Do Cats Really Have Nine L ives?猫真的有九条命吗？

CJ Cruz　长庚

We all love our cats. They might be grumpy1 animals that would knock2 thingsover around the house， curl up3 on us when we’re down， and sometimes even whenwe’re busy！ We like to think they would always be there for us since they have ninelives， right？ As much as we want our cats’nine lives to be true， it is a myth4. Herecomes the question. Where did this myth start？

我们都爱我们的猫。它们可能是脾气暴躁的动物，会把房子里的东西撞倒，在我们情绪低落时会蜷缩在我们身上，有時甚至是在我们忙的时候！我们往往认为它们会一直在我们身边，因为它们有九条命，对吧？尽管我们非常希望猫有九条命是真的，但这是一个错误的观点。那么问题来了。这个错误的观点是从哪里开始的呢？

The legend5 of the cat爷s nine lives

猫有九条命的传说

No one knows who started the myth of the nine lives of cats， and there are norecordings6 of when and where it was first made， either. In one of WilliamShakespeare’s most famous plays， ， he wrote： “Good king of cats，nothing but one of your nine lives.”

没有人知道是谁最先说出猫有九条命这个错误观点，也没有关于该观点第一次出现的时间和地点的记录。在威廉·莎士比亚最著名的戏剧之一《罗密欧与朱丽叶》中，他写道：“善良的猫王，我所要的只不过是你九条命中的一条而已。”

Why do cats have nine lives？

为什么猫有九条命钥

The cats are known to be very good at jumping. Theycan fall from high places and still land7 on their feet. In NewYork a cat fell from a 32-story8 building and still lived.

众所周知，猫非常善于跳跃。它们可以从高处坠落，但仍然安稳落地。在纽约，一只猫从一栋32 层楼的建筑上跳下来，然后还安然无恙。

That maybe where the idea of cats having nine lives came from.This is all thanks to the cat’s body， of course. Cats evolved9 from living in trees.They know how to jump up and down.

这也许就是猫有九条命这个观点的由来。当然，这都要归功于猫的身体结构。猫是从生活在树上进化而来的。它们知道如何跳上跳下。

Why is it 野nine冶lives？

为什么是野九冶条命钥

We always asked why and how cats have nine lives， but have you ever thoughtwhy it is nine？ In some culture， the number nine is very important and specialbecause of its composition10 of three groups of three. So people believed cats hadsuper powers and nine lives.

我们总是问猫为什么会有及如何拥有九条命，但你想过为什么是九条命吗？在有的文化中，数字九是非常重要和特殊的，因为它由三组数字三组成。于是人们相信猫有超能力和九条命。

So the answer is no. Cats don’t have nine lives， no matter how much we wouldwant them to.

所以答案是否定的。猫没有九条命，不管我们多么希望它们有。

（英语原文选自：thefactsite.com）