1·Two centuries ago, our forebears would have known the precise history and source of almost every one of the limited number of things they ate and owned.
两个世纪以前，我们的祖先可能会已经知道了他们食用的和拥有的几乎所有有限的东西的历史和来源。
2·The new generation of wives and daughters may perhaps improve upon their male forebears.
新生代的妻子和女儿们也许在他们男性祖先的基础上有所改进。
3·Productivity gains and cheap imports mean that we can and do enjoy far more farm and factory goods than our forebears, with much less effort.
生产力的提高和便宜的进口货意味着我们可以花费更少的力气，却比自己的祖先享受更多的农业和工业商品。
4·There, I would explain why the dinosaurs disappeared and how mankind evolved from our primitive forebears. She seemed rapt.
在哪里，我给她讲述为什么恐龙会灭绝和人类是如何从原始祖先进化来的，她似乎听的全神贯注。
5·The idea that the forebears of modern humans could talk would scupper the notion that language was the force that created modern human culture—otherwise, why would they not have built civilisations?
现代人的祖先能够讲话的观点可能会颠覆语言是建立现代人类文明的力量的观念——然而，为什么他们没有建立文明？