园和人行道之间隔着栏杆，我猜他是打算绕过来和我们当面对质。不知道他究竟想干什么。临走前，我看见朋友平静地把装猫粮的塑料盒盖子扣好，那从容的样子就像在收拾野餐用品，而不是在躲避一个咆哮的男人。这个细节莫名让我觉得震撼。于是我们决定离开。

There were railings separating the garden from the pavement, and I suppose he meant to come round and confront us in person. I don't know what he thought he'd do. Before we left, I saw my friend calmly fasten the lid back onto the plastic container she had brought the cat food in, as if she were packing up a picnic rather than backing away from a shouting man. I found that strangely impressive. At that point, we decided to go.

朋友迅速收拾好猫粮，我们便走开了。后来我们沿着河边散了会儿步。最后我独自继续前行，但整件事让我心神不宁。这确实是次不愉快的经历，不仅对我而言。我想朋友也很沮丧。

My friend quickly packed up the food and we walked away. We ended up going on a short walk together along the river. Eventually, I continued on my own, but the whole thing had left me feeling uneasy. It really was an unpleasant experience, not just for me. I think my friend was upset too.

她非常喜欢那只猫，想继续去看它。但自从那次遭遇后，她觉得自己不能去了，因为那个男人可能又会冲她吼叫。几天后我们又见面了，我正准备去度假，就把备用钥匙给了她。我问她有没有回去看过那只猫。

She loves that cat and wants to continue visiting it. But after that encounter, she feels she can't because this man might scream at her again. A few days later, we saw each other again. I was about to go on holiday and gave her my spare key. I asked if she'd gone back to see the cat.

她确实去了，但只在深夜时分。大约晚上10点左右去的，希望那时大家都关好了门窗。她不想打扰任何人，也不想再和那个男人打交道。我们聊了发生的事情，试图理解原因。我们猜测可能是因为我们在他窗外说话惹恼了他。

She had, but only late at night. She'd gone around 10PM, hoping that by then everyone would have their windows and shutters closed. She didn't want to disturb anyone or deal with that man again. We talked about what had happened and tried to make sense of it. We thought maybe he was annoyed because we were talking outside his window.

也许他当时想小憩，或者就是不喜欢有人靠近他的公寓。这或许能解释他的恼怒，但不能解释他的行为方式。关键是那只猫根本不是他的，完全属于别人。喂食社区里的猫又不是犯罪。

Maybe he was trying to nap or just didn't like people near his flat. That would explain his irritation perhaps, but not the way he behaved. And the thing is, it wasn't even his cat. It belonged to someone else entirely. Feeding a neighborhood cat isn't a crime.

全世界的人都这么做。猫也习惯了。这是它们的本性。它们想去哪就去哪，从愿意给的人那里获取额外的食物。他本可以说'抱歉，我想休息'。

People do it all over the world. Cats expect it. It's part of their nature. They go wherever they like and collect extra meals from whoever will offer. He could have just said, sorry, I'm trying to rest.

能不能小声点？或者类似的话。但他却直接火力全开，充满攻击性。不过现在不值得为此烦恼了。后来我多次走过那条街，再也没见过他。

Would you mind keeping it down? Or something like that. But instead, he went full volume, full aggression. Anyway, it's not worth worrying about now. I've walked down that street plenty of times since and I haven't seen him again.

这倒是让人松了口气。就算他见到我，估计也认不出来了。有趣的是前几天我路过那个花园，看到另一个女人——不是我朋友——蹲在那里抚摸那只猫。不知道她是不是也在喂食，这让我觉得好笑。显然不止我们这样做。

That's a relief. I don't think he'd even recognize me if he did. The funny thing is the other day, I passed by that same garden and saw another woman, not my friend, crouching down, petting the cat. I don't know if she was feeding it too, but it made me laugh. It's clearly not just us.

猫喜欢人，人也喜欢猫。花园对着街道开放，虽然有栏杆，但猫可以轻松穿过。它显然很享受这种关注，这是件温和无害的事。

The cat likes people and people like the cat. The garden is open to the street. There are railings, yes, but the cat can slip through them easily. It clearly enjoys the attention. It's a gentle, harmless thing.

一个小小的善举，一段人与动物之间静谧的联结。所以没错，因试图表达善意而被呵斥确实感觉有点委屈，但归根结底，别理会那种人。这也意味着今天这期节目和第四十周的结束。难以置信吧？我们已经完成了第二季的四十周内容。

A small act of kindness, a quiet connection between a person and an animal. So yes, being shouted at for trying to be kind felt a bit unfair, but in the end, forget that guy. And that brings us to the end of today's episode and to the end of week forty. Can you believe it? We've completed forty weeks of season two.

太棒了。感谢你们一直以来的陪伴，我由衷感激。如果你有正在学习英语的朋友，欢迎推荐他们也收听《像母语者一样说英语》播客。下周再见之前，请务必照顾好自己，再会。

Fantastic. Thank you for being here throughout all that time. I really appreciate it. And if you have any friends who are learning English, feel free to recommend that they also listen to the English Like a Native podcast. Until next week, take very good care of yourself, and goodbye.