We gave them food and shelter,

我们给他们提供食物和庇护

in return for keeping mice and rats at bay.

作为回报他们替我们抓老鼠

It's the same reason these cats

这也是这些猫得以生活在

live on David Hicks's Oxfordshire farm today.

戴维·希克斯牛津郡农场的原因

We were just overrun with rats and the poison wasn't working.

我们鼠患成灾 捕鼠器也没什么作用

They were burrowing under the floors of the buildings,

他们在建筑的地板下打洞

undermining the floor so the floor collapsed,

破坏地板导致地板塌陷

making holes in the bags of food,

在粮食袋子上嗑洞

and mucking and peeing in the food,

在粮食里大小便

making it inedible for the animals.

弄得动物们都不吃

We had such a rat problem,

鼠患十分严重

in the end, a friend suggested we got some cats

后来 一个朋友建议我们养些猫

because they sorted his rat problem out.

因为他们会解决老鼠的问题

We're three, four years on now,

这方法已经用了三四年了

we've got lots of cats but no rats.

猫多了 老鼠少了

This relationship explains why it was beneficial

这段关系解释了为什么猫保持野性

for cats to hold on to their wild side.

是有益处的

Cats like these must live much in the same way

这样的猫的生存方式

as we imagine cats must have lived right at the beginning of domestication,

差不多跟刚被驯化时期的猫猫们一样

when cats were first beginning to associate themselves with man.

当猫与人类开始建立联系的时候

These cats are really here as hunters,

这些猫作为捕猎者

they are here to keep the rats and mice down on this farm.

他们在此保证了老鼠们远离农田

重点解释：

1.in return for 作为 ... 的报酬

例句：I bought him a drink in return for his help.

我请他喝酒以酬谢他的帮助。

2.in the end 终于； 最后

例句：If you persevere with work, you'll succeed in the end.

你如果把工作坚持下去，最终会取得成功的。

3.hold on 抓住；继续

例句：You should hold on to your oil shares.

你应该继续保留着石油股份。