托福阅读：铁路猫长走红

内容简介：

　　In times of need, Japanese say they can even ask the cat for help. In this town in western Japan, people look to Tama, a nine-year-old cat working as master of an unmanned train station.

　　The tortoiseshell coloured creature, born and raised at Kishi Station on the provincial Kishigawa Line, wears a formal uniform cap of Wakayama Electric Railway and calmly watches passing passengers who greet her.

　　There are 10 train stations on the 14.3-kilometre line.

　　"Tama is the only stationmaster as we have to reduce personnel costs. You say you could ask for the cat's help, but she is actually bringing luck to us," Wakayama Electric spokeswoman Keiko Yamaki said.

　　The company feeds her in lieu of salary.

　　Tama was born from a stray cat brought to the station by a cleaner and kept by Toshiko Koyama, a local who runs a grocery store next door.

　　The station went unmanned in April 2006 as the line was losing money. But Tama stuck around.

　　She rose to national stardom in January 2007 as the railway company formally appointed her as "stationmaster".

　　Her appointment had an immediately positive effect, boosting the number of passengers using the line in January by 17 percent from a year earlier....