【課文】
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well. They never become submissive like dogs and horses. As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal Medical Center made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. 'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers.' a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
【課文翻譯】
貓總能引起人們的極大興趣。它們可以對人友好，充滿柔情。但是，它們又有自己神秘的生活方式。它們從不像狗和馬一樣變得那么順從。結(jié)果是人們已經(jīng)學(xué)會尊重貓的獨立性。在它們的一生中，大多數(shù)貓都對人存有戒心。使我們感興趣的一件事情就是一種通俗的信念——貓有九條命。顯然，這種說法里面包含著許多真實性。貓在跌落時能夠大難不死是有事實作為依據(jù)的。
近，紐約動物醫(yī)療中心對132只貓進行了為期5個月的綜合研究。所有這些貓有一個共同的經(jīng)歷：它們都曾從高層建筑上摔下來過，但只有其中的8只貓死于震蕩或跌傷。當(dāng)然，紐約是進行這種有趣的試驗的一個理想的地方，因為那里根本不缺乏高樓大廈，有的是高層的窗檻從上往下墜落。有一只叫薩伯瑞的貓從32層樓上掉下來，但只摔斷一顆牙?！柏埦拖裼?xùn)練有素的跳傘隊員，”一位醫(yī)生說?？雌饋恚埖涞木嚯x越長，它們就越不會傷害自己。在一個長長的跌落過程中，它們可以達到每小時60里甚至更快的速度。在高速下落中，貓有時間放松自己。它們伸展四肢，就像飛行中的松鼠一樣。這樣就加大了空氣阻力，并減少了它們著地時沖擊力帶來的震動。
【生詞和短語】
fascinate v.迷住，吸引住
affectionate adj.充滿深情，柔情的
mysterious adj.神秘的，難以理解的
submissive adj.服從的，順從的
feline adj.貓的
independence n.獨立，獨立性
high-rise adj.高層的
windowsill n.窗檻
paratrooper n.傘兵
squirrel n.松鼠
air-resistance n.空氣阻力
impact n.沖擊力
【知識點分析】
詞匯
【fascinate】
英英：cause to be interested or curious
例句：
1.Angels fascinate, as Christmas-card-makers rediscover every year.
天使令人著迷，正如圣誕卡制造商們每年一再發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣。
2.Such photos always fascinate me.I mean the color photos from the past, the older the better.
這樣的照片總是很吸引人，來自過去的彩照是越老越好。
3.Sequoias fascinate people by their size and age.
紅杉魅力無窮，其樹身之大，壽命之長，令人贊嘆。
【affectionate】
追根溯源：affection→affectionate
affection: n.感情，喜愛
例句
1.He was certainly an affectionate fellow.
他無疑是一個富有情義的人。
2.It was all owing to his too affectionate nature, which craved for admiration.
這都是因為他生性太重感情，渴望得到敬慕。
【mysterious】
追根溯源：mystery→mysterious
mystery: 神秘，奧秘
例句：
1. Ghost towns give people a tangible connection to a mysterious past, says Mr Baker.
貝克先生說，廢棄的城鎮(zhèn)讓美國人和神秘的過去有了切實的聯(lián)系。
2.The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant to speak, and answered in low, mysterious tone.
那婦人好象想說，但又有點躊躇，她放低了嗓門神秘地說。
【submissive】
追根溯源：submit→submisive
submit:順從，服從
例句：
1.He was submissive to a word of advice .
我勸他的話，他沒有不聽的。
2.The Submissive—These are women who will make a man feel like a man.
順從型的-這樣的女人能讓男人感覺更像男人。
近義：followed, subject, compliant, obedient
【independence】
還原：independence→independent→dependent→depend
depend：依賴，依靠
例句：
1.They pride themselves on their independence, their right to make up their own minds.
他們?yōu)槟塥毩?，以自己的想法決定如何做事而感到驕傲。
2.Here saying "No" indicates a somewhat naive perspective on life and a strong desire for independence.
這“說不”里面，有一種稚嫩的人生觀，一種渴望獨立的強烈愿望。
短語：
declaration of independence 獨立宣言
independence day 美國獨立紀(jì)念日(7月4日)
economic independence 經(jīng)濟上的獨立
war of independence 獨立戰(zhàn)爭
independence hall 獨立大廳(位于美國費城，獨立宣言簽字處)
【impact】
例句：
1.The impact of the crash hurtled the driver against the windshield of the car.
