LifeonanisolatedPacificislandiseternallypoisedonaknife-edge.NowhereisthismoreapparentthanonthesinglemostremoteislandinthePacific-EasterIsland.Thistinyspeckoflandhasanextraordinarystorytotell,withnewtwiststurningupstilltothisday.在太平洋的孤岛上，生命就像悬在刀刃上一样，总是朝不保夕。最典型的例子莫过于太平洋上这个最偏僻的孤岛——复活节岛。这一小片陆地有个奇特的故事，时至今日仍有新的转折。Just20kilometerslongand11kilometerswide,EasterIslandriseslikeafortressfromthewaves,surroundedbythousandsofkilometersofoceanineverydirection.复活节岛只有20公里长，11公里宽，它像一座堡垒从海面耸起，四周是一望无际的大海。Peoplefirstarrivedherelessthanonethousandyearsago;mostofwhatweknowabouttheircivilizationcanonlybepiecedtogetherfromtherelicsthatremain.Itisastrangeanddesolateplace.Themoststrikingfeaturesinthisbleakandwindsweptlandscapearethehundredsofgiantstonestatues,knownasmoai,thoughttobecarvedinthelikenessofchiefsorancestors.不到一千年前，人类第一次到达这里。我们对他们文明的大部分了解只能从留下来的遗物拼凑起来。这是一个奇特且荒凉的地方，而在这片暴露在风中的荒野上最显著的特征就是数百座被称为“摩艾”的巨型石像，应该是照着酋长或是祖先的样子雕刻的。It'sdifficulttobelievethatanadvancedculture,capableofcarvinganderectingthesemonoliths,grewupinsuchabarrenlandscape.Thetruthis,itdidn't.WhenthosefirstcolonizersdiscoveredEasterIsland,thiswasaparadise.能够雕刻并竖立这些巨石的先进文明，却生活在这样贫瘠的地方，的确令人难以置信。事实确实并非如此。当第一批开拓者发现复活节岛时，这里是个天堂。TheseemptycliffswereoncehometothelargestseabirdcoloniesintheSouthPacific.Richvolcanicsoilsnourishedaforestofgiantpalmsthatwashometomanyuniquespecies,includingEasterIslandversionsofherons,parrots,railsandowls.Today,theyareallgone.Thepeopleultimatelydidn'tdomuchbetter:theriseandtragicdemiseoftheEasterIslanders,theRapaNui,isnowlegendary.这些空寂的峭壁曾是南太平洋最大的海鸟群栖息地。肥沃的火山灰滋养了一大片棕榈树林，那也曾是许多珍稀物种的栖息地，包括生长在复活节岛上的苍鹭、鹦鹉、秧鸡和猫头鹰，而如今他们都消失了。岛民最终的遭遇也好不了多少：经历了复活节岛的兴盛和悲惨的灭亡后，拉帕努伊人如今已成为传奇。Thisquarryonceoccupiedthemajorityoftheisland'sworkforce,thousandsofpeople,witheachclantryingtocarveandraiseabigger,granderfigurethanthoseoftheirneighbors.Vastamountsoftimberwouldhavebeenrequiredtotransportanderectthegiantmoai,andslowlybutsurely,theforestsvanished.Asresourcesdwindled,EasterIslandsocietydescendedintochaosandwarfare.Thegiantstatueswerepulledtotheground,possiblyactsofsabotagebetweenrivalclans.曾有数以千计的岛民在岛上的采石场工作，每个宗族都想把塑像雕得比邻族更大更高。运输和竖立巨型石像需要大量木材，于是渐渐地，森林消失了。当资源逐渐减少时，复活节岛的社会陷入了混乱和战争。很可能由于宗族之间的破坏行为，石像被推倒了。Houseswereabandonedandthefoundationstonesusedtoconstructfortifieddwellingsincavesunderground.Someevidenceevensuggeststhatonceeverythingediblehadbeenconsumed,thestarvingweredriventothatmostdesperateofacts:cannibalism.房子被弃置，而房屋的基石则用来修建加固在地下洞穴里的居所。甚至有证据显示当所有能吃的东西都消耗殆尽后，饥饿把岛民赶上了绝路：同类相食。UnderstandablythisversionofEasterIsland'shistoryremainscontroversialbecauseitsuggeststheRapaNuiwereincrediblyshort-sighted.Asthetreesdwindled,whydidtheydonothingaboutit?这个版本的复活节岛历史仍然具有争议性，这可以理解，因为如果这个版本是真的，那就意味着拉帕...
