Lesson 9 Flying cats

Text and language points Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.=Cats always fascinate human beings--…there is no shortage of tall buildings. =There

are many tall buildings.--I am not unaware of the facts.= I am aware of t

he facts Fascinate - vt. 使着迷 , 使神魂颠倒--One of the things that fascinates us most about c

ats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.…

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

affectionate-adj. (loving, devoted) 亲爱的 , 挚爱的 , 充满深情的 , 有感情的 , 慈爱的

--an affectionate mother 慈母--be on affectionate terms with sb. 和 ... 交情极好--Affectionate-yours(=yours affectionately) 你的

亲爱的 ( 英美人写家信时结尾用语 )

--He is affectionate to/towards me. 他爱我。

They never become submissive like dogs and horses.

Submissive-adj. 顺从的 ( 一种毫无反抗的屈服，而且有时对他人的控制怀有敬意的屈服倾向或意愿 )

--“replacing the troublemakers with more submissive people from the masses of unemployed” “ 以失业群众中顺从者取代惹事生非者”

tame-adj. ( 指动物 ) 驯服的--to tame a tiger 驯虎 obedient--adj. 服从的 , 孝顺的--an obedient pupil 听话的学生；--an obedient soldier. 服从命令的士兵。

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

as a result-adv. 结果--The accident resulted from his carelessness. 事

故源于他的粗心。--Acting before thinking always results in failure.

做事不先考虑总会导致失败。--The accident resulted in the death of two people.

这场意外事故造成两人死亡。 feline-adj. 猫的 , 猫科的 n. 猫科的动物 （ lions, tigers ）

Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. suspicious-adj. 可疑的 , 令人怀疑的--suspicious behavior. 可疑行为 多疑的 , 对 ... 起疑心的 (of, about) doubtful-adj. 可疑的 , 不确的 , 疑心的--It is doubtful whether she will be admitted to graduate s

chool. 她能否考上研究生很可疑。 He was suspicious of the new theory.=He tended to be

lieve that the new theory will not work. He was doubtful about the new theory.=He was unce

rtain / unsure about the new theory He is suspicious.=It seems that he is not a good person. He is doubtful.=He is not sure about something.

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

--a good (great ) deal of water

--a good[great] many people A cat’s ability to survive falls is based on facts.

Survive-vt. 经历 ... 后依然活着 ; 幸免于--Only one person survived the accident.

vi. 活下来 , 幸存 Only one person survived in the accident.

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

make a study conduct a study carry out a study

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 with someone/sth. ( 与 ...) 有共同之处

--He has a lot in common with my friend. have nothing in common (with) ( 与 ...) 没有共同之处--They had nothing in common at all. fall off －从…落下--There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from.

--One cat fell 32 storeys…

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

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

die from-( 病以外 ) 因某事而死 die out 灭绝：完全的灭亡；灭绝：--With the development of globalization, a lot of traditions h

ave died out. die of 因某病而死--Many people died of cancers each year. injure-vt. 损害 , 伤害--She was badly injured in an accident. 她在一次事故中被重伤 injury-- 损害，损伤 --a leg injury. 一处腿伤 hurt, harm, damage

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

ideal-adj. 理想的 ; 完美的--an ideal place for a holiday 过假日的理想场所--ideal happiness 理想中的幸福 shortage-n. 不足 , 缺乏--food shortage / a shortage of food 粮食短缺--fund shortage / a shortage of fund 资金不足 / 短缺 short of … 供给不够的：--We're short of cash. 我们现在现金不足

There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from. plenty of 很多--There are plenty of men out of work. 有很多人失业。--We have plenty of time to finish the job.

我们有充裕的时间完成这项工作。 high-rise--adj. 多 / 高层的：多层并备有电梯的：--a high-rise apartment building. 高层公寓楼 windowsills-n. 窗沿 , 窗台 sill-n. 基石 , 门槛 , 窗台

One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.

suffer from 患 ... 病 ; 受 ... 苦--suffer from cold and hunger 饥寒交迫--suffer from floods 遭受水灾--His business suffered greatly during the war.

他的生意在战争中蒙受了重大损失。--He suffered for his carelessness.

他因粗心而吃了亏。--The child suffers from a bad headache.

“Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers, ” a doctor said.

well-trained

well-known

well-meant-adj. 出自善意的 , 没有恶意的 newly-built paratrooper-n. 伞兵 paratroop -n.[pl. ] 【军】伞兵部队

It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.

Far-further-furthest

the more…the more…

--The more students you invite, the more interesting the party will be.

--The sooner the better. 越快越好 be likely to do sth. They are likely to become angry with him.

