Flying cats
His head was hit by a falling stone
heavily.
He received a heavy hit on his head from a falling
stone.
When I came, he was just about to leave.
My arrival coincided with his departure.
Cats never fail to
fascinate human beings.
never fail to do sth. 总是能做某事（褒义）
语法：双重否定
…, because there is no shortage of tall
buildings.
Nor is the city without its moments of
beauty.
It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has
made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.
She did not fail to keep her word.
Nobody is without his faults.
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
No one has nothing to contribute to
society.
I will never read books without falling
asleep.
Cats are endlessly fascinating.
we find cats endlessly fascinating.
They
can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead
mysterious lives of their own as well.
be friendly to / towards …
对…很友好
be affectionate towards …对…深情的
live / lead a … life 过着…样的生活
… of one’s own 某人自己的
They never
become submissive like dogs and horses.
“像…一样”
as（副词） … as
（连词，可以引导比较状语从句）…（肯定）
as / so … as …（否定 / 疑问）
课文写法替换：
They never become as / so submissive
as dogs and horses (do).
in the (same) way that … “像…一样”
We like them in the same way that we like
pretty curtain material.
Love me in the way that I love
you.
The city is living proof that the policy works in the
way that economists claim.
课文写法替换：
They never become submissive in the (same) way
that dogs and horses do.
As
a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
learn “学会了”强调结果
托福听力：
These things take time to learn.
Will you study any more?
Why do you keep on making the same mistakes?
It will be a good learning experience for you.
When will you ever learn?
Answer: (C) Why do you keep on making the same mistakes?
independence n. 独立性，自立性；自主
humor n. 幽默，诙谐；心情
honesty n. 诚实，正直
sovereignty
n. 主权；主权国家；君主；独立国
autonomy n. 自治，自治权
Most
cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
be suspicious of / about … 对…怀疑
sceptical / skeptical
adj. 怀疑的；怀疑论的；习惯怀疑的
（只能是怀疑，不能是可疑）
be ~ of / about … 对…怀疑
表“终生”
all one’s life
throughout one’s life
区别
for life = for the rest of one’s life
在某人的余生
lifelong adj. 终身的
a lifelong friendship
a lifelong undertaking
One
of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular
belief that they have nine lives.
句子分析：
1.fascinates 修饰的前面 one
John is the only one of the students in the class (A) that
never (B) admit making a mistake even when (C) it is (D)
pointed out to him.
John is the only one of the students
in the class (A) that never (B) admit making a mistake
even when (C) it is (D) pointed out to him.
改正：John is the only one of the
students in the class that never admits making a
mistake even when it is pointed out to him.
句子分析：
2.most
在本句中修饰动词“fascinates”，most修饰动词最高级不一定加
the
One of the things that saddens us most is a depressing saying that
whenever we are in trouble or danger in the street no one will come to
our assistance.
Apparently,
there is a good deal of truth in this idea.
there is a good deal of truth in …
某个事情很有道理
there is an element of truth in …. 有点道理
there is a truth in 有道理
Perhaps there is an element of truth in both this
pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.
There is probably an element of truth in this argument,
but they ignore a more basic fact that the freedom of the press is often
abused.
Albert Einstein once attributed the creativity in a famous
scientist to the fact that he never went to school. There is
undoubtedly a truth in his observation, but such a truth is not
criticism of schools.
A cat's
ability to survive falls is based on fact.
survive 本文中表示：经历了某事没有死掉
In the battle, only four soldiers survived. Only four soldiers
survived the battle.
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived
several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious
peaches.
表示“基于…..”“被….支持”
… is based / founded on fact.
… rests on fact.
… is supported by fact.
Recently
the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a
period of five months.
表示“做…研究”
make a study of … = study …
make a study of human nature
make a study of human nature carefully
…, advertisers have made a close（仔细的） study of human
nature.
All
these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off
high buildings, yet only eight of them died from
shock or injuries.
表示“有共同的…”
have sth. in common
share sth. 可表示“有共同的”
We share an interest in history.
These two species share certain features.
All these cats shared one experience:
…
表示“从…掉下来”
fall off sth.
fall from sth.
fall sth.
die from … （更强调外因）
die from shock or injuries / a wound / an
accident
die of … （更强调内因）
die of a disease / hunger / grief
As there were strange marks on the X-ray plates taken of the
mummy, doctors have been trying to find out whether the woman died
of a rare disease.
It is one of the most unpleasant discoveries which we all make
that we must decline in this way, that if we escape wars, accidents and
disease we shall eventually 'die of old age', and that this
happens at a rate which differs little from person to person, so that
there are heavy odds in favour of our dying between the ages of
sixty-five and eighty.
Of
course, New York is the ideal（理想的） place for such an interesting
study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
表示“缺乏”
food / staff shortage
be short of …
there is a shortage of …
There is a shortage of food in the refugee camps.
There is a shortage（中心名词，用单数） of nurses
and doctors in this area. there is no shortage of …
…, because there is no shortage（中心名词，用单数） of tall
buildings. （双重否定）
…, because there are plenty of tall
buildings. （双重否定）
There
are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!
One
cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken
tooth.
suffer (from) … 表示经历某个痛苦的事
One taxi driver, Mike, was involved in a serious car accident, yet
only suffered from two broken ribs.
Cats
behave like well-trained paratroopers, a doctor said.
It
seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure
themselves.
比较级
far --> farther（距离上的） /
further（抽象上的） --> farthest /
furthest
further development / investigation 更深入的调查
语法：“越…越…”比较
1.两个the
分别放在句首，前半句从句，后半句是主句，从前往后翻译
The harder they worked(前半句从句，类似条件状语从句)
the hungrier they became. （后半句是主句）
2.第一句the加比较级放在句总，第二句the加比较级放在句首，只能先翻译后半句，再翻译前半句
They became (the) hungrier （前半句是主句）the harder
they worked.（后半句是从句）
补充：主句倒装
The younger the child is （从句）, the more is the
child’s need of sleep. （主句，倒装）
补充：be动词省略
The younger the child（主句）, the more the child’s need of sleep.
（从句）
The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will
elapse for the return of the echo.
The further off this solid obstruction is, the
longer time will elapse for the return of the echo.
（be动词省略）
In a
long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.
At high speeds,
falling cats have time to relax.
1.speed 做不可数名词时，与 at, with 搭配均可。
speed 做可数名词时，只能与 at 搭配。
e.g. at a speed of 60 mph
The raid was all over in three minutes, for the men scrambled
back into the car and it moved off at a fantastic speed.
Though the new rudder was fitted at tremendous speed, it
was impossible for the Cutty Sark to win.
老托福语法题：
― I think John will win the race.
― Yes, he started off a fantastic speed.
(A) with (B) at (C) through (D) by
They stretch
out their legs like flying squirrels.
stretch out
…, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains
that stretch out for miles before you,
…
You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, ……
stretch one’s legs 伸展腿
squirrel flying squirrel 鼯鼠/飞鼠
This
increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they
hit the ground.
本文篇章分析
“现象—解释”型说明类文章。题目新奇，引其读者的兴趣。
第一段：引文（猫很迷人，略做陈述）→引出主题（最迷人之处在于有九条命→跌落时不死）
第二段：介绍一项研究并举例→借用医生的话展开解释原理（语言生动风趣）→末尾点题（flying
squirrels→flying cats）