Lesson 9 Flying cats 内容详解

系统管理员 2023-08-17 15:42 87阅读 0赞

Lesson 9 Flying cats

1. 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.

facsinate 吸引住, 迷住, 使......着迷.

facsinate ... 引起......的极大兴趣.

never fail to 为双重否定, 表肯定. Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. ≈ Cats always fascinate human beings.

... be affectionate towards humans ......对人充满柔情. They can be affectionate towards humans ≈ They like humans.

mysterious 神秘的.

lead mysterious lives of their own 过着自己神秘的生活/有着自己神秘的生活方式.

submissive 服从的, 顺从的.

译: 猫咪总能引起人们的极大兴趣. 它们可以对人友好并充满柔情, 但是它们又有自己神秘的生活方式. 它们从不像狗和马一样变得那样顺从.

2. **As a result**, humans have learned to **respect feline independence**. Most cats **remain suspicious of humans** **all their lives**.

as a result 作为结果, 结果是.

respect 尊重.

feline 猫科的.

independence 独立, 独立性.

respect feline independence 尊重猫的独立性.

suspicious 可疑的, 猜疑的, 不信任的.

remain suspicious of humans 对人保持戒心.

all their lives 在它们的一生中.

译: 结果是人们已经学会去尊重猫咪的独立性. 大部分的猫咪在一生中 都对人保持戒心.

3. 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**.

fascinate us 使我们感兴趣.

that fasinates us most 为 the things 的定语(从句).

popular 大众的, 通俗的, 流行的, 受欢迎的, 普及的.

a popular belief 一种通俗的信念.

that they have nine lives 为同位语从句, 对 the popular belief 进一步解释说明.

apparently 明显地.

a good deal of ≈ a great deal of 后接不可数名词, 如 a good/great deal of truth.

survive falls 在跌落后能幸存下来.

a cat's ability to survive falls 猫在跌落后能幸存下来的能力.

... is based on fact ......是有事实作为依据的/......是基于事实的.

译: 关于猫咪最使我们感兴趣的一件事就是一种通俗的信念——猫有九条命. 显然, 这种说法里包含着许多真实性. 猫在跌落后能幸存下来的能力是有事实作为依据的.

4. Recently **the New York Animal Medical Centre** 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**.

the New York Animal Medical Centre 纽约动物医疗中心.

over a period of five months 为期五个月.

in common 共同的.

... have one experience in common ......有一个共同的经历.

fall off high buildings 从高层建筑物上跌落 .

die from ... 因......而死.

shock or injuries 震荡或受伤.

译: 最近, 纽约动物医疗中心对132只猫做了一项为期五个月的研究. 所有这些猫咪都有一个共同的经历: 它们都从高层建筑物上铁跌落过, 但其中只有8只死于震荡或跌伤.

5. **Of course**, New York is the **ideal** place **for such an interesting study**, for there is **no shortage of** tall buildings. There are **plenty of** **high-rise windowsills** to fall from.

of course 当然.

ideal 理想的.

no shortage of 不缺......

plenty of ... 大量的......

high-rise windowsills 高层的窗台.

译: 当然, 纽约是进行这种有趣试验的理想地方, 因为那里根本不缺高层建筑物, 有的是高层的窗台从上往下跌落.

6. One cat, Sebrina, **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**.

fall 32 storeys 从32层楼上跌落.

suffer from ... 患某种病, 受(某种病痛)折磨.

suffer from a broken tooth 摔断了一颗牙.

well-trained 训练有素的.

paratrooper 伞兵.

the further cats fall 猫的跌落距离越长.

be possible to do v.s. be likely to do:

possible 表在可行性上的可能, 而 likely 表在趋势上的可能.

the + 形容词比较级/副词比较级 + ..., the + 形容词比较级/副词比较级 + ... . 该种句式常用来表示比较关系, 往往可以译成"越......, 越......". the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves 意为"猫跌落的距离越长, 它们伤到自己的可能性越小".

in a long drop 在一个长长的跌落过程中.

reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more ......达到时速60英里甚至更高.

译: 一只叫萨伯瑞纳的猫, 从32层楼上跌落, 但仅摔断了一颗牙. "猫表现地像训练有素的伞兵", 一名医生说. 看起来猫跌落的距离越长, 它们伤到自己的可能性就越小. 在一个长长的跌落过程中, 它们的速度可以达到时速60英里甚至更高.

7. 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.

falling cats 正在跌落的猫.

stretch out 伸展开.

flying squirrels 正在飞行的松鼠.

air-resistance 空气阻力.

the shock of impact 冲击力带来的震荡.

译: 在高速下落中, 猫咪有时间去放松. 它们将四肢像正在飞行的松鼠那样伸展开. 这增大了空气阻力, 且减轻了它们落地时冲击力带来的震荡.