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吃肉已耗尽地球资源(Our taste for flesh has exhausted the earth)
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吃肉已耗尽地球资源
我们最早的祖先靠设置陷阱或捕猎获取肉食。当我们学会驯化动物时，我们在自己的土地上饲养它们，或者带着畜群在土地上游牧。 
双语精读
Our Taste for Flesh Has Exhausted the Earth
爱吃肉已经耗尽了地球的资源
Our earliest forebears trapped or hunted what meat they ate. When we learned to domesticate animals, we raised them on our land, or we roamed the land with our herds.
我们最早的祖先靠设置陷阱或捕猎获取肉食。当我们学会驯化动物时，我们在自己的土地上饲养它们，或者带着畜群在土地上游牧。
No matter which tribe we belonged to, whether farmers or pastoralists, our animals were our assets. We ate their flesh in small portions, and we ate almost every bit of them, especially the poorest among us. Guts, feet, heart.
无论我们属于哪个部落，无论是农民还是牧民，牲畜都是我们的资产。我们把它们的肉分成小块吃掉，尤其是最穷苦的人，把肉吃得几乎一点都不剩。内脏、脚、心脏都吃掉。
The Industrial Revolution changed meat. In the 19th century, refrigeration enabled meat to be trucked in from far away, or shipped from even further away, which eventually led to the razing of forests in places like Brazil.
工业革命改变了肉。在19世纪，冷藏技术使人们可以用卡车从远方运输肉，或者用轮船从更远的地方运输肉，这最终导致了巴西等地的森林被砍伐。
Production became more efficient. By the late 1940s, antibiotics became routine in chicken feed. By the late 1990s, genetically modified corn and soy brought bumper crops of animal feed.
生产变得更有效率。到1940年代末，在鸡饲料中加抗生素成为常规做法。到了1990年代末，转基因玉米和大豆带来了丰盛的动物饲料。
Animals were bred to be bigger and faster-growing. In the U.S., government subsidies helped: free groundwater, federally backed loans, price guarantees for feed crops. And meat went big.
动物被养育得更大、生长更快。在美国，政府补贴提供了以下帮助：免费的地下水、联邦政府支持的贷款、饲料作物的价格保证。于是肉类产业规模变大。
Today the $1 trillion global meat industry is dominated by a handful of corporations, including JBS, Cargill, and Tyson. Since 1961, meat production has quadrupled, dwarfing the growth in the human population, which merely doubled.
如今，价值1万亿美元的全球肉类行业由少数几家公司主导，包括巴西的肉食加工商JBS、嘉吉食品公司和泰森食品公司。自1961年以来，肉类产量已变为原来的四倍，人口增长与之相形见绌，仅变为原来的两倍。
Meat went from being special to being an everyday entitlement. The more we prospered, the more flesh we ate. China's meat consumption jumped sharply, from about 6.6 pounds per capita in 1961 to more than 140 pounds in 2021.
肉从特殊食品变成了日常应有的食品。我们生活越繁荣，吃的肉就越多。中国的肉类消费量急剧上升，从1961年的人均约6.6磅增加到2021年的人均140多磅。
But the United States became the lions of Planet Carnivore. On average, Americans went from eating around 207 pounds of meat in 1961 to 280 pounds, in 2021, and chicken came to dominate.
但美国成为了食肉动物星球上的狮子。平均而言，美国人的肉类消费量从1961年的约207磅增加到了2021年的280磅，其中鸡肉占据了主导地位。
It wasn't just chicken consumption that changed. It was the bird itself. Follow, as I have, a chicken truck to the slaughterhouse -- birds crammed into cages, feathers flying across the road -- and you realize how profoundly we have altered the nature of the animal.
不仅仅是鸡肉的消费发生了变化。鸡本身也发生了变化。如果你像我一样跟着运活禽的卡车去屠宰场----鸡被塞进笼子里，羽毛在路上飞得到处都是----你就会意识到我们多么深刻地改变了动物的本性。
Thanks to feed and breeding, an 8-week-old chicken today is about four times heavier than an 8-week-old chicken was 60 years ago. Their breasts are so large that they can have a hard time standing.
