Flying Cats 飞猫
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 Center 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.

1.Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣。

语言点:句子结构分析:这是一个典型的双重否定句，never(从来不)+fail（未能）的意思是“从未失败过”，即“成功”。

2．They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
它们可以对人友好，充满柔情。但是，它们又有自己神秘的生活方式。

语言点1:friendly从结构上看是副词，其实是形容词，和affectionate并列作表语。As well在此旨在加强语气，没有实际含义。

语言点2:重要写作短语总结:

1.lead a mysterious life 过着神秘的生活
2.lead a luxurious life 过着奢侈的生活
3.lead a miserable life 过着凄惨的生活

3.They never become submissive like dogs and horses.
它们从不像狗和马一样变得那么顺从。

语言点1:句子结构分析:become在此作系动词。Submissive是形容词，作表语。Like dogs and horses作方式状语。

语言点2:与“狗”有关的短语或者谚语总结:

1.as faithful as a dog 像狗一样忠诚
2.You're a lucky dog! 你真是个幸运儿！
3.Every dog has its day. 人人都有幸运时。

语言点3: 与“马”有关的短语或者谚语总结:

1.be on one's high horse 趾高气扬
2.work like a horse 辛勤工作
3.eat like a horse 吃得很多