Boots

If the Six Million Dollar Man had a pet sidekick, it would probably be one of these incredible animals. While not exactly bionic, all of them were fitted with an artificial limb after an amputation.
如果《无敌金刚》里需要一个宠物小伙伴的话，那也许是其中一只令人感到不可思议的小动物。虽然不是纯仿生学，但它们都是在截肢后被装上了假肢。

易词解词（BY 袁新民）
amputation [æmpju'teiʃən]（am-是ambi-的缩略形式，即am-=ambi- 'around' 周围，四周，附近，put切，修剪，整理，也是computer中的put，at=-ate动词后缀；amputate把周围切掉、修剪掉→切断，截肢，-ion名词后缀）
n. 1. 切断（术），截肢（术）
2. 砍除；消减

These resilient creatures prove that people aren’t the only ones who can benefit from amazing advances in prosthetic technology. Experts say more and more of our animal friends are being fitted with replacement parts that help them get back on their paws, feet or fins in no time.
这些重获新生的动物们表明了人类并不是唯一从假肢技术的发展中获益的群体。专家称，越来越多的动物们正在使用假肢来代替自己已经失去的爪子、脚或是鳍等。

Sally

“When we started building prosthetics for animals back in 2002, we would do maybe one or two a month,” said Martin Kaufmann, co-founder of OrthoPets, a Colorado-based animal prosthetic maker. “Now we make eight to ten a week.”
一家名为OrthoPets的动物假肢制作公司的联合创立人马丁·考夫曼说：“2002年我们刚开始为动物制作假肢时，制作一个要花上一到两个月的时间，而现在我们一周之内能做8到10个。”

The main reason animals are receiving prosthetic limbs more often than in the past, Kaufmann believes, is because we humans have come to look upon ourselves as the guardians of our four-legged friends rather than the owners of disposable possessions.
考夫曼认为给动物装假肢的人越来越多，是因为我们越来越意识到自己是这些四条腿动物的监护人，而不只是它们的主人。

“Once you see yourself as a guardian, you can look at animals through a different lens,” he said. “Your mindset is not to euthanize or chop off a leg, but to help them get back to normal function.”
“一旦你视自己为监护人，你就会以不同的角度来看待这些动物。”考夫曼说，“你的想法不再是对动物们轻易进行安乐死或是直接截肢就行了，你会想到如何帮助它们重新过上正常的生活。”

易词解词（BY 袁新民）
euthanize ['ju:θənaiz]（euthan 代表euthanasia，eu-优，好，良，than或thanas代表希腊语thanat(os)死，-ia名词后缀，euthanasia好死的方式→安乐死，-ize使）
vt. 对动物施用无痛致死术，使安乐死
permanent ['pəmənənt] （per- 彻底，man留，与remain的main同源，-ent…的）
a. 永久（性）的，固定的

Tripod

The most common site of prosthetic limb replacement on an animal is the paw or foot, Kaufmann said. When a four-legged animal has an amputation of the front leg, it’s usually high up near the shoulder. In a back leg amputation, only the lower portion of the leg typically gets removed.
考夫曼说动物身上最常见的假肢是用来代替爪子或脚。如果一只四条腿的动物的前腿需要被截肢，那往往其肩部也会受到影响。而如果后腿需要被截肢，那只会有腿部下方一小部分被截掉。

Motala

Socket prostheses are the most common type of replacement limb used in animals. Newer, integrated prostheses involve implanting one part of the device into the bone and then anchoring another removable part into it with a screw. Either kind provides long-lasting limb support and more natural movement, Kaufmann said.
考夫曼说插座假肢是最常用在动物身体上的一种假肢类型。新型假肢包括将假肢的一部分与骨头相连，然后用一颗螺丝钉将其与另一个可移动部分固定。不管哪种类型的假肢都能为动物们提供长时间的支撑帮助，并且移动起来更加自然。

Bunker

A typical dog prosthetis paw costs between $1,200 and $1,500 dollars, Kaufmann said. Cat replacement limbs are smaller and less expensive. Prosthetic limbs made for larger beasts like llamas, cows or horses are more expensive.
一般情况下，普通的犬类假肢花费在1200到1500美元之间。考夫曼说，猫类假肢相对较小因此也更便宜些。而大型动物如美洲鸵、牛或马等所需要的假肢则会更贵一些。

Brutus

Most animals are first fitted with a temporary teaching prosthetic. Then once they get the hang of it – typically in about two weeks – they’re switched over to permanent hardware, Kaufmann said, adding that all animals have that eureka moment when they figure out how to use their new limb.
考夫曼说许多动物刚开始时装上的是一个辅助性的暂时假肢，大概两周之后，等到动物们适应并学会如何使用假肢了，再被装上永久性的假肢。考夫曼还说，几乎所有的动物在学会使用假肢的那一刻都显得很兴奋。

“It’s the most exciting thing in the world to watch,” he said.
他说：“那真是世界上最让人激动和欣喜的时刻了。”