由于饲料和育种，如今一只8周大的鸡的体重是60年前一只8周大的鸡的体重的四倍左右。这些鸡的胸部太大，以至于它们站都站不住。
词汇预习
efficient [高考]
美[ɪˈfɪʃnt] | 英[ɪˈfɪʃnt]
adj. 效率高的；胜任的
consumption [高考]
美[kənˈsʌmpʃn] | 英[kənˈsʌmpʃn]
n. 消费；消耗；肺痨
sharply [高考]
美[ˈʃɑrpli] | 英[ˈʃɑ:pli]
adv. 锐利地；严厉地；厉害地；轮廓清晰、线条分明地
groundwater [高考]
美[ˈɡraʊndˌwɔtɚ, -ˌwɑtɚ] | 英[ˈgraʊndwɔ:tə(r)]
n. 地下水
dominate [高考]
美[ˈdɑːmɪneɪt] | 英[ˈdɒmɪneɪt]
v. 支配；控制；统治；占优势；俯视；高耸于
per [高考]
美[pər] | 英[pə(r)]
prep. 每；每一；经过；按照
growth [高考]
美[ɡroʊθ] | 英[ɡrəʊθ]
n. 【U】增长；生长；发展；种植 n. 【C】生长物；【医】瘤;赘生物
eventually [高考]
美[ɪˈventʃuəli] | 英[ɪˈventʃuəli]
adv. 最后；终于
routine [高考]
美[ruːˈtiːn] | 英[ruːˈtiːn]
n. 例行公事；常规；无聊 adj. 常规的；例行的；乏味的
merely [高考]
美[ˈmɪrli] | 英[ˈmɪəli]
adv. 仅仅；只不过
flesh [高考]
美[fleʃ] | 英[fleʃ]
n. 肉体；果肉；情欲；（动物或人的）肉 v. 用肉喂养(猎狗等)；使尽量吃肉；使(猎狗等)闻到肉味
handful [高考]
美[ˈhændfʊl] | 英[ˈhændfʊl]
n. 一把；少数，少量； 难以控制的人（或事物）
further [高考]
美[ˈfɜːrðər] | 英[ˈfɜːðə(r)]
adv. 更远地，再往前地；进一步；此外，而且 adj. 更多的，进一步的；（距离上）更远的，较远的 v. 促进，推进
breeding [高考]
美[ˈbriːdɪŋ] | 英[ˈbriːdɪŋ]
n. 生养；教养；抚养；繁殖；血统；育种
profoundly [四级]
美[prəˈfaʊndli] | 英[prəˈfaʊndli]
adv. 深深地；深刻地
learned [四级]
美[lɜːrnd , ˈlɜːrnɪd] | 英[lɜːnd , ˈlɜːnɪd]
adj. 有学问的；博学的
genetically [六级]
美[dʒə'netɪklɪ] | 英[dʒə'netɪklɪ]
adv. 遗传(基因)方面
trillion [六级]
美[ˈtrɪljən] | 英[ˈtrɪljən]
n. 大量；兆；万亿 adj. 兆的
soy [六级]
美[sɔɪ] | 英[sɔɪ]
n. 大豆；酱油
every bit [六级]
美[ˈɛvri bɪt] | 英[ˈevri bit]
同样； 很
antibiotics [专四]
美[ˌæntɪbaɪ'ɒtɪks] | 英[ˌæntɪbaɪ'ɒtɪks]
n. 抗生素
bumper [专八]
美[ˈbʌmpər] | 英[ˈbʌmpə(r)]
n. 保险杠；缓冲器 n. 满杯；特大的东西 adj. 丰盛的；特大的
standing [专八]
美[ˈstændɪŋ] | 英[ˈstændɪŋ]
n. 持续；地位 adj. 永久的；不动的；直立的；不流动的
domesticate [专八]
美[dəˈmestɪkeɪt] | 英[dəˈmestɪkeɪt]
vt. 驯养；使专注于家务；教化 n. 家禽；(家养)植物
entitlement [考研]
美[ɛnˈtaɪtlmənt] | 英[ɪnˈtaɪtlmənt]
n. 权利
federally [考研]
美[ ˈfedərəli] | 英[ˈfedərəli]
adv. 同盟地；联邦地；联邦政府地
重点讲解
Our Taste for Flesh Has Exhausted the Earth
爱吃肉已经耗尽了地球的资源
forebear n. 祖先；祖宗
【例】Our forebears came from eastern Europe.
我们的祖先是从东欧迁来的。
【近义词】ancestor/forefather n. 祖先；父辈
【反义词】offspring/descendant n. 后代；后裔
Our earliest forebears trapped or hunted what meat they ate. When we learned to domesticate animals, we raised them on our land, or we roamed the land with our herds.
