[HSK 3] 为什么没有猫年？ - Why Is There No Year of the Cat?

小美 asks why there is no cat in the Chinese zodiac, and 李芳 tells a simple legend.

为什么没有猫年？ - Why Is There No Year of the Cat? [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

小美: Teacher Li, why is there no Year of the Cat in the Chinese zodiac? I like kittens!
李芳: Many people ask this question. According to a legend, the animals had a race, and the first twelve made it into the zodiac.
小美: Then where did the cat go?
李芳: In the legend, the cat and the rat were originally friends, and the cat asked the rat to wake it up.
小美: Did the rat wake it up?
李芳: No. The cat overslept and missed the race.
小美: So there is no Year of the Cat… Poor cat.
李芳: It’s just a legend, not necessarily true. Different places have different versions.
小美: Then can I invent my own ‘Year of the Cat’?
李芳: Since you like cats so much, maybe the cat celebrates the New Year in your own little world.