# 第三册 Lesson 9 Flying cats 飞猫

## 一、课文原文

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.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| fascinate | /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ | v. | 使着迷，吸引 | ~d 着迷的；~ing 迷人的 |
| affectionate | /əˈfekʃənət/ | adj. | 深情的，亲切的 | be ~ towards 对...深情 |
| submissive | /səbˈmɪsɪv/ | adj. | 顺从的，温顺的 | submit v. 屈服 |
| feline | /ˈfiːlaɪn/ | adj. | 猫的，猫科的 | ~ independence 猫科独立性 |
| suspicious | /səˈspɪʃəs/ | adj. | 怀疑的，多疑的 | be ~ of 对...怀疑 |
| apparently | /əˈpærəntlɪ/ | adv. | 显然地 | 表面上看，显然 |
| windowsill | /ˈwɪndəʊsɪl/ | n. | 窗台 | window + sill |
| paratrooper | /ˈpærəˌtruːpə/ | n. | 伞兵 | para(伞) + trooper |
| injure | /ˈɪndʒə/ | v. | 伤害，损伤 | ~d 受伤的；~ry 伤害 |
| stretch | /stretʃ/ | v. | 伸展，伸开 | ~ out 伸出 |
| squirrel | /ˈskwɪrəl/ | n. | 松鼠 | flying ~ 飞鼠 |
| impact | /ˈɪmpækt/ | n. | 撞击，冲击 | the shock of ~ 撞击的冲击力 |
| air-resistance | /eə rɪˈzɪstəns/ | n. | 空气阻力 | resistance 阻力 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. The + 比较级..., the + 比较级... 结构

***The further** cats fall, **the less** they are likely to injure themselves.*

"越...越..."，表示两个变化同时发生。

| 原级 | 比较级 | 例句 |
|------|--------|------|
| far | further | The further you go, the harder it gets. |
| much | more | The more you practice, the better you become. |
| soon | sooner | The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. |

**注意**：此结构中前半句为条件，后半句为结果，均使用比较级。

### 2. never fail to do 双重否定表肯定

*Cats **never fail to** fascinate human beings.*

"从不失败做某事" = "总是做某事"，双重否定加强语气。

| 结构 | 含义 | 例句 |
|------|------|------|
| never fail to do | 总是做/必然做 | He never fails to call on her birthday. |
| cannot fail to do | 不可能不/必定 | You cannot fail to notice it. |
| not without | 并非没有 | It was not without difficulty. |

### 3. 同位语从句

*the popular belief **that they have nine lives***

that引导的从句解释belief的内容，为同位语从句。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. "Cats never fail to fascinate human beings."
- **句型**：never fail to do = always do，双重否定强调
- **仿写**：She never fails to arrive on time.

### 2. "One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives."
- **分析**：复合句。that fascinates为定语从句修饰things；that they have nine lives为同位语从句解释belief内容
- **仿写**：One of the ideas that impresses us most is the belief that knowledge is power.

### 3. "the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves."
- **句型**：the + 比较级..., the + 比较级... 越...越...
- **仿写**：The more you read, the more you know.

### 4. "It seems that..."
- **句型**：It seems that + 从句，似乎/看起来
- **仿写**：It seems that he has changed his mind.

## 五、课文翻译

猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣。它们对人可以很友好、很深情，但它们也有自己神秘的生活。它们从不变得像狗和马那样顺从。因此，人类学会了尊重猫的独立性。大多数猫一生都对人类存有戒心。关于猫最令我们着迷的事情之一，就是人们普遍相信猫有九条命。显然，这种说法很有道理。猫在坠落中生存下来的能力是有事实依据的。

最近，纽约动物医疗中心对132只猫进行了为期5个月的研究。所有这些猫都有一个共同的经历：它们都从高楼坠下过，但只有8只死于休克或创伤。当然，纽约是进行这种有趣研究的理想地点，因为那里不缺高楼。有那么多高层的窗台可以掉下来！一只叫萨布里娜的猫从32层楼摔下，却只摔碎了一颗牙。"猫就像训练有素的伞兵，"一位医生说。看来，猫摔下的距离越远，就越不可能伤害自己。在长距离下落中，它们达到每小时60英里以上的速度。在高速下落时，猫有时间放松身体，像飞鼠一样伸展四肢。这增加了空气阻力，减小了着地时的冲击力。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **科学叙事**：从民间传说（九条命）到科学研究（132只猫的实验），层层论证
2. **类比手法**：猫比作"训练有素的伞兵"和"飞鼠"，生动形象
3. **幽默笔调**："有那么多高层窗台可以掉下来！"——黑色幽默

### 文化背景
1. **猫有九条命**：西方谚语"A cat has nine lives"，源于猫从高处坠落仍能存活的能力。
2. **纽约高楼**：纽约市拥有大量摩天大楼，高空坠猫事件时有发生，为研究提供了天然条件。
3. **猫在西方文化中**：既被视为神秘的动物（与巫术相关），也被当作受欢迎的宠物。

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **the + 比较级, the + 比较级** 结构
2. **never fail to do** 双重否定
3. **同位语从句**与定语从句的区分
4. **It seems that** 句型

## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 要点 |
|------|------|
| 核心主题 | 猫从高处坠落的生存能力 |
| 重点语法 | the+比较级...the+比较级、never fail to、同位语从句 |
| 核心词汇 | fascinate, affectionate, submissive, feline, suspicious, paratrooper |
| 写作特色 | 科学叙事、类比手法、幽默笔调 |
| 难点 | the+比较级结构的时态和语序 |