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Then a strange thing happened.
這時，一件神秘的事情發生了。
All the gigantic reptiles died within a short time.
所有這些龐大的爬行動物在短時間內悉數滅絕。
We do not know the reason.
我們不知道其中的原因。
Perhaps it was due to a sudden change in climate.
也許是由于氣候的突然變化，
Perhaps they had grown so large that they could neither swim nor walk nor crawl, and they starved to death within sight but not within reach of the big ferns and trees.
也許是因為它們的身體長 得過于龐大，以至行動困難，再不能游泳、奔走和爬行。它們只能眼睜睜地看著肥美的厥類植物和樹葉近在咫尺，卻活活餓死。
Whatever the cause, the million year old world-empire of the big reptiles was over.
不管出于什么原因，統治地球數百萬年的古爬行動物帝國到此就覆滅了。
The world now began to be occupied by very different creatures.
現在，地球開始被不同的動物占據。
They were the descendants of the reptiles but they were quite unlike these because they fed their young from the "mamm?" or the breasts of the mother.
這些動物屬于爬行動物的子孫，但其性情與體質都迥異于自己的先祖。它們用乳房“哺事”自己的后代，
Wherefore modern science calls these animals "mammals."
因此現代科學稱這些動物為“哺乳動物”。
They had shed the scales of the fish.
它們褪去了魚類身上的鱗甲，
They did not adopt the feathers of the bird, but they covered their bodies with hair.
也不像鳥兒那樣長出羽毛，而是周身覆以濃密的毛發。
The mammals however developed other habits which gave their race a great advantage over the other animals.
由此，哺乳動物發展出另一些比之其它動物更有利于延續種族的習性。
The female of the species carried the eggs of the young inside her body until they were hatched
比如雌性動物會將下一代的受精卵孕含在身體內部，直至它們孵化；
and while all other living beings, up to that time, had left their children exposed to the dangers of cold and heat,
比如當同時期的其它動物還將自己的子女暴露于嚴寒酷熱，
and the attacks of wild beasts, the mammals kept their young with them for a long time and sheltered them while they were still too weak to fight their enemies.
任其道猛獸襲擊時，哺乳動物卻將下一代長時間留在身邊，在它們無法應付各種天敵的脆弱階段保護它們。
In this way the young mammals were given a much better chance to survive, because they learned many things from their mothers,
這樣，年幼的哺乳動物便能得到更佳的生存機會，因為它們能從母親身上學習到很多東西。
as you will know if you have ever watched a cat teaching her kittens to take care of themselves and how to wash their faces and how to catch mice.
如果你看過母貓是如何教小貓照顧自己，如何洗臉，如何捉老鼠等等，你就能理解這一點了。
But of these mammals I need not tell you much for you know them well.
不過關于這些哺乳動物，不用我告訴你很多。
They surround you on all sides.
它們遍布你的四周，你早已熟悉。
They are your daily companions in the streets and in your home, and you can see your less familiar cousins behind the bars of the zoological garden.
它們是你日常生活的同伴，出沒于街道和你家的房屋。在動物園的鐵柵欄后面，你還能一睹你那些不太熟悉的表親們的尊容。
And now we come to the parting of the ways when man suddenly leaves the endless procession of dumbly living and dying creatures
現在，我們來到了歷史發展的分水嶺。此時，人類突然脫離了動物沉默無言、生生死死的生命過程，
and begins to use his reason to shape the destiny of his race.
開始運用腦子 來掌握自己種族的命運。
One mammal in particular seemed to surpass all others in its ability to find food and shelter.
一頭特別聰明的哺乳動物在覓食和尋找棲身之所的技能方面，大大超越了其他動物。
It had learned to use its fore-feet for the purpose of holding its prey, and by dint of practice it had developed a hand-like claw.
它不僅學會用前肢捕捉獵物，并且通過長期的訓練，它還進化出類似手掌的前爪。
After innumerable attempts it had learned how to balance the whole of the body upon the hind legs.
又經過無數次的嘗試之后，它還學會了用兩條后腿站立，并保持身體的平衡。
(This is a difficult act, which every child has to learn anew although the human race has been doing it for over a million years.)
（這是一個非常困難的動作，盡管整個人類已經有上百萬年 直立行走的歷史，可每一個小孩子在成長過程中都得從頭學起。）
This creature, half ape and half monkey but superior to both, became the most successful hunter and could make a living in every clime.
這種動物一半像猿，一半像猴，可比兩者都要優越，成為了地球上最成功的獵手，并且能在各種氣候條件下生活。
For greater safety, it usually moved about in groups.
為了更安全，更便于相互照顧，它們常常成群結隊地行動。
It learned how to make strange grunts to warn its young of approaching danger
一開始，它只能發出奇怪的咕喀聲、吼聲，以此警告自己的子女們正在迫近的危險。
and after many hundreds of thousands of years it began to use these throaty noises for the purpose of talking.
可經過幾十萬年的發展，它竟然學會了如何用喉音來交談。
This creature, though you may hardly believe it, was your first "man-like" ancestor.
你也許覺得難以置信，這種動物就是我們最初“類人”的先祖。
