Online Class Notes (Nemo)

the house cat is the most popular pet in the world. A third of American households have feline members, and more than 600 million cats live among humans worldwide. Yet as familiar as these creatures are, a complete understanding of their origins has proved elusive. Whereas other once wild animals were domesticated for their milk, meat, wool or servile labor, cats contribute virtually nothing in the way of sustenance or work to human endeavor. How, then, did they become commonplace fixtures in our homes?

Scholars long believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to keep cats as pets, starting around 3,600 years ago. But genetic and archaeological discoveries made over the past five years have revised this scenario—and have generated fresh insights into both the ancestry of the house cat and how its relationship with humans evolved.

Vocabulary

pendant (n): a piece of jewellery worn around the neck, consisting of a long chain with an object hanging from it, or the object itself
有垂饰的项链;（项链上的）垂饰，挂件
She was wearing a crystal pendant.
她戴着一个水晶挂件。
It was a necklace with a diamond pendant.
那是一条带有钻石垂饰的项链。

solitary (adj): A solitary person or thing is the only person or thing in a place.
独自的，唯一的，单个的
On the hill, a solitary figure was busy chopping down trees.
山上，有个人正忙着砍树。
In the distance was a solitary building.
远处是一座孤零零的建筑。
He was a solitary child (= he enjoyed being alone).
他是个喜欢独处的小孩。

contribute (v): to give something, especially money, in order to provide or achieve something together with other people
贡献，奉献，捐献（尤指钱）
Aren’t you going to contribute towards Jack’s leaving present?
你不打算凑一份钱给杰克买送别礼物吗？
Come to the meeting if you feel you have something to contribute.
要是你觉得有什么要讲的就来开会吧。
Her family has contributed $50,000 to the fund.
她家给这项基金捐了5万美元。

origin (n): the beginning or cause of something
起源，源头;起因
It’s a book about the origin of the universe.
这是一本关于宇宙起源的书。
Her unhappy childhood was the origin of her problems later in life.
她不幸的童年导致了她后来生活中的诸多问题。
What’s the origin of this saying? (= Where did it come from?)
这一格言出自什么地方？
2-where a person was born
出生地
He is of North African origin.
他是北非裔人。
What is your country of origin?
你出生在哪个国家？

feline (adj): belonging or relating to the cat family
猫科的

elusive (adj): difficult to describe, find, achieve, or remember
难以表述（或找到、达到、记起）的；困难的
The answers to these questions remain as elusive as ever.
这些问题的答案仍然是不得而知。
Success, however, remained elusive for her.
但是对她来说，成功仍然不可企及。
elusive memories
模糊的记忆

sustenance (n): food
食物
During this freezing weather, the food put out by householders is the only form of sustenance that the birds have.
在这种严寒的天气里，住户们放在外面的食物成了鸟儿们唯一的粮食。

insight (n): (the ability to have) a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a complicated problem or situation
洞察力;深刻见解
It was an interesting book, full of fascinating insights into human relationships.
这是一本有趣的书，充满了对人际关系独到的见解。

contribute (v): to give something, especially money, in order to provide or achieve something together with other people
贡献，奉献，捐献（尤指钱）
Aren’t you going to contribute towards Jack’s leaving present?
你不打算凑一份钱给杰克买送别礼物吗？
Come to the meeting if you feel you have something to contribute.
要是你觉得有什么要讲的就来开会吧。
Her family has contributed $50,000 to the fund.
她家给这项基金捐了5万美元。

dogs were domesticated ten thousand years ago-狗在一万年前就被驯化了