# Brassica - 科目：雅思阅读真题（Part 1） - 最近考试：2026.10.24河北工业大学 - 题目数：13 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/1fa15925-2c6e-4cc1-881c-711745aa9c61（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-29 ## 题目原文 A The group of plants known as Brassicas comprises a wide range of common vegetables including cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, horseradish, rocket and mustard. Some are so familiar that they have come to be seen as rather boring vegetables. But the Brassicas provide much more than the greens on our plates, and have played their part in plant-breeding, medicine and warfare. B The diversity of Brassicas we see today is the result of selective breeding at different times by different cultures, but they are all ultimately descended from one type of wild cabbage. The ease with which wild cabbage can be adapted by selective breeding was demonstrated in 1860, when researchers at Cirencester Agricultural College in the UK used simple selection experiments to produce broccoli and other cabbage-like species from wild cabbages found on the English coast. Variations in leaf form produced the tightly packed heads of today's cabbages and also other species with loose heads, while the development through selective breeding of various flower formations resulted in cauliflowers and broccolis. C When the British naturalist Charles Darwin came to investigate crop origins in the mid-nineteenth century, he complained that botanists had generally neglected cultivated varieties. The leafy parts of plants tend to be poorly preserved in archaeological remains, but in the course of the past hundred years or so, developments in areas as diverse as physics, genetics and computing have all contributed data to the search for the origins of Brassicas. D Kales, with their dark green, loose leaves, are the most ancient Brassica species. They were among the first to have been cultivated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where they are thought to have originated. However, early Brassica domestication also appears to have extended into the southern parts of China, to provide the origin of Chinese kale and the multitude of oriental variations. E However, kales are not well suited to the continental climates of northern Europe, where headed cabbages, in which the leaves are tightly packed together in the form of a ball, were found to be better at tolerating cold conditions. Headed cabbages were apparently unknown in the ancient world, and since no accurate descriptions have survived, it is difficult to be sure whether or not they were known in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. But in 1536, the Frenchman Jean Ruel wrote about a species that was clearly a headed cabbage, and its western migration started soon after, when the French navigator Jacques Cartier introduced it to Canada in 1541. By the mid-seventeenth century, headed cabbage was being cultivated in the English colonies of North America. F Kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts are much more recent cultivated forms. Kohlrabi, which is distinguished from other forms of Brassica by the greater width of its stem, was known in late-fifteenth-century northern Europe, and was first described by the Italian botanist Pierandrea Mattioli. By the end of the sixteenth century, it was being cultivated from the Iberian Peninsula in the west, Libya in the south and across the eastern Mediterranean, but it was not found extensively in England until the late nineteenth century. Broccoli has become extremely popular in recent years; today the Calabrese type, with its large green head, is the type of broccoli most frequently consumed by westerners. Brussels sprouts, of which the part of the plant consumed are the large lateral buds on the plant stems, only became widely known during the twentieth century. G Many people are surprised to find that the diverse Brassica genus includes such uncabbage-like members as turnip, horseradish, rocket and mustard. This last is a clue to their common ancestry: it is the chemicals in mustard oils, which were evolved to protect the Brassicas from attack by insects, that give them their distinctive smell and taste. H One last member of this varied genus remains: oilseed rape. A crop in Europe since medieval times, oilseed rape emerged as a twentieth-century global industrial commodity for oil and fodder, and fields of rape, with its bright yellow flowers, are now common in Europe. In the early 1960s, global oilseed rape production was just under 4 million tonnes; by 2012 this had risen to approximately 65 million tonnes. Furthermore, oilseed rape has become important in research being carried out in the area of plant breeding. I Through generations of selection, we have changed almost every part of wild cabbages to meet our varying needs. The fact that cabbage can be developed in this way means that it is likely to remain an important food source as climates change and new means of producing food must be found. ## 题目与答案 ### 1. 1 Every kind of Brassica now available has been developed from the same wild cabbage species. 1 Every kind of Brassica now available has been developed from the same wild cabbage species. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：The diversity of Brassicas we see today is the result of selective breeding at different times by different cultures, but they are all ultimately descended from one type of wild cabbage 同义替换：「Every kind of Brassica now available」↔「The diversity of Brassicas we see today」；「has been developed from」↔「are all ultimately descended from」；「the same wild cabbage species」↔「one type of wild cabbage」 ### 10. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10_____ of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10_____ of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：buds 原文定位：Brussels sprouts, of which the part of the plant consumed are the large lateral buds on the plant stems, only became widely known during the twentieth century 同义替换：「Brussels sprouts」↔「Brussels sprouts」；「consist of」↔「the part of」；「only became widely known in the 20th century」↔「only became widely known during the twentieth century」 ### 11. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11_____ | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11_____ | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：insects 原文定位：it is the chemicals in mustard oils, which were evolved to protect the Brassicas from attack by insects, that give them their distinctive smell and taste 同义替换：「mustard」↔「mustard」；「defend」↔「protect」 ### 12. