Lesson 9 Flying cats

  ·单词

fascinate v.    迷住，吸引住

    ·I am fascinated by the story.    我被这个故事迷住了

    ·So the story is fascinating.    这个故事特别的迷人

    ·be/find ... endlessly fascinating    发现/认为，觉得 … 无限魅力

        ·This city is endlessly fascinating.    这座城永远是那么迷人

        ·I find the natural world endlessly fascinating.    我认为大自然永远是那么迷人

    ·fascination n.    入迷，着迷；魅力，令人着迷的事物

        ·have a ...(adj.) fascination for ...    该词常与 for 搭配

        ·The story has a great fascination for me.    这个故事对我有巨大的吸引力

        ·Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers.    火星对未来的旅行者有着非凡的魅力

        ·For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.    对他来说，洞穴有一种奇特的魅力，就像高山对登山者一样

    ·attract v.    吸引；（物体间）产生引力；引起；有吸引力

        ·Beijing attracts many investors.    北京吸引了很多投资商

    ·charm v.    吸引，迷住 (异性之间)；诱使，哄诱；向……施魔法，用魔法控制；有魔力

        ·The girl charms all the young boys here.    这个女孩迷住了这里所有年轻的男孩

    ·seduce v.    诱奸，勾引；引诱，吸引/entice v.    诱使，引诱    (这两个词都略微带有贬义)

        ·The boss is trying to seduce his secretary.    这个老板试图勾引他的秘书

        ·-I guess I set up the video camera to try and entice Joey.    我想我设置摄像机是为了引诱乔伊

            ·try and do (口语) = try to do

        ·-But sadly I could not be enticed.    但遗憾的是，我没有被诱惑

affectionate adj.    充满深情的,柔情的

    ·She looked at him in an affectionate way.    她用充满深情的方式看着他

    ·affection n.    喜爱，关爱；爱恋，爱慕之情；精神状况，感情；疾患，病；影响

        ·parental affection    父母的感情

        ·maternal affection    母爱

        ·paternal affection    父爱

mysterious adj.    神秘的，难以理解的

    ·the mysterious pyramids    神秘的金字塔

    ·mystery n.    难以理解（或解释）的事物，奥秘；神秘的人（或事物）；不可思议；疑案小说（或电影、戏剧）；（宗教信仰的）奥义，真谛；圣餐礼

        ·be a mystery to sb.    某人无法理解某事

            ·It's a complete mystery to me why she married him at all!    她为什么要嫁给他，这对我来说完全是个谜!

            ·-M: I was shocked when I heard you'd finished your research project a whole month early.    当我听说你提前一个月完成了你的研究项目时，我很震惊

            ·-W: How I managed to do it is still a mystery to me.    我是怎么做到的对我来说仍然是个谜

submissive adj.    服从的，顺从的

    ·He was looking for a quiet submissive wife who would obey his every word.    他在寻找一个安静、顺从、对他言听计从的妻子

    ·submit to ...    服从于，屈服于

        ·First, you must give Helen back to my brother. Second, Troy must submit to my command to fight for me whenever I call.    首先，你必须把海伦还给我哥哥。第二，特洛伊必须服从我的命令，在我召唤时为我而战

    ·yield to ...    服从于，屈服于：接受或顺从某人或某事物，通常是因为对方更强大、更有权威或更有说服力

    ·bow to ...    服从或顺从某种传统、规定等

    ·succumb to ...   屈服于

        ·The government refused to yield/bow/succumb to the terrorists.    政府拒绝向恐怖分子屈服

    ·be subject to sth.    受…约束

        ·All employees are subject to the regulations of the company.    所有员工都必须遵守公司的规章制度

        ·So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.    因此，让我们重新开始——双方都要记住，彬彬有礼并非软弱的表现，诚意永远有待检验。让我们永远不要因为害怕而谈判，但让我们永远不要害怕谈判

            ·anew = again = once again = one more time

feline adj.    猫的

    ·She walks with feline grace.    她走路像猫一样优雅

    ·canine adj.    犬的；犬齿的；犬科的；似犬的    

        ·canine teeth    虎牙

    ·aquiline adj.    鹰的；像鹰的；钩状的，鹰嘴似的

        ·an aquiline nose    鹰钩鼻

    ·porcine adj.    猪的；像猪的，猪一样的

    ·equine adj.马的；象马的

    ·bovine adj.    牛的；似牛的；迟钝的

        ·bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) mad cow disease    牛海绵状脑病：一种影响牛的神经系统的疾病，可能会对人类造成健康威胁。(疯牛病)