我们最早的祖先靠设置陷阱或捕猎获取肉食。当我们学会驯化动物时，我们在自己的土地上饲养它们，或者带着畜群在土地上游牧。
forebear n. 祖先；祖宗
【例】Our forebears came from eastern Europe.
我们的祖先是从东欧迁来的。
【近义词】ancestor/forefather n. 祖先；父辈
【反义词】offspring/descendant n. 后代；后裔
No matter which tribe we belonged to, whether farmers or pastoralists, our animals were our assets. We ate their flesh in small portions, and we ate almost every bit of them, especially the poorest among us. Guts, feet, heart.
无论我们属于哪个部落，无论是农民还是牧民，牲畜都是我们的资产。我们把它们的肉分成小块吃掉，尤其是最穷苦的人，把肉吃得几乎一点都不剩。内脏、脚、心脏都吃掉。
asset n. 资产；有价值的人（或事物）
【例】Her assets include shares in the company and a house in France.
她的财产包括公司的股份和在法国的一座房子。
Her leadership qualities and problem-solving skills make her an asset to the organization.
她既有领导力，又有问题解决能力，是单位里的骨干/宝贵资产。
【反义词】liability n. 债务；累赘；不利因素
The Industrial Revolution changed meat. In the 19th century, refrigeration enabled meat to be trucked in from far away, or shipped from even further away, which eventually led to the razing of forests in places like Brazil.
工业革命改变了肉。在19世纪，冷藏技术使人们可以用卡车从远方运输肉，或者用轮船从更远的地方运输肉，这最终导致了巴西等地的森林被砍伐。
raze v. 摧毁；夷为平地
【例】The village was razed to the ground.
这座村庄被夷为平地。
【拓展】razor n. 剃刀
bumper adj. 异常大的；丰盛的
【例】a bumper harvest 丰收
a bumper year 大年；丰收年
【反义词】lean adj. 不景气的；萧条的
Production became more efficient. By the late 1940s, antibiotics became routine in chicken feed. By the late 1990s, genetically modified corn and soy brought bumper crops of animal feed.
生产变得更有效率。到1940年代末，在鸡饲料中加抗生素成为常规做法。到了1990年代末，转基因玉米和大豆带来了丰盛的动物饲料。
raze v. 摧毁；夷为平地
【例】The village was razed to the ground.
这座村庄被夷为平地。
【拓展】razor n. 剃刀
bumper adj. 异常大的；丰盛的
【例】a bumper harvest 丰收
a bumper year 大年；丰收年
【反义词】lean adj. 不景气的；萧条的
Animals were bred to be bigger and faster-growing. In the U.S., government subsidies helped: free groundwater, federally backed loans, price guarantees for feed crops. And meat went big.
动物被养育得更大、生长更快。在美国，政府补贴提供了以下帮助：免费的地下水、联邦政府支持的贷款、饲料作物的价格保证。于是肉类产业规模变大。
breed v. & n.
1. 作动词：饲养，培育（动植物）
【例】to breed a new strain of wheat 培养小麦新品种
【拓展】cross-bred adj. 杂交的
pure-bred adj. 纯种的
well bred adj. （人）有教养的
2. 作名词：品种（尤指人工培育的狗、猫或牲畜）
【例】a breed of dog 某个品种的狗
dwarf n. & v.
1. 作名词：矮人
【例】Snow White and the seven dwarfs
白雪公主和七个小矮人
2. 作动词：使显得矮小；使相形见绌
【例】This present trouble dwarfs that other matter．
当前的这个困难使另一个问题显得不那么重要。
【近义词】eclipse/overshadow v. 使处于阴影中；使逊色
pale next to sb/sth 与某人/事相比相形见绌
Today the $1 trillion global meat industry is dominated by a handful of corporations, including JBS, Cargill, and Tyson. Since 1961, meat production has quadrupled, dwarfing the growth in the human population, which merely doubled.
如今，价值1万亿美元的全球肉类行业由少数几家公司主导，包括巴西的肉食加工商JBS、嘉吉食品公司和泰森食品公司。自1961年以来，肉类产量已变为原来的四倍，人口增长与之相形见绌，仅变为原来的两倍。
breed v. & n.
