雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
约翰·雷与植物研究：现代植物学奠基人
本篇也叫：约翰·雷、John Ray、植物学之父、英国植物学家约翰·雷、约翰·雷 植物研究、雷伊
Part 2 · 考频：超高频 · 最近考试：2026.3.22深圳大学
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《John Ray and the study of plants》，共 12 题，2026.3.22深圳大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章介绍17世纪英国学者、植物学家约翰·雷。他出身铁匠家庭，靠努力进入剑桥大学，后因健康原因开始研究植物，自学成才并教授他人，成为现代植物学奠基人之一，其著作《英国植物概要》等影响深远。
A
The 17th-century English scholar and botanist John Ray was well aware that he lived through, and participated in, a profound revolution in the way people interacted with nature. In the preface to his Synopsis of British Plants, published in 1690, he gave thanks that he had been born at a time when traditional dependence on the teaching of the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) had given way to a new philosophy based on experiment and observation of the real world, that we now call science.
B
Ray was born in 1627. His father was a village blacksmith, and his mother was also a respected member of the community, a healer who was an expert in folk medicine and the use of herbs to treat ailments. Ray must have stood out as an unusually bright boy among his schoolmates, and his talents were recognised by a church official, Samuel Covell, who had graduated from Cambridge University in 1600, and maintained his links with his university. Through his influence, Ray was admitted to Cambridge University in 1644 at the age of seventeen a huge step for a village blacksmith's son. There he made a solid start, and quickly gained a reputation as a brilliant student. He studied the classics (Greek, Latin and Hebrew) and mathematics,but there was nothing yet we would now call science in the curriculum. After graduating in 16648, he became minor member of staff at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was appointed Lecturer in Greek in 1651, Lecturer in Mathematics in 1653, and Lecturer in Humanities in 1655.
C
Almost immediately after graduating, Ray also seems to have developed the interest to which he would devote the rest of his life: the study of the natural world. He explains this conversion into a naturalist - in particular into a botanist - in the preface to his first book, the Cambridge Catalogue of English Plants. Here Ray tells us that he suffered an illness in his early twenties, and was advised to take long walks and ride fresh air while recovering. While doing this, he became interested in the local flora, and finding nobody able to teach him, Ray investigated it for himself. He then went on pass on the knowledge he acquired to others.
D
By the mid-1650s, even the first-year students at Trinity College were able to identify the plants and flowers around Cambridge, as they were being taught (unofficially none of this was part of their formal education) by Ray. Many of them were the sons of landowners, and so had a natural, if amateurish, interest in country matters. But a few of them took his efforts to understand the natural world much more seriously. One of these, Francis Willughby, later played an important part in Ray's life
E
Having himself had no authority on the subject of plants on which to draw, Ray also started work on what would become his Cambridge Catalogue of English Plants. The work was not published until 1660 because, as Ray explained in the preface, he had to start from scratch:
"I had first to become familiar with the literature, to compare the plants that I found with the pictures, and when there seemed to be a resemblance, to go fully into any unknown descriptions. Gaining skill by experience, I acquired at 1ast the ability to recognise to what tribe and family similar or could be assigned, this taught me to search for similarities and saved a vast deal of labour, which others would have spent in their difficulties. I was eager to make the most of this and was fortun to share my enthusiasm with my friends..."
F
Ray's Cambridge Catalogue of English Plants was much more than a simple list of species. It gave the names of plants found in the area around Cambridge and included information about where they grew and how common they were. In doping this, Ray was producing something that would be of practical use to students and other readers interested in the local natural world. At the same time, the book showed his interested in the local natural world. At the same time, the book showed his determination to describe plants accurately, on the basis of direct examination rather than reliance on old authorities. In this respect, it reflected the spirit of the new learning that Ray admired.
G
Ray's studies of plants were only the beginning of a much larger ambition. With the support of Francis Willughby, he began to imagine a more comprehensive investigation of nature, one that would attempt to classify living things according to careful observation of their shared characteristics. This was an ambitious undertaking especially at a time when many aspects of the natural world remained poorly described. Yet Ray believed that by collecting evidence systematically and comparing related forms, it would be possible to build a more reliable understanding of nature than scholars had possessed before.
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答案：Ray's appreciation of his contemporary academic culture
原文定位：he gave thanks that he had been born at a time when traditional dependence on the teaching of the Greek philosopher Aristotle;had given way to a new philosophy based on experiment and observation of the real world, that we now call science
同义替换：「appreciation」↔「gave thanks」，「contemporary academic culture」↔「new philosophy」
答案：a succession of academic achievements
原文定位：He was appointed Lecturer in Greek in 1651, Lecturer in Mathematics in 1653, and Lecturer in Humanities in 1655
同义替换：「academic achievements」↔「Lecturer in Greek」
答案：a change of direction for Ray
原文定位：Almost immediately after graduating, Ray also seems to have developed the interest to which he would devote the rest of his life;the study of the natural world
同义替换：「change of direction」↔「developed the interest to which he would devote the rest of his life」
答案：Ray's informal tuition
原文定位：By the mid-1650s, even the first-year students at Trinity College were able to identify the plants and flowers around Cambridge, as they were being taught (unofficially none of this was part of their formal education) by Ray
同义替换：「informal」↔「unofficially」，「tuition」↔「taught」
答案：Ray's account of his working methods
原文定位：I had first to become familiar with the literature, to compare the plants that I found with the pictures, and when there seemed to be a resemblance, to go fully into any unknown descriptions
答案：a description of the content of Ray's first book
原文定位：It gave the names of plants found in the area around Cambridge and included information about where they grew and how common they were
同义替换：「description of the content」↔「gave the names of」
答案：plans for a bold new project
原文定位：With the support of Francis Willughby, he began to imagine a more comprehensive investigation of nature, one that would attempt to classify living things according to careful observation of their shared characteristics
同义替换：「plans」↔「began to imagine」，「bold new project」↔「comprehensive investigation of nature」
答案：revolution
原文定位：he lived through, and participated in, a profound revolution in the way people interacted with nature
同义替换：「reflected the revolution」↔「lived through a profound revolution」，「people's way of thinking about the natural world」↔「people interacted with nature」
答案：science
原文定位：a new philosophy based on experiment and observation of the real world, that we now call science
同义替换：「approach」↔「philosophy」，「modern field of science」↔「we now call science」
答案：illness
原文定位：he suffered an illness in his early twenties, and was advised to take long walks and ride fresh air while recovering
同义替换：「after a period of illness」↔「suffered an illness」，「spend time outdoors」↔「take long walks」
答案：students
原文定位：By the mid-1650s, even the first-year students at Trinity College were able to identify the plants and flowers around Cambridge, as they were being taught (unofficially none of this was part of their formal education) by Ray
同义替换：「taught many Cambridge students」↔「taught the first-year students at Trinity College」
答案：He was helped by a former student of Cambridge University.,His parents were both valued by the people in their local area.
原文定位：his talents were recognised by a church official, Samuel Covell, who had graduated from Cambridge University in 1600;Through his influence, Ray was admitted to Cambridge University in 1644;His father was a village blacksmith, and his mother was also a respected member of the community