Fly cats
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well. They never become submissive like dogs and horses. As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat’s ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. 'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers, ’ a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
词汇
fascinate v. 迷住，吸引住
I am fascinated by the story.
So the story is fascinating.
be / find … endlessly fascinating
find 这里表示 “认为”
The city is endlessly fascinating.
I find the nature world endlessly fascinating.
fascination 魅力，吸引力
have a … fascination for …
The story has a great fascination for me.
(4-35课) Mars has an extraordinary fascination for would-be voyagers.
(3-42课) For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.
affectionate /ə’fɛkʃənət/ a. 充满深情的，柔情的
-ate 在名词结尾时，常发 /ət/，而不是 /eɪt/
She looked at him in an affectionate way.
affection 爱（慈爱，柔情）
parental affection 父母的爱
maternal affection 母爱，paternal affection 父爱
mysterious adj. 神秘的，难以理解的
the mysterious pyramids 神秘的金字塔
mystery n. 谜
be a mystery to sb.
It is a complete mystery to me why she married him at all!
（听力）
M: I was shocked when I heard you’d finished your research project a whole month early.
W: How I managed to do it is still a mystery to me.
submissive a. 服从的，顺从的
He was looking for a quiet submissive wife who would obey his every word.
服从于：
submit to …
yield to …
bow to …
First, you must give Helen back to my brother. Second, Troy must submit to my command to fight for me whenever I call. ——电影《特洛伊》
The government refused to yield / bow to the terrorists.
be subject to sth.
All employees are subject to the regulations of the company.
So let us begin anew——remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. ——肯尼迪
feline /'filaɪn/ a. 猫的
She walks with feline grace.
-ine 像…一样的
canine 像狗一样的 canine teeth 犬齿
aquiline 像鹰一样的，鹰的 an aquiline nose
porcine 像猪一样的，猪的 equine 像马一样的
bovine 像牛一样的
feminine 女人的 masculine 男人的
independence n. 独立，自主
Independence Day
India gained independence from Britain in 1947.
be independent of … 独立于
His wages enabled him to become economically independent of his family.
be dependent on … 依赖于
They hate being dependent on their parents.
(46课) So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.
课文
第一句：Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
never fail to do sth. 总是 … （褒义）
(2课) be always doing 带一点贬义
My grandson never fails to phone me on my birthday.
双重否定
(下文) …, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
(41课) Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
(43课) It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.
造句：
She did not fail to keep her word. 她没有食言。
Nobody is without his faults. 人无完人。
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind. 有志者事竟成。
No one has nothing to contribute to society.
I will never read books without falling asleep. 我一看书就睡觉。
Cats are endlessly fascinating.
We find cats endlessly fascinating.
第二句：They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
be friendly to / toward(s) …
be affectionate toward(s) …
Why is he suddenly so friendly to / toward(s) you?
He is very affectionate toward(s) his children.
live / lead a … life 过着 … 生活
这样形式的还有：
sing a song
He breathed his last breath.
Liu Hulan died a glorious death.
… of one’s own
I want a room of my own.
第三句：They never become submissive like dogs and horses.
as … as … （肯定）
as / so … as … （否定/疑问）
第一个 as / so 是副词，第二个是连词
They never become as / so submissive as dogs and horses (do).
in the (same) way that … （that 是关系副词） 像 … 一样
(2-26课) We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material.
Love me in the way that I love you.
The city is living proof that the policy works in the way that economists claim.
They never become submissive in the (same) way that dogs and horses do.
第四句：As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
（复习）learn 表示会了、知道了、懂了，study 强调研究过程.
independence
sovereignty 主权 autonomy 自治权
the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
第五句：Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
be suspicious of / about … 怀疑的
suspicious 可疑的
He appeared suspicious. 他看上去可疑。
sceptical / skeptical 怀疑的，不相信的
be skeptical of / about …
I am highly skeptical of / about his motives.
all one’s life = throughout one’s life 一生
for life = for the rest of one’s life 余生
The accident crippled him for life. 这场事故使他终生（余生）残疾。
I will love you for live. 余生爱你。
第六句：One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
这句中，fascinates 对应句首的 One, 因此使用了第三人称单数。其若对应 things，语法上也正确。在新概念英语中前一种情况多。
(2-28课) Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths. who … 对应 one, 因为 believe 使用了第三人称单数形式。
(25课) The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built. that … 同理。
句首为 the one of … 时：
找错：
John is the only one of the students in the class (A)that never (B)admit making a mistake even when ©it is (D)pointed out to him.(B) admit -> admits
… fascinates us (the) most …
most 修饰动词，定冠词 the 可以不加
Those who work (the) most often get paid (the) least.
