ARTICLE · 1060423
雅思阅读精读|考场真题Part1: The History Of The Chicken鸡的历史
上期我们留的表达是：
bridge the gap between 弥合……之间的差距
参考答案：
Practical experience can help students bridge the gap between theory and practice.
实践经验可以帮助学生弥合理论与实践之间的差距。
常见错误：❌ bridge the gap between theory with practice✅ bridge the gap between theory and practicebetween A and B用and连接两个对象，不能换成with。bridge名词是桥的意思，这里作动词，表示消除隔阂或差距
好，今天继续精读 ↓（下次想精读哪篇文章可以在评论区告诉我们哦～）
The History of the Chicken｜鸡的历史
The story begins 10,000 years ago in a jungle in Asia and ends today in kitchens all over the world
Reading Passage 1｜（考场真题）
Questions 1–7：判断题
Questions 8–13：填空题
建议：先限时20m完成整篇，再回来一起逐段精读。
全球饮食与文化象征 → 复杂祖先谱系 → 传播到埃及 → 人工孵化技术 → 罗马时代及其后变化 → 工厂化养殖 → 生产效率 → 后院宠物 → 全球成功的总结。
Chicken as the universal food of our era, crossing cultural boundaries with ease. With its mild taste and uniform texture, chicken presents a blank canvas for the national flavours of almost any cuisine. However, until the introduction of large-scale industrial production in the 20th century, the economic and nutritional contribution of chickens was small. Chickens were considered as domestic birds that were useful to humanity, but unlike other animals such as the horse or the ox, they did little to change the course of history. Nonetheless, the chicken has inspired contributions to culture, art, cuisine, science and religion over the millennia. Chickens were, and still are, a sacred animal in some cultures. The hen is a worldwide symbol of nurturing and fertility. The rooster is a universal sign of masculinity.
段落大意：鸡肉口味温和、质地均匀，容易适应不同菜系；工业化之前经济贡献有限，但其文化象征由来已久。
cross cultural boundaries 跨越文化界限。
with ease 轻松地。
mild taste 温和的味道。
uniform texture 均匀的质地／口感。
a blank canvas 一块空白画布；比喻可自由发挥的基础。
cuisine 菜系；烹饪方式。
nutritional contribution 营养贡献。
over the millennia 在数千年间。
nurturing and fertility 养育与繁衍。
masculinity 男性气质。
blank canvas不是“没味道”，而是容易承载不同风味。
With its mild taste and uniform texture …交代原因；for the national flavours of almost any cuisine指出它适合多种菜系。
However转向历史限制：大规模工业生产出现之前，经济和营养贡献较小。
Nonetheless再转回文化价值：即使经济贡献有限，鸡也长期影响艺术、烹饪、科学和宗教。
所以“全球饮食普及”“过去的经济地位”“文化象征意义”是三个不同层次，不能合并成鸡在任何时代都具有同样重要的经济作用。
Q1｜TRUE
定位证据： chicken presents a blank canvas for the national flavours of almost any cuisine.
blank canvas说明鸡肉能承载不同菜系的风味，配合mild taste和uniform texture，对应different styles of cooking及全球普及。
鸡肉是我们这个时代的普遍食物，轻松跨越文化界限。凭借温和的味道和均匀的口感，它像一块空白画布，能够承载几乎任何菜系的地方风味。然而，直到20世纪大规模工业生产出现之前，鸡的经济和营养贡献都较小。鸡被视为对人类有用的家禽，但与马或牛等其他动物不同，它们对历史进程的改变很有限。尽管如此，数千年来，鸡仍为文化、艺术、烹饪、科学和宗教的发展提供了灵感。在一些文化中，鸡过去是、现在仍是神圣动物。母鸡是世界各地养育与繁衍的象征，公鸡则是男性气质的普遍象征。
The domesticated chicken has a complicated family tree, stretching back 10,000 years. Recent DNA testing has shown that the chicken's wild ancestor is the red junglefowl. The bird's resemblance to modern chickens is seen in the red feathers on top of its head, the red flesh around its mouth, and its distinctive call in the morning. The females of this breed protect their eggs in the same way modern-day chickens do, and they make the same clucking sounds. In its habitat, which stretches from northeastern India to the Philippines, the red junglefowl looks on the forest floor for insects, seeds and fruit and flies up to nest in the trees at night. That's about as much flying as it can manage, a trait that made it relatively easy for humans to capture and domesticate it. But the red junglefowl is not the sole ancestor of the modern chicken. Scientists have identified three closely related species that might have bred with the red junglefowl. Precisely how much genetic material these other birds contributed to the DNA of domesticated chickens is unknown. However, recent research suggests that modern chickens inherited at least one trait, their yellow skin, from the grey junglefowl of southern India.
