9-9 猫和人（在线收听）

Cats and Man

Cats struck a bargain with¹ man about 5,000 years ago when he shifted from a nomadic² to an agrarian³ 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 hearth⁶.

A variety of studies have shown, however, that wildcats do not become gentle, domestic cats -- even when they are raised in captivity⁷. Instead, researchers believe that some of the African wildcats mutated⁸, becoming amenable⁹ 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 depicted as pets and gods in Egyptian art.

Egyptians so revered 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 smuggle 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 migration.

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 plow¹³, one kiln¹⁴, 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 deficient as a mouse killer 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 -- domesticated 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 perfectly 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. rodent [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. domestication [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。