英语听力：探索发现 2013-02-01 猛玛象进城记 Mammoths to Manhattan—2

 To find the answers, we need to rewind history around 14,000 years to a time when the first people set foot in North America. The continent was about to undergo a profound change, a change these new arrivals may have played a part in.

 

Throughout the ice age, North America was home to a variety of giant creatures. But in little more than a thousand years of the first humans’ arriving, almost two thirds of the largest animals were extinct.

 

What role did people play in this mass extinction¹? To learn about their lives, you have to look at the clues they left behind.

 

Archaeological finds tell us that the first people in North America had an advanced Stone Age technology. They were master of flintknappers meticulously² chipping and sharpening pieces of flint to make spears and cutting tools. From the examples they left behind, it's obvious they were well equipped to hunt.

 

And we know from spear points found alongside mammoth³ remains⁴ that these hunters tackled even the biggest beasts on the continent. Mammoths would have been a prized source of protein, providing enough meat to feed their families for weeks. The hunters probably worked in pairs or small groups. Any mammoth straying from its own herd⁵ would have been singled out.

 

1 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

2 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

3 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。