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12_____ has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12_____ has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：production 原文定位：In the early 1960s, global oilseed rape production was just under 4 million tonnes; by 2012 this had risen to approximately 65 million tonnes 同义替换：「oilseed rape」↔「oilseed rape」；「bright yellow flowers」↔「bright yellow flowers」；「has recently increased」↔「had risen」 ### 13. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13_____ on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13_____ on plant breeding | **答案**：research 原文定位：Furthermore, oilseed rape has become important in research being carried out in the area of plant breeding 同义替换：「oilseed rape」↔「oilseed rape」；「plant breeding」↔「plant breeding」 ### 2. 2 Today's cabbages have larger leaves than those grown in the past. 2 Today's cabbages have larger leaves than those grown in the past. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：Variations in leaf form produced the tightly packed heads of today's cabbages and also other species with loose heads, while the development through selective breeding of various flower formations resulted in cauliflowers and broccolis 同义替换：「Today's cabbages」↔「today's cabbages」；「leaves」↔「leaf form」；「larger」↔「」 ### 3. 3 The flower formations of cauliflowers and broccolis were originally produced by selective breeding. 3 The flower formations of cauliflowers and broccolis were originally produced by selective breeding. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：Variations in leaf form produced the tightly packed heads of today's cabbages and also other species with loose heads, while the development through selective breeding of various flower formations resulted in cauliflowers and broccolis 同义替换：「flower formations」↔「flower formations」；「cauliflowers and broccolis」↔「cauliflowers and broccolis」；「produced by」↔「resulted in」；「selective breeding」↔「selective breeding」 ### 4. 4 Charles Darwin felt that botanists should pay less attention to cultivated plants and more to wild plants. 4 Charles Darwin felt that botanists should pay less attention to cultivated plants and more to wild plants. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：When the British naturalist Charles Darwin came to investigate crop origins in the mid‑nineteenth century, he complained that botanists had generally neglected cultivated varieties 同义替换：「Charles Darwin」↔「Charles Darwin」；「botanists」↔「botanists」；「cultivated plants」↔「cultivated varieties」；「more to wild plants」↔「」 ### 5. 5 Over the last century, knowledge about the history of Brassicas has come from a number of different sources. 5 Over the last century, knowledge about the history of Brassicas has come from a number of different sources. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：but in the course of the past hundred years or so, developments in areas as diverse as physics, genetics and computing have all contributed data to the search for the origins of Brassicas 同义替换：「Over the last century」↔「in the course of the past hundred years or so」；「knowledge about the history of Brassicas」↔「data to the search for the origins of Brassicas」；「come from a number of different sources」↔「areas as diverse as physics, genetics and computing」 ### 6. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6_____ • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6_____ • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：cultivated 原文定位：Kales, with their dark green, loose leaves, are the most ancient Brassica species. They were among the first to have been cultivated in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, where they are thought to have originated 同义替换：「kales」↔「kales」；「one of the earliest species」↔「among the first」 ### 7. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7_____ of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7_____ of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：descriptions 原文定位：Headed cabbages were apparently unknown in the ancient world, and since no accurate descriptions have survived, it is difficult to be sure whether or not they were known in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. But in 1536, the Frenchman Jean Ruel wrote about a species that was clearly a headed cabbage 同义替换：「headed cabbages」↔「Headed cabbages」；「no correct」↔「no accurate」 ### 8. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8_____ | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8_____ | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9..... | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：stem 原文定位：Kohlrabi, which is distinguished from other forms of Brassica by the greater width of its stem, was known in late‑fifteenth‑century northern Europe, and was first described by the Italian botanist Pierandrea Mattioli 同义替换：「kohlrabi」↔「Kohlrabi」；「thick」↔「greater width」 ### 9. | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9_____ | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | | Species of Brassica | Description and features | History and use | | --- | --- | --- | | kales | have dark green loose leaves | • one of the earliest species of Brassica to be 6..... • originated in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor | | headed cabbages | have tightly packed leaves which are not harmed by cold weather | • there are no correct 7..... of the cabbage from before 1536 • they were introduced to North America from France in 1541 | | kohlrabi | has a thick 8..... | originated in northern Europe and spread around the Mediterranean | | Calabrese broccoli | has a large green head | has become the most popular variety among 9_____ | | Brussels sprouts | consist of the 10..... of the plant | only became widely known in the 20th century | | mustard | contains oils which defend it against 11..... | | | oilseed rape | has bright yellow flowers | • 12..... has recently increased • used as a source of oil and to feed animals • also used for 13..... on plant breeding | **答案**：westerners 原文定位：today the Calabrese type, with its large green head, is the type of broccoli most frequently consumed by westerners 同义替换：「Calabrese broccoli」↔「Calabrese type」；「has a large green head」↔「with its large green head」；「most popular variety」↔「most frequently consumed」 --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。