段落大意：DNA研究指向红原鸡，同时显示现代家鸡还有其他祖先的遗传贡献；黄色皮肤与灰原鸡有关。
domesticated 被驯化的。
family tree 家谱；谱系。
ancestor 祖先。
resemblance to 与……的相似之处。
distinctive call 独特的叫声。
habitat 栖息地。
trait 特征；特性。
the sole ancestor 唯一的祖先。
genetic material 遗传物质。
inherit … from … 从……遗传得到……。
“一种鸟飞不远”不等于“两种鸟飞行能力有高低”。
原文只具体介绍红原鸡飞上树栖息，随后说这差不多就是它的飞行极限。没有明确比较现代家鸡与红原鸡谁飞得更好。
But … not the sole ancestor改变“只有红原鸡一个祖先”的理解，后面补充其他近缘物种的贡献。
unknown限定的是这些鸟贡献了多少遗传物质，而不是把所有祖先关系都说成未知。
grey junglefowl是物种名称，不能把grey直接当作皮肤颜色。段尾yellow skin才是本题涉及的特征。
Q2｜NOT GIVEN
定位证据： That's about as much flying as it can manage
it指红原鸡，原文只说明其飞行能力有限。并未给出现代家鸡与原鸡飞行能力的高低比较；不能由“原鸡飞不远”得出“家鸡比它更差”，也不能反向判断更好。
Q3｜TRUE
定位证据： the red junglefowl is not the sole ancestor of the modern chicken.
not the sole ancestor直接对应more than one ancestor。后文未知的是其他鸟贡献了多少遗传物质，不是否存在其他祖先。
Q4｜TRUE
定位证据： modern chickens inherited at least one trait, their yellow skin, from the grey junglefowl
黄色皮肤这一特征从灰原鸡遗传而来，支持题目对相同皮肤颜色的描述。grey是鸟名的一部分，不能把它直接当成皮肤颜色而选FALSE。
家鸡有一张复杂的家谱，可以追溯到一万年前。近期DNA检测显示，鸡的野生祖先是红原鸡。这种鸟与现代家鸡的相似之处，体现在头顶的红色羽毛、嘴周围的红色肉质组织，以及早晨独特的叫声上。这一品种的雌鸟像现代家鸡一样保护自己的蛋，也发出同样的咯咯声。在从印度东北部延伸到菲律宾的栖息地中，红原鸡在林地上寻找昆虫、种子和果实，夜间飞到树上栖息。这差不多就是它能够完成的全部飞行活动；这一特征使人类相对容易捕捉并驯化它。但红原鸡并非现代家鸡唯一的祖先。科学家已识别出三种近缘物种，它们可能曾与红原鸡交配。这些鸟究竟为家鸡的DNA贡献了多少遗传物质，目前尚不清楚。不过，近期研究提示，现代家鸡至少有一种特征——黄色皮肤——遗传自印度南部的灰原鸡。
Once chickens were domesticated, cultural contacts, trade, migration and territorial conquest resulted in their introduction to different regions around the world over several thousand years. Chickens arrived in Egypt in around 1750 BC, as fighting birds and additions to zoos. Drawings of the birds decorated royal tombs, which contained the treasures that the kings and queens would take to the afterlife. Yet it would be another 100 years before the bird became popular among ordinary Egyptians.
