新概念英语第三册第9课-Flying cats.docxVIP

——文章来源网络，仅供参考 PAGE ——文章来源网络，仅供参考 PAGE 1 新概念英语第三册第 9 课:Flying cats Lesson 9 Flying cats飞猫 Listen to the tape then answer the question below. 听录音，然后回答以下问题。 How do cats try to protect themselves when falling from great heights? 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 neverbecome submissive like dogs and horses. Asa 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 cats 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. 参考译文 猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣。它们可以对人友好，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么顺从。结果是人们已经学会尊重 猫的独立性。在它们的一生中，大多数猫都对人存有戒心。最使我们感兴趣的一件事情就是一种通俗的信念——猫有九条命。显然，这种说法里面包含着许多真实 性。猫在跌落时能够大难不死是有事实作为依据的。 最近，纽约动物医疗中心对 132 只猫进行了为期 5 个月的综合研究。所有这些猫有一个共同的经历：它们都曾从高层建筑上摔下来过，但只有其中的 8 只猫死于震 荡或跌伤。当然，纽约是进行这种有趣的试验的一个理想的地方，因为那里根本不缺乏高楼大厦，有的是高层的窗槛从上往下坠落。有一只叫萨伯瑞的猫从 32 层楼 上掉下来，但只摔断一颗牙。“猫就像训练有素的跳伞队员，” 一位医生说。看