英语博客：Lilly.

 　　We have a new addition to our house. It's a furry¹, playful little thing that, at the moment, is fast asleep(1). Lilly is her name, but I'm not sure if it suits(2) her. Most of the time 'mini monster' would suit her, as she hides around the corners, waiting for us, and then jumps out and attacks our ankles. Thankfully, she doesn't use her claws very much, and she's not big enough to do any damage, though she seems to think that(3) she's as big as the local mountain lions. We bought her a few weeks ago from the humane² society, or the pound(4). She was, what they call, a throw-away(5)cat. They have so many of them in the pound; they're often not wanted, and so they are very cheap. When Lilly's not dashing(6) around, or attacking us, she naps. Well, of course she naps, she's a kitten. And then, everybody fights over her. We all want her to be on our laps(7) because she is so cute and warm and cozy³. It's surprising what a comforting influence a cat can be. Mind you, our dogs would disagree. They are outside dogs, and only rarely(8) come in the house. Lilly has learned that a window can be the ultimate weapon. She stands at our glass door and stares, while on the other side, both dogs are going bananas, barking and jumping up and down, trying to get her. "Oh, what a fuss," she seems to think, as she licks⁴ her paw, gives them one last look, and climbs onto my lap.

　　1. 'Fast asleep' means to be deeply asleep. 'Fast' is an old English word meaning 'thoroughly⁵', 'quickly', or 'deeply'. We often use 'fast' in this way when talking about something being thoroughly stuck (with glue).

　　a. The two pieces of wood are stuck fast and can't be separated.

　　b. When he is fast asleep, it's very difficult to wake him up.

　　2. 'To suit' means to go well with, to look good on, to complement⁶, to seem natural with.

　　a. The landscaping really suits the house.

　　b. Red suits you; you look good in it.

　　3. '...seems to think that...' is a normal part of English speech, and is good to practice. It can be said as an observation, or it can be used humorously or ironically.

　　a. He seems to think that women don't have opinions of their own.

　　b. The Chancellor⁷ seems to think that the public loves to pay taxes.

　　4. 'The pound' is a nickname⁸ for the humane society, where unwanted animals are cared for and held up for adoption⁹. It is obviously written and pronounced the same way as the currency and weight 'pound'.

　　a. Our pets came from the pound; they had been found on the road, and taken there for safety.

　　b. Some teenagers volunteer at the pound. They walk the dogs and play with the cats.

　　5. 'Throw-away' is a made up compound. It is self-explanatory, and used infront of items that are for sale.

　　a. I bought a throw-away camera for our vacation. When the film was used and developed, I threw it away.

　　b. Those are throw-away knives and forks; you can only wash and reuse them a few times, they they need to be thrown away.

　　6. 'To dash' is similar to 'to dart¹⁰' which means to move very quickly and suddenly. 'Dashing' is also used as 'handsome'.

　　a. The cat dashes here and there around the house; you never know when she will do it.

　　b. He looks very dashing in that long, black coat.

　　7. 'Lap' is the top of your leg, between your knee and your hip¹¹. It is where a child or animal will sit, if they sit on you. In fact, we never say, "Come and sit on my leg"; we use the word 'lap'. The same word is also used in sports: a lap of a swimming pool (is one length), and a lap when running (is one circuit).

　　a. The cat sat on my lap and fell fast asleep.

　　b. We swam ten laps and then had a break.

　　8. 'Rarely' means not often. It is mainly used just before the verb.

　　a. We rarely go to the theatre, but I do love to go there.

　　b. There are coyotes in town, but you rarely see them because they are so well disguised¹².

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1 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

2 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

3 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

4 licks   

舔( lick的第三人称单数 )； 打败； （波浪）轻拍； （火焰）吞卷

参考例句：

• He was ready to take his licks. 他准备挨打。
• It licks me how he did it. 我真弄不懂他是怎么做成的。

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

7 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

8 nickname   

n.绰号，昵称；v.给...取绰号，叫错名字

参考例句：

• She called me by my nickname.她叫我的外号。
• Why do you fasten such a nickname on her?你为什么给她取这样一个绰号？

9 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

10 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

11 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

12 disguised   

v.假扮( disguise的过去式和过去分词 )；化装；伪装；掩盖

参考例句：

• The hijackers were heavily disguised. 劫持者伪装得严严实实。
• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。 来自《简明英汉词典》