CELPIP Listening Part 4 Practice Test: A New Resident at a Bookstore

NARRATOR: A scrawny grey tabby that wandered into a Stratford bookstore during a February cold snap has become something of a local celebrity. Owner Ruth Halvorsen says she initially had no intention of keeping the animal. She put up notices around the neighbourhood and contacted the animal shelter, fully expecting someone to come forward. Nobody did, and the cat stayed. Three years later, the cat, christened Puck after the mischievous sprite in a Shakespeare comedy, spends his days dozing in the front window and supervising customers from the top of the poetry shelf. Since then, his fame has only grown. Visitors from as far away as Michigan now arrive asking for him by name, and a children's illustrator has published a picture book chronicling his adventures, with a portion of the proceeds going to the shelter that once listed him as a stray. Halvorsen admits that not every customer has been charmed. A handful with allergies have complained, and the store now reserves Tuesday mornings as a cat-free period, when Puck is confined to the back office. Still, she credits him with a noticeable rise in foot traffic during the sluggish winter months. Puck, for his part, appears thoroughly unimpressed by the fuss.