考研英语阅读理解中的文章，很多来自一些外刊杂志方面的题材。接下来，北京文都考研网为扩宽2020考研学子的知识面，整理了考研英语经济学人外刊:羊驼的逆袭之路，供考生参考。
2020考研英语经济学人外刊:羊驼的逆袭之路
British alpacas cheat the abattoir
英国羊驼逃离了被屠宰的命运
An 80,000-strong herd is made up increasingly of pets, not sausage-fodder
在这支多达8万只的羊驼大军中，越来越多的羊驼成为了宠物，而不再是制作香肠的原料了
Eight years ago J. Broomhall Ltd, a family-run abattoir in Gloucestershire, became the first in the country to get a licence to slaughter alpacas. At the time, 40 or so animals a year would arrive to be dispatched.
八年前，J. Broomhall 有限责任公司(一家位于格洛斯特郡的家族经营的屠宰场)成为了英国第一家获得屠宰羊驼许可证的屠宰场。那会，每年约有40只羊驼被送到这里(屠宰)。
But in recent years business has fizzled out, says Stephen Broomhall, an owner of the firm. One reason is that the animals don’t taste great. More important still is what Mr Broomhall calls the “petrification” of alpacas—in other words, people find them too cute to kill.
但该公司的老板史蒂芬·布鲁姆霍尔表示，近年来公司的屠宰业务基本宣告失败。一方面的原因是羊驼的肉不好吃。但更重要的原因则是布鲁姆霍尔所说的羊驼的“呆萌”——换句话说，人们觉得羊驼太可爱了而下不了手。
Alpacas are increasingly popular as pets, rather than future sausages. There are 40,974 registered with the British Alpaca Society, up from 25,080 ten years ago. Duncan Pullar, head of the society, sticks his neck out and estimates there are 40,000 more unregistered ones.
作为宠物(而非未来的香肠)的羊驼越来越受欢迎了。在英国羊驼协会登记注册的羊驼数量从10年前的25080只增加到了40974只。该协会的会长邓肯·普拉尔说出了冒风险的的话，他估计还有4万多只羊驼尚未注册。
The first animals arrived a couple of decades ago from Peru, where they are mainly farmed for their soft fleece. In Britain owners tend not to be experienced farmers; most have simply “got some fields and don’t like horses”, says Mr Pullar.
几十年前，英国的第一批羊驼自秘鲁而来，在秘鲁，人们养殖羊驼主要是为了薅柔软的羊驼毛。普拉尔说，英国的羊驼养殖者往往不具有丰富的养殖经验;大多数养殖者只是因为“有几亩薄田，但不喜欢马儿”。
The 2000s saw alpaca prices rise steeply, as demand shot up but animals still had to be imported. Owners got sucked into a co-operative that claimed to offer a route to market for fleece but turned into something of a pyramid scheme.
21世纪初，随着需求的激增，羊驼的价格大幅上涨，但仍需从国外进口。养殖者们被卷入了一种合作模式，这种合作模式声称能够提供一条让羊驼毛通向市场的途径，但最终却变成了一种金字塔式的骗局。
And unscrupulous types found that buying a few alpacas could help them win planning permission for a house, by claiming it was needed for someone to keep an eye on them.
肆无忌惮的人们还发现，买几只羊驼并声称它们需要有人来照顾，这样就可以让他们拿到房屋规划许可。
Today prices have stabilised and growth is slower. A cheap male might go for £300 ($390), less than the price of a pedigree dog. Growing numbers of farms offer alpaca walks, giving the chance to hang out without the hassle of ownership.
如今，羊驼的价格已经趋于稳定、增长放缓。一只便宜的公羊驼可能只要300英镑(约合390美元)，比一条纯种狗的价格还低。越来越多的农场开始提供羊驼散步服务，让人们在没有所有权麻烦的情况下可以遛羊驼。
At Spring Farm Alpacas, in Fletching, Sussex, visitors pay £30 to guide an alpaca around the farm and sneak selfies with the Instagram-friendly beasts. A small shop sells goods made from their wool. EU subsidies for land conservation provide a helpful boost to income.
在苏塞克斯郡弗莱彻林的春天羊驼农场，游客们可以花费30英镑牵着一只羊驼在农场周围散步，并偷偷地与这些 Instagram 友好型动物一起自拍。一家小商店还出售羊驼毛制品。欧盟对土地保护的补贴也有助于增加养殖户的收入。
Although alpacas are no harder to keep than, say, sheep, they are a step up from more conventional pets. Those unused to humans are particularly standoffish. Spring Farm works hard to raise friendly alpacas.
尽管羊驼并不比绵羊更难养，但相比那些更传统的宠物而言，它们还是要难养一些。那些对人类还不习惯的羊驼尤其会表现得冷漠。春天农场在努力饲养出对人类友好的羊驼。
“Every day we’re contacted by people who have bought cute, friendly, cuddly animals [from other farms] but can’t get anywhere near them,” sighs Vicky Agar, who runs the business with her husband and offers training to alpacas and their owners.
维姬·艾格叹息道：“每天都有人和我们联系，他们(从其他农场)购买了可爱、亲切、让人想拥抱的羊驼，但却无法靠近它们。” 她和丈夫一起经营着这家公司，并为羊驼及其主人提供培训。
The Broomhall abattoir recently got a call from a charity wondering how to dispose of unwanted pet alpacas. Cuteness is not always enough to save their hide.
Broomhall 屠宰场最近接到了一个来自慈善机构的电话，对方询问如何处理多余的宠物羊驼。看来可爱的外表有时并不足以让它们保命呀。
【重难点词汇】
slaughter ['slɔtɚ] vt. 屠宰，屠杀;杀戮;使惨败 n. 屠宰，屠杀;杀戮;消灭
dispatch [dɪ'spætʃ] v. 派遣，发送;迅速处理，快速办妥;杀死，处决 n. 派遣，调遣，发送;急件，快信;报道，电讯
petrification [,petrɪfɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n] n. 化石;僵化;石化作用
sausage ['sɔsɪdʒ] n. 香肠;腊肠;装香肠的碎肉
fleece [flis] n. 羊毛，绒头织物;羊毛制的覆盖物 vt. 剪下羊毛;欺诈，剥削
pyramid ['pɪrəmɪd] n. 金字塔;角锥体 vi. 渐增;上涨;成金字塔状 vt. 使…渐增;使…上涨;使…成金字塔状
unscrupulous [ʌn'skrupjələs] adj. 肆无忌惮的;寡廉鲜耻的;不讲道德的
pedigree ['pɛdɪɡri] n. 血统;家谱 adj. 纯种的
hassle ['hæsl] n. 困难;分歧;起哄 v. 烦扰;与……争辩
sneak [snik] vi./vt. 溜;鬼鬼祟祟做事;向老师打小报告 n. 偷偷摸摸的行为;告密者 adj. 暗中进行的
standoffish [stænd'ɒfɪʃ] adj. 冷淡的，不友好的
cuddly ['kʌdli] adj. 令人想拥抱的;喜欢搂搂抱抱的;逗人喜爱的
dispose [dɪ'spoz] vt. 处理;处置;安排 vi. 处理;安排;决定 n. 处置;性情
以上是北京文都考研网给出的“2020考研英语经济学人外刊:羊驼的逆袭之路”，希望对备考2020考研英语的考生有所帮助!祝2020考研顺利!
推荐阅读：
