从文章改编看雅思阅读。讲在 前面大家都知道雅思阅读的文章通常都是从杂志或者书上面摘取下来经过编辑之后构成的适合用来考试的文章。每篇文章的出处在剑桥后一页的acknowledgement当中就有体现，今天呢，我们想用剑13中的一篇文章来从不同的角度我们的阅读可以怎么样去进行备考。
　　 这篇文章是TEST2的PASSAGE1，题目是Bringing cinnamon to Europe， 原文出自于Troy David Osborne写的A taste of paradise: cinnamon, 收藏于University of Minnesota Libraries。以下是文章前两段的对比。
　　原 文：
　　Cinnamon does not instantly spring to mind when one thinks of the spices that spurred European expansion into Asia during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Usually, the trade in cloves, nutmeg and mace dominates discussions of the luxury goods that allowed sailors and merchants to amass fortunes and encouraged further European domination of the Indian Ocean trade routes and the production of spices. In addition to the aforementioned, the capture of the cinnamon trade was also a goal for the early modern Europeans.
　　The consumption of cinnamon already had a long history in Europe by the time that thePortuguese arrived at Ceylon, the source of the spice, in the early years of the sixteenth century. Cinnamon is mentioned in several books of the Bible, for instance as an ingredient in Moses’anointing oils and as a token of friendship between lovers or friends.In ancient Rome, mourners burnt cinnamon in funeral pyres in order to cover the scent of burning flesh. Emperor Nero consumed a year’s worth of the spice in the pyre for his wife Poppaea in 65AD. Most often, however, the spice found its primary use as an additive to food, and in the Middle Ages it was a status symbol for Europe’s Elites.
　　Those people who would afford the spice used it in meals for flavor and to impress those around them with their ability to purchase a condiment from the ‘exotic’East.……
　　剑 桥Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian sub-continent. It was known in biblical times,and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient that was mixed with oils for anointing people’s bodies, and also as a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends.In ancient Rome, mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent. Most often, however, the spice found its primary use as an additive to food and drink. In the Middle-Ages, Europeans who could afford use spice used it to flavorfood, particularly meat, and to impress those around them with their ability to purchase an expensive condiment from the ‘exotic’East.……
　　对 比：
      1、两篇文章用了完全不一样的开头，主要是因为像等地区的学生对于cinnamon这个东西是没有什么概念的，所以剑桥的文章里首先做了一个简单的介绍，而不像是原文一来就给了一个历史的背景。
　　2、剑桥的文章在一些比较专业的词当中做了减，比如Bible那个例子中，原文中的Moses摩西（圣经故事中犹太人的领袖）就被减了，另外一个Emperor Nero(古罗马皇帝尼禄)的例子就被直接减了；
　　3、在原文比较重复或者隐晦的地方会进行改写。比如原文中说“mourners burnt cinnamon in funeral pyres in order to cover the scent of burning flesh”就改成了“mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent”，掩盖肉的味道就是创造一个好闻的味道，这就是将意义表达的更加具体。而在原文第二段的后一句“and in the Middle Ages it was a status symbol for Europe’s elites”直接被除了，因为整个后面的内容其实都是在具体描写这个部分。
　　总结：剑桥的文章在进行改写的时候都是朝着简洁、明确以及没有背景障碍的角度来进行的，那么大家在复习的时候也不需要太过于担心背景知识，但是文章中的生词还是需要尽量都掌握。