猫总是能令人类着迷，从未让人失望。
Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
它们可以对人类友好而亲切，但同时也过着属于自己的神秘生活。
They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
它们从不像狗和马那样变得顺从。
They never become submissive like dogs and horses.
因此，人类已经学会了尊重猫的独立性。
As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
大多数猫终其一生都对人类保持着戒备。
Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
在猫身上最令我们着迷的事情之一，是人们普遍相信猫有九条命。
One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
显然，这种说法有相当大的真实性。
Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea.
猫能在坠落中生还的能力是有事实依据的。
A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
近期，纽约动物医疗中心在五个月的时间里对132只猫进行了研究。
Recently the New York Animal Medical Centre made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.
所有这些猫都有一个共同的经历：它们都从高楼上坠落下来，然而其中只有八只因休克或受伤而死亡。
All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
当然，纽约是进行这种有趣研究的理想之地，因为那里高楼大厦应有尽有，从不匮乏。
Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
有大量高层建筑的窗台可供坠落！
There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!
有一只名叫萨布里娜的猫从32层楼坠落，然而只是断了一颗牙。
One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.
"猫的行为就像训练有素的跳伞兵，"一位医生说道。
'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers,' a doctor said.
似乎猫坠落的距离越远，它们受伤的可能性就越小。
It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.
在长距离下落中，它们的速度可以达到每小时60英里甚至更快。
In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.
在高速下落时，正在坠落的猫有时间放松身体。
At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax.
它们像飞鼠一样伸展四肢。
They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.
这增大了它们的空气阻力，并减轻了它们落地时的撞击冲击力。
This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.