    ·feminine adj.    女性特有的，女子气的；女性的，妇女的；（语法）阴性的

    ·masculine adj.    男性的，男子的；阳刚的，男子气概的；（某些语言中）阳性的

independence n.    独立，独立性

    ·Independence Day    美国独立纪念日（7月4日）

    ·India gained independence from Britain in 1947.    印度于1947年脱离英国独立

    ·be independent(adj. 词性) of ...    独立于；不依赖于

        ·His wages enabled him to become economically independent of his family.    他的工资能让他在经济上不依赖于他的家庭

    ·be dependent on ...    依赖于

        ·They hate being dependent on their parents.    他们不喜欢依赖于他们的父母

        ·So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.    我们为自己做事的热情是如此之大，以至于我们越来越不依赖专业劳动力

high-rise adj.    高层的

windowsill n.    窗槛

paratrooper n.    伞兵

squirrel n.    松鼠

air-resistance n.    空气阻力

impact n.    冲击力,撞击;影响

    ·on impact    在撞击时，在碰撞时

        ·The glass smashed on impact.    这个玻璃杯在撞击时打碎了

    ·impact on/upon ...    对于某人某物的 影响/产生影响

        ·His speech had a great impact on me.    他的演讲对我有巨大的影响

    ·influence/effect on/upon ...    对 … 的影响

·课文讲解

    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 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. 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.

flying cats    飞猫

falling cats    坠落的猫

His head was hit by a falling stone heavily.    他的头被一块落下的石头重重地击中了

He received a heavy hit on his head from a falling stone.    他被一块落下的石头重重地砸在头上

When I came, he was just about to leave.    当我来时，他正要走

My arrival coincided with his departure.    (英语用名词作动作)

Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.

    ·never fail to do sth.    总是能够 ... (褒义词)

        ·My grandson never fails to phone me on my birthday.    我的孙子总是能够在我生日那天打电话给我

    ·双重否定表肯定

        ·..., because there is no shortage of tall buildings.    直译：这里不短缺高楼大厦。翻译一下：这里有的是高楼大厦、

        ·Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.    直译：也不是城市没有它美丽瞬间。翻译一下：城市里也不是没有良辰美景

        ·It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.    轮船公司就打捞沉船的费用提出索赔，这是常有的事的

        ·She did not fail to keep her word.    她没有食言

        ·Nobody is without his faults.    人无完人

        ·Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.    有志者事竟成

        ·No one has nothing to contribute to society.    每个人都能为社会做出贡献

        ·I will never read books without falling asleep.    我一看书就想睡觉

    ·与标题意思相同，表达形式不同

        ·Cats are endlessly fascinating.

        ·we find cats endlessly fascinating.

They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.

    ·be friendly to/towards ...    对  ... 很友好

    ·be affectionate towards ...    对 … 充满深情

        ·Why is he suddenly so friendly to/towards you?    为什么他突然对你如此友好

        ·He is very affectionate towards his children.    他对他的孩子充满爱意

    ·live/lead a ... life    过着 ... 的生活

        ·sing a song    唱一首歌

        ·He breathed his last breath.    他咽下了最后一口气

        ·Liu Hulan died a glorious death.    刘胡兰死得光荣

    ·... of one's own    某人自己的

        ·I want a room of my own.    我想一个自己的房间

They never become submissive like dogs and horses. 

    ·like 可以用 as(第一个as的词性为 adv.) ... as(第二个as的词性为 conj. , 如果知道后面的东西可以省略这个as) ... (肯定)

    ·as/so ... as ... (否定/疑问)

        ·They never become as/so submissive as dogs and horses (do，可以省略，像狗和马做的那样).

    ·in the (same) way taht ...    像 ... 一样

        ·We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material.    我们喜欢它们就像我们喜欢漂亮的窗帘材料一样

        ·Love me in the way that I love you.    像我爱你一样爱我

        ·The city is living proof that the policy works in the way that economists claim.    这座城市就是活生生的证据，证明了这项政策正以经济学家所宣称的方式发挥作用

        ·They never become submissive in the (same) way that dogs and horses do.    它们从不像狗和马那样顺从

As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. 

