How do pets navigate?
寵物是如何導航的？
Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we bring you an interesting topic and six useful words or phrases. I’m Neil.
歡迎來到6分鐘英語，本節目將為您帶來有趣的話題以及6個實用單詞。我是尼爾。
And I’m Dan. Today we’re talking about one of the last mysteries of science. No, not if the universe will keep expanding forever, but this: how do cats and dogs find their way home over long distances?
我是丹。今天我們將探索一個科學界的未解之謎。但是如果宇宙繼續延伸下去，可能就不算了。但是，貓和狗是怎樣從很遠的地方找到回家的路的呢？
We hear incredible stories of lost pets travelling tens and even hundreds of miles home – but scientists struggle to explain how they do it.
我們時常聽到這樣的故事，很多不慎丟失的寵物能夠從幾十甚至幾百英裡意外走回家。但科學家似乎還不能解釋它們是怎麼找回家的。
We』ll hear the view of one scientist today. But before that – I have to ask an important question: Neil, are you a cat person or a dog person?
今天我們將聽到一位科學家觀點。但是在那之前，我需要問你一個重要問題，尼爾，你是一個cat person還是dog person？
Oh, that’s easy – I’m a cat person, for sure. Dogs are just a… well, they are hard work, aren’t they?
簡單，我是個貓奴。狗的話有點...不太好處理，不是嗎？
If you say you are 』a cat person』 it means you prefer cats. 』A coffee person』 prefers coffee.A ’something』 person likes or prefers that thing, often over another thing.
如果你說你是個cat person，意思就是你很喜歡貓。「coffee person」就是很喜歡咖啡的人。一個「……人」喜歡或偏好某個東西，通常更甚於另外一種。
Back to the topic, I’m a cat person. But can you answer this, Dan? Recently, a cat called Omar made headlines for being, possibly, the world’s longest cat.How long is Omar? Is it…a) 120 cm b) 80 cm Or c) 180 cm?
回到原來的話題。我很喜歡貓。但是丹你能回答一下這個問題麼？最近一隻叫Omar的貓登上頭條，原因似乎是它是世界上最長的貓。它有多長呢？A 120釐米，B 80釐米，C 180釐米。
I’m gonna say c) 180 cm.
我猜是C 180釐米。
Now, from long cats to long-distance cats.Scientists were scratching their heads a couple of years ago when a lost cat called Holly travelled 200 miles to get home. How did it do it?
現在我們要從身體很長的貓談到長途貓了。幾年前一隻叫Holly的貓丟在離家200英裡外的地方，但它最後成功找到回家的路。科學家對此很費腦筋。它究竟是如何做到的呢？
We say you ’scratch your head』 when you are confused about something.There are a few theories about how cats and dogs navigate – but we don’t yet have the full answer.
當你說到「scratch your head」，你的意思是對某事感到困惑。關於貓狗如何導航回家，有許多理論研究。但是都沒有得到圓滿的答案。
Well, both cats and dogs have an extremely powerful sense of smell, of course.Smells are like signposts – they let you know where you are. Visual landmarks also play a role, just as they do with humans.A landmark is something very easily recognised – a big building or mountain for example.
貓和狗具有強大的嗅覺能力。嗅覺就相當於指示牌，可以讓他們知道自己在哪。看得見的地標也有重要作用，就像對人類的作用一樣，地標很容易被認出來，比如一幢大樓或一座山。
And what about this one: magnets are pieces of metal which attract certain other kinds of metal - for example, iron or steel.The Earth itself has a magnetic force.
那這個呢：磁鐵屬於金屬的一部分，但它可以吸引另一種金屬，比如鐵或者鋼。地球本身也存在磁力。
Birds use it to help them navigate over thousands of miles – it tells them where north is. It’s thought they have some iron in their beaks.
鳥兒們根據磁力飛行數千英裡——因此磁力可以告訴它們哪邊是北方。有人認為它們的嘴裡帶有鐵質物質。
But some scientists think mammals also have this capability.
但有些科學家認為哺乳類動物同樣有這種能力。
So we have a few ideas – smell, landmarks, magnetic forces – but can we explain how one kitty travelled over 200 miles by itself back to its home?
那麼我們有點思路了，嗅覺、路標、磁力——但是怎麼解釋一隻貓能夠獨自徒步200多英裡回到家呢？
Let’s hear from cat and dog expert Dr John Bradshaw. How do cats build up the maps in their heads?
來聽聽貓犬專家約翰·布拉德肖博士怎麼說。貓咪是如何在大腦中構建地圖的？
What they do when they are in a new territory is explore it in a very systematic way.So they will go out in ever-increasing circles, they』ll literally construct a mental map in their heads.And so a cat that’s lost its territory probably does the same thing.They』ll rely on the idea that if they go out in ever-increasing circles or rectangles then eventually they』ll either come across the territory or they』ll come across a smell carried on the wind of the territory that they used to live in and then be able to go home.