段落大意：鸡随贸易、迁徙和征服传播；约公元前1750年进入埃及，被用于斗鸡和动物园，也出现在王室陵墓的装饰中。
cultural contacts 文化接触。
territorial conquest 领土征服。
result in 导致……。
introduction to 引入……。
fighting birds 用于争斗的鸟；此处指斗鸡。
royal tombs 王室陵墓。
afterlife 来世。
ordinary Egyptians 普通埃及人。
日期、用途、地点，三项分别定位。
1750 BC对应鸡进入埃及；as fighting birds and additions to zoos说明两种最初用途。
Drawings … decorated royal tombs对应图像装饰的位置，不是说鸡被画在宝藏上。
which contained the treasures修饰tombs，说明陵墓中存放供君王带往来世的宝物。
another 100 years才开始在普通人中流行，不要把王室接触和民间普及当成同一时间点。
Q8｜zoos
定位证据： as fighting birds and additions to zoos
used in fights对应fighting birds，另一项用途是加入动物园。Egyptian后接地点名词zoos，保留原文复数。
Q9｜tombs
定位证据： Drawings of the birds decorated royal tombs
Pictures对应Drawings；kings and queens对应royal。题目已有of kings and queens，填tombs即可，指陵墓，不是陵墓中的treasures。
鸡被驯化之后，文化接触、贸易、迁徙与领土征服，使它们在数千年间被引入世界不同地区。约公元前1750年，鸡来到埃及，被用于斗鸡，也成为动物园的新成员。鸡的图像装饰着王室陵墓，陵墓中存放着国王和王后准备带往来世的珍宝。然而，又过了一百年，鸡才在普通埃及人中流行起来。
It was in that era that Egyptians mastered the technique of artificial incubation, which freed hens to lay more eggs. This was not easy. Most chicken eggs will hatch in three weeks, but only if the temperature remains at around 38 degrees Celsius. The eggs must also be turned three to five times a day, and the humidity must remain stable at about 55 percent, otherwise physical deformities can result, or the eggs won't hatch. The Egyptians constructed vast complexes of large rooms, which were essentially ovens, and these were connected to a series of corridors and vents that allowed attendants to regulate the heat from fires. The egg attendants kept their methods a secret from outsiders for centuries.
段落大意：埃及人掌握人工孵化技术，用可以控温的大房间代替母鸡孵蛋，但必须保持合适温湿度并定期翻蛋。
master a technique 掌握一项技术。
artificial incubation 人工孵化。
hatch 孵化；出壳。
humidity 湿度。
remain stable 保持稳定。
physical deformities 身体畸形。
vents 通风口。
attendants 照料人员。
regulate the heat 调节热量／温度。
only if提出必要条件，otherwise给出不满足条件的后果。
约三周能孵化，是在温度保持约38℃、湿度稳定在约55%且每天翻蛋三至五次等条件下。
This … freed hens to lay more eggs说明人工孵化解放母鸡，使其能多产蛋，并不是母鸡不再产蛋。
large rooms, which were essentially ovens用定语从句解释房间的功能，直接对应functioned as。
填空时用题目已经给出的词搭配：egg incubation、heat and humidity levels，不要机械复制整串原文。
Q10｜incubation
定位证据： Egyptians mastered the technique of artificial incubation
method对应technique；didn’t involve hens对应人工孵化及freed hens。题目已经给出egg，填incubation组成egg incubation；不要照搬成egg artificial incubation。
Q11｜humidity
定位证据： the humidity must remain stable at about 55 percent
stay the same对应remain stable；heat已涵盖温度，另一项是humidity。percent只是单位，不是控制条件名称。
Q12｜ovens
定位证据： large rooms, which were essentially ovens
functioned as对应were essentially，即房间发挥烤炉作用。corridors和vents用于连接、通风，不是房间本身的功能。
正是在那个时期，埃及人掌握了人工孵化技术，使母鸡得以脱离孵蛋任务，产下更多鸡蛋。这并不容易。多数鸡蛋会在三周内孵化，但前提是温度保持在约38摄氏度。鸡蛋每天还必须翻动三至五次，湿度也必须稳定在约55%，否则可能出现身体畸形，或者鸡蛋无法孵化。埃及人建造了由许多大房间组成的庞大设施；这些房间实质上就是烤炉，通过一系列走廊和通风口连接，使照料人员能够调节火源带来的热量。几个世纪以来，孵蛋人员一直不向外人透露他们的方法。
Around the Mediterranean, archaeologists have uncovered chicken bones from about 800 BC. Chickens were a delicacy among the Romans, whose culinary innovations included the omelette, and the practice of stuffing birds for cooking. European farmers began developing methods to fatten the birds, such as feeding them bread which had been soaked in wine. But the chicken's status in Europe appears to have diminished with the collapse of Rome. In the period after the fall of the Roman Empire, chicken farms vanished and the birds returned to the size they had been 1,000 years earlier.