1. 作动词：饲养，培育（动植物）
【例】to breed a new strain of wheat 培养小麦新品种
【拓展】cross-bred adj. 杂交的
pure-bred adj. 纯种的
well bred adj. （人）有教养的
2. 作名词：品种（尤指人工培育的狗、猫或牲畜）
【例】a breed of dog 某个品种的狗
dwarf n. & v.
1. 作名词：矮人
【例】Snow White and the seven dwarfs
白雪公主和七个小矮人
2. 作动词：使显得矮小；使相形见绌
【例】This present trouble dwarfs that other matter．
当前的这个困难使另一个问题显得不那么重要。
【近义词】eclipse/overshadow v. 使处于阴影中；使逊色
pale next to sb/sth 与某人/事相比相形见绌
Meat went from being special to being an everyday entitlement. The more we prospered, the more flesh we ate. China's meat consumption jumped sharply, from about 6.6 pounds per capita in 1961 to more than 140 pounds in 2021.
肉从特殊食品变成了日常应有的食品。我们生活越繁荣，吃的肉就越多。中国的肉类消费量急剧上升，从1961年的人均约6.6磅增加到2021年的人均140多磅。
entitlement n. 有权得到的东西；应有的权利
【例】the entitlement to education 接受教育的应有权利
the entitlements of employees regarding paid leave and benefits
员工在带薪休假和福利方面的权利
a sense of entitlement 特权感
【拓展】be entitled to sth 有权做某事
carnivore n. 食肉动物
【例】Lions are powerful carnivores.
狮子是凶猛的食肉动物。
【拓展】herbivore 食草动物
omnivore 杂食动物
But the United States became the lions of Planet Carnivore. On average, Americans went from eating around 207 pounds of meat in 1961 to 280 pounds, in 2021, and chicken came to dominate.
但美国成为了食肉动物星球上的狮子。平均而言，美国人的肉类消费量从1961年的约207磅增加到了2021年的280磅，其中鸡肉占据了主导地位。
entitlement n. 有权得到的东西；应有的权利
【例】the entitlement to education 接受教育的应有权利
the entitlements of employees regarding paid leave and benefits
员工在带薪休假和福利方面的权利
a sense of entitlement 特权感
【拓展】be entitled to sth 有权做某事
carnivore n. 食肉动物
【例】Lions are powerful carnivores.
狮子是凶猛的食肉动物。
【拓展】herbivore 食草动物
omnivore 杂食动物
It wasn't just chicken consumption that changed. It was the bird itself. Follow, as I have, a chicken truck to the slaughterhouse -- birds crammed into cages, feathers flying across the road -- and you realize how profoundly we have altered the nature of the animal.
不仅仅是鸡肉的消费发生了变化。鸡本身也发生了变化。如果你像我一样跟着运活禽的卡车去屠宰场----鸡被塞进笼子里，羽毛在路上飞得到处都是----你就会意识到我们多么深刻地改变了动物的本性。
cram v. 塞满；塞进
【例】He crammed eight people into his car.
他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
to cram for the exam 临考前死记硬背
【近义词】squeeze v. 塞进；挤进去
Thanks to feed and breeding, an 8-week-old chicken today is about four times heavier than an 8-week-old chicken was 60 years ago. Their breasts are so large that they can have a hard time standing.
由于饲料和育种，如今一只8周大的鸡的体重是60年前一只8周大的鸡的体重的四倍左右。这些鸡的胸部太大，以至于它们站都站不住。
cram v. 塞满；塞进
【例】He crammed eight people into his car.
他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
to cram for the exam 临考前死记硬背
【近义词】squeeze v. 塞进；挤进去
课后练习
Domesticated animals were ____ for our forebears.
A. valuable and essential
B. burdensome and worthless
C. fascinating and entertaining
D. unpredictable and dangerous
What has contributed to the increase of meat consumption?
A. Advancements in the meat preservation and industrial production.
B. Changing dietary trends and the increased nutritional awareness.
C. Genetically modified corn and soy and better meat quality.
D. Government subsidies and the affordability of meat.
What kind of change have chickens gone through?
A. They have become more adaptive to their habitat.
B. They have enjoyed better animal welfare than before.
C. They have grown abnormally large at an unnatural speed.
D. They have become fatter and stronger due to better genes.
What is the main idea of the text?
A. The history of chicken domestication and its impact on society.
B. The changes in the meat production and consumption over time.
C. The effects of the Industrial Revolution on farming practices.
D. The role of government subsidies in the animal agriculture.