碰撞的沖擊力使駕駛員猛撞在車子的擋風(fēng)玻璃上。
2.To create strong visual impact in your pages, make some things stand out.
創(chuàng)建具有沖擊力的，突出某項，這是好的方法。
短語：
environmental impact 環(huán)境沖擊，環(huán)境影響
environmental impact assessment 環(huán)境影響評價
impact resistance 抗沖擊性;沖擊阻力
economic impact 經(jīng)濟影響
visual impact 視覺沖擊，視覺震撼;視覺效果
近義：effect,impression,influence, infection
【搭配】
lead a...life/lead a life of...
as a result
a popular belief
have...in common
句型
but...as well
例句：
1.Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well.
2.Setbacks contain not only challenges, but opportunities as well.
挫折中不僅包含著挑戰(zhàn)，同時也蘊含著機遇。
3.Throw away your fear while embracing your compassion, not just for others but yourselves as well.
扔掉恐懼，擁抱你的同情之心，不僅為了他人也為你自己。
這一課講的是貓咪的事情，后我們來看看有哪里和“貓”有關(guān)的俚語吧~~
cat walk 貓步
an old cat 壞脾氣的老太婆
a barber's cat 面現(xiàn)病容和饑色的人
as sick as a cat形容某人病得厲害
like a cat on hot bricks熱像鍋上的螞蟻
When the cat's away, the mouse will play.
山中無老虎，猴子稱霸王。
Cat's hide their claws.
知人知面不知心。
There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with cream.
不要在一棵樹上吊死。
不知道大家有木有發(fā)現(xiàn)，西方人對貓不如對狗那么喜歡，從上面的俚語就看的出，貓大多用來表達貶抑，多中性的意思，可是，這是為神馬呢...據(jù)說，是因為貓在西方被視為巫婆的熟友：中世紀(jì)，撒旦魔鬼喜歡化做一只黑貓，巫婆則常帶這一只貓作為熟友相伴。
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well. They never become submissive like dogs and horses. As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal Medical Center made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. 'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers.' a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
【課文翻譯】
貓總能引起人們的極大興趣。它們可以對人友好，充滿柔情。但是，它們又有自己神秘的生活方式。它們從不像狗和馬一樣變得那么順從。結(jié)果是人們已經(jīng)學(xué)會尊重貓的獨立性。在它們的一生中，大多數(shù)貓都對人存有戒心。使我們感興趣的一件事情就是一種通俗的信念——貓有九條命。顯然，這種說法里面包含著許多真實性。貓在跌落時能夠大難不死是有事實作為依據(jù)的。
近，紐約動物醫(yī)療中心對132只貓進行了為期5個月的綜合研究。所有這些貓有一個共同的經(jīng)歷：它們都曾從高層建筑上摔下來過，但只有其中的8只貓死于震蕩或跌傷。當(dāng)然，紐約是進行這種有趣的試驗的一個理想的地方，因為那里根本不缺乏高樓大廈，有的是高層的窗檻從上往下墜落。有一只叫薩伯瑞的貓從32層樓上掉下來，但只摔斷一顆牙?！柏埦拖裼?xùn)練有素的跳傘隊員，”一位醫(yī)生說?？雌饋恚埖涞木嚯x越長，它們就越不會傷害自己。在一個長長的跌落過程中，它們可以達到每小時60里甚至更快的速度。在高速下落中，貓有時間放松自己。它們伸展四肢，就像飛行中的松鼠一樣。這樣就加大了空氣阻力，并減少了它們著地時沖擊力帶來的震動。
【生詞和短語】
fascinate v.迷住，吸引住
affectionate adj.充滿深情，柔情的
mysterious adj.神秘的，難以理解的
submissive adj.服從的，順從的
feline adj.貓的
independence n.獨立，獨立性
high-rise adj.高層的
windowsill n.窗檻
paratrooper n.傘兵
squirrel n.松鼠
air-resistance n.空氣阻力
impact n.沖擊力
【知識點分析】
詞匯
【fascinate】
英英：cause to be interested or curious
例句：
1.Angels fascinate, as Christmas-card-makers rediscover every year.