段落大意：罗马人视鸡为佳肴，农民发展育肥方法；帝国结束后，鸡的地位下降、养鸡场消失，体型也变小。
archaeologists 考古学家。
uncover 发现；发掘。
a delicacy 珍馐美味。
culinary innovations 烹饪创新。
fatten 使长肥；育肥。
be soaked in 浸泡在……中。
diminish 减少；下降。
collapse 崩溃；覆灭。
vanish 消失。
综合理解衰退趋势，但不把不同指标说成同义词。
罗马时期：鸡是delicacy，人们创新烹饪方式，并用浸酒面包育肥。
罗马之后：status diminished、farms vanished、体型恢复到一千年前的大小。
这三项说的是地位、养殖和体型，合起来描绘出罗马衰落后养鸡与食用传统退潮的图景。
Q5把这一整体趋势概括为消费下降。需要注意，原文没有直接给出消费量数据；这一题依赖上下文的综合含义，不能只把status替换成consumption。
Q5｜TRUE
定位证据： But the chicken's status in Europe appears to have diminished with the collapse of Rome. In the period after the fall of the Roman Empire, chicken farms vanished and the birds returned to the size they had been 1,000 years earlier.
选TRUE，要把这两句连着前文一起看。罗马时期，鸡肉是佳肴，人们还专门把鸡养肥。罗马帝国衰落后，鸡在欧洲的地位下降，养鸡场消失，鸡的体型也退回到一千年前的大小。前后对比，本题把这段变化概括为鸡肉消费减少。
题目中的After the Roman Empire ended，对应原文after the fall of the Roman Empire。diminished意为“下降、减弱”，vanished意为“消失”。读到第一句的status时，别急着判断，要接着看养鸡场发生了什么变化。
不过，这道题的表述不够严谨：原文没有直接说鸡肉消费量下降，status（地位）也不等于consumption（消费）。按本段前后的对比，TRUE是本题更合适的选择；不能把“地位下降就一定代表消费减少”当成判断题的通用规则。
在地中海周边，考古学家发掘出了约公元前800年的鸡骨。鸡是罗马人喜爱的美味；他们的烹饪创新包括煎蛋饼，以及给禽鸟填入馅料后烹调的做法。欧洲农民开始研究育肥的方法，例如给鸡喂食浸过葡萄酒的面包。但随着罗马的覆灭，鸡在欧洲的地位似乎下降了。在罗马帝国灭亡之后的时期，养鸡场消失，鸡的体型也恢复到了一千年前的大小。
Well into the 20th century chickens, although valued as a source of eggs, played a relatively minor role in diet and the economy. Long after cattle had entered the industrial age of centralized and mechanized large-scale production, chicken production was still mostly a small-scale local enterprise. The breakthrough that made today's huge bird farms possible was the inclusion of antibiotics, along with a mixture of different vitamins, in the food chickens ate. This allowed chickens to be raised indoors and be protected from cold temperatures and heavy rain as well as predators. This factory farming represents the chicken's final step in its transformation into a big protein-producing business.
