ten to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
how do cats try to protect themselves when falling from great heights?
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 center 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.
new words and expressions 生词和短语
fascinate
v. 迷住，吸引住
affectionate
adj. 充满深情，柔情的
mysterious
adj. 神秘的，难以理解的
submissive
adj. 服从的，顺从的
feline
adj. 猫的
independence
n. 独立，独立性
high-rise
adj. 高层的
windowsill
n. 窗槛
paratrooper
n. 伞兵
squirrel
n. 松鼠
air-resistance
n. 空气阻力
impact
n. 冲击力
参考译文
猫总能引起人们的极大兴趣。它们可以对人友好，充满柔情。但是，它们又有自己神秘的生活方式。它们从不像狗和马一样变得那么顺从。结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。在它们的一生中，大多数猫都对人存有戒心。最使我们感兴趣的一件事情就是一种通俗的信念——猫有九条命。显然，这种说法里面包含着许多真实性。猫在跌落时能够大难不死是有事实作为依据的。
最近，纽约动物医疗中心对132只猫进行了为期5个月的综合研究。所有这些猫有一个共同的经历：它们都曾从高层建筑上摔下来过，但只有其中的8只猫死于震荡或跌伤。当然，纽约是进行这种有趣的试验的一个理想的地方，因为那里根本不缺乏高楼大厦，有的是高层的窗槛从上往下坠落。有一只叫萨伯瑞的猫从32层楼上掉下来，但只摔断一颗牙。“猫就像训练有素的跳伞队员，” 一位医生说。看起来，猫跌落的距离越长，它们就越不会伤害自己。在一个长长的跌落过程中，它们可以达到每小时60里甚至更快的速度。在高速下落中，猫有时间放松自己。它们伸展四肢，就像飞行中的松鼠一样。这样就加大了空气阻力，并减少了它们着地时冲击力带来的震动。
lesson 10
the loss of the titanic
“泰坦尼克”号的沉没
listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
what would have happened if only two of the sixteen water-tight compartments had been flooded?
the great ship, titanic, sailed for new york from southampton on april 10th, 1912. she was carrying 1,316 passengers and crew of 891. even by modern standards, the 46,000 ton titanic was a colossal ship. at the time, however, she was not only the largest ship that had ever been built, but was regarded as unsinkable, for she had sixteen watertight compartments. even if two of these were flooded, she would still be able to float. the tragic sinking of this great liner will always be remembered, for she went down on her first voyage with heavy loss of life.
four days after setting out, while the titanic was sailing across the icy water of the north atlantic, huge iceberg was suddenly spotted by a lookout. after the alarm had been given, the great ship turned sharply to avoid a direct collision. the titanic turned just in time, narrowly missing the immense walk of ice which rose over 100 feet out of the water beside her. suddenly, there was a slight trembling sound from below, and the captain went down to see what had happened. the noise had been so faint that no one though that the ship had been damaged. below, the captain realized to his horror that the titanic was sinking rapidly, for five of her sixteen watertight compartments had already been flooded! the order to abandon ship was given and hundreds of people plunged into the icy water. as there were not enough lifeboats for everybody, 1,500 lives were lost.
new words and expressions 生词和短语
southampton
n. 南安普敦（英国港市）
colossal
adj. 庞大的
watertight
adj. 不漏水的
compartment
n. （轮船的）密封舱
flood
v. 充满水
float
v. 漂浮，飘浮
tragic
adj. 悲惨的
liner
n. 班船
voyage
n. 航行
iceberg
n. 冰山
lookout
n. 了望员
collision
n. 碰撞
narrowly
adv. 刚刚，勉强地
miss
v. 避开
slight
adj. 轻微的
tremble
v. 震颤
faint
adj. 微弱的
horror
n. 恐惧
abandon
v. 抛弃
plunge
v. 投入，跳入
lifeboat
n. 救生船
参考译文
巨轮“泰坦尼克”号1912年4月10日从南安普敦起锚驶向纽约。船上载有1,316名乘客与891名船员。却使用现代标准来衡量，45,000 吨的“泰坦尼克”号与算得上一艘巨轮了。当时，这艘轮船不仅是造船史上建造的最大的一艘船，而且也被认为是不会沉没的。因为船由16个密封舱组成，即使有两个舱进水，仍可漂浮的水面上。然而，这艘巨轮首航就下沉，造成大批人员死亡。人们将永远记着这艘巨轮的沉没惨剧。
“泰坦尼克”起航后的第4天，它正行驶在北大西洋冰冷的海面上。突然，了望员发现一座冰山。警报响过不久，巨轮急转弯，以避