5-minute listening: Tehran ‘meowseum’ with Persians and other cats show felines are city’s citizens too

2. If an animal is “sprawled nonchalantly”, it most likely feels ...
A. relaxed.
B. nervous.
C. angry.
D. scared.

3. How many cats can be found at this museum in Tehran?
A. four
B. less than 15
C. more than 20
D. as many as 50

4. In what part of Iran is the cat museum located?
A. far from the city
B. near the coast
C. in the suburbs
D. in the capital

5. According to the podcast, what can visitors do at this “meowseum”?
A. buy paintings
B. enjoy beverages
C. adopt cats
D. learn about caring for cats

6. Which word can replace “agile” in the podcast?
A. scared
B. prompt
C. nimble
D. clever

7. What do the cats at the museum have in common?
A. They are all adopted.
B. They are of the same breed.
C. They enjoy interacting with visitors.
D. all of the above

8. What is one unique characteristic of Persian cats according to the podcast?
A. They have short, thick necks.
B. They have long hair.
C. They have extremely large eyes.
D. They have really short tails.

9. What is a Persian miniature?
A. a funny drawing of an animal
B. a special breed of cat
C. a type of paper painting
D. a fake copy of an artwork

10. What was the relationship between Babri Khan and Naser al-Din Shah?
A. Babri Khan was Naser al-Din Shah’s pet.
B. Naser al-Din Shah was Babri Khan’s owner.
C. Babri Khan belongs to Naser al-Din Shah.
D. all of the above

11. Complete the following summary using information from the podcast.
In Tehran, there is a cat museum and cafe called the “meowseum”. It was first opened in (i) _______. There, visitors can look at artwork from different (ii) _______ all about cats, and they can play with the furry felines. One of the animal residents at the museum is Farrokh. Despite being (iii) _______, the cat is still very agile. The (iv) _______ of the museum hopes that people will treat cats as (v) _______ of the city and that the animals can live alongside them.

1. D
2. A
3. C
4. D
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. C
10. D
11. (i) 2020; (ii) countries; (iii) blind; (iv) director; (v) citizens

Adapted from Agence France-Presse

Voice 1: Sprawled nonchalantly across the doorstep, a large tomcat welcomes visitors to Tehran’s cat museum and cafe. In this curious establishment, some 30 friendly felines roam freely throughout the exhibition space. Shahrzad, Farrokh, Shapoor and Shirin are among the real stars of this attraction in a small two-storey building in the capital of Iran.
Voice 2: Director Hossein HamlehDari said that when it first opened in 2020, it was named the “meowseum”. It is a place where visitors and cats coexist peacefully in the exhibition rooms and on the cafe terrace.
Voice 1: The faded walls of the privately funded museum feature reproductions of paintings, photos, caricatures and even stamps celebrating the cat from countries as diverse as Iran, South Korea, Guinea and Ukraine. According to HamlehDari, when people meet Farrokh, a cat that was born blind but is still very agile, they realise cats are also citizens of this city and can coexist with residents.
Voice 2: Most visitors come here to interact and play with the adopted cats, which hail from a wide variety of breeds. Among them are several Persians, known for their long hair and placid character, a breed which originated in Iran and the neighbouring country, Turkey.
Voice 1: Cats have been valued pets in Iran for centuries and are represented in many works of art. For example, they are featured in small paper paintings known as Persian miniatures. One of these is the famous feline, Babri Khan, whose name means “tigerish”. This was the pet cat of Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty, who ruled the country from 1848 to 1896.