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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.
為了找到答案，我們需要重新回顧14000年前的歷史，那時，第一批人類踏足北美大陸，而大陸也即將經歷一次深刻的變化，這個變化就是由這些新的到訪者帶來的。
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.
在整個冰河時代，北美都遍布各種大型生物。但是就在人類踏足北美大陸一千年多一些的時間后，二分之三的大型動物都已經滅絕。
What role did people play in this mass extinction? To learn about their lives, you have to look at the clues they left behind.
大型生物滅絕的范圍如此之大，人類在其中起了怎樣的作用？想要知道他們的生活，你就必須從他們遺留下來的痕跡中尋找線索。
Archaeological finds tell us that the first people in North America had an advanced Stone Age technology. They were master of flintknappers meticulously 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.
考古學發現告訴我們，北美洲第一批人類具有先進的石器時代的技術。他們擅長用打火石精細雕刻，用尖利的碎石片制作長矛以及削制工具。從他們留下的工具來看，很明顯，他們打獵時很好地利用了這些工具。
And we know from spear points found alongside mammoth remains 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 herd would have been singled out.
從猛犸象化石上的長矛凹痕我們可以看出，這些獵手們甚至可以撲殺北美大陸體型最大的生物。猛犸象肉蘊含豐富的蛋白質，撲殺一頭，便能喂養他們的家庭數周。這些獵人們可能幾個人一組或多個人一組。任何離群的猛犸象都可以成為他們的獵物。
英文文本來自普特英語，譯文屬可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可不得轉載。