    ·as a result    -可替换>    so

        ·thus    -可替换>    hence

        ·therefore    -可替换>    according!y

        ·for this reason    -可替换>    consequently

        ·as a consequencen    -可替换>    consequence

    ·learn    强调结果

        ·study    强调过程

        ·When will you ever learn?    你到底什么时候才能学会

    ·independence n.    独立，自主

        ·humor n.    幽默

        ·honesty n.    诚实

        ·sovereignty n.    主权

        ·autonomy n.    自治，自治权

            ·the lnner Mongolia Autonomous Region    内蒙古自治区

Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. 

    ·be suspicious of/about ...    怀疑 ...

    ·suspicious adj.    感觉可疑的；令人怀疑的

        ·He appeared suspicious.    他显得很可疑

    ·sceptical/skeptical adj.    不相信的，持怀疑态度的

        ·be ~ of/about ...    对 … 表示怀疑

            ·I'm highly skeptical of/about his motives.    我对他的动机深表怀疑

    ·all one's lives    某人一辈子，终生

        ·可替换：throughout one's life

         ·for life = for the rest of one's life    一生的时间；终身

            ·The accident crippled him for life.    那次事故使他终身残疾

    ·lifelong adj.    终身的

        ·a lifelong friendshig    一生的友谊

        ·a lifelong undertaking    一生的事业

One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. 

    ·that 引导定语从句，fascinates 修饰 one，因为是单三人称单数，主语一定是一个东西，如果要修饰 things，那么动词 fascinate 应该为原型

        ·Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths.

            ·who 定语从句修饰 one

        ·The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built.

            ·has 定语从句修饰 one

        ·John is the only one of the students in the class that never admits making a mistake even when it is pointed out to him.

            ·特殊的：如果要修饰的名词是特指如加了 the，那么动词 admits 改为原型就是语法错误了

    ·adv. most 前的定冠词加不加 the：如果是形容词最高级，那么要加，反之加不加都可以

        ·Those who work (the) most often get paid (the) least.    工作最多的人往往得到的报酬最少

    ·模仿造句: 最令我们感到伤心(sadden)的一件事是一种令人沮丧的说法(adepressing saying):每当我们在街上有麻烦或者有危险时没有人来帮助我们 (come to our assistance)。

        ·One of the things that saddens us most is a adepressing saying that whenever we are in trouble or danger in the street no one will come to our assistance.

Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. 

    ·there is a good deal of truth in ...    在 ... 之中有大量的真实性

        ·there is an element of truth in ...    有点道理

            ·Perhaps there is an element of truth in both this pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.    也许这两幅画都有一定的道理，但我们很少有人有机会去发现

            ·There is probably an element of truth in this argument, but they ignore a more basic fact that the freedom of the press is often abused.    这种说法可能有一定的道理，但他们忽视了一个更基本的事实，即新闻自由经常被滥用

            ·Albert Einstein once attributed the creativity in a famous scientist to the fact that he never went to school. There is undoubtedly a truth in his observation, but such a truth is not criticism of schools.

                ·attributed ... to ...    归因于：指某个事物或现象的原因或来源被认为是某个人或某个因素所导致的

A cat’s ability to survive falls is based on fact.

    ·survive v.    （经历事故、战争或疾病后）活下来，幸存

        ·In the battle, only four soldiers survived.    在战斗中，只有四名士兵幸存下来

        ·Only four soldiers survived the battle.    只有四名士兵在战斗中幸存下来

        ·I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.    我特别为它感到骄傲，不仅因为它熬过了几个严冬，还因为它偶尔会结出香甜的桃子

    ·is based/founded on fact.    基于 ... 之上

    ·... rests on fact.    依赖于

    ·... is supported by fact.    被 ... 支持的

Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months. 

    ·made a study of ... (更正式) = study ... 

        ·且使用这种写法时，以前用 adv. 修饰 v.，现在可以用 adj. 修饰 n.

All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. 

