中英對照讀新聞》When cats can lock doors and raid food, pet-proofing gets extreme 當貓能鎖門與劫掠食物時，防寵物招數便走極端

◎ 張沛元

Cats stir up chaos in the home because they’re natural-born hunters and explorers, say behaviorists who study them. Most of the time, those instincts lead to relatively harmless antics, like occasionally getting stuck in the hamper or knocking over a water glass.

研究貓的行為學家說，貓在家裡胡搞瞎鬧，因為牠們是天生的獵人與探險家。大多數情況下，這些本能導致相對無害的搞笑行為，如偶爾卡在籃子裡或打翻玻璃水杯。

請繼續往下閱讀...

But some cats blow past that kind of amateur-hour nonsense to really live on the edge — looting for food inside cabinets, munching on toxic plants, scaling fences, and yes, locking and opening doors.

但有些貓的行為遠勝這種業餘式的小打小鬧，怎麼危險刺激怎麼來－－掠劫櫥櫃裡的食物、啃咬有毒植物、攀登柵欄，以及，沒錯，鎖門與開門。

Their lucky owners say keeping both the animals and their homes safe is something akin to staying one step ahead of a ludicrously agile toddler.

三生有幸的貓奴們說，同時讓貓主子與家宅永保安康，類似要比一名超敏捷的學步小童快上一步。

新聞辭典

blow past (someone or something)：快速超過；快速突破某門檻或限制；爆越。例句：He chowed down on pizza and blew past the sodium limit for the day.（他大啖披薩，當天鈉攝取量快速超標。）

be/keep/stay one step ahead (of somebody)：比某人在某事上早一步，指做好準備或更熟悉；棋高一著。例句：Prevention and control of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and dengue fever must be carried out with the spirit of “one step ahead.”（武漢肺炎與登革熱等傳染病的防治必須本著「早一步做好準備」的精神。）