們在陌生領域會用一種非常系統化的方式探索周圍環境。因此它們會以自己為中心不斷擴大活動範圍，在頭腦中構建一張虛擬地圖。一隻貓離開自己領地可能也會做同樣的事情。它們會有一種想法：如果將活動範圍以圓圈或矩形逐漸擴大，或許它們會偶然找回曾經住過的地方，或者憑藉風中傳來的氣味找回家。
Cats have a systematic approach – which means they use a system.Which is: first they walk around their area in a small circle, then a bigger one and then a bigger one – until they have a strong mental map of the place.
貓有一種系統的方式，也就是說它們利用一種系統。首先，它們會在腦海中將自己周圍圈起來，然後將圓圈不斷擴大直到在頭腦中勾畫出這個地方的地圖。
Yes – a mental map is a map in your head – stored in your memory. And the area cats explore – their home area - is called their territory.Cats are territorial – which means their territory is very important to them.
是的，心理地圖是指你頭腦中的地圖，保存在你的記憶中。貓所探索的地區，也就是它們的家所在的地區，就是它們的領地。貓是很有領土意識的，領地對它們來說非常重要。
Having a map is great, but what happens when a cat gets lost? Dr Bradshaw says that again, it moves around in bigger and bigger circles, until it finds a clue – which is a landmark or a smell – that tells it where it is. Well, that’s the theory. Though Dr Bradshaw says we really still don’t have enough data – that’s enough information about this.
能有地圖是一件很棒的事，但要是一隻貓走丟了呢？布拉德肖博士也說了，貓會不斷擴大活動範圍，直到發現線索——一個路標，或一種氣味，明白自己現在的位置。就是這個理論。就是這個理論。即使布拉德肖博士表示還缺乏足夠的數據，但這些信息足以回答那個問題了。
When there is a scientific breakthrough - we』ll bring it to you in 6 Minute English, I hope.For now, let’s content ourselves with Omar, possibly, the world’s longest cat. How long, Dan?
如果有重大科學突破，我們希望會在6分鐘英語節目中告知您。現在，我們來談談Omar，這隻傳說中世界最長的貓。它有多長呢？丹？
I said 180 cm.
我說的是180釐米。
Omar measures 120 cm – that’s over two thirds of my height – and weighs a heavy 14 kg.
Omar身長120釐米，是我身高的三分之二了。它重達14公斤。
Well, one thing, Neil, if Omar ever got lost, he』d be found in no time.
哇，這樣的話，尼爾，要是Omar走丟了，它一定立刻就能被找到。
He’s a landmark in himself! Which reminds me – let’s run through today’s words again.If you’re a cat person, you prefer cats. If you’re an evening person – you prefer evenings.
它自己本身就是個標誌物。這個詞提醒我了，我們來回顧一下今天的單詞。如果你是個cat person，說明你更喜歡貓，如果你是個evening person，說明你更喜歡夜晚。
I』ve always thought you were a kind person, Neil.
尼爾，我一直覺得你是個善良的人。
Nice of you to say, but we only use the phrase with nouns, not adjectives!
很高興聽到這句話，但是我們只有名詞這麼用，不是形容詞！
Indeed. We don’t want the listeners to be scratching their heads.
確實。我們不想讓聽眾抓頭皮。
No, we can’t confuse them! So let’s explain the next one clearly – a landmark is something easily recognisable that lets you know where you are.The bridges in London are landmarks.
不，是我們不能讓他們困惑不解。來看下一個詞，landmark是某種很容易讓人認出來，讓你想起你所在的地方的標誌。這些橋在倫敦就是地標。
And can we say the parks are magnets in summer? A magnet is a piece of metal that attracts iron and steel – but we can also use the word more widely to describe things that attract other things.Two more words: territory is a noun – the area of land that an animal considers to be its own.
我們能不能說夏天的公園就是磁鐵呢？磁鐵是一種可以吸引鐵和鋼等物質的金屬——但我們可以將這個詞的用法擴展一下，描述可以吸引人的其他東西。還有兩個詞，territory，名詞，意思是動物所以為的屬於自己的領地。
Animals who feel this strongly are described as territorial. Humans can be too – about land or subjects they feel they own or control.
有這種強烈的領土意識的動物可以用territorial（有地盤意識的、領地性的）來形容。人類對自己所擁有或掌控的領土或事物也有這樣的意識。
And finally systematic: the adjective from system. We can talk about a systematic approach, a systematic solution, a systematic study…
最後一個systematic系統的，是系統system的形同詞。我們可以討論一種系統的方法，系統的解決方案，一個系統化的研究……
And we have systematically worked our way through all of today’s words!
今天我們已經系統地瀏覽了所有要學的單詞！
Very good! Which means – it’s time to mention our own online territory – our website and social media pages.
非常好！這也意味著又到時間提一下我們在網上的地盤兒：官網、以及社交網站了。
Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and of course bbclearningenglish.com!
訪問我們的Facebook、Twitter、Instagram以及YouTube網站，當然還有bbclearningenglish.com！
Bye bye for now.
再見啦！
Good Bye!
再見！