but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement.

但是，他们并非故意寻求这种刺激，

It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle.

它们在地下打洞，吃掉本可以饲养数百万头牛羊的牧草，给澳洲大陆造成了毁灭性的破环。

This result merely confirms earlier American and British studies:

结果仅仅确认了美国人和英国人早期的研究：

as by falling into inaccessible caves, or into an ice crevasse, like the Siberian mammoths,

如掉进难以到达的洞穴，或掉进冰河裂缝里，或者像西伯利亚长毛象那样掉进冰窟中，

So much is certain: that we would have doctors and preachers,

虽然我们还会有医生和牧师、

Portable boiling elements that can boil small quantities of water are useful when the right voltage of electricity is available.

如果有相配的电压，可以煮少量水的便携式热水装置是有用的。