VOA慢速英语2018--猫的粗糙舌头如何深层清洁

How a Cat’s Sandpapery Tongue Deep Cleans

Cat lovers know that the animals spend a lot of time cleaning themselves. Cats use their tongues to remove dirt from their fur and smooth out their hair.

Scientists are now learning how the rough, sandpaper-like surface of cats’ tongues helps the animals get clean and stay cool.

The secret: small hooks that stand up on the tongue — with scoops², small rounded areas, built in to carry saliva³ deep into all that hair.

A team of mechanical engineers reported the findings this month. They said their discoveries are more than unusual, and could lead to inventions for people.

A cat’s tongue could help people put liquids or medicine on hairy skin, said lead researcher Alexis Noel of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Noel is seeking property rights for a three-dimensional printed tool that acts like the tongue.

Cats spend up to 25 percent of their waking hours cleaning themselves. Noel said she became interested in the subject when her cat, Murphy, struggled to free his tongue from a soft blanket. Scientists had always thought that the tongue was rough because it had small, uneven⁴ bumps. Noel wondered why.

First, computed⁵ tomography (CT) images of cats’ tongues showed they are not raised areas, but small hooks with scoops at the end. The hooks are flat, but when cats need them for self-cleaning, they stand up, Noel explains. The scientific name for them is papillae.

The Georgia Tech researcher found that the papillae take in liquid. A housecat has nearly 300 papillae that hold a small amount of saliva that is released when the tongue presses on fur.

Noel saw evidence that the papillae helped the animals stay extra clean.

Next she examined the tongues of other cats in the species, like lions.

Papillae were only a little longer in lions than in cats, noted⁶ Noel and David Hu, an associate professor at Georgia Tech. Their findings were published in Proceedings⁷ of the National Academy of Sciences.

Next, Noel measured cat fur, which holds a lot of air to keep the animal warm. When the fur is pushed down flat against the cat’s skin, the distance is the same as the length of the papillae, she discovered. The one exception was the fur of long-haired Persian cats.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

fur – n. the hairy coat of an animal, especially when the hair is soft and thick

tongue – n. the soft, movable part in the mouth that is used for tasting and eating food and in human beings for speaking

hook – n. a rounded or bent⁸ tool for catching⁹, holding, or pulling something

scoop¹ – n. a rounded object used to lift something in one quick, continuous motion

saliva - n. the liquid produced in your mouth that keeps your mouth moist and makes it easier to swallow food

dimensional – adj. relating to something with height, width and depth

bump – n. a small raised area on a surface

computed tomography – n. a method of producing a three-dimensional image of a body with computer technology

1 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

2 scoops   

n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• I used three scoops of flour and one(scoop)of sugar. 我用了三杓面粉和一杓糖。 来自辞典例句

3 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

4 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

5 computed   

adj.[医]计算的，使用计算机的v.计算，估算( compute的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He computed that the project would take seven years to complete. 他估计这项计划要花七年才能完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Resolving kernels and standard errors can also be computed for each block. 还可以计算每个块体的分辨核和标准误差。 来自辞典例句

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。