造句：最令我们感到伤心（sadden）的一件事是一种令人沮丧的说法（a depressing saying）：每当我们在街上有麻烦或者有危险时没有人来帮助我们（come to our assistance）。
One of the things sadden us most is a depressing saying that whenever we are in trouble or danger in the street no one will come to our assistance.
第七句：Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat’s ability to survive falls is based on fact.
there is a good deal of truth in … … 很有道理
there is an element of truth in … 有点道理
(12课) Perhaps there is an element of truth in both this pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.
Albert Einstein once attributed the creativity in a famous scientist to the fact that he never went to school. There is undoubtedly a truth in his observation, but such a truth is not criticism of schools.
survive 幸存
本句中 survive 表示经历了 … 幸存。
In the battle, only 4 soldiers survived.
=> Only 4 soldiers survived the battle.
(54课) I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
（复习，3课）基于
… is based / founded on fact.
… rests on fact.
… is supported by fact.
第八句：Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.
（复习，3课）
make a study of … = study
make a study of human nature 研究人性
make a study of human nature carefully
=> make a (careful -> close) study of human nature
(26课) …, advertisers have made a close study of human nature.
第九句：All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
have sth. in common
These two species have certain features in common.
have a lot in common 有很多共同点
(复习 1课) … because people’s descriptions of the puma had a lot in common.
share sth.
We share an interest in history. 我们对历史有共同的兴趣。
These two species share certain features.
All these cats shared on experience: …
坠落了 ~
fall off sth.
fall from sth.
fall sth.
(下文) fell 32 storeys
die from … 更强调外因
die from shock or injuries / a wound / an accident
die of … 更强调内因
die of a disease / hunger / grief
（注：在新冠肺炎相关的新闻中，die from 的使用较多）
(2-77课) As there were strange marks on the X-ray plates taken of the mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died of a rare disease.
(4-37课) It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and disease we shall eventually ‘die of old age’, and that this happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of sixty-five and eighty.
第十句：Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
there is a shortage of …
There is a shortage of food in the refugee camps.
There is a shortage of nurses and doctors in this area.
there is no shortage of … 有的是 …
…, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
…, because there are plenty of tall buildings.
第十二句：One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.
suffer (from) sth. 经历 / 遭遇 （痛苦）的事
造句：
一个叫 Mike 的出租车司机出了（be involved in …）一次严重的车祸，然而只断了两根肋骨（rib）。
One taxi driver, Mike, be involved in a serious car accident, yet only suffered from two broken ribs.
第十四句：It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.
far -> farther / further -> farthest / furthest
美式英语中，“更远”用 farther, 英式英语都可。抽象上的“远”用 further / furthest.
further development / investigation
定冠词 + 比较级
一般，前面一部分为从句，后一部分为主句
The harder they worked the hungrier they became.
然而，视具体情况：
They became (the) hungrier the harder they worked.
后半句为从句。
(55课) A telescope would have to be as far away as the planet Jupiter to look for life in outer space, because the dust becomes thinner the further we travel towards the outer edges of our own solar system. （后半部分为从句。）
主句的主语太长可能导致倒装：
The younger the child is, the more is the child’s need of sleep.
主语在后半部分，倒装，原本应为 the more the child’s need of sleep is。
这一句可以省略 be 动词，变化为
=> The younger the child, the more the child’s need of sleep.
(4-7课) The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo.
In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.
第十六句：At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax.
（复习，6课）speed
- speed 作不可数名词时，与 at,with 搭配即可
at / with great speed
- speed 作可数名词时，只能与 at 搭配
at a speed of 60 mph
—— I think John will win the race.
—— Yes, he started off ( ) a fantastic speed.
(A) with (B) at © through (D) by
第十七句：They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.
stretch 伸展，out 这里为副词
(44课) …, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, …
plain 平原，这里 cloud plains 是云海的意思
(44课) You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, …
stretch one’s legs 出去走走（舒活舒活筋骨 抖擞抖擞精神）
flying squirrel 鼯鼠/飞鼠
文本篇章分析
“现象——解释”型说明类文章
题目新奇，引起读者的兴趣
第一段：引文（猫很迷人，略作陈述）-> 引出主题（最迷人之处在于有九条命 -> 跌落时不死）
第二段：介绍一项研究并举例 -> 借用医生的话展开解释原理（语言生动风趣） -> 末尾点题（flying squirrels -> flying cats）
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新东方《新概念英语（第三册）》（李延隆老师）课程来源于 YouTube.
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