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第九课

一、课文原文

Flying Cats

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.

二、核心词汇与词组精讲、拓展及例句

1. Fascinate

  • 英文释义：To attract the interest of someone intensely.
  • 中文释义：使着迷；吸引。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • captivate（迷住，强调吸引力）：The audience was captivated by her performance.
    • intrigue（激起好奇心）：The mysterious letter intrigued him.
    • charm（吸引，使陶醉）：The old town charmed every visitor.

2. Affectionate

  • 英文释义：Readily feeling or showing fondness or tenderness.
  • 中文释义：充满深情的；柔情的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • tender（温柔的）：She gave him a tender look.
    • loving（充满爱意的）：He is a loving father.
    • warm（热情的，温暖的）：They received a warm welcome.

3. Submissive

  • 英文释义：Ready to conform to the authority or will of others; meekly obedient or passive.
  • 中文释义：顺从的；服从的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • obedient（听话的，顺从的）：The dog is very obedient.
    • docile（温顺的，易驾驭的）：The horse has a docile nature.
    • compliant（顺从的，服从的）：He is compliant with the rules.

4. Feline

  • 英文释义：Relating to or affecting cats or other members of the cat family.
  • 中文释义：猫的；猫科动物的。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • canine（犬的，狗的）：Canine teeth are sharp.
    • bovine（牛的，迟钝的）：He has a bovine stare.
    • equine（马的）：Equine sports are popular here.

5. Paratrooper

  • 英文释义：A soldier trained to parachute from an aircraft into battle.
  • 中文释义：伞兵。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • commando（突击队员）：The commandos landed on the beach.
    • marine（海军陆战队队员）：He served as a marine.
    • infantryman（步兵）：The infantryman carried a heavy pack.

6. Air-resistance

  • 英文释义：The force that opposes the motion of an object through the air.
  • 中文释义：空气阻力。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • drag（阻力，拖曳力）：The car's design reduces drag.
    • friction（摩擦力）：Friction slows down the sliding block.
    • aerodynamics（空气动力学）：Aerodynamics is crucial in car design.

7. Impact

  • 英文释义：The action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another; a marked effect or influence.
  • 中文释义：冲击力；影响。
  • 词汇拓展与例句：
    • collision（碰撞）：The collision caused severe damage.
    • shock（冲击，震动）：The shock of the explosion shattered windows.
    • influence（影响）：His words had a lasting influence on me.

三、特别语法点拨（长难句）

the + 比较级..., the + 比较级... 结构

  • 原句：It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.
  • 解析：这是“越……，就越……”的结构，表示两个变量之间的正比或反比关系。the further 和 the less 都是副词比较级提前，引导状语从句。这种句式在说明文中非常有用，能简洁有力地表达因果逻辑或趋势。
  • 实战仿写：
    • The more you read, the less you’ll forget.（读得越多，忘得越少。）
    • The harder you work, the luckier you get.（越努力，越幸运。）

四、智慧版写作指导

1. 用“双重否定”加强肯定语气

  • 写作指导：在强调某种必然性或普遍性时，用 never fail to 比 always 更有力量，也更地道。
  • 课文示范：Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.（猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣。）
  • 实战仿写：
    • He never fails to impress me with his creativity.（他的创造力总能给我留下深刻印象。）
    • The sun never fails to rise in the east.（太阳总是从东方升起。）

2. 用“具体数据”增强说服力

  • 写作指导：在说明文或议论文中，模糊的形容词（如 many, a lot of）远不如具体数字有冲击力。数字能让读者对事件的规模、概率有直观感知。
  • 课文示范：... A study of 132 cats... Only eight of them died... Fell 32 storeys...（132 只猫，8 只死亡，32 层楼，数据精准，极具说服力。）
  • 实战替换：
    • 不说 Many cats survived. → 说 124 out of 132 cats survived.
    • 不说 It happened a long time ago. → 说 It happened over 50 years ago.

3. 用“明喻”让抽象概念具象化

  • 写作指导：在解释科学原理或抽象行为时，用 like 或 as 引入一个读者熟悉的具体形象，能瞬间降低理解门槛，增加画面感。
  • 课文示范：They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.（像飞鼠一样伸展四肢，生动形象。）
  • 实战仿写：
    • The data flows through the network like water through pipes.（数据像水流过管道一样在网络中传输。）
    • He stood there, as still as a statue.（他站在那里，像雕像一样一动不动。）

注意

以上内容由AI生成，请自主辨明是否存在问题。