美国有线新闻 CNN 意大利洞穴发现尼安德特人遗骸

Archeologists have discovered something extraordinary and maybe a little gruesome in an ancient cave on the west coast of Italy.

考古学家在意大利西海岸的一个古老洞穴中有非凡的发现，也许还有点可怕。

Among the bones of hyenas¹, elephants, horse and other animals, scientists say they found the remains² of nine Neanderthals or neandertalls, a type of primitive³ human.

科学家表示，除鬣狗、大象、马和其他动物的骨头外，他们还发现了九具尼安德特人或穴居人——一种原始人类——的遗骸。

This according to the Italian Cultural Ministry⁴ which says the remains date back tens of thousands of years.

根据意大利文化部的说法，这些遗骸可以追溯到数万年前。

Here's where this gets gross⁵.

以下是问题的关键所在。

Researchers say the Neanderthal bones showed signs of having been gnawed⁶ on, suggesting maybe that animals brought them back to the cave to eat them.

研究人员表示，尼安德特人的骨头显示出被啃咬的迹象，这表明可能是动物将他们带回洞穴并吃掉了他们。

Archeologists say two other Neanderthals skulls⁷ have been found here in the past.

考古学家表示，过去这里还发现过另外两具尼安德特人的头骨。

Electric cars were some of the first cars on American roads back in the late 1800s'.

电动汽车是19世纪末美国道路上最早出现的汽车之一。

Today though, they make up about one percent of all vehicles driven in the country.

然而今天，电动汽车只占全美所有车辆的百分之一。

They're less polluted to drive than gas powered cars and they offer more design options without a big engine and transmission⁸ getting in the way

与汽油动力汽车相比，电动汽车的污染更小，而且由于没有大型发动机和变速器的阻碍，它们提供了更多的设计选择，

but they're more expensive.

不过它们也更昂贵。

It takes a lot longer to charge a battery than to fill a gas tank.

相比给油箱加满油，给电池充电要花更多时间。

Those batteries lose their ability to hold a charge over time

随着时间的推移，这些电池会失去充电能力，

and environmentalists have concerns about endangering certain plants when the lithium for EV batteries is mined.

而且环保人士担心在开采电动车电池所用的锂时，会危害某些植物。

Despite that, sales of electric cars are expected to rise in the years ahead.

尽管如此，电动汽车的销量预计在未来几年内还会上升。

1 hyenas   

n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
• We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 gross   

adj.全部的，粗俗的，肥胖的；vt.获得...总收入

参考例句：

• The gross weight of the box of chocolates is 500 grams.那盒巧克力的全部重量是500克。
• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。

6 gnawed   

咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物

参考例句：

• His attitude towards her gnawed away at her confidence. 他对她的态度一直在削弱她的自尊心。
• The root of this dead tree has been gnawed away by ants. 这棵死树根被蚂蚁唼了。

7 skulls   

颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜

参考例句：

• One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。
• We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

8 transmission   

n.播送，发射，传送，传递，传染

参考例句：

• When the transmission is good,foreign stations can be heard.在传送情况良好时，以收到外国电台。
• The letter was delayed in transmission.这封信在传递中被耽误了。