VOA常速英语2018--研究人员从猫舌上学习知识

Researchers Learn Lessons from Cats’ Tongues

This study began when Georgia Tech researcher Alexis Noel went home for break during her studies.

这项研究始于乔治亚理工学院的研究员Alexis Noel学习期间回家休息的时候。 

My family cat Murphy decided¹ to sit on my lap, on top of a microfiber blanket.

我家的猫咪想坐在我的膝盖上超细纤维毯子上面。 

For some reason, he thought the blanket smelled really tasty, so he decided to take a lick, and he actually got his tongue stuck on some of those loops of the fabric².

出于某种原因，它认为毯子闻起来很好吃，所以它想舔一下，它的舌头就卡在织物的一些环上。 

Wondering why that happen, Noel took a closer look at cat tongues when she got back to her lab.

Noel想知道为什么会出现这种情况，她回到实验的时候，仔细地观察了一下猫的舌头。 

Using high-speed video, she discovered that a cat’s tongue is not carpeted in sandpaper-like-bumps at all,instead, sharp claw-shaped barb’s cover the front of the tongue.

通过高速录像，她发现猫的舌头面上完全不是像砂纸一样的凸起物，相反，尖锐的爪形倒钩覆盖在舌头的前面。

They lie flat, facing backwards³, until they’re needed for grooming⁵. Then the spikes⁶ spring upwards⁷.

爪形倒钩面朝后，直到需要用它们来梳理时，这些尖刺向上弹起。 

They actually have a shape very similar to cat claws, so they’re curved and on the top and curved on the bottom.

它们实际上和猫爪的形状相似，在顶部、底端都是弯曲的。 

But different from cat claws, they actually have a U-shaped channel on the very bottom of the spine⁸.

但是和猫爪不同的是，它们在这种脊柱的底部有一个U形的通道。 

That channel allows saliva⁹ to get through the cat’s fur and down to the skin.

这个通道让猫唾液能够穿过猫的皮毛，进入到皮肤里。 

Food dye shows how the liquid stays in the channel until the cat presses its tongue on its fur.

食用染料展示了猫舔毛之前，液体是怎么存留在通道内。 

Noel used a 3D printer to create a brush covered in cat tongue-like spines¹⁰ to mimic¹¹ the way cats groom⁴ their fur.

Noel用一个3D打印机打印了猫舌刺状物覆盖的刷子，模拟猫梳理毛发的方式。 

Applications from her study could be new types of carpet cleaning technologies or ways to apply medication to a pet skin or even potentially, ways to reduce allergens in cat fur for people who have allergies¹².

她这项研究可以应用于创新毛毯清洁技术、或者涂抹药物于宠物毛发，或者甚至帮助对猫毛过敏的人减少过敏原。

I think what’s fascinating about this entire study is how such an interesting mechanism¹³ can come from something so common.

我认为，对整个研究来说，最令人着迷地方是这么有趣的机制是来自如此平常的东西。 

There’s an old saying curiosity killed the cat,but in this case it provided one of the secrets to the cat’s success in life.

有句老话说，好奇心杀死猫，但是在这个例子里面，好奇心让我们知道猫是怎么成为人生赢家的。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

3 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

4 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

5 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

6 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

8 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。

9 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

10 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

12 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

13 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。