[ti:'When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play!'] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:08.40]Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English. [00:17.80]The internet has taught us many things. [00:21.84]One important lesson is this: Cats are funny, strange and often unpredictable animals. [00:31.04]Their quirky personalities have made cats popular as household pets in homes across the United States. [00:40.12]And they are great hunters. [00:43.00]Mice are often on their top five kill list. [00:48.48]But sometimes, a cat will not kill the animal it catches. [00:54.08]Instead, the catch becomes kind of a toy or plaything. [00:59.60]The cat seizes a mouse. Then lets it go. Catches it. Lets it go. Over and over again! [01:08.56]It is good fun for the cat but frightening for the poor mouse. [01:15.24]So, if you play cat and mouse with someone, you play a power game with them. [01:21.04]You, the person with the power, are the cat. [01:26.04]Maybe you pretend to give the other person something they want but then take it away. [01:32.40]You toy with them. [01:35.28]We often call a situation like this a cat-and-mouse game. [01:41.88]For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it. [01:51.64]A cat-and-mouse game is filled with lots of action: chases, near captures and repeated escapes. [02:02.12]In extreme cases, a cat-and-mouse game is never-ending. [02:08.48]Now, let’s leave the game of cat and mouse and talk about playing in a different way. [02:15.84]Let’s imagine a classroom filled with young children. [02:21.12]The teacher must leave the room for a couple of minutes. [02:25.52]At first, everyone is well-behaved. [02:29.00]But the longer the teacher is gone, the more the class acts up. [02:35.20]It starts out slowly. [02:37.40]Someone throws a piece of paper. [02:39.88]A couple of students get up and walk around. [02:43.40]Others start laughing loudly. [02:46.20]Someone yells! [02:48.28]Suddenly, all of the students are doing things they would never do with the teacher in the room. [02:55.96]But you know what we say: When the cat’s away, the mice will play! [03:02.52]This expression means that people sometimes misbehave when no one is there to watch them. [03:09.08]So, the teacher is the cat and the students are the mice. [03:15.00]We often use this expression when talking about children and parents, [03:19.64]employees and office supervisors and even people in committed relationships. [03:27.80]And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories. [03:31.72]Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo. [03:34.92]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM