“貓”的故事

湖北大學附屬中學 何苗 供稿

Today,let’s start with the word“cat”.Cats are the most popular pets among Americans.So it is not surprising that there are many expressions about cats.

今天我們就來說一說“貓”這個詞。貓是最受美國人喜愛的寵物之一，所以有很多關于貓的表達一點兒也不奇怪。

Some cats like to catch small birds,such ascanaries(金絲雀).If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself,we say he“looks like the cat that ate the canary”.

有一些貓喜歡捕捉小鳥，比如說金絲雀。如果有誰看起來非常傲慢或者自滿，我們會說他看上去就像吃了金絲雀的貓。

Sometimes,a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches.So if you“play cat and mouse”with someone,you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person.For example,a child might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.

有時候，貓喜歡逗弄自己抓到的小動物。所以如果說你和某人玩貓抓老鼠的游戲，那就是說在和別人相處的時候，你的行為總是讓人捉摸不透。比如說，一個小孩可能會給她的弟弟一些糖果，但是，當弟弟伸手準備拿的時候，她又把糖果拿走了。

A cat will often catch small animals and present them to its owner.If it“looks like something the cat dragged in(將……拖/拉進去)”,it must be something in bad condition.

貓總是會抓一些小動物并把它們放到主人面前。如果說什么東西看上去就像貓拖來的東西，那么這個東西肯定是一團糟。

Two old and funny expressions describe something that is the best or finest.Americans might say that something is“the cat’smeow(貓叫聲)”and“the cat’spajamas(睡衣褲)”.

有兩個古老而有趣的表達方式用來形容某樣東西是最好的或最精致的。美國人可能會說某樣東西是“貓叫聲”和“貓的睡衣褲”。

Children might call a child who is easily frightened a“fraidy-cat”or a“scaredy-cat”.A“copycat”is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person’s work.

孩子們可能會管一個很容易被嚇到的小孩叫做膽小鬼。山寨貓則是指模仿別人或抄襲他人作品的人。

A“fat cat”is a person with a lot of money.Look at that cool guy,he’s got everything!That guy is a real fat cat.All the girls stick to him like bees on honey.

肥貓指的是有錢人?？茨莻€家伙，他真是個有錢人。女人像叮著蜂蜜的蜜蜂一樣叮著他。

You may have known that cats spend most of their time sleeping.Sometimes people sleep for a short time during the day.This is called a“catnap(小睡；打盹)”.

你也許知道貓大部分的時間都在睡覺。有時候人們會在白天短暫地睡一會兒，這就叫做打個盹兒。

If you tell about something that was supposed to be a secret,we say you“let the cat out of the bag”.If you are not able to speak out or answer a question someone might ask if“the cat has got your tongue”.

如果你說出本該保密的事，我們會說你“把貓從口袋里放出來了”。如果你不能說出來或者給予回答，也許有人會問“貓把你的舌頭叼去了嗎？”

Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes?“When the cat’s away,the mice will play”means people sometimesmisbehave(行為不端；胡作非為)when there is nosupervision(監督；監管).

你曾觀察過當老師離開幾分鐘時待在教室里的孩子們嗎？“貓兒不在,鼠兒成精”意思就是人們在沒有監管的情況下，有時候會胡作非為。

You may have heard this expression“curiosity(好奇 心)killed the cat”.This means being tooconcerned about(關心……)things that are not your business might cause problems.

你可能聽過“好奇心殺死貓”這個說法。它的意思是過分關心與你無關的事可能會招惹麻煩。

If your home is very small,you might say“there is not enough room toswing(搖擺；懸掛)a cat”.But you probably should not try this at home!

如果你家很小，你可能會說空間還不夠晃蕩一只貓。但或許你不該在家做此嘗試！

If you ever had cats as pets,you must know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something.Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group.So we say a difficult or impossible job“is likeherding(放牧；使……成群移動)cats”.

如果你曾經養過貓當寵物，那么你肯定知道訓練它們或者讓它們做什么是非常困難的。貓不像綿羊或奶牛那樣可以成群地被驅趕。所以我們會說很難或者不可能完成的任務像把貓趕到一起那樣難。

Now,it’s your turn to guess the meanings of the expressions using the word “cat”!

下面，你來猜一猜文中含有“貓”這個詞的表達方式的意思吧！

參考釋義

1.look like the cat that ate the canary看起來（臭美得）像只偷腥的貓

2.play cat and mouse欲擒故縱；捉弄人；耍人

3.look like something the cat dragged in看起來邋遢/臟亂不堪

4.the cat’s meow 不同凡響

5.the cat’s pajamas不同凡響的人或物

6.fraidy-cat膽小鬼

7.scaredy-cat膽小鬼

8.copycat無主見的人；盲目的模仿者；復制貓

9.fat cat大亨；有錢人

10.cat nap打盹

11.let the cat out of the bag無意中泄露秘密；真相大白；露餡兒

12.the cat get one’s tongue因驚訝、尷尬一時不知說什么好

13.When the cat’s away,the mice will play.山中無老虎，猴子稱霸王。

14.Curiosity killed the cat.好奇心害死貓。

15.There is not enough room to swing a cat.窄得難以轉身;空間狹小

16.be like herding cats很困難；趕鴨子上架