9-9 猫和人

Cats and Man

 

Cats struck a bargain with¹ man about 5,000 years ago when he shifted from a nomadic¹² to an agrarian²³ society. As man began to farm, he stored grain. The grain attracted rodents⁴, which in turn attracted cats. Wanting the cats to stick around, man left them pots of milk and other dainties⁵, and invited them into his home to share his hearth⁴⁶.

 

A variety of studies have shown, however, that wildcats do not become gentle, domestic cats -- even when they are raised in captivity⁵⁷. Instead, researchers believe that some of the African wildcats mutated⁸, becoming amenable⁶⁹ to human companionship.

 

Dating from 1900 B.C., the first definite evidence of cat domestication¹⁰ was found in an Egyptian tomb where 17 cats were buried with little pots of milk. By 1600 B.C., cats were wildly depicted⁸ as pets and gods in Egyptian art.

 

Egyptians so revered⁹ their cats that they would not allow them to be sold or traded to other peoples. Consequently, domestic cats were in Egypt one thousand years before they lived anywhere else. Fortunately, for the rest of the world, traveling Phoenician¹¹ trades eventually managed to smuggle¹⁰ cats out of Egypt. Domestic cats arrived in China in 200 B.C., in India in about 300 B.C., and in Greece in 500 B.C. During the Crusades¹², cats traveled with the armies, greatly increasing their migration¹¹.

 

Today, cats inhabit 34 percent of American househholds and account for 70 million of our pets.

 

The Egyptians and the Chinese named cats for the sound they make. In Egypt, the word “miu” means cat. In China, cats are called “mao.”

 

The ancient Chinese believed they could tell time by looking into a cat’s eyes.

 

In fifth century Ireland, a cat was listed among those items considered essential to a housewife.

 

In the 10th century, Welsh law defined a village as a place of nine buildings, one herdsman, one plow¹²¹³, one kiln¹³¹⁴, one churn¹⁵, one bull, one cock and one cat. A newly born kitten was valued at a penny (the same price as a lamb, a little pig or a goose). But it was worth two pennies when its eyes opened and four pennies when it began to hunt. If the cat was deficient¹⁴ as a mouse killer¹⁵ or if she killed her kittens, one -- third of her price had to be returned to the buyer.

 

About 40 breeds of domestic cats are recognized internationally. The smallest cats weigh five to seven pounds and the largest 15 to 20 pounds. The non -- domesticated¹⁶ big cats can weigh up to 600 pounds.

 

The first cat show was held July 16, 1871, at the Crystal Palace in Britain.

 

In Denmark in 1996, a green cat was born. She was completely green, except for one gray spot upon her back. Veterinarians¹⁶ discovered “Miss Greeny’s” unique color extended to the follicles¹⁷ beneath her skin. According to her human friend, Pia Bischoff, “Miss Greeny” is a perfectly¹⁷ normal cat -- except for her color.

 

Most white cats with two blue eyes are deaf. If only one eye is blue, they are often deaf in the ear close to the blue eye. If the eyes are orange, the white cat usually has normal hearing.

 

注释：

1. strike a bargain with 与某人达成协议（或就某事成交）

2. nomadic [nEu5mAdik] a. 游牧的，游牧生活的

3. agrarian [E5^rZEriEn] a. 农业的，农村的

4. rodent³ [5rEudEnt] n. 啮齿目动物（如鼠等）

5. dainty [5deinti] n. 美味的食物

6. hearth [hB:W] n. 壁炉边（被认为是家庭生活的中心），家庭生活，家

7. captivity [kAp5tiviti] n. 囚虏，监禁，束缚

8. mutate [mju:5teit] vi. [生] 经受突变

9. amenable [E5mi:nEbl] a. 顺从的，服从启导的

10. domestication⁷ [dEJ7mesti5keiFEn] n. 驯化

11. Phoenician [fi5niFiEn] a.（地中海东岸古国）腓尼基的，腓尼基人的

12. Crusade [kru:5seid] n.十字军（指西方基督教徒组织的反对穆斯林国家的几次军事东侵）

13. plow [plau] n. [主美] = plough 犁

14. kiln [kiln] n. 窑房

15. churn [tFE:n] n. 搅乳器，奶油制造机

16. veterinarian [7vetEri5nZEriEn] n. [美] = veterinary surgeon 兽医

17. follicle [5fClikl] n. 小囊，囊状卵泡

 

