Vocabulary list to text b

сaudal adj	[ ˈkɔːdəl]	каудальный
facilitate v	[ fəˈsɪlɪteɪt]	содействовать
flick v	[ flɪk]	резко ударять
enact v	[ ɪˈnækt]	привести в действие
momentum n	[ məˈmetəm]	импульс
primal adj	[ ˈpraɪ.məl]	первобытный
twitch v	[ twɪtʃ]	подергивать
stalk v	[ stɔːk]	выслеживать
sway v	[ sweɪ]	раскачивать
script n	[ skrɪpt]	схема поведения, хранящаяся в мозгу
swish v	[ swɪʃ]	бить хвостом
wag v	[ wæɡ]	вилять
wavy adj	[ ˈweɪvi]	волнообразный
wiggle v	[ ˈwɪɡl̩ ]	раскачивать

Text b cat tails

Read the text to find out: - a number of bones in cats’ tail; - the location of tail muscles; - type of muscle to which caudal muscles belong; - when cats sway back and forth their tails; - types of emotional response cat's tail movements signify; - if your cat has the ability to trigger voluntary muscles and make his tail move.

You can tell a lot by looking at your cat's tail - much more than just which way he's facing. Cats flick, twitch, swish and wiggle their tails to express a range of moods and emotions. Some of these movements are voluntary, but others seem to require little conscious thought.

Cat tails are more complex than meets the eye. Depending on the breed, your cat has 18 to 23 bones in his tail, which is actually an extension of his spine. Tail muscles rest below the lumbar vertebrae, lower-back sacrum and tail vertebrae and attach via tendons. Although this facilitates articulate movements, part of the tail's musculature also is associated with the rectum, anus and pelvic diaphragm. Caudal muscles are striated and, as such, afford voluntary movement, although some conditions, mental or physical, may cause involuntary movements. The tail nerves collect in a bundle together with those from his hind legs and rear before they collect into the spinal cord. So, on the one hand, your cat's tail can be articulated with great nuance. On the other hand, it's strongly linked to other movements.

If you've ever watched your cat stalk a bird from a windowsill, you know your friendly feline is actually an accomplished hunter. You also probably know his tail sways back and forth when he's in hunting mode. This movement, which starts as a voluntary thought, appears to continue as a primal brain script. While many of your cat's tail movements signify emotional responses - a wide wiggle is agitation, a sharp twitch is anger, a raised, wavy tail is happiness - others are more pragmatic. Your cat uses his tail as a counterweight, just like a tightrope walker uses her pole.

Cat tails are mood rings. Different wiggles mean different things, whether it's the cat wagging the tail or the tail wagging the cat. Biologically, your cat clearly has the ability to trigger voluntary muscles and make his tail move. Still, once engaged in higher-level thinking, primitive scripts appear to run on their own momentum, or when enacted by surprise events. So does your cat have to think to wiggle his tail? It appears he can do that, but that it requires so little thought that it blurs the line between conscious and unconscious thought. Exercise 10. Look through the text to find out who this text is intended for: 1) general reader; 2) students in veterinary medicine; 3) professional veterinarians.

Exercise 11. Concentrate on discovering the author’s main idea. Select the statement which best expresses the author’s main idea: 1. Cats wag their tails for many reasons. In most cases, it's simply for communication purposes. 2. A cat's tail is an extension of his body, so it's used in maintaining balance. 3. To wiggle the tail requires so little thought that it blurs the line between conscious and unconscious thought.

Exercise 12. The answers to the following questions are the summary of the text. Answer these questions and give the summary of the text. 1. What movements of cat’s tail do you know? 2. Are some of these movements voluntary? 3. Where do tail muscles rest? 4. How do tail muscles attach tail vertebrae? 5. What type of muscles are caudal muscles? 6. Can the cat's tail be articulated with great nuance? 7. What does the cat’s tail do when the cat is in hunting mode? Do the movements start as a voluntary thought? Do these movements continue as a primal brain script? 8. What emotional responses do cat's tail movements signify? 9. Does your cat biologically have the ability to trigger voluntary muscles and make his tail move? 10. So, does your cat have to think to wiggle his tail?

Exercise 13. Exchange your opinions about the author’s approach to the nature of cat's tail activity. Work in pairs.

Exercise 14. Make a report in writing (1 page) on the topic “What Different Wags Mean”. Visit the links:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201112/what-dog-s-tail-wags-really-mean-some-new-scientific-data

http://www.pet360.com/cat/behavior-and-training/cat-tail-wagging-what-different-wags-mean/l7vJPGbFh0Ob-jnsSeMhVg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/left-or-right-tail-wags-elicit-different-emotional-responses-from-dogs/