国家地理-2008-04-14 A Cat Has Nine Lives 猫有九条命

A cat is said to have nine lives because it is more tenacious¹ of life than many animals. People always think that due to the speed, cleverness and flexibility² of cats, they can stay alive in most difficult situations when other animals would have been killed, such as a dangerous fall. 

The cat's earliest ancestors probably hunted both on the ground and in the trees. To survive, they needed not only claws, but remarkable³ balance, an aptitude⁴ all cats retain to this day. In keeping with its reputation, the cat usually does land on all fours, and scientists have come to understand how. Slow-motion photography reveals that cats always right themselves in a precise order. The head rotates first based on messages from the eyes and inner ear. Then, the spine⁵ twists and the rear quarters align⁶. At the same time, the cat arches its back to reduce the force of impact.

Despite its agility⁷, the cat faces particular dangers in today's modern cities. Here although hundreds of feet above the ground, the indoor cat is just as attracted by moving prey⁸ as is any other cat. If any thing, it may be a stir-crazy bundle of energy. So many cats actually careen through unscreened windows that the phenomenon now has a name, high-rise syndrome⁹. At the Animal Medical Center in New York City, doctors were perplexed¹⁰ when they found that victims of higher falls often had less severe injuries than those that fell a shorter distance.

It's been about a month since you were here, lad. We'd been puzzled by the high-rise syndrome for a long time, the name that we give for cats falling out of windows. A clinical impression is that cats that fall from medium-level stories are hurt much worse than cats that fell from even greater distances. That seemed to defy our logic¹¹ that cats that would fall farther would be hurt less. So we undertook a study to examine the records on cats that had been admitted here for falling out of windows. And it actually confirmed that our clinical impression was correct. It seems that cats that fall from higher stories have enough time to reach free fall like a parachutist and are relaxed when you experience trauma¹² when you are relaxed, you'll probably avoid injury; when you experience trauma when you are very rigid¹³ and very tight, you will attain¹⁴ a maximized injury.

The cat may not have nine lives. But its uncanny abilities to sail through the air is almost certainly responsible for the myth.

1 tenacious   

adj.顽强的，固执的，记忆力强的，粘的

参考例句：

• We must learn from the tenacious fighting spirit of Lu Xun.我们要学习鲁迅先生韧性的战斗精神。
• We should be tenacious of our rights.我们应坚决维护我们的权利。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

5 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。

6 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

7 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。

8 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

9 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

10 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

11 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

12 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

13 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

14 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。