石器新发现揭示人类始祖具创造力

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🤔️小作业：

1. What is the central claim of the article regarding early human behaviour? 

A. Early humans only used tools during periods of climate stability

B. Tool use among early humans was continuous and culturally transmitted

C. The Oldowan technology was invented by Homo sapiens 2.75 million years ago

D. Tool-making skills were randomly discovered and quickly lost

无注释原文：

Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors

From: BBC

The very first humans millions of years ago may have been inventors, according to a discovery in northwest Kenya.

Researchers have found that the primitive humans who lived 2.75 million years ago at an archaeological site called Namorotukunan used stone tools continuously for 300,000 years.

Evidence previously suggested that early human tool use was sporadic: randomly developed and quickly forgotten.

The Namorotukunan find is the first to show that the technology was passed down through thousands of generations.

According to Prof David Braun, of George Washington University, in Washington DC, who led the research, this find, published in the journal Nature Communications, provides incredibly strong evidence for a radical shake-up in our understanding of human evolution.

"We thought that tool use could have been a flash in the pan and then disappeared. When we see 300,000 years of the same thing, that's just not possible," he said.

"This is a long continuity of behaviour. That tool use in (humans and human ancestors) is probably much earlier and more continuous than we thought it was."

Archaeologists spent ten years at Namorotukunan uncovering 1,300 sharp flakes, hammerstones, and stone cores, each made by carefully striking rocks gathered from riverbeds. These are made using a technology known as Oldowan and is the first widespread stone tool-making method.

The same kinds of tools appear in three distinct layers. The deeper the layer the further back the snapshot in time. Many of the stones were specially chosen for their quality, suggesting that the makers were skilled and knew exactly what they were looking for, according to the senior geoscientist on the research team, Dr Dan Palcu Rolier of the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

"What we see here in the site is an incredible level of sophistication," he told BBC News.

"These guys were extremely astute geologists. They knew how to find the best raw materials and these stone tools are exceptional. Basically, we can cut our fingers with some of them."

Geological evidence suggests that tool use probably helped these people survive dramatic changes in climate.

"The landscape shifted from lush wetlands to dry, fire-swept grasslands and semideserts," said Rahab N. Kinyanjui, senior scientist at the National Museums of Kenya.

These sharp environmental changes would normally force animal populations to adapt through evolution or move away. But the toolmakers in the region managed to thrive by using technology rather than biological adaptation, according to Dr Palcu Rolier.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors

From: BBC

The very first humans millions of years ago may have been inventors, according to a discovery in northwest Kenya.

根据在肯尼亚西北部的一项发现，数百万年前的最早人类可能已是发明者。

Researchers have found that the primitive humans who lived 2.75 million years ago at an archaeological site called Namorotukunan used stone tools continuously for 300,000 years.

研究人员发现，在名为纳莫罗图库南（Namorotukunan）的考古遗址中，生活于275万年前的原始人类持续使用石器工具长达30万年。

primitive /ˈprɪm.ɪ.tɪv/ 表示“原始的，早期的，远古的”，英文解释为“relating to human society at a very early stage of development, with people living in a simple way without machines or a writing system”举个🌰：Primitive races colonized these islands 2,000 years ago. 原始种族2000年前开拓了这些岛屿。

archaeological /,ɑ:kiə'lɔdʒikəl / 表示“考古学的；和考古有关的”，英文解释为“involving or relating to archaeology”如：an archaeological dig/excavation 考古发掘。

Evidence previously suggested that early human tool use was sporadic: randomly developed and quickly forgotten. The Namorotukunan find is the first to show that the technology was passed down through thousands of generations.

先前的证据显示，早期人类使用工具的行为是零星的：随机发展且迅速被遗忘。 在纳莫罗图库南的这项发现是首次证明该技术曾经代代相传，延续了数千世代。

sporadic /spəˈræd.ɪk/ 表示“偶尔发生的；阵发性的；断断续续的”，英文解释为“happening sometimes; not regular or continuous”如：sporadic gunfire 零星的炮火。

According to Prof David Braun, of George Washington University, in Washington DC, who led the research, this find, published in the journal Nature Communications, provides incredibly strong evidence for a radical shake-up in our understanding of human evolution.

根据主导此项研究的华盛顿哥伦比亚特区乔治华盛顿大学的大卫·布劳恩（David Braun）教授表示，这项发现已发表于《自然通讯》期刊，为我们对人类演化的理解带来了极具说服力的重大颠覆性证据。

1）表示“激进的；过激的；极端的”，英文解释为“believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change”举个🌰：He was known as a radical thinker. 他是个著名的激进思想家。

2）表示“根本的；彻底的，完全的”，英文解释为“relating to the most important parts of something or someone; complete or extreme”举个🌰：We need to make some radical changes to our operating procedures. 我们需要对操作规程进行一些根本性的变革。

shake-up表示“调整，改组”，英文解释为“a large change in the way something is organized”举个🌰：The company is undergoing a radical shake-up. 公司正在进行彻底改组。

"We thought that tool use could have been a flash in the pan and then disappeared. When we see 300,000 years of the same thing, that's just not possible," he said.

他说：“我们曾以为工具使用可能只是昙花一现，然后就消失了。但当我们看到30万年来持续出现相同的行为，这种想法就不可能成立。”

表示“昙花一现”，英文解释为“something that happened only once or for a short time and was not repeated”举个🌰：Sadly, their success was just a flash in the pan. 不幸的是，他们的成功仅仅是昙花一现。

"This is a long continuity of behaviour. That tool use in (humans and human ancestors) is probably much earlier and more continuous than we thought it was."