天使令人著迷，正如圣誕卡制造商們每年一再發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣。
2.Such photos always fascinate me.I mean the color photos from the past, the older the better.
這樣的照片總是很吸引人，來自過去的彩照是越老越好。
3.Sequoias fascinate people by their size and age.
紅杉魅力無窮，其樹身之大，壽命之長，令人贊嘆。
【affectionate】
追根溯源：affection→affectionate
affection: n.感情，喜愛
例句
1.He was certainly an affectionate fellow.
他無疑是一個富有情義的人。
2.It was all owing to his too affectionate nature, which craved for admiration.
這都是因為他生性太重感情，渴望得到敬慕。
【mysterious】
追根溯源：mystery→mysterious
mystery: 神秘，奧秘
例句：
1. Ghost towns give people a tangible connection to a mysterious past, says Mr Baker.
貝克先生說，廢棄的城鎮(zhèn)讓美國人和神秘的過去有了切實的聯(lián)系。
2.The woman seemed desirous, yet reluctant to speak, and answered in low, mysterious tone.
那婦人好象想說，但又有點躊躇，她放低了嗓門神秘地說。
【submissive】
追根溯源：submit→submisive
submit:順從，服從
例句：
1.He was submissive to a word of advice .
我勸他的話，他沒有不聽的。
2.The Submissive—These are women who will make a man feel like a man.
順從型的-這樣的女人能讓男人感覺更像男人。
近義：followed, subject, compliant, obedient
【independence】
還原：independence→independent→dependent→depend
depend：依賴，依靠
例句：
1.They pride themselves on their independence, their right to make up their own minds.
他們?yōu)槟塥毩?，以自己的想法決定如何做事而感到驕傲。
2.Here saying "No" indicates a somewhat naive perspective on life and a strong desire for independence.
這“說不”里面，有一種稚嫩的人生觀，一種渴望獨立的強烈愿望。
短語：
declaration of independence 獨立宣言
independence day 美國獨立紀(jì)念日(7月4日)
economic independence 經(jīng)濟上的獨立
war of independence 獨立戰(zhàn)爭
independence hall 獨立大廳(位于美國費城，獨立宣言簽字處)
【impact】
例句：
1.The impact of the crash hurtled the driver against the windshield of the car.
碰撞的沖擊力使駕駛員猛撞在車子的擋風(fēng)玻璃上。
2.To create strong visual impact in your pages, make some things stand out.
創(chuàng)建具有沖擊力的，突出某項，這是好的方法。
短語：
environmental impact 環(huán)境沖擊，環(huán)境影響
environmental impact assessment 環(huán)境影響評價
impact resistance 抗沖擊性;沖擊阻力
economic impact 經(jīng)濟影響
visual impact 視覺沖擊，視覺震撼;視覺效果
近義：effect,impression,influence, infection
【搭配】
lead a...life/lead a life of...
as a result
a popular belief
have...in common
句型
but...as well
例句：
1.Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well.
2.Setbacks contain not only challenges, but opportunities as well.
挫折中不僅包含著挑戰(zhàn)，同時也蘊含著機遇。
3.Throw away your fear while embracing your compassion, not just for others but yourselves as well.
扔掉恐懼，擁抱你的同情之心，不僅為了他人也為你自己。
這一課講的是貓咪的事情，后我們來看看有哪里和“貓”有關(guān)的俚語吧~~
cat walk 貓步
an old cat 壞脾氣的老太婆
a barber's cat 面現(xiàn)病容和饑色的人
as sick as a cat形容某人病得厲害
like a cat on hot bricks熱像鍋上的螞蟻
When the cat's away, the mouse will play.
山中無老虎，猴子稱霸王。
Cat's hide their claws.
知人知面不知心。
There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with cream.
不要在一棵樹上吊死。
不知道大家有木有發(fā)現(xiàn)，西方人對貓不如對狗那么喜歡，從上面的俚語就看的出，貓大多用來表達貶抑，多中性的意思，可是，這是為神馬呢...據(jù)說，是因為貓在西方被視為巫婆的熟友：中世紀(jì)，撒旦魔鬼喜歡化做一只黑貓，巫婆則常帶這一只貓作為熟友相伴。