他们可能会对他发怒

They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.--stretch out a helping hand 伸出一只援助的手 This increases their air-resistance and reduces the sho

ck of impact when they hit the ground. resistance-n. 反抗 , 抵抗 , 抵抗力 , 阻力 resist-vt. 抵抗 , 抵制 ;--resist aggression 抵抗侵略 vt. [ 常用于否定句 ] 忍住--I was unable to resist laughing. 我忍不住笑了。 shock-n. 打击 , 震动 , 冲突--shock of explosion --electric shock impact- n. 碰撞 , 冲击 , 冲突 , 影响 , 效果---a speech that lacked impact. 毫无影响力的演说

questions Yes, they are suspicious of humans. Yes, they lead mysterious lives of their own. They are different from dog and horses in that they neve

r become submissive. Humans have learned to respect their independence. The popular belief about cats is that they have nine lives. Yes, there is a good deal of truth in this belief. The New York Animal Medical Centre recently made a

study of cats. 132 cats took part in this study. All these cats have one experience in common that they

had fallen off high buildings. Only eight of them died.

New York is the ideal place for this kind of study because there is no shortage of tall buildings.

The cat called Sabrina suffered from a broken tooth. A doctor compared falling cats with well-trained

paratroopers. In a long drop, they reach speeds of sixty miles an hour

and more. During a long drop cats have time to relax. When falling, cats stretch out their legs. The other animals that do this are flying squirrels. Increased air-resistance reduces the shock of impact

when they hit the ground.

Questions-answers They are suspicious of humans, aren’t they?--Yes, they are suspicious of humans. Do they lead mysterious lives of their own?lead mysterious lives of their own?--Yes, they lead mysterious lives of their own. How are they different from dogs and horses?--They are different from dog and horses in that they ne

ver become submissive. What have humans learned to respect about cats?--Humans have learned to respect their independence. What is the popular belief about cats ?--The popular belief about cats is that they have nine liv

es.

Is there any truth in this belief?

--Yes, there is a good deal of truth in this belief. What institution recently made a study of cats?

--The New York Animal Medical Centre recently made a study of cats.

How many cats took part in this study?

--132 cats took part in this study. What did these cats have in common?

--All these cats have one experience in common that they had fallen off high buildings.

How many of them had died?

--Only eight of them died.

Why is New York the ideal place for this kind of study?

--New York is the ideal place for this kind of study because there is no shortage of tall buildings.

What did the cat called Sabrina suffer from?

--The cat called Sabrina suffered from a broken tooth. What did a doctor compare falling cats with?

--A doctor compared falling cats with well-trained paratroopers.

What speeds do they reach in a long drop?

--In a long drop, they reach speeds of sixty miles an hour and more.

What do cats have time to do during a long drop?

--During a long drop cats have time to relax. What do cats do with their legs when falling?--When falling, cats stretch out their legs. What other animals do this?--The other animals that do this are flying squirrels. What effects does increased air-resistance have?--Increased air-resistance reduces the shock of

impact when they hit the ground.

The study of cats Recently-New York-study of 132 cats—five months All these cats—one experience in common-fallen-high b

uildings-eight died New York-ideal place-study-no shortage-high buildings Plenty-high-rise windowsills-fall from One cat-Sabrina-32 storeys-broken tooth “cats-well trained paratroopers” doctor said Further they fall-less likely-injure themselves Long drop-speeds 60 miles an hour and more High speeds-time to relax Strech out legs-flying squirrel-air-resistance-reduce shoc

k of impact

vocabulary Affectionate---loving As a result---consequently Remain---continue to be There is no shortage---there are plenty of Behave---act Injure---harm Increase---raises Reduces---cuts down

So and such Such a good girl So good a girl She is an interesting girl.--She is such an interesting girl.--She is so interesting a girl. They are interesting girls.--They are such interesting girls. How interesting they are! What interesting girls they are!

during--prep. （介词）在…期间--suffered food shortages during the war. 在战争期间受食

品短缺之苦--was born during a blizzard. 生于暴风雪降临的时候 throughout-prep. 遍及：处在、到达或经过每部分；--The road is kept open throughout the year. 这条路全年开

通--throughout the week 整个星期--throughout one's life 毕生 , 整个一生中 through- prep. 穿过 , 通过 , 从一边进，从另一边出：--went through the tunnel. 穿过隧道 while-conj. 当 ... 的时候--Write while I dictate. 当我口述时请你记下。

Key to exercises on Page 49 1—5 A D A C B 6—10 D B A B C 11—12 C A