$课文45 人和星系

895. In man’s early days. competition with other creatures must have been critical.

在人类早期，人类与其他生物的竞争一定是必不可少的。

896. But this phase of our development is now finished.

但这个发展阶段已经结束。

897. Indeed, we lack practice and experience nowadays in dealing with primitive conditions.

确实，我们今天缺乏对付原始环境的实践和经验。

898. I am sure that, without modern weapons, I would make a very poor show of disputing the ownership of a cave with a bear,

我断定，如果没有现代化的武器，要我和一只熊去争洞穴，我会出洋相的；

899. and in this I do not think that I stand alone.

我也相信，出洋相者并非我一人。

900. The last creature to compete with man was the mosquito.

能与竞争的生物最后只有蚊子，

901. But even the mosquito has been subdued by attention to drainage and by chemical sprays.

然而即使蚊子，也由于我们注意清理污水和喷洒化学药品就被制服了。

902. Competition between our selves, person against person, community against community, still persists, however; and it is as fierce as it ever was.

然而人类之间的战争，人与人，团体与团体，依然在进行着，而且和以前一样激烈。

903. But the competition of man against man is not the simple process envisioned in biology.