[00:01.080]--- lesson 9 Flying cats
[00:05.600]--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
[00:11.240]--- How do cats try to protect themselves when falling from great heights?
[00:18.520]Cats never fail to fascinate human beings.
[00:22.400]They can be friendly and affectionate towards humans, but they lead mysterious lives of their own as well.
[00:30.240]They never become submissive like dogs and horses.
[00:34.600]As a result, humans have learned to respect feline independence.
[00:40.000]Most cats remain suspicious of humans all their lives.
[00:45.160]One of the things that fascinates us most about cats is the popular belief that they have nine lives.
[00:52.960]Apparently, there is a good deal of truth in this idea.
[00:56.800]A cat's ability to survive falls is based on fact.
[01:01.760]Recently the New York Animal Medical Center made a study of 132 cats over a period of five months.
[01:11.400]All these cats had one experience in common: they had fallen off high buildings, yet only eight of them died from shock or injuries.
[01:21.600]Of course, New York is the ideal place for such an interesting study, because there is no shortage of tall buildings.
[01:30.320]There are plenty of high-rise windowsills to fall from!
[01:34.360]One cat, Sabrina, fell 32 storeys, yet only suffered from a broken tooth.
[01:42.960]'Cats behave like well-trained paratroopers.' a doctor said.^“
[01:47.640]It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.
[01:53.960]In a long drop, they reach speeds of 60 miles an hour and more.
[01:59.560]At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax.
[02:04.120]They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels.
[02:07.680]This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground.