英语听力文摘 English Digest 725 猫为何有“九条命”？

Humpty Dumpty Wasn’t A Cat

Humpty Dumpty may have sat on a wall and had a great fall, but Humpty Dumpty wasn’t a cat. How do we know this? Because, unlike an egg, a cat can survive a great fall in one piece.

Cats can fall from great heights and survive. This phenomenon has been reported in newspapers like The New York Times, which published a story claiming that even cats falling from greater than seven floors have a good chance of survival.

The secret lies in cats’ flexible spines¹ and tails. When a cat falls, it instinctively² turns so that it will land on its feet. If it’s falling head or back first, the cat will rotate the head and front legs to face downward then rotate the back legs into position; cats are flexible enough to rotate front and back quarters almost independently. Once feet are downward, the cat’s body arches up, like a Halloween cat. This position increases air resistance and slows the cat down so that when it lands the body can absorb a lot of the impact of the fall.

While cats may not need all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, they might need a veterinarian. Cats can survive incredible falls, but they often suffer broken bones and internal injuries.

1 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》