“这是一种行为的长期延续。工具使用在人类及其祖先中，很可能比我们原先认为的还要早得多，也持续得更久。”

continuity /ˌkɒn.tɪˈnjuː.ə.ti/ 表示“连续性，持续性，连贯性”，英文解释为“the fact of something continuing for a long period of time without being changed or stopped”举个🌰：There has been no continuity in that class - they've had six different teachers. 那门课上得没有连贯性——前后一共有6名老师教。

ancestor /ˈæn.ses.tər/ 表示“祖先，祖宗”，英文解释为“a person related to you who lived a long time ago”举个🌰：There were portraits of his ancestors on the walls of the room. 房间墙壁上挂着他祖先的画像。

Archaeologists spent ten years at Namorotukunan uncovering 1,300 sharp flakes, hammerstones, and stone cores, each made by carefully striking rocks gathered from riverbeds. These are made using a technology known as Oldowan and is the first widespread stone tool-making method.

考古学家在纳莫罗图库南花了十年时间，挖掘出1,300件锐利石片、石鎚和石核，每一件都是透过精心敲击从河床收集的岩石制成的。这些工具使用的是被称为“奥都万技术”（Oldowan）的工法，是人类历史上第一种广泛使用的石器制造技术。

archaeologist /ˌɑː.kiˈɒl.ə.dʒɪst/ 表示“考古学家”，英文解释为“someone who studies the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects of people who lived in the past”

flake /fleɪk/ 表示“小薄片；（尤指）碎片”，英文解释为“a small, thin piece of something, especially if it has come from a surface covered with a layer of something”如：flakes of snow 雪花。

The same kinds of tools appear in three distinct layers. The deeper the layer the further back the snapshot in time. Many of the stones were specially chosen for their quality, suggesting that the makers were skilled and knew exactly what they were looking for, according to the senior geoscientist on the research team, Dr Dan Palcu Rolier of the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

相同类型的工具出现在三个不同的地层中。地层越深，代表时间越久远。研究团队的资深地质学家、来自巴西圣保罗大学的丹·帕尔库·罗利尔（Dan Palcu Rolier）博士指出，许多石头是特别挑选的高品质材料，显示制作者技艺高超，清楚知道自己在寻找什么。

snapshot /ˈsnæp.ʃɒt/ 1）表示“照片，快照”，英文解释为“a photograph”

2）表示“简介；简要情况”，英文解释为“a piece of information or short description that gives an understanding of a situation at a particular time”举个🌰：Credit rating agencies provide a snapshot of the risks an investment poses at any one time. 信用评分机构提供的是某一时刻投资风险的简要情况。

此处snapshot是一个比喻用法，意思是“快照”、“瞬间的景象”或“一个时间点的缩影”。snapshot原指用相机快速拍下的照片，捕捉某个瞬间的景象。在这里，它被用来比喻考古地层。每一个地层（layer）都像一个“时间快照”，封存并记录了它形成时期的工具、环境和生活景象。

"What we see here in the site is an incredible level of sophistication," he told BBC News.

他在接受BBC新闻访问时表示：“我们在这里看到的是一个令人难以置信的精湛工艺水准。”

sophistication / səˌfɪstɪˈkeɪʃən/ 表示“世故；复杂巧妙；高水平；老于世故；有教养”，英文解释为“The sophistication of people, places, machines, or methods is their quality of being sophisticated.”

"These guys were extremely astute geologists. They knew how to find the best raw materials and these stone tools are exceptional. Basically, we can cut our fingers with some of them."

“这些人是非常敏锐的地质学家。他们懂得如何寻找最好的原材料，而这些石器工具非常出色。基本上，有些甚至锋利到可以割伤手指。”

astute /əˈstuːt/ 表示“敏锐的；精明的”，英文解释为“able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it”如：an astute investor 精明的投资者。

Geological evidence suggests that tool use probably helped these people survive dramatic changes in climate.

地质证据显示，工具的使用可能帮助这些人在剧烈的气候变化中生存下来。

"The landscape shifted from lush wetlands to dry, fire-swept grasslands and semideserts," said Rahab N. Kinyanjui, senior scientist at the National Museums of Kenya.

“这片土地从茂密的湿地转变为干燥、火灾频繁的草原和半沙漠地形。”肯尼亚国家博物馆资深科学家拉哈布·N·金扬朱伊（Rahab N. Kinyanjui）说道。

landscape /ˈlænd.skeɪp/ 表示“乡间，野外；（尤指乡村的）风景，景色”，英文解释为“a large area of countryside, especially in relation to its appearance”如：a rural/barren landscape 乡村/荒原；也可以表示“局面”，英文解释为“A landscape is all the features that are important in a particular situation.”

lush /lʌʃ/ 1）表示“（地区）郁郁葱葱的，植被茂盛的”，英文解释为“A lush area has a lot of green, healthy plants, grass, and trees.”如：lush green valleys 郁郁葱葱的山谷。

2）表示“美味的；愉悦的，使感官愉快的”，英文解释为“very attractive to look at, taste, smell, etc.”如：the lush taste of the ice cream 冰激凌的美味。

semi /ˈsem.i/ 表示“半；部分”，英文解释为“half or partly”如：semi-literate 半文盲，semiconscious 半意识的，semi-permanent 半永久性的，semi-skilled workers 半熟练工人，a semi-autobiographical novel 半自传体小说。

These sharp environmental changes would normally force animal populations to adapt through evolution or move away. But the toolmakers in the region managed to thrive by using technology rather than biological adaptation, according to Dr Palcu Rolier.

这些剧烈的环境变化通常会迫使动物族群透过演化来适应，或是迁移至其他地区。但根据帕尔库·罗利尔（Palcu Rolier）博士的说法，该地区的工具制作者却能够依靠技术而非生物上的适应来繁衍生存。

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