2　生活在洞穴里的人

你们想一想，发生在那么久以前的这些事情，我又是怎么知道的呢？

其实我不知道。

我只是猜测罢了。

不过，猜测可有不同的种类。我伸出两个握着的拳头来，让你们猜一猜哪个拳头里有硬币，这是一种猜测。你们可能猜得对，也有可能猜得不对。这种猜测，完全是靠运气。

但还有另外一种猜测。假如地上有雪，我又看到雪上有一行靴子印，那我就会猜测，肯定有人刚刚走过，因为靴子要是没人穿着的话，是不可能自己会走路的。这种猜测，靠的不只是运气，而是常识。

因此，我们就能猜测出很久以前发生的许多事情，即便是当时并没有人在现场看到这些事情，或者并没人把这些事情告诉别人。

人们已经在世界上的不同地区深入向地下挖掘，发现了——你们认为，他们会发现些什么呢？

我觉得，你们可能永远都猜不到。

人们发现了箭头、矛头和斧头。

这些箭头、矛头和斧头的奇特之处，就在于它们并不像你们料想的那样，是用

of iron or steel,as you might expect,but of stone.

Now,we are sure that only human beings could have made and used such things,for birds and fish or other animals do not use hatchets or spears. We are also sure that these people must have lived long,long years ago before iron and steel were known,because it must have taken long,long years for these things to have become covered up so deep by dust and dirt.We have also found the bones of the people themselves,who died several million years ago,long before anyone began to write down history.The oldest bones we have ever found were in East Africa.We know that people long ago were working and playing,eating and fighting—doing many of the same things we are today—especially the fighting.

This time in the prehistory of the world,when people used such things made of stone,is therefore called the Stone Age.

Life was hard for Stone Age people. They didn't have all the things we are used to having today.

Some wild animals make houses. Foxes dig holes,beavers make houses of sticks and mud.These first people probably had no houses of any sort in which to live.They simply found any shelter they could.They found caves in the rocks or in the hillsides where they could get away from the cold and storms and wild animals.So men,women,and children of this time were called Cave People.

They spent their days hunting some animals and running and hiding from others.They

铁或者钢做成的，而是用石头做成的。

如今我们已经确信，只有人类才有可能制造和使用这些东西，因为鸟类、鱼类或者其他动物都不会使用斧头或者长矛。我们还确信，这些人一定生活在人类知道用铁或者知道用钢之前很久、很久的时候，因为将这些东西用厚厚的泥土覆盖起来埋在地下如此之深的地方，必定花了好多、好多年的时间。我们还发现了这些人的骸骨；他们死去的时间，必定是在成千上万年以前，那时还没有人记载历史呢。年代最久远的尸骨，我们是在东非地区发现的。因此，我们便可以得知，很久以前的人也会工作、玩耍、吃喝和打仗；他们所做的许多事情，都跟我们今天一样，尤其是打仗。

史前世界的这一时期，由于人们使用的都是一些石制的工具，故被称为石器时代。

石器时代的人们，生活非常艰难。他们并没有如今我们已经习以为常的东西可用。

有些野生动物也会建造住所。比如说，狐狸会打洞，海狸会用木棍和泥巴筑穴。那些最初的人类，很可能没有任何房屋可住。他们只是能找到什么地方，就在什么地方栖身。他们在岩石中或者山坡上找到了一些洞穴；住在这些洞穴里，可以让他们不受寒冷的侵扰、不受风吹雨打和野兽的袭击。于是，这一时期的人类，包括男人、女人和儿童，都被称为穴居人。

他们每天所做的事情，便是猎杀其他一些动物，并且跑来跑去，躲避其他动

caught animals by trapping them in a pit covered over with bushes,or they killed them with a club or a rock if they had a chance,or with stone-headed arrows or hatchets. They even painted or cut pictures of these animals on the walls of their caves.Some of these pictures we can still see today.

They lived on berries and nuts and seeds. They robbed the nests of birds for the eggs,which they ate raw,for at first they had no fire with which to cook.They liked to drink the warm blood of animals they killed,as you would a glass of milk.

They talked to each other by some sort of grunts or very simple words. They made clothes of skins of animals they killed,for there was no such thing as cloth.

These early people must have spent most of their time hunting for food or trying to get away from animals hunting them for food. They had no thick hide like an elephant to protect them；they did not grow a coat of fur like a bear to keep them warm；they could not run very fast,like a deer to escape their enemies；they were no match for an animal with sharp teeth and claws and strong muscles like a lion.It's a wonder any of them lived to grow up.

Stone Age people had two things that helped them more than sharp claws,or strong muscles,or tough skins. They had better brains than the animals.And they had hands instead of front feet.With their brains they could think.They could think of ways of doing things better.

