中英雙語話史記 第2期:舊石器時代
Paleolithic Age
舊石器時代Paleolithic Age began around 3000000 BC.
舊石器時代大約從公元前3000000年開始。During this period human beings underwent a long and slow course of physical evolution:
在這段時期，人類經歷了一場漫長而緩慢的體格進化：
first, from ape-man to Homo erectus, than passing through earlier and later stages of Homo sapiens,
首先從猿人進化成爲直立人，接着經過早期和晚期的智人，to the emergence of modem humans having a similar bodi¬ly makeup as that of humans today.
最終成爲擁有和今天的人類相似體型的現代人。During the Paleolithic Age, people were primarily nomadic hunters and gatherers, collecting fruit and fishing.
在舊石器時代，人們主要是遊牧獵人和羣居者，收集果子還有捕魚。While living in groups and dwelling in caves, they knew about and used fire for heating and cooking.
當過着羣居生活並居住在山洞裏時，他們知道並學會了用火來去暖和做飯。Their first introduction to fire was in the forest where lightning strikes had caused wild¬fires.
他們對火的最初印象來自於由雷擊在森林裏所引起的火災。At first the cave dwellers took coals from the forest home to make other fires.
一開始，生活在山洞裏的人們從森林中將木炭帶回家裏來製造火。Later they learned ways to start their own fire by developing methods to catch sparks from drilling wood or rubbing two pieces of flint stone together.
後來，他們學會了其他方法來製造他們自己的火，比如開發方法鑽木取火或是將兩塊打火石放在一起摩擦。Fire played a significant role in the evolvement of human civilization.
火在人類文明的進化中起到了重要的作用。It not only provided lighting, heat and protection from wild beasts, but also enabled them to cook food to be better nourished.
它不僅提供了電、熱和免於被野獸傷害的保護。
Fire dramatically changed the living habits of primitive people,
火徹底地改變了原始人類的生活習慣，much like how the use of the Internet in today’s world has changed our methods of communication.
就像是互聯網改變了如今人們的交流方式那樣。The early implements of the cave dwellers were thick and clumsy having been crudely made by hand-striking.
山洞居住者早期的工具非常笨重，是由他們手工敲打出的粗糙製品。There were only a few kinds available having very basic purposes.
這其中只有很少一些具有基本的用途。As man's knowledge and skills gradually increased,
當人類的知識和技能不斷增加，they had learned the art of polishing stones for better quality and had developed a variety of tools,
他們學會了通過打磨石頭獲取更優質量的技藝並並且開發了許多工具making not only stone articles and animal bone needles, but also bows and arrows,
——不僅有石器和動物骨頭做出的針，還有弓和箭，a set of devices for spear hurling and an awl for punching holes.
一系列用於投擲的矛以及用於打洞的鑽子。
