【英语时差8,16】猫咪和线绳

Cats And strings¹ Most cats and kittens love to play with string, but if a feline² begins to swallow string, it could become a deadly game. If you’re a cat owner, you might have witnessed a bizarre fact about cat behavior: once a cat begins eating a bit of string, it continues swallowing it until it has swallowed the entire string, even though it would be safer and simpler if the cat coughed it up. Veterinary scientists aren’t completely certain why this happens, but they know it has to do with the swallowing mechanism⁴ in the cat’s throat and esophagus. For cats, swallowing is an automatic response to having food or other substances in their mouths. A reflex in the front of the mouth pushes food to the back of the throat. Once the nerve endings in the back of the throat get stimulated⁵, they automatically cause the cat to swallow, sending the substance down the esophagus. When a bit of string reaches the back of the throat, the cat has no control over this swallowing mechanism, and the string continues to make its way down the one-way street of the cat’s esophagus. While this reflex may help a cat hold onto struggling prey⁶ in the wild, it can cause the cat harm if what’s in its mouth isn’t food. Swallowed string can get lodged⁷ in the cat’s intestines⁸ and cause severe vomiting⁹, appetite loss, rapid dehydration¹⁰, and listlessness. If one end of the string is caught around a cat’s tongue, it is very important that the cat’s owner never try to pull the string up through the cat’s mouth. Doing this might cause the string to cut open the intestines and possibly kill the cat. Instead, your vet³ can decide if surgery is needed to remove the string.

1 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

2 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• 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。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

3 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

6 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。

7 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

9 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

10 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。