导读：欧洲野牛（1627年灭绝）。欧洲最著名的灭绝动物之一，拥有非常庞大的体型，在25万年前引进欧洲。在任何地方捕杀巨型动物，是贵族的特权，后来慢慢地变成了仅是王室特权。最后仅存的一头欧洲母野牛，死于1627年波兰的Jaktorów 森林公园。
对应考题：2010.01.15北美托福阅读题
Aurochs 欧洲野牛
Aurochs, one of the ancestors of modern cattle, became extinct in the 17th century
We owe a lot to aurochs. They’re one of the ancestors of modern cattle, an animal which today supplies the world with meat and milk. Actually, aurochs and cattle are considered by many to be variations of same species. Some people would say it’s not fair to group aurochs with extinct animals, but since there are no longer any wild cattle in Europe, most scientists do consider aurochs to be wiped out. Aurochs also exhibited many features that aren’t found in modern domesticated cattle, like forward-bent horns and stripes down their backs.
Aurochs were first domesticated in Mesopotamia, but they remained prevalent in the wild of Northern Europe until the middle ages. Their numbers gradually dwindled due to overhunting and habitat destruction. Though they were fierce animals, aurochs eventually succumbed to the stress of being constantly hunted. The last of the aurochs lived in the early 1600s.
中文背景：
欧洲野牛，欧洲最著名的灭绝动物之一。欧洲野牛和古代欧洲野牛（据说为现代家牛的祖先）拥有非常庞大的体型。200万年前，欧洲野牛被引进印度。然后引进到中东，之后是亚洲，最后在25万年前引进欧洲。随着欧洲野牛数目的下滑，捕杀被禁止。但是王室法庭仍然要求猎场看守人为欧洲野牛提供露天的房牧场。这位猎场看守人是当地免税人，他可以免于缴纳各种税款。同时，他还有权力对于非法捕杀欧洲野牛的不法分子进行惩罚——判处死刑。1564年，经过王室调查，猎场看守人知道仅存有38头。最后仅存的一头欧洲母野牛，也死于1627年波兰的Jaktorów 森林公园。它的头骨被瑞士军部所取，至今是斯德哥尔摩兵器馆的所属物。 1758年，林奈 （Linnaeus）第一次在科学文献中对这种动物进行描述。20世纪，欧洲科学家利用已被家庭驯养的牛，培育出新的欧洲野牛（Heck欧洲野牛），与野生欧洲的野牛生物学特征相比，他们都不完全相像。1996年 ，它被国际自然与自然资源保护联合会（IUCN）列为濒临绝种的动物。
