Learn English with American Primary School Textbooks

Chapter 34 Nature's Wonderful Nature (4)
Britain's gardeners have revealed one of their greatest pet hates—other people's cats. Okay, they're sadistic murderers—but is it fair that cats have been rated as being as detestable as rats in a poll of British gardeners?

A new survey in the UK indicates that cats come second only to rats as the least favorite mammal to visit our gardens. The UK's 10 million cats have had it rough of late, drawing harsh criticism because of their bloodlust and habit of viewing the nation's gardens as their own personal toilets.
Though the animals are the UK's favorite pets, British gardeners have struck back by crowning the cat as one of the most welcome visitors to their plots-voting them only slightly more popular than rats in the new poll.
The Mammal Society—which conducted the survey—says cats cut a swathe through the nation's wildlife, killing around 300 million animals every year.
Predatory instincts
"Cats are solitary predatory hunters. People ask why they kill when they are clearly well-fed-but a cat's motivation to hunt is quite separate from its desire to satisfy hunger." Even with a full stomach, a cat cannot resist the stimulus of prey passing nearby, says Ms Heath, author of Why Does My Cat? “It doesn’t make sense for a cat to wait until it’s hungry to catch food—there may be none around then. Better to hunt when there’s the opportunity and hide the food away.”

Sick of cats
A BBC television series has raised the question of whether cats should be kept indoors at night. Wildlife experts say keeping cats locked up from dusk to dawn will prevent much of the carnage they create, and will also mean they are less likely to be run over . Mammal expert Professor Steve Harris, from Bristol University, said: “The message is clear, most people are heartily sick of having their neighbors' cats in their garden”.
Saved by the bell?

Owners who have resorted to collar bells to warn prey may have underestimated feline guile. “Some cats have learned to hold their heads to minimize noise coming from the bells around their necks. Perhaps we need to admire this skill, rather than get paranoid about it .”

Even today, some view the black cat as an omen of misfortune. Even the English language is stacked against the moggy. Spiteful people are dubbed as being “catty”. A raucous cry is a “caterwaul”. At work, a greedy, lazy The boss is a "fat cat".
But, to be fair, the British can't hate cats that much. A recent report found that the generosity of the British towards the cat has caused one in four of the creatures to become clinically obese.
Vocabulary
reveal [ri"vi:l] vt. reveal, show, reveal;

n. expose, expose, door side
Detestable [di"test? bl] adj. Abominable, hateful, disgusting

mammal ["m? m? l] n. Mammals
harsh [hɑ:? ] adj. Rough, harsh, severe, harsh
bloodlust ["bl?dl?st] n. bloodlust
swathe [sweie, sw? e] vt. Surround, tightly bind, wrap;
n. tape, bandage, wrapping

instinct ["insti? kt] n. Instinct, intuition, nature;
adj. full of

Stimuli ["stimjulai] n. Stimulus, stimulant, facilitator (plural of stimulus)
Carnage ["kɑ: nid?] n. Massacre, massacre, mass extinction

spiteful ["spaitful] adj. hateful, malicious
Practice
1. Why cats come second only to rats as the least favorite mammal to visit gardens?

2. Which words are stacked against the moggy in English language?

Translation
Gardeners in the UK say someone else's cat is one of their most hated pets.Yes, cats are brutal killers, but is it fair that cats are already considered as repulsive as rats in a poll of UK gardeners?

Cats are the least popular animal in gardens after mice, according to a new survey in the UK.The UK's 1000 million cats have had a hard time of late and have come under heavy criticism for their predatory nature and habit of using gardens as personal toilets.

Despite the animals being the most popular pets in the UK, British gardeners have hit back by branding cats their least-welcome visitors - only marginally more popular than mice in a new poll.

The Mammal Society, which led the survey, said cats wreak havoc on the nation's wildlife, killing an estimated 3 million animals a year.

Predation is in the nature of cats

"Cats are solitary hunters. One asks why do they kill other animals when they are full?—a cat's motivation to kill is not related to its desire to satisfy its appetite." Even when it is full Even cats can't resist the stimulation of killing the prey that passes by when they are in the middle of the night. "Why do cats do this?" Ms. Heath, the author of the book, said, "It doesn't make sense for a cat to wait until it is hungry to catch prey. At that time, there may be no food around it. Then hide the food for a rainy day."

cat is annoying

A BBC TV series asks whether cats should be kept inside at night.Wildlife experts say locking cats in the house from dusk to dawn prevents them from slaughtering and reducing the chances of them being run over by cars.Professor Steve Harris, a mammalian expert at the University of Bristol, said: "It's clear that most people would be very annoyed to find a neighbor's cat in their garden."

does the bell work
Cat owners put collars and bells on their cats in hopes of alerting their animals, but they may have underestimated how cunning cats can be. "Some cats have learned to keep their heads still and minimize the sound of the bells around their necks. Maybe we should appreciate this skill instead of being paranoid."

Even now, some people see black cats as an ominous sign.The English language is even full of demeaning words for cats: vicious people are called "sneaky and cunning like cats"; hoarse meows are said to be "meowing"; For "Fat Cat".

However, it's fair to say that the British don't hate cats all that much.A recent report found that the generosity of the British people to cats has resulted in one in four cats being extremely obese.

Exercise
1.Why are cats the second most unpopular animal in the garden after mice in the UK?
2.What are some derogatory words for cats in English?
1. The reason people hate them is that their bloodlust and habit of viewing the nation's gardens as their own personal toilets.

2. Spiteful people are dubbed as being “catty”. A raucous cry is a "caterwaul". At work, a greedy, lazy boss is a “fat cat”.
08 Funny knowledge You Have to Know
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.
Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.
You spend about 23 years sleeping in a 70 year life.
People will say “Bless you” when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.
Pigs can become alcoholic.
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
All polar bears are left-handed.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
Bats use ultrasound to pick up vibrations from their prey.
An average head has between 100-000 hairs.
Hair on your head grows at 10-13mm per month.
Nails grow at 3mm per month.
In our solar system, the earth is the lucky planet that has the right temperature to recycle water.
Vocabulary
Mucus ["mju: k? s] n. mucus, mucus

digest [di "d? est, dai-, "daid? est] vt. Digest, absorb, integrate;
n. summary, abstract

sneeze [sni:z] vi. to sneeze;
sneeze
alcoholic["?lk?"h? lik] adj. alcoholic, alcoholic;

n. alcoholic, alcoholic

Ultrasound ["?ltr? saund] n. Ultrasound, ultrasound
Practice
(End of this chapter)