课文部份：
1. flying cats 飞猫
e.g. His head was hit by a falling stone （坠落的石头）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. (名词arrival, departure的应用比动词更为优美)
2. never fail to do sth.总是能…(褒义，按逾期方向发展)
e.g. My grandson never fails to phone me on my birthday.
双重否定：
…, because there is no shortage of tall buildings. 有的是高楼大厦
Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
It is not uncommon （司空见惯）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. 她绝没有食言。
Nobody is without this faults.人无完人。
Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.有志者事竟成
No one has nothing to contribute to society.
I will never read books without falling asleep.我一看书就睡觉.
3. Cats are endlessly fascinating.
we find cats endlessly fascinating.
4. be friendly to/ towards…对某人友好
=be affectionate towards …
Why is he suddenly so friendly to/ towards you?
He is very affectionate towards his children.
5. live/ lead a … life过…的生活
相似：sing a song
He breathed his last breath.
Liu Hulan died a glorious death.
6. … of one’s own 某人自己的，一般放在名词后面
e.g. I want a room of my own.
7. as … as …（肯定）象…一样的…
as/ so… as …（否定/ 疑问）
They never become as/ so submissive as dogs and horses (do).
他们从来不象狗和马一样对人们那么温顺.
in the (same) way that …象…那样
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.
They never become submissive in the (same) way that dogs and horses do.
8. “因此”:以下都可替换
as a result/so/thus/hence/thereofore/accordingly/for this reason/consequently/as a consequence/in consequence
9. be suspicious of/ about…对…怀疑,suspicious有怀疑,也有可疑
He appeared suspicious. 他看上去很可疑.
sceptical / skeptical 怀疑的,表示不相信别人
be ~ of/ about… 对某人/某事怀疑
e.g. I’m highly skeptical of/ about his motives.
10. All one’s life 终生,一辈子
=throughout one’s life
for life = for the rest of one’s life 在某人的余生
The accident crippled him for life. 事故造成他终生残疾.(中文翻译成终生,英文意思实际指余生)
Lifelong adj.终生的,一辈子的
a lifelong friendship
a lifelong undertaking 毕生事业
11. One of the things that fascinates us most about cats (定语从句修饰one) is the popular belief that they have nine lives(believe的同位语). 国内考试中前面的定语从句通常是修饰of后面的名词.
e.g. Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths.
The Cutty Sark was one of the fastest sailing ships that has ever been built.
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.
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.
12. there is a good deal of truth in …在…里很有道理
e.g. 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.
13. Survive vt. 幸存，活下来，本文中指经历了某个倒霉的事没有死掉;文中的fall是名词，“掉落“，作survive的宾语；
e.g. In the battle, only four soldiers survived. 战斗中仅有4名士兵活了下来。
Only four soldiers survived the battle. 仅有4名士兵活过了战争。
I am especially proud of it, not only because it has survived several severe winters, but because it occasionally produces luscious peaches.
14. … is based/ founded on fact. 基于什么事实
=… rests on fact./… is supported by fact.
15. make a study of … = study …研究
e.g. make a study of human nature
make a study of human nature carefully
…, advertisers have made a close study of (仔细的研究) human nature.
16. All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings（one experience的同位语）, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
have sth. in common有共同的….
e.g. … because people’s descriptions of the puma had a lot in common.（有很多共同点）
These two species have certain features in common.
类似词语：share sth. 共同的
We share an interest in history. 我们在历史方面有共同兴趣。
These two species share certain features.
All these cats shared one experience: …
17. fall off sth.从…上掉下来
=fall from sth. / fall sth.
18. die from … 因为某事死了，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
e.g. 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.
19. food/ staff shortage 食物短缺/人手不足
be short of …缺乏
e.g. We’re short of money.
The refugees are short of food.
there is a shortage of …缺乏…
There is a shortage of food in the refugee camps.
There is a shortage of nurses and doctors in this area.
there is no shortage of …
…, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
…, because there are plenty of tall buildings.
20. far àfarther / further àfarthest / furthest
further development/ investigation
e.g. The harder they worked the hungrier they became.
They became (the) hungrier the harder they worked.
The younger the child is, the more is the child’s need of sleep.
The younger the child, the more the child’s need of sleep.
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.
21. speed 做不可数名词时，与at, with 搭配均可。
e.g. at/ with great speed
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.
―I think John will win the race.
―Yes, he started off at a fantastic speed.
22. …, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, …
Stretch out 伸拉开
Stretch one’s legs 坐得太久，出去活动下
e.g. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, …
