树的智慧
Are trees intelligent?
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》节目。我是尼尔。
And I'm Georgina.
我是乔治娜。
How did you spend your free time during the weeks of lockdown, Georgina?
乔治娜，在疫情封锁的几周内，你是如何度过空闲时间的？
Repainting the living room?
重新粉刷客厅？
Or doing exercise classes in the kitchen?
还是在厨房上训练课？
Actually, Neil, I've been doing some online research into my family history.
事实上，尼尔，我一直在网上研究我的家族史。
I'm investigating my family tree – you know,
我正在调查我的族谱——你知道的，
a drawing showing all the relationships between the different members of my family.
那张图会显示出我的不同家庭成员之间的所有关系。
Ah, how interesting!
啊，真有趣！
And how appropriate, because trees are the subject of this programme
而且很合适啊，因为树是本期节目的主题
– not family trees but real, living-in-the-forest trees.
——不是族谱，而是真正生活在森林里的树。
Well, Neil, this might surprise you but according to some people, trees also have families.
好吧，尼尔，这可能会让你吃惊，但根据某些人的说法，树也有家人。
There are mother trees who support and help feed child trees.
有供养和帮助哺育幼树的母树。
That's right.
没错。
According to Suzanne Simard, one of the world's leading tree researchers, trees should be seen as intelligent.
苏珊娜·西玛德是世界顶尖的树木研究者之一。据她说，树应该被看作是有智慧的。
They communicate with each other. They help each other.
它们互相交流，互相帮助。
And as you mentioned, Georgina, they can even tell their family members.
正如你提到的，乔治娜，它们甚至可以辨别出家人。
So a tree can have its own family tree – amazing!
所以一棵树可以有它自己的族谱——太神奇了！
Tell me more.
多告诉我一些内容。
OK, Georgina, but first let me ask you my quiz question.
好的，乔治娜，但首先让我来问你我的测试问题。
The largest trees in a wood or forest are called mother trees.
森林中最大的树被称为“母树”。
As they're the biggest, mother trees usually have the longest, most connected roots.
由于它们最大，所以母树的根通常最长，与之连接的树根最多。
So my question is this – what is the world's largest currently living tree?
所以我的测试问题是——世界上目前最大的活树是什么？
Is it: a) a baobab tree, b) a giant redwood tree, or, c) a sequoia tree?
是：a）猴面包树，b）巨型红木树，还是c）巨杉树？
Hmmm… I've seen photos of redwood trees in California and they're huge,
嗯……我看过加州红木树的照片，它们很大，
so I'll say b) a giant redwood.
所以我选b）巨型红木树。
OK Georgina, I'm sure you only chose that cause it's the easiest one to pronounce,
好的，乔治娜，我确定你选那个答案仅是因为它发音最容易，
but we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme.
但是我们将在节目的最后揭晓答案。
Now let's get back to that tree researcher, Suzanne Simard.
现在让我们回到树木研究者苏珊娜·西玛德身上。
Her big idea was the 'wood wide web'
她的重要观点是“树维网”
– a way of describing the network of underground roots linking trees to other trees of the same family.
——这种方式描述的是地下根系网，将树木与同族的其它树木连接起来。
Here’s Suzanne explaining more about tree families to BBC World Service programme, The Big Idea:
苏珊娜向BBC全球服务节目《奇思妙想》解释了更多关于树木家族的内容：
We found that the parent trees would favour those seedlings that were of their own kin versus the strangers.
我们发现，与陌生的树相比，母树会更偏爱那些同族的幼苗。
That's extraordinary – and when you say they favour their own family members,
那太不可思议了——当你说它们偏爱自己的家人时，
you mean they'll send more nutrients to their offspring than they would to, as it were, a stranger tree?
你是指它们提供给后代的营养比它们提供给一棵陌生的树的营养要多。
That's right.
没错。
Mother trees send food and nutrients to their own seedlings – young plants that have been grown from a seed.
母树把食物和营养物质输送给自己的幼苗——由种子长成的幼株。
In this way, parent trees help their offspring – another word for their children, or young.
通过这种方式，母树帮助了它们自己的后代——它们的孩子或幼苗的另一种说法。
Mother trees can recognise and feed other trees of their own kin – an old fashioned word meaning family.
母树能够识别并哺育与自己有亲缘关系的其它树——这是一个老式单词，意为“亲属”。
With the extra nutrients and carbon they receive,
通过其吸收的额外营养和碳，
the offspring can extend their own root network and suck up even more nutrients…
后代可以扩展自己的根系网并吸收更多营养……
…which in turn increases their own growth,
这反过来促进了它们自身的成长，
turning some of them into the giants we see growing in California and other parts of the world.
使它们中的一些长成参天大树，它们生长于加利福尼亚和世界其它地方。
Amazing! With trees behaving in clever ways like this it's no wonder Suzanne thinks they have intelligence.
真神奇！树的行为如此聪明，难怪苏珊娜认为它们有智慧。
And that's not all.
