新概念英语第三册-Lesson 09(课文)
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Lesson 9 Flying cats 飞猫
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings. They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well. They never become submissive like dogs and horses. As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence. Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives. Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea. A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
Recently the New York Animal medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries. Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall, from! One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth. ‘Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,' a doctor said. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more. At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.
Language points
（Attention：The following points are not covered by the video. It is better for you to watch the video or listen to the MP3 first and try to take notes on your own. Then you may check here to get more details. ）
1, Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
never fail to do 双重否定表示肯定，运用双重否定结构加强了句子的肯定语气。
e.g. If you asks for help in the polite way, you never fail to succeed.
e.g. If you receive requests like this, you'll never fail to accept.
2．They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
be friendly and affectionate towards humans
lead mysterious life 过着神秘的生活
as well 也，同样
3，As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
have learned to:学会了，习惯了
e.g. People have learned to expect that trains are punctual. 人们盼望着列车准时。
4，Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
be suspicious of sb. 对某人表示怀疑，存有戒心
5，One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
本句中，that 引导同位语从句, 修饰the popular belief(通俗的信念)
e.g. One of the things that fascinates us most about planes is the popular fact that they are safe and fast.
6．Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea.
ruth,不可数名词，a good deal of
apparently 显然，显而易见，语气不确定，相当于It seems that...
7．A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
survive falls 在跌落时存活，fall 做名词
be based on:基于事实基础之上
base sth. on: 把某事加强在什么基础之上
e.g. We base the theory on the fact. 我们把理论建立在事实基础上。
e.g. The theory is based on fact. 这一理论是基于事实之上的。
8．Recently the New York Animal medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.
make a study of sth:对什么作出研究
over a period of five months
9．All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
in common = the same
fall off 坠落， 掉落
die from:死于
死于疾病：die of illness / disease / hunger / thirst,自然的死亡用of
死于非自然原因：die from shock / injures / wound, 用from
10. New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
there is no shortage 缺乏
shortage:缺乏 = lack, 与of搭配，shortage / lack of
e.g. Shortage of money led to the failure of the experiments. 资金紧缺导致实验失败。
11．One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.
32 storeys，storey作复数时，-s
suffer from: 遭受什么痛苦
e.g. A lot of people in the world are suffering from terrible disease.
12. Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers behave like = act like
well-trained: 训练很好的，well-Pp.结构 e.g. well-decorated:装饰漂亮的
13. It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.
典型的the more...the more...句型，用定冠词the 修饰形容词或副词的比较级
e.g. The harder you study English, the better you can learn it.
e.g. The more you eat, the fatter you will be.
be likely to do:有可能如何，强调可能性
e.g. In cold winter, We are likely to catch a cold.
special difficulties
总结：常用的双重否定结构（作用：加强肯定语气）
(1) 否定词+fail to（语气较强烈）
比如：never fail to, can't fail to, don't fail to；
(2) 否定的形容词之前加以否定
比如：unreasonable不合理的 -> not unreasonable 不无道理的
e.g. What he said is not unreasonable. 他所说的不无道理。
e.g. It is quite common for us to make mistakes.＝It is not uncommon for us to make mistakes. 对我们而言，犯错误是再平常不过的事了。
(3) not + without
e.g. You can't obtain English without working hard. 没有认真学习，你不可能征服英语。
e.g. He doesn't have any meal without meat. 他每餐都要吃肉。
(4) no+not
e.g. There is no cat that doesn't like fish. 没有哪只猫不爱吃鱼。
e.g. There is nothing that he can't do. 没有什么他不能做的。
大家学得怎么样？我们来测试一下吧！
Exercises
Choice questions:（20HY in all）
1. We find cats endlessly fascinating because _____ .
a. we feel there is a good deal we do not know about their lives
b. we believe that cats have nine lives
c. they are different from dogs and horses
d. they can reach a speed of 60 miles an hour while falling
2. Cats have an unfailing fascination _____ most people.
a. with b. to c. for d. at
3．Cats never become submissive _____.
a. as dogs and horses b. in the way that dogs and horses do
c. as far as dogs and horses d. as for dogs and horses
4. _____ popularly believed that cats have nine lives.
a. there is b. Is c. This is d. It is
Translations:(60HY in all)
5. 这样就加大了空气阻力，并减小了它们着地时冲击力带来地震动。（10HY）
6. 孩子们总会认为他们的父母很能干。(10HY)
7. 没有无例外的规定。(10HY)
8. 他怀疑新理论的价值。(10HY)
9. Translate the first paragraph into Chinese. (20HY)
Answer the following question in English：
10. How do cats try to protect themselves when falling from great heights?(10HY)
