纪录片《熟食造就了人类吗》 第13期：南方古猿

It's the first early human

这是早期人类中

that has really modern human-like characteristics.

第一个真正拥有现代人类特征的种别

Really big brain and indication

头部很大 还有证据显示

that it was a big game hunter.

他们曾是大型猎物的捕杀者

These were extraordinary evolutionary¹ changes.

这些都是进化史上的重大飞跃

But why did they take place?

但这些变化为何会发生

It has long been thought that where our ancestors lived

长久以来 我们的祖先究竟安居在何处

and how they got on with each other

他们之间相处又是如何改变进化历程的

affected² their evolution.

这都是有待考证的课题

But scientists are now asking

但现在科学家有了新的疑问

if another integral part of life, the very food they ate,

日常饮食 这一生活密不可分的部分

could have had such a revolutionary effect.

会不会对进化演变有着影响呢

To find the answer, we need to go back four million years

想解开这一谜团 就要回到400万年以前

to when the forest-dwelling ape Australopithecus roamed the Earth,

那时林居的南方古猿 刚开始直立行走

surviving on a diet of raw fruit and vegetables.

单靠生鲜蔬果为生

Apart from walking upright,

除了直立行走

Australopithecus was very similar to modern apes.

南方古猿 跟现代猿类非常相似

1 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。