英语听力：自然百科 人类与牛（下）

 A barbecue taps into our hunter-gatherer of past. But eating beef no longer requires a life-and-death battle for the formidable adversary¹. 8000 years ago, something extraordinary happened to change all that.

 

hunter-gatherer:采猎者，靠打猎和采集为生的人 

adversary:对手

 

The first cows came out of the forests and savannas³ and into the fields. Whether they came of their own accord or were caught is still debated. But the combination of bovine⁴ brawn⁵ and human brains would change the destiny of both species.

 

savanna²:开阔平坦的大草原

bovine:牛的

brawn:肌肉

 

Domestication⁶ was our first step in taking control of nature, in harnessing the power of once wild animals, we would utterly⁷ transform life on earth.

 

Domestication:n.驯服(动物)

 

Laurie Winn Carlson is the author of Cattle: An Informal Social History.

 

"It appears that domestication of cattle began about 8000 years ago in three separate locations.One location is Mesopotamia, and another was in Indus River Valley, and the third location now is believed to be Africa."

 

Mesopotamia:美索不达米亚(或“两河流域”)

Indus River Valley:印度河谷

 

From these centers, domestication spread across Eurasia and throughout Africa.

 

Eurasia:亚欧大陆

 

All over the planet, there were hundreds of potential choices for domestication. But it was the cow that became early man's most important ally as the hunter-gatherer lifestyle gradually settled into agriculture.

 

What made the cow so special? On the plains of East Africa, where earliest men first hunted, we can still see what our ancestors were up against. The criteria⁸ for domestication is uncompromising. Very few species would pass muster⁹.

 

up against:面临，面对（问题、困难等）

uncompromising:严格得不容商量的

pass muster:合格，达到要求

 

If an animal is too flighty or depends on mass migration¹⁰ for survival, it fails; if it cannot breed in captivity¹¹, it fails; if it grows too slowly or too large, it fails; if its diet or the conditions it needs are too specialized¹² to recreate, it fails; if it is too aggressive, it fails.

 

flighty:性格不稳定的

 

The cow passed all these exacting¹³ tests to become the most important member of a very exclusive club— the domesticates¹⁵. Our ancestors chose wisely and there had been very few additions to their original list of animal allies.

 

exacting:苛刻的

domesticate¹⁴: 驯养动物

 

"It seems that cattle’s herd¹⁶ behavior is what made them so suitable for domestication, because they like to stay in a group, they seek solace¹⁷ in the group when they stay together. And by then following their self-selected leader for where they choose to go, it’s been easy for man to take that place, and to become imprimitive as the leader of the herd.

 

On the other hand, animals that are quite nervous, they have nervous temperament¹⁸ and exhibit a fright response. When man appears, they just jump and run. And there is no chance for interaction. So it was that pause that cattle have, that curiosity, the security that they have within, the herd, they feel very secure when they are all together. So they don't up and run and run off. So it gives that chance for man and cattle to bond."

 

In every new relationship there are new responsibilities, but who exactly was in charge? Man or cow? Although the cow pulled the plough, man, too, was set to work.

1 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

2 savanna   

n.大草原

参考例句：

• The savanna is also the home of meat-eaters--the lion,leopard,and hyena who feed on the grasseaters.大草原也是食肉动物的家乡--狮子、豹、鬣狗--它们都是以草食动物维持生命的。
• They sped upon velvet wheels across an exhilarant savanna.他们的马车轻捷地穿过一片令人赏心悦目的大草原。

3 savannas   

n.（美国东南部的）无树平原( savanna的名词复数 )；（亚）热带的稀树大草原

参考例句：

• Therefore the jungles and the savannas know of no juvenile delinquency! 因此，丛林和荒原里没有“少年犯罪。” 来自辞典例句
• My soul flits away into the virgin forests and to the savannas. 我的灵魂飞向森林中的处女地和广漠的平原。 来自互联网

4 bovine   

adj.牛的；n.牛

参考例句：

• He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass andand munching,like some bovine creature.他丢开包袱，爬到灯心草丛里，像牛似的大咬大嚼起来。
• He was a gentle,rather bovine man.他是一位文雅而反应迟钝的人。

5 brawn   

n.体力

参考例句：

• In this job you need both brains and brawn.做这份工作既劳神又费力。
• They relied on brains rather than brawn.他们靠的是脑力，而不是体力。

6 domestication   

n.驯养，驯化

参考例句：

• The first was the domestication of animals. 第一个阶段是驯养动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In northwestern China, there is no evidence for endemic domestication of any animals. 在中国西北，没有任何当地动物驯化的迹象。 来自辞典例句

7 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

8 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

9 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。

10 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

11 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

12 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

13 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

14 domesticate   

vt.驯养；使归化，使专注于家务

参考例句：

• Many thousand years ago people learned how to domesticate animals.数千年以前人们就学会了饲养动物。
• If you domesticate this raccoon,it will have trouble living in the wild.如果你驯养这只浣熊，它生活在野外将会有困难。

15 domesticates   

v.驯化( domesticate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Groom for home at the same time giant salamander domesticates progenitive technology personnel. 同时为国内培训大鲵驯养繁殖技术人员。 来自互联网

16 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

17 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

18 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。