英语听力：自然百科 猫有九条命

The cat's earliest ancestors probably hunted both on the ground and in the trees. To survive, they needed not only claws, but remarkable¹ balance, an aptitude² all cats retain to this day. In keeping with its reputation, the cat usually does land on all fours, and scientists have come to understand how. Slow-motion photography reveals that cats always right themselves in a precise order. The head rotates first based on messages from the eyes and inner ear. Then, the spine³ twists and the rear quarters align⁴. At the same time, the cat arches its back to reduce the force of impact.

猫最早的祖先可能在地面与树上神出鬼没。为了生存,他们需要的不仅仅是爪子,而且卓越的平衡感也是必不可少。后者是所有的猫时至今日还保留着的重要生存技能。为了保持其名誉,猫通常都是四脚着地在地上爬行,科学家已经明白了猫们这样做的目的。慢动作摄影捕捉到猫总是竭力追求一种精确的顺序。头部旋转要以眼睛和内耳的讯息为基础，然后脊柱弯曲,后躯排成一条线。与此同时,猫背拱起减少冲击力。

Despite its agility⁵, the cat faces particular dangers in today's modern cities. Here although hundreds of feet above the ground, the indoor cat is just as attracted by moving prey⁶ as is any other cat. If any thing, it may be a stir-careen through unscreened windows that the phenomenon now has a name,high-rise syndrome⁷. At the Animal Medical Center in New York City, doctors were perplexed⁸ when they found that victims of higher falls often had less severe injuries than those that fell a shorter distance.

尽管身手矫捷,但猫在今天的现代城市中却极其危险。离地面数百英尺高的大楼,室内的猫会像过去一样被猎物吸引，任何移的其他猫也可以吸引它。任何东西,只要是一种不对劲的能量束都会吸引猫的注意力。很多猫冲向没有关的窗户这一现象现在有了一个专有名词——高空综合症。在纽约的动物医疗中心,医生们对受伤者们感到大惑不解,他们发现更高的距离伤势反而较轻，较短的距离伤势反而严重。

It's been about a month since you were here, lad. We'd been puzzled by the high-rise syndrome for a long time, the name that we give for cats falling out of windows. A clinical impression is that cats that fall from medium-level stories are hurt much worse than cats that fell from even greater distances. That seemed to defy our logic⁹ that cats that would fall farther would be hurt less. So we undertook a study to examine the records on cats that had been admitted here for falling out of windows. And it actually confirmed that our clinical impression was correct. It seems that cats that fall from higher stories have enough time to reach free fall like a parachutist and are relaxed when you experience trauma¹⁰ when you are relaxed, you'll probably avoid injury; when you experience trauma when you are very rigid¹¹ and very tight, you will attain¹² a maximized injury.

小家伙，你在这里大约有一个月的时间了。我们有很长一段时间困惑于高层综合症，这是我们给猫从窗户掉下去的一种统称。科学表象为猫从更高的距离落下伤势较轻，较短的距离伤势反而严重。这似乎不合我们的逻辑,猫可以说是掉下去的楼层越高，受到的伤害越小。所以我们进行了一项研究检查猫从窗户掉下去的记录。实验实际上证实了我们的科学表象是正确的。那些猫似乎从更高的楼层掉落时有足够的时间来展开自由落体及放松,就像你经历创伤后会自我放松一样,这样你可能会避免伤害。当你经历创伤,你表现僵硬，非常紧绷,你就会承受最大化的伤害。

The cat may not have nine lives. But its uncanny abilities to sail through the air is almost certainly responsible for the myth.

这只猫可能没有九条命。但它驾驭高空的神秘能力或许只有神话才可以解释。

词语解释：

spine n. 脊柱

impression n. 印象

uncanny a. 神秘的，不可思议的

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

3 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

4 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

5 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。

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 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

8 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

9 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

10 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

11 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

12 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。