这篇文章给大家聊聊关于英汉双语阅读21:猫是如何被人类驯化的，以及英汉双语阅读21:猫是如何被人类驯化的对应的知识点，希望对各位有所帮助，不要忘了收藏本站哦。

[往期回顾]

双语阅读20:苏州寒山寺的历史渊源

[本期内容]

Domestication of cats

猫的驯化

Although the origin of domestic cats was hidden in ancient times, studies involving mitochondrial DNA show that cats have two lineages. A branch may have appeared in Asia Minor as early as 6400 years ago and spread northward and westward to Europe. Another bloodline appeared in Egypt from 6400 to 1000 years ago, and then spread to the whole Mediterranean along a path parallel to the trade routes in this region (possibly introduced by humans). Cats of two lineages continue to breed with African wildcats in the process of their dispersion.

虽然猫的驯化历史悠久，但涉及线粒体DNA的研究表明，猫有两个血统。一个谱系可能早在6400年前就出现在小亚细亚，并传播到欧洲北部和西部。另一个谱系出现在6400年至1000年前的埃及。

然后沿着与该地区贸易路线平行的路径传播到整个地中海(可能是人类传入)。这两个血统的猫在各自迁徙过程中继续与非洲野猫交配。

The earliest known association between cats and humans dates possibly as far back as the origins of agriculture in the Middle East, about 9,500 years ago. A cat skeleton accompanying that of a human dated to that time was discovered in southern Cyprus. Although some sources note that this finding suggests that cats had undergone some degree of domestication in that location, other sources argue that cats may have domesticated themselves by choosing to live in human-altered landscapes.

已知的猫和人之间最早的联系可以追溯到大约9500年前中东的农业起源。在塞浦路斯南部发现了一具猫的骨骼，当时还伴随着一具人类的骨骼。虽然有消息人士指出，这一发现表明猫在那个地方经过了一定程度的驯化，

但其他消息来源认为，猫可能是通过主动选择生活在人类改变的环境中而被驯化的。

Fossil evidence found in China dating to approximately 5,300 years ago revealed that cats similar in size to modern domestic cats fed on small grain-eating animals, such as rodents, and millet in agricultural settings. Although research suggests that these cats were actually leopard cats, which were replaced by modern domestic cats before 3000 BCE, this discovery suggests that humans allowed cats to hunt mice and other rodents that threatened grain stores and possibly fed the cats or allowed them to consume leftover food.

大约5300年前在中国发现的化石证据表明，与现代家猫相似的猫以小型食粮动物(如啮齿动物)和人类培育的小米为食。虽然研究表明这些猫实际上是豹猫，但它们在公元前3000年前就被现代家猫取代了。

但这一发现表明，人类允许猫捕食威胁食物储备的老鼠和其他啮齿动物，并可能喂猫或允许它们吃剩饭。

Although the cat was proclaimed a sacred animal in Egypt in the 5th and 6th dynasties, it had not necessarily been domesticated at that time. It is probable that the ancient Egyptians partnered with the cat because they realized its value in protecting granaries from rodents. Their affection and respect for this predator led to the development of religious cat cults and temple worship of cats. There are no authentic records of domestication earlier than 1500 BCE, however.

虽然猫在埃及第五、第六王朝被宣布为神圣动物，但在当时并不一定被驯养。古埃及人与猫合作可能是因为他们意识到猫在保护粮仓免受啮齿动物侵害方面的价值。

他们对这种食肉动物的热爱和尊重导致了宗教猫崇拜和寺庙猫崇拜的发展。然而，没有可靠的记录表明猫在公元前1500年之前被驯化。

Cats have long been known to other cultures. Wall tiles in Crete dating from 1600 BCE depict hunting cats. Evidence from art and literature indicates that the cat was present in Greece from the 5th century BCE, and tiles featuring cats appeared in China from 500 BCE. In India cats were mentioned in Sanskrit writings around 100 BCE, while the Arabs and the Japanese were not introduced to the cat until about 600 CE. The earliest record of cats in Britain dates to about 936 CE, when Howel Dda, prince of south-central Wales, enacted laws for their protection.

猫在其他文化中早已为人所知。克里特岛的地砖可以追溯到公元前1600年，地砖上描绘的是猎猫。来自艺术和文学的证据表明，这种猫从公元前5世纪就出现在希腊。

公元前500年，中国就出现了猫的图案。在印度，大约在公元前100年的梵文著作中就提到了猫，而阿拉伯人和日本人直到公元前600年左右才知道关于猫的任何事情。英国最早的猫记录可以追溯到公元936年左右。

当时威尔士中南部的国王豪厄尔达颁布了保护猫的法律。

Even though all cats are similar in appearance, it is difficult to trace the ancestry of individual breeds. Since tabbylike markings appear in the drawings and mummies of ancient Egyptian cats, present-day tabbies may be descendants of the sacred cats of Egypt. The Abyssinian also resembles pictures and statues of Egyptian cats. The Persian, whose colouring is often the same as that of mixed breeds (although the length of hair and the body conformation are distinctive), was probably crossed at various times with other breeds.

无尾的马恩岛猫和无毛的斯芬克斯猫、卷毛的德文雷克斯一样，都是变异的。波斯猫和暹罗猫的祖先很可能不同于其他家养品种，代表了亚洲野猫的驯化。事实上，暹罗猫的祖先目前还不得而知，而在现存的亚洲猫中，

没有发现他们祖先的踪迹。

The tailless Manx cat, like the hairless Sphynx cat and curly-coated Devon Rex, is a mutation. The ancestry of Persian and Siamese cats may well be distinct from that of other domestic breeds, representing a domestication of an Asian wild cat. In fact, nothing is known of the ancestry of the Siamese types, and there is no living species of Asian cat that could have served as ancestor.

虽然所有的猫在外表上都很相似，但很难追溯单一品种的祖先。鉴于古埃及猫的图片和木乃伊上的虎斑花纹，现在的虎斑猫可能是埃及圣猫的后代。阿比西尼亚人也有很像埃及猫的图画和雕像。

波斯猫通常与混种毛色相同(虽然毛长和体型不同)，可能在不同时期与其他品种杂交。

【Source】www.travelchinaguide.com

[Translated from] Spark Liao (Liao Huaibao)

[Illustration] From ice

好了，本文到此结束，如果可以帮助到大家，还望关注本站哦！