段落大意：鸡的工业化生产晚于牛；文中将饲料中的抗生素和维生素视为大规模室内养殖得以发展的突破。
play a minor role in 在……中作用较小。
centralized and mechanized 集中化、机械化的。
small-scale enterprise 小规模企业／经营活动。
breakthrough 突破。
inclusion of ……的加入。
antibiotics 抗生素。
raise indoors 在室内饲养。
predators 捕食者；天敌。
transformation into 向……的转变。
作者在介绍一种历史变化，不是在转述支持与反对双方。
Long after cattle … chicken production was still …表示牛早已工业化，而养鸡仍主要是地方小规模经营。
This allowed …承接饲料的变化；后面列出室内饲养保护鸡免受的威胁：低温、大雨和捕食者。
Q13把低温、大雨概括为bad weather，空格应填剩余的一类威胁。
本段没有出现任何人批评工厂化养殖的言论。不要把课外对该议题的认识带进判断题；也不要把历史介绍当成今天的饲养建议。
Q6｜NOT GIVEN
定位证据： This factory farming represents the chicken's final step in its transformation into a big protein-producing business.
F、G段介绍工厂化养殖的形成和效率，全文没有引述人们批评其方法的内容。未提到批评，不等于明确说无人批评；不能选FALSE，也不能凭现实知识选TRUE。
Q13｜predators
定位证据： protected from cold temperatures and heavy rain as well as predators
bad weather概括cold temperatures and heavy rain；and引出原文as well as后的另一类威胁predators。保留复数，答案不超过两个词。
进入20世纪相当一段时间后，鸡虽然作为鸡蛋来源受到重视，在饮食与经济中仍发挥着相对较小的作用。牛早已进入集中化、机械化的大规模工业生产时代，而养鸡大多仍是地方性的小规模经营。使今天巨型养鸡场成为可能的突破，是在鸡的饲料中加入抗生素和多种维生素混合物。这使鸡能够在室内饲养，免受低温、大雨和捕食者的威胁。这种工厂化养殖代表着鸡最终转变为大型蛋白质生产产业。
Factory farms turning out an increasing amount of chicken have resulted in an increasing demand. Modern chickens are cogs in a system designed to convert grain into protein with staggering efficiency. It takes less than 1 kilogram of feed to produce 400 grams of chicken. By comparison, around 3 kilograms of feed are required to produce 400 grams of beef. A day-old chick can be turned into a 2 kilogram bird in six weeks - half the time it took two generations ago.
段落大意：工业养殖提高产量与生长速度；文中通过鸡肉和牛肉的饲料用量对比，说明鸡的生产效率。
turn out 生产出。
an increasing demand 不断增长的需求。
cogs in a system 系统中的齿轮；比喻其中的小部件。
convert … into … 把……转化为……。
staggering efficiency 惊人的效率。
feed 饲料。
by comparison 相比之下。
a day-old chick 一只出生一天的小鸡。
比较效率，要先把产出量固定。
同样生产400克肉：鸡需要不到1千克饲料，牛需要约3千克饲料。
因此比的是相同肉产出对应的投入，不是比较一只鸡和一头牛的重量。
six weeks — half the time …说明生长到2千克所需时间缩短到两代之前的一半，不是体型减半。
全文的时间、数量表述按原文语境理解，不另当作实时畜牧业统计。
工厂化养殖场生产越来越多的鸡，也带来了不断增长的需求。现代鸡就像一个系统中的齿轮，这个系统旨在以惊人的效率把谷物转化为蛋白质。生产400克鸡肉所需饲料不到1千克。相比之下，生产400克牛肉需要约3千克饲料。一只出生一天的小鸡可以在六周内长成2千克重的鸡——所需时间只是两代之前的一半。
Chickens also make wonderful pets, as breeders will tell you. They are as colourful as tropical fish but more affectionate, as cute as guinea pigs and better at catching mice than cats. In the USA, exotic and heritage breeds of chicken are being sold for considerable sums of money as the fashion for keeping chickens in the backyard becomes more popular.
