VOA常速英语:Earliest Known Human Hand-Ax Found in Kenya

短语讲解：

1. “So the inference we make is that Homo erectus was a smarter critter as compared to Homo habilis,” says Lepre.

compare to与…相比
例句：The writer was compared to Shakespeare.
把这个作家与莎士比亚进行了比较。

2. Hence you get this hand-ax, this symmetrical, beautifully made type of stone tool which is in stark contrast to the more haphazardly made Oldewan, for example.

in stark contrast to与……形成鲜明的对比
例句：His actions were in stark contrast to his words.
他的行动同他说的话形成鲜明的对照。

3. But there is a group of archaeologists who would argue those sorts of things, and would say that once you start having the formation of these very stylistic hand-axes, you are probably getting into culture proper - that is, ideas, beliefs, wisdom, if you will, that are handed down from one generation to the next.

hand down遗留; 流传, 传下
例句：Our fathers handed down these customs to us.
我们的父辈把这些习俗传给了我们。

4. Lepre says the ax is too heavy to throw far with much force, and not sharp enough to pierce an animal’s skin, so it probably was not used for killing prey.

use for作…用
例句：We used the seal's fur for coats.
我们用海豹皮做大衣。

5. Meaning that when you find a carcass on the landscape, let’s say a zebra carcass or a gazelle or a giraffe or something like that that’s been already been hunted by a lion or a group of hyenas, and you have a band of Homo erectus come along and they scare it off, they scare the lion or the hyenas off, and they grab pieces of the carcass there.

come along出现, 发生
例句：He came along with some friends.
他和几个朋友一同来。
scare off使(某人)望而却步; 吓跑…
例句：If you make a noise, you'll scare off the animals.
如果你弄出声响就会把动物吓跑。

6. Or perhaps they take one of these hand-axes and they hack off a limb and then they truck that limb to this campfire scene and they begin using the hand-ax to scrape the flesh off, or perhaps bash open the bones to get at the nutritious marrow inside.

hack off砍断，砍掉
例句：She hacked off a piece of meat and handed it to me.
她砍下一块肉递给了我。
scrape off擦掉, 擦伤
例句：She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.
她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。

7. They are especially interested in sites whose soil layers date back at least two million years.

be interested in对…感兴趣
例句：He is interested in sports.
他爱好运动。
date back回溯至
例句：The history of the town dates back to the Middle Ages.
这个城镇的历史可回溯到中世纪。

8. That's where they hope to find more Oldewan tools and learn more about the relationship between Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

learn about获得, 学得
例句：I like reading historical stories because I can learn about the lives that people led long ago.
我喜欢看历史故事, 因为这样可以知道过去人们的生活。