而且那还不是全部。
Listen again as Suzanne discusses the question of whether trees are 'alive' with BBC World Service's, The Big Idea.
苏珊娜在BBC全球服务节目《奇思妙想》中讨论了树木是否“有生命”的问题，让我们再听一听。
See if you can hear her opinion.
看看你是否能理解她的观点。
Alive in the sense of having agency in their destinies, instead of being you know…
树是在能对自身命运发挥能动作用的情况下活着，而不是……
I think a lot of people think of trees as just sort of like these sticks that grow out of the ground,
我觉得很多人都认为树就像是从地里长出来的枝条，
they're kind of these inert things that don't have agency in their destiny,
它们是一动不动的事物，不能对自身命运发挥能动作用，
that they don't change behaviours and make decisions,
它们不会改变行为，不会做出决定，
but what we're finding is that they do all that.
但我们发现这一切它们都能做到。
And you know what step back and think trees have evolved over a long long long time,
而且退一步想，树已经进化了很长很长时间，
way longer than human beings,
进化之路比人类进还要长，
and they have evolved in communities and they have to grow and survive.
它们是群体进化，而且它们必须生长和生存。
I think Suzanne believes trees are alive and intelligent, because she says they have agency
我觉得苏珊娜认为树是有生命的，是有智慧的，因为她说它们有能动性
– a concept meaning having the ability to act and effect your environment.
——这个概念是指有能力做出行动并影响你周围的环境。
Dying trees even seem to know the future
濒死的树甚至似乎还知道未来
– before they die, they warn their offspring to start making new root connections.
——在它们死去之前，它们提醒后代开始建立新的根系网。
Showing that trees have some understanding of their destiny
这表明树对自己的命运有些了解
– everything that happens in someone's life and what will happen in the future.
——命运是指人们生活中发生的每件事以及未来会发生的事情。
So it seems that trees are much more intelligent than we thought, Georgina.
看来树比我们想象的要智慧得多，乔治娜。
It's certainly going to change how I feel about going for a walk in the woods,
这肯定会改变我对在树林中散步的感觉，
surrounded by all those intelligent trees chatting to each other.
周围都是那些智慧的树在互相聊天。
I wonder if they have family arguments.
我想知道它们是否有家庭纠纷。
Ha. Well, I wouldn't argue with one of those really gigantic tree, such as…
哈哈。好吧，我不会和那些真正的巨树之一争吵，比如……
well, Georgina, you tell me.
好吧，乔治娜，你告诉我吧。
Ah, you mean your quiz question - about the largest living tree?
啊，你是说你的测验问题——关于最大的活树？
Exactly. What did you say?
正是。你说是什么？
I said the largest currently living tree was, b) a giant redwood.
我说现在最大的活树是b）巨型红木树。
Was I correct, Neil?
我说的对吗，尼尔？
Well, you got the 'giant' part right, Georgina,
好吧，“巨型”部分是对的，乔治娜，
but in fact the answer was c) a giant sequoia named General Sherman.
但实际上答案是c）一棵叫做“雪曼将军树”的巨杉树。
He lives in California's Giant Forest,
它生活在加州的大森林里，
he's a whopping 83 metres tall and measures a massive 33 metres around the trunk!
它高达83米，树围有33米！
Wow! And I bet he has a huge family tree!
哇！我打赌他有一个庞大的族谱！
Ha-ha. Right then, Georgina, let's recap the vocabulary we've used discussing intelligent trees,
哈哈。好了，乔治娜，让我们回顾一下我们在讨论智慧的树时使用的词汇，
starting with family tree – a diagram showing the relationships between family members.
从族谱开始——显示家庭成员之间关系的一种图表。
Trees are intelligent enough to communicate with their children, or offspring.
树足够智慧到可以和它们的孩子或后代交流。
These young plants which have grown from seeds are also known as seedlings.
这些由种子长成的幼株也被称为幼苗。
Another word we learned is kin – an old-fashioned way of saying family.
我们学到的另一个单词是亲戚——亲属的一种过时说法。
According to tree expert Suzanne Simard, trees have agency
根据树木专家苏珊娜·西玛德的说法，树有能动性
– a term describing the ability to act and influence your surroundings.
——这个术语描述的是做出行动和影响周围环境的能力。
And the fact that trees make all kinds of decisions about their lives suggests they understand their destiny
树就其生命做出各种决定的事实表明，它们了解自己的命运
- everything that happens to someone during their life, including in the future.
——人们生命中发生的每件事，包括在未来发生的事情。
Thank you for joining our walk through the woods of English vocabulary.
感谢你加入我们的英语词汇丛林之旅。
Remember you can find more topical discussion on our website…
记住，你可以在我们的网站上找到更多的话题讨论……
…as well as a whole forest of English language resources at bbclearningenglish.com.
以及在bbclearningenglish.com上找到大量英语资源。
Goodbye for now.
再见了。
Bye!
拜！