私醫聯招 英文歷屆試題｜第 535 題

Before modern Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa perhaps 60,000 years ago, scientists tell us that another group, Neanderthals, had occupied Europe and Asia for maybe 200,000 years. Although there were probably no more than 15,000 of them at their population's peak, groups of Neanderthals were  (31)  over an immense area throughout Europe, into the Middle East, and even as far east as Mongolia. In 1856, the first Neanderthal bones were found buried in Germany's Neander Valley by workers digging for stones. These thick bones indicated that Neanderthals were shorter than modern humans, but physically stronger. Their tools were rough and simple, and not as  (32)  as those of later Homo sapiens. Additionally, their food was not as varied; the  (33)  of their diet was the meat of large and medium-sized animals. At some point after modern humans entered Europe and Asia, the Neanderthals  (34)  from Earth; the reason for their disappearance remains a mystery. There are, however, a number of theories. As modern Homo sapiens  (35)  their lands, they may have killed the Neanderthals off. Other possible causes include diseases introduced by the newcomers, or climate change.