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Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣
They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans,
它们可以对人友好 充满柔情
but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
但是 它们又有自己神秘的生活方式
They never become submissive like dogs and horses.
它们从不像狗和马一样变得那么顺从
As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性
Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
在它们的一生中 大多数猫都对人存有戒心
One of the things that fascinates us most about cats
最使我们感兴趣的一件事情
is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
就是一种通俗的信念 猫有九条命
Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea.
显然 这种说法里面包含着许多真实性
A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
猫在跌落时能够大难不死是有事实作为依据的
Recently the New York Animal Medical Center made a study
最近 纽约动物医疗中心
of 132 cats over a period of five months.
对132只猫进行了为期5个月的综合研究
All these cats had one experience in common:
所有这些猫有一个共同的经历
they had fallen off high buildings,
它们都曾从高层建筑上摔下来过
yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
但只有其中的8只猫死于震荡或跌伤
Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study,
当然 纽约是进行这种有趣的试验的一个理想的地方
because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
因为那里根本不缺乏高楼大厦
There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!
有的是高层的窗槛从上往下坠落
One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys,
有一只叫萨伯瑞的猫从32层楼上掉下来
yet only suffered from a broken tooth.
但只摔断一颗牙
'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers.'
猫就像训练有素的跳伞队员
a doctor said.
一位医生说
It seems that the further cats fall,
看起来 猫跌落的距离越长
the less they are likely to injure themselves.
它们就越不会伤害自己
In a long drop,
在一个长长的跌落过程中
they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.
它们可以达到每小时60里甚至更快的速度
At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax.
在高速下落中 猫有时间放松自己
They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.
它们伸展四肢 就像飞行中的松鼠一样
This increases their air-resistance
这样就加大了空气阻力
and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
并减少了它们着地时冲击力带来的震动