With their brains they could think of using tools.With their hands they could make

物的猎杀。他们挖出陷阱，然后在上面盖上树叶来捕捉动物；如果有机会，他们还会用木棍或者石头击杀猎物，或者用石箭和石斧杀死猎物。他们甚至还把这些动物的样子画或刻在自己居住的洞穴墙壁上。这些图画当中，有一些我们如今还看得到呢。

他们以浆果、坚果和草籽为生。他们从鸟窝里掏出鸟蛋来生吃，因为起初他们并没有火来煮熟食物。他们残忍嗜杀，喜欢喝下所杀的动物体内暖和的鲜血，就像你们喝下一杯牛奶似的。

他们之间，是用某种低沉嘟囔的声音或者简单的词语进行交流的。他们用所杀野兽的兽皮做衣服，因为当时还没有“布匹”这种东西呢。

这些早期的人类，必定整天都是在猎杀动物来吃，或者尽力躲开那些想猎杀他们来吃的动物。他们不像大象，身上并没有那种厚厚的兽皮来保护自己；他们不像熊，身上并没有长出一层兽毛来保暖；他们并不像小鹿逃离天敌那样跑得很快；他们也不是像狮子这种有着獠牙利爪、强壮肌肉的野兽的对手。在这样的环境下，他们能够长大成人，可真是一种奇迹啊。

生活在石器时代的人类，有两个方面胜过了獠牙利爪、肌肉强壮或是厚重兽皮。他们的大脑比动物聪明。并且，他们拥有灵巧的双手，而不是两只前脚。有了大脑，他们就能思考。他们能够想出更好的做事方法。

有了大脑，他们就能够想到利用工具。有了双手，他们就能够制造工具和使用工具。人类可以利用长矛，而不是利用尖锐的牙齿。人类能够利用兽皮来保暖，而

tools and use them. Instead of sharp teeth,men could use spears.In place of a furry skin to keep them warm,men could use the skins of animals.

Suppose you had been a boy or a girl in the Stone Age. I wonder how you would have liked the life.

When you woke up in the morning,you would not have bathed or even washed your hands and face or brushed your teeth or combed your hair.

You ate with your fingers,for there were no knives or forks or spoons or cups or saucers,only one bowl—which your mother had made out of mud and dried in the sun to hold water to drink—no dishes to wash and put away,no chairs,no tables,no table manners.

There were no books,no paper,no pencils.

There was no Saturday or Sunday,January or July. Except that one day was warm and sunny or another cold and rainy,they were all alike.There was no school to go to.

There was nothing to do all day long but make mud pies or pick berries or play tag with your brothers and sisters.

I wonder how you would like that kind of life！

“Fine！”do you think?—“a great life—just like camping out”?

But I have only told you part of the story.

The cave would have been cold and damp and dark,with only the bare ground or a pile of leaves for a bed. There would probably have been bats and big spiders sharing the cave with you.

You might have had on the skin of some animal your father had killed,but as this only

不是用长满长毛的皮肤来保暖。

假设你们是生活在石器时代的一个男孩或女孩。我可不知道，你们会不会喜欢那种生活呢。

早上醒来之后，你们不会去冲澡，甚至不会洗手、洗脸、刷牙或者梳头。

你们会用手指抓起东西来吃，因为那时还没有刀叉、汤匙、杯子、碟子，只有一个碗（这是你们的妈妈用泥巴做成的，晒干后用来舀水喝）；还没有碗碟要清洗或者收拾，还没有椅子、桌子，因此也就没有什么就餐礼仪。

那时还没有书，也没有纸和笔。

那时还没有星期六或者星期天，也没有一月或者七月。除了暖和、晴朗和寒冷、下雨这种差别，所有日子都差不多。你们没有学校可上。

整日里，除了做泥巴团、捡浆果或者与兄弟姐妹捉捉迷藏之外，你们便无事可做了。

我可不知道你们会不会喜欢那种生活！

“太好了！”你们这样觉得吗？还是说，“这种生活太棒了，就像是在野营”？

可是，我的话才说了一半呢。

你们所住的洞穴会很寒冷，既潮湿又阴暗；至于床嘛，只是光秃秃的地面，或者是一堆树叶。洞里很可能还会有蝙蝠和巨大的蜘蛛和你们住在一起。

你们身上可能穿着父亲猎杀的某头野兽的兽皮；但是，由于这种兽皮只能盖住

covered part of your body and as there was no fire,you would have felt cold in winter,and when it got very cold you might have frozen to death.

For breakfast you might have had some dried berries or grass seed or a piece of raw meat,for lunch the same thing,for dinner still the same thing.

You would never have had any bread or cheese or griddlecakes with syrup,or oatmeal with sugar on it,or apple pie or ice cream.

There was nothing to do all day long but watch out for wild animals—bears and tigers；for there was no door with lock and key,and a tiger,if he found you out,could go wherever you went and“get you”even in your cave.

And then some day your father or brother,who had left the cave in the morning to go hunting,would not return,and you would know he had been torn to pieces by some wild beast,and you would wonder how long before your turn would come.

Do you think you would like to have lived then?

你们身体的一部分，洞里又没有生火，因此你们在冬天会觉得很冷，而在天气变得极其寒冷的时候，你们可能还会冻死哩。

你们的早饭，可能是某种风干了的浆果、草籽或者一片生肉；中餐吃的也是一样，而晚餐呢，仍然还是这些东西。

你们永远也吃不到面包、奶酪、糖煎饼、甜麦片、苹果派或者冰淇淋这些东西。

一整天，你们什么也干不了，只能提防着不被熊啊、虎啊等野兽袭击，因为洞穴既没有门，也没有锁；一只老虎要是发现了你们，就可以追着你们到处跑，甚至到你们的洞穴里“逮住你”。

然后，你们的父亲或者哥哥有一天早上离开洞穴去打猎之后，就不会再回来了；你们会明白，他已经被某头野兽撕成了碎片；而你们也不知道，这种事情多久之后便会轮到你们的头上。

你们还觉得自己很愿意生活在那个时候吗？