Wildcat

[00:00.41]Humans have always depended on animals.#
人类常常依赖动物而生存。#

[00:05.69]From the beginning of human history, wild animals provided food, clothing and sometimes medicine.#
从人类之始，野生动物为人类提供了食物，衣物，有时还有药物。#

[00:15.73]We may not depend as much on wild animals now.#
人类现在可能不那么依赖动物了。#

[00:21.54]But we hear about them every day.#
但是我们每天都能听到他们的名字，#

[00:25.47]Americans use the names of animals in many ways.#
美国人使用这些名字的方式多种多样。#

[00:31.32]Many companies use animals to make us want to buy their goods.#
许多公司利用动物图案以促使我们购买他们的产品。#

[00:39.12]Automobile companies, for example, love to show fast horses when they are trying to sell their cars.#
例如，汽车公司，当他们试图卖车时，喜爱展示飞奔的快马的形象。#

[00:48.51]They also name their cars for other fast powerful animals.#
有时汽车公司也用其他迅猛有力的动物为产品命名。#

[00:54.87]Automobile manufacturers and gasoline companies especially like to use big cats to sell their products.#
汽车厂家和天然气公司特别喜欢利用大猫图来兜售产品。#

[01:05.97]They like lions, tigers and wildcats.#
他们偏爱狮子，老虎和野猫。#

[01:12.11]When Americans say “wildcat,” they usually mean a lynx, an ocelot or a bobcat.#
当美国人说到野猫时，他们通常指的是一种山猫，豹猫或短尾山猫。#

[01:20.06]All these cats attack quickly and fiercely.#
这些猫攻击目标时迅速、凶猛。#

[01:24.17]So wildcats represent something fast and fierce.#
因此野猫代表着迅速，凶猛的事物。#

[01:29.51]What better way is there to sell a car than to say it is “as fast as a wildcat”?#
还有比卖车时说“象野猫一样快”，更好的说法么？#

[01:37.38]Or, what better way is there to sell gasoline than to say that using it “is like putting a tiger in your tank”?#
或者，还有比卖汽油时说“在你的油箱放一只老虎”更好的说法么？#

[01:47.13]An early American use of the word “wildcat” was quite different.#
美国人起初用这个词“野猫’却和现在大不相同，#

[01:53.01]It was used to describe members of Congress who declared war on Britain in 1812.#
被用来描述在1812年对英国宣战国会议员。#

[02:00.39]A magazine of that year said “the wildcat congressmen went home.”#
1812年一份杂志写道，野猫议员回家了，#

[02:06.08]It said they were unable to face the responsibility of having involved their country in an unnecessary war.#
意思是他们无法承担将美国陷入没必要战争的责任。