Good Wednesday Morning, This is NEO, the third episode brought to you by Lewis, from Yangzhou.
大家周三早上好，我是靖磊，在扬州给大家带来第三期新闻英语在线节目。
For today&`&s program, you are going to hear an interesting fact about the classic cartoon character -Hello Kitty. Yes, the Hello Kitty!
今天的节目中，大家将会了解到关于经典卡通形象“凯蒂猫”的一则趣闻！
And let&`&s go!
Vol.003 Hello Kitty is a girl, not a cat!
The creators of one of the world&`&s most widely-recognised cartoon characters have set the record straight. Japanese toymaker Sanrio have declared that its iconic creation Hello Kitty is not a cat. The bombshell came to light following publicity for an upcoming exhibition on the character at the Japanese American National Museum. The curator of the exhibition, anthropologist Christine R Yano, said she received a mail from Sanrio correcting her script for the show. Ms Yano confirmed that: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a friend….She&`&s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." The Sanrio website states Kitty is "a bright little girl with a heart of gold."
Hello Kitty has taken the world by storm since its introduction in 1974. It has become ubiquitous worldwide, adorning everything from chopsticks to airplanes. The Japanese carmaker Daihatsu even sold a specially branded Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty-emblazoned upholstery, a speedometer with the character&`&s face etched into the glass and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. The creators designed the character&`&s face to epitomise cuteness. Sanrio account for her lack of a mouth, saying she doesn&`&t have one because she speaks with her heart. Social media has been abuzz with the revelation that Kitty is a girl. Rapper Mike Shinoda tweeted: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."
News Review:
Language Points 语言点
In this part you shall hear a list of useful phases and expressions.
本部分是从新闻中挑出来实用短语和表达，供大家参考学习
1. widely-recognized cartoon character 十分被大家所熟知卡通形象
2. Set the record straight （对事实﹑ 事件等）作正确的陈述, 纠正误解
3. Iconic creation 闻名于世的创作
4. The bombshell come to light 重磅消息被大家知晓
5. On all fours 四脚着地
6. Take the world by storm 风靡全球
7. Become ubiquitous worldwide 地球人都知道
8. Epitomise cuteness 象征/代表可爱的形象
9. Account for the lack of mouth 解释为什么没有嘴
10. Be abuzz with the revelation 就奇闻展开的热烈讨论
News Angle: Hello Kitty : Why The Obsession ?? 凯蒂猫风靡到底是为啥？
◊ Let&`&s hear an sensible explanation from one of our netizens!
Maybe because...
Hello Kitty has been marketed in the United States from the beginning and has held the position of U.S. children&`&s ambassador for UNICEF（United Nations International Children&`&s Fund） since 1983. 凯蒂猫很早就在美国进行市场宣传推广同时自1983年起就成为美国在联合国儿童基金会的儿童形象大使。
She really came to her own during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted her as a fashion statement. 上世纪九十年代，随着众多明星大咖诸如玛丽亚.凯瑞将凯蒂猫装饰成自己的一个时尚宣言，凯蒂猫人气飙涨。
Many American celebrities have contributed to the character&`&s popularity: Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Raven-Symoné, Varla Jean Merman, as well as Paris and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty goods.
众多美国名人都为凯蒂猫的成名做了些许贡献：这其中有 。。。哈哈，中文名就不为大家解释了。。但是这其中有我喜欢的 像 Ricky Martin Mariah Carey Heidi Klum and Christina Aguilera
Singer Lisa Loeb, who is marketing the pink Hello Kitty guitar, has admitted to being a fan and has even dedicated a whole album in homage to Hello Kitty, called Hello Lisa.
歌手Lisa Loeb就粉色的凯蒂猫吉他进行市场推广，坦承自己是凯蒂猫的粉丝，并且为凯蒂猫专门创作了一张专辑。
With all these celebrities going googooo and gaaaagaaas over Hello Kitty, naturally their own fans would follow suit.
有着众多名人在各自的圈子里给凯蒂猫打广告，自然而然粉丝团效应在凯蒂猫的成名上就很凸显了。
Now products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American department store.
现在，几乎在美国的任何一家百货商店都可以找到以凯蒂猫为形象创作的产品。
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