时差N小时 猫咪杀手

They're cute, they're furry¹ and sometimes they like to bringyou dead birds or rodents². That's right, we're talking cats here.

可爱的，毛茸茸的，有时会给你捎来死去的小鸟和啮齿动物的小家伙—对啦，我说的就是猫咪。

The fact is that free-roaming house cats are taking a toll³ on our environment.

事实上整天在外头闲逛的家猫会对我们的环境造成很大损害。

Studies have shownthat even well-fed cats kill wildlife when given a chance.

研究表明若有机会，被喂养得很好的家猫也会猎杀野生动物。

Not only that, but a particularly skilled cat can kill up to one thousand animals per year.

不仅如此，那些狩猎技术格外娴熟的猫咪甚至可以在一年里杀死多达一千只动物。

Even if your own cat isn't a finely honed terminator, with millions of cats on the loose all over theUnited States, even ten animals per cat adds up quickly.

好吧，你说你家的猫咪并不是个技术精湛的终结者。但当数百万只猫咪在美国各地游荡时，就算1只猫咪只杀死10只动物，累计的数量也将是非常惊人的。

What's more, only some of these kills are pests like rats and mice.

而且只有一部分被杀死的动物诸如耗子或是家鼠是有害的。

Others are native songbirds andmammals whose populations are already endangered by habitat loss and other environmentalfactors.

余下的受害者则是该地区那些因栖息地消失和其他环境因素已经濒临灭绝的鸣禽和其他哺乳动物。

Cats also hurt predators⁴ like hawks⁵ and weasels by beating them to their prey⁶.

猫咪还会抢夺其他捕食者诸如老鹰和鼬鼠的食物，因而威胁到它们的生存。

This problem is exacerbated⁷ by the fact that people take pretty good care of their cats.

人们对猫咪的精心照料使得问题更加严重。

This means that predators, disease and competition for food don't keep the cat population in check.

这意味着天敌、疾病以及对食物的争夺都不会影响到猫咪的数量。

Cats are born hunters—they'll hunt for pleasure even if they're not hungry.

然而猫咪却是天生的猎食者—它们甚至会在食物充足的情况下为获得乐趣而捕猎。

So what can you do to stop the carnage?

那么，你能做些什么来阻止一场屠戮呢？

Do what you can to keep your cats indoors, no matterhow wistfully they stare out the window.

首先，无论猫咪望向窗外的眼神有多么充满渴望，你都要尽一切可能让它们呆在家里。

Also, do your share to keep the feline⁸ population undercontrol by making sure to spay and neuter your pets.

此外，为你的猫咪做好节育工作，替猫咪数量的控制出一份力。

1 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

2 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。