段落大意：鸡也能成为有吸引力的宠物；美国后院养鸡更受欢迎，一些特别品种和传统品种价格不低。
breeders 育种者；饲养者。
affectionate 亲昵的；有感情的。
guinea pigs 豚鼠。
exotic breeds 珍奇／外来品种。
heritage breeds 传统品种。
considerable sums of money 相当可观的金额。
backyard 后院。
become more popular 变得更受欢迎。
先看比较对象，再看趋势方向。
as colourful as tropical fish比较外观；more affectionate比较亲昵程度；better at catching mice比较捕鼠表现。这些都是本段转述饲养者对鸡的赞美。
末句considerable sums of money对应价格高；fashion for keeping chickens … becomes more popular对应养鸡风尚上升。
Q7的fewer把方向改成减少，与文中的趋势相反。不要只看到expensive就忽略人数趋势。
Q7｜FALSE
定位证据： the fashion for keeping chickens in the backyard becomes more popular.
more popular表明后院养鸡越来越流行，与fewer people的下降方向相反。considerable sums of money对应价格昂贵，题目主要错误在趋势。
正如饲养者会告诉你的，鸡也能成为很棒的宠物。它们像热带鱼一样色彩丰富，却更亲人；像豚鼠一样可爱，而且比猫更擅长捉老鼠。在美国，随着后院养鸡的风尚越来越流行，珍奇品种和传统品种的鸡也卖出了相当可观的价格。
All in all, the globe-spanning chicken is an epic story of evolutionary, agricultural and culinary success, outnumbering human beings on the planet by nearly three to one.
段落大意：结尾将鸡的全球传播概括为演化、农业与烹饪的成功，并用数量对比突出其普遍性。
all in all 总的来说。
globe-spanning 遍布全球的。
epic 宏大的；史诗般的。
evolutionary 演化的。
agricultural 农业的。
outnumber 数量超过。
nearly three to one 接近三比一。
结尾三个形容词回扣全文。
evolutionary对应祖先与遗传；agricultural对应驯化、孵化与工业化养殖；culinary对应不同文化中的食用与烹饪。
outnumbering human beings … by nearly three to one表示文中鸡与人的数量接近3∶1，不是鸡比人多三倍、因此等于四倍。
这是一句总结，不再引入新的驯化证据。
总的来说，遍布全球的鸡演绎了一部关于演化、农业和烹饪成功的宏大故事；在地球上，它们的数量与人类相比，接近三比一。
Q1 TRUE Q2NOT GIVEN Q3TRUEQ4 TRUE Q5TRUE Q6NOT GIVEN Q7FALSEQ8 zoosQ9 tombsQ10 incubationQ11 humidityQ12 ovensQ13 predators
Q1｜different styles of cooking↔ the national flavours of almost any cuisine
Q3｜more than one ancestor↔ not the sole ancestor
Q4｜the same skin colour↔ inherited … their yellow skin … from
Q7｜expensive breeds↔ sold for considerable sums of money
Q7｜fewer people↔ becomes more popular（趋势相反）
Q8｜used in fights↔ fighting birds
Q9｜Pictures / kings and queens↔ Drawings / royal
Q10｜a method / didn’t involve hens↔ the technique / artificial incubation … freed hens
Q11｜stay the same↔ remain stable
Q12｜functioned as↔ were essentially
Q13｜bad weather↔ cold temperatures and heavy rain
1. with ease 轻松地
2. contribute to 为……作贡献
3. resemblance to 与……的相似之处
4. inherit … from … 从……遗传得到……
5. result in 导致……
6. master a technique 掌握一项技术
7. be soaked in 浸泡在……中
8. play a minor role in 在……中作用较小
9. convert … into … 把……转化为……
10. all in all 总的来说
今天用下面这个表达造一句：
convert … into … 把……转化为……
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不只是知道答案。
更重要的是：
读懂原文，也看懂雅思是怎么从原文变成题目的。
将来时，从现在开始。