    ·have sth. in common    有共同之处

        ·... because people's descriptions of the puma had a lot in common.    因为人们对美洲狮的描述有很多共同点

        ·These two species have certain features in common.    这两个物种有某些共同特征

        ·share sth.    有共同的，有一样的，共同拥有（看法、特质或经历）

            ·We share an interest in history.    我们对历史有共同的兴趣

            ·These two species share certain features    这两个物种有一些共同的特征

            ·All these cats shared one experience: …    所有这些猫都有一个共同的经历

    · fallen off sth.    从某物上掉下来

        ·fall from sth.    从某物上掉下来

        ·fall sth.    从某物上掉下来

    ·die from ...    更强调外因

        ·die from shock or injuries/a wound/an accident    死于 休克或受伤/伤口/事故

    ·did of ...    更强调内因

        ·die of a disease/hunger/grief    死于 疾病/饥饿/悲伤

        ·As there were strange marks on the X-ray plates taken of the mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died of a rare disease.    由于给这具木乃伊拍的x光片上有奇怪的斑点，医生们一直在试图查明这名妇女是否死于一种罕见的疾病

Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. 

    ·shortage n.    短缺，不足

        ·food/staff shortage    食物/员工 短缺

        ·be short of ...    缺乏 …

            ·We're short of money.    我们比较缺钱

            ·The refugees are short of food.    这些难民食物短缺

        ·there is a shortage of ...    缺乏，没有某个东西

            ·There is a shortage of food in the refugee camps.    难民营里缺少食物

            ·There is a shortage of nurses and doctors in this area.    这个地区缺少护士和医生 (虽然护士和医生是复数，但实际的系动词连接的是 shortage n. 短缺，of 后是限定 shortage，也就是定语，护士和医生的短缺)

        ·there is no shortage of ...   不缺乏，有某个东西

            ·because there is no shortage of tall buildings.    因为这里有的是高楼大厦

            ·because there are plenty of tall buildings.    因为这里有充足的高楼大厦

There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. 

    ·suffer (from) ... vt.    遭受，经历

    ·模仿造句：一个叫 Mike 的出租司机出了(be involved in ...) 一次严重的车祸，然而只断了两根肋骨(rib)。

        ·One taxi drive, Mike, was involved in a serious car accident, yet only suffered from two broken ribs.

'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,' a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. 

    ·far -> farther(美) (抽象的远)/further(英) -> farthest(美)/furthest(英)

        ·further development/investigation    更深入的 发展/调查

    ·两个 the 加 比较级，越 ... 越 ...

        ·The harder they worked the hungrier they became.    他们工作越努力，就越饿 (第一个the 引导的是从句，第二个 the 是主句。先翻译从句，后翻译主句)

        ·They became (the) hungrier the harder they worked.    他们越努力工作就越饿 (该句为正常语序，第一个 the 可以去掉。此时前面是主语，后半句是主句，先翻译从句，后翻译主句)

        ·A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system.    望远镜必须离木星那么远才能在外层空间寻找生命，因为我们越靠近太阳系的外缘，尘埃就越薄 (第一个 the 是主句，第二个 the 是从句，先翻译从句)

        ·The younger the child is, the more is the child's need of sleep. 孩子越小，越需要睡眠(主句主语太长可以倒装。第一个 the 是从句，第二个 the 是主句)

            ·The younger the child, the more the child's need of sleep. (在此句型中，如果谓语是 be 动词，则可以省略)

        ·The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo.    固体障碍物越远，回声返回所需的时间就越长

            ·The further off this solid obstruction is, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. (is 也就是 be 动词被省略)

In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. 

    ·1. speed 做不可数名词时，与 at, with 搭配均可。

        ·e.g. at / with great speed

    ·2. speed 做可数名词时，只能与 at 搭配。

        ·e.g. at a speed of 60 mph

They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.

    ·stretch out    伸展，抻拉

        ·you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you    你可以欣赏到在你面前绵延数英里的连绵云海的非凡景象

        ·stretch one's legs    伸展某人的腿，活动一下

    ·flying squirrel    飞鼠/鼯鼠

本文篇章分析

“现象一解释”型说明类文章。

题目新奇，引其读者的兴趣。

第一段:引文(猫很迷人，略做陈述)→引出主题(最迷人之处在于有九条命→跌落时不死)

第二段:介绍一项研究并举例→借用医生的话展开解释原理(语言生动风趣)→末尾点题(flying squirrels→flying cats)