Lesson 9 Flying cats 内容详解

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.