 

 

猫和人

 

约5000年前，人类从游牧社会发展为农业社会时，猫开始和人打交道。人开始耕作后，就要储存粮食。粮食引来老鼠，而老鼠又引来猫。为了让猫留下，人准备了成钵的牛奶和其他可口的吃食，还留它们分享家中炉灶的温暖。

然而，许多研究结果表明，即使是猎获后经驯养的野猫，也不会成为温顺的家猫。但是研究人员认为，有些非洲野猫发生了突变，从而成为人的伴侣。

一座埃及陵墓中发现葬有17只猫和牛奶钵，这第一次确凿无疑地证明公元前1900年猫已经驯化。至公元前1600年，埃及艺术将猫视为宠物和神而大量予以描述。

埃及人非常敬畏猫，不准许将猫出售或以猫易货给其他民族。因此，其他国家的家猫比埃及的晚出现了1000年。令世界其他地方庆幸的是，腓尼基游商最终成功地将猫偷运出埃及。家猫于公元前200年来到中国，大约公元前300年来到印度，公元前500年到达希腊。在十字军远征期间，猫随军队同行，大大加速了猫的迁徙。

如今，7000万只猫作为宠物生活在34％的美国家庭中。

埃及人和中国人用猫叫声来称呼猫。在埃及，猫叫“miu”；在中国，猫是“mao”。

古代的中国人相信，能从猫的眼睛看出时间。

在5世纪的爱尔兰，猫对家庭主妇来说，是生活中不可或缺的组成部分。

10世纪时，威尔士的法律对村落的定义规定为有9座建筑物、一个牧人、一把犁、一座窑房、一个搅乳器、一头公牛、一只雄鸡和一只猫的地方。新生的猫仔价值一个便士（与羊羔、小猪或鹅同价）。眼睛睁开的猫仔价值为2便士，能猎食的猫就值4个便士。猫如果捕捉老鼠不力或杀害自己的幼仔，按原价1/3退款给买主。

国际上确认有约40种家猫。最小的猫重5至7磅，最大的猫重15至20磅。未经驯化的大形体猫可重达600磅。

1871年7月16日在英国的水晶宫举行了世界上第一次猫展。

1996年，一只绿猫出生在丹麦。除了背上有一灰点外，浑身绿毛。兽医发现“绿小姐”独特的颜色延伸到皮下的毛囊。据它的人类朋友皮娅·比朔夫说，除了颜色外，“绿小姐”一切正常。

大多数有两只蓝眼睛的白猫是聋猫。如果一只眼睛是蓝色的，靠近蓝眼睛的那只耳朵通常是聋的。眼睛如果是桔黄色，白猫通常有正常听力。

 

1 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

2 agrarian   

adj.土地的，农村的，农业的

参考例句：

• People are leaving an agrarian way of life to go to the city.人们正在放弃农业生活方式而转向城市。
• This was a feature of agrarian development in Britain.这是大不列颠土地所有制发展的一个特征。

3 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

4 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

5 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

6 amenable   

adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的

参考例句：

• His scientific discoveries are amenable to the laws of physics.他在科学上的发现经得起物理定律的检验。
• He is amenable to counsel.他这人听劝。

7 domestication   

n.驯养，驯化

参考例句：

• The first was the domestication of animals. 第一个阶段是驯养动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In northwestern China, there is no evidence for endemic domestication of any animals. 在中国西北，没有任何当地动物驯化的迹象。 来自辞典例句

8 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

9 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

10 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

11 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

12 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

13 kiln   

n.（砖、石灰等）窑，炉；v.烧窑

参考例句：

• That morning we fired our first kiln of charcoal.那天上午，我们烧了我们的第一窑木炭。
• Bricks are baked in a kiln.砖是在窑里烧成的。

14 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

15 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

16 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。