In English, there are many expressions which use an adjective to compare humans with animals. For example, you might say, ‘She’s as busy as a bee’.
在英语中，有许多表达方式使用形容词将人类与动物进行比较。例如，你可能会说，“她像蜜蜂一样忙碌”。
Sam(山姆)
As hungry as a horse. But you probably won’t hear someone say…
像马一样饿。但你可能不会听到有人说......
Neil(尼尔)
‘She’s as clever as a chimpanzee’.
“她像黑猩猩一样聪明”。
Sam(山姆)
…which is strange, because of all the animals it’s our close cousins, chimpanzees, or chimps for short, who are most like us.
...这很奇怪，因为在所有动物中，我们的近亲，黑猩猩，简称黑猩猩，最像我们。
Neil(尼尔)
Just like humans, chimps are highly intelligent. They live in social groups and just like humans these groups have leaders.
就像人类一样，黑猩猩也非常聪明。他们生活在社会群体中，就像人类一样，这些群体也有领导者。
Sam(山姆)
Also, like humans, chimps have a desire for power. In fact, chimpanzees have their own politics, which is surprisingly similar to human politics, as we’ll be discovering in this programme.
Research shows that the reason chimpanzee behaviour so closely resembles human politics is because biologically we are almost identical. Did you know that a chimp is more like a human than like a gorilla? So, Sam, my quiz question is this: biologically, how close are chimpanzees to humans? Is it: a) 79 %? b) 89 %? or c) 99 %?
Well, Neil, if chimps and humans are almost identical, I’ll guess c) 99 %.
好吧，尼尔，如果黑猩猩和人类几乎相同，我猜 c） 99%。
Neil(尼尔)
OK, Sam, we’ll find out the correct answer at the end of the programme. In human societies of course, not everyone gets to be a political leader. It’s usually the most powerful or ambitious person who becomes president.
In chimpanzee society this is called the alpha male – the most successful and powerful male who leads the group.
在黑猩猩社会中，这被称为阿尔法雄性 —— 领导群体的最成功和最强大的雄性。
Neil(尼尔)
Professor Frans de Waal is an expert on chimpanzee behaviour. Here he is on BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor, telling presenter, James Tilley, about one example of chimp behaviour which closely mirrors human politics.
Frans de Waal教授是黑猩猩行为方面的专家。在这里，他在BBC世界服务节目“为什么因素”中向主持人詹姆斯·蒂利讲述了一个与人类政治密切相关的黑猩猩行为的例子。
Prof Frans de Waal(Frans de Waal教授)
Older males who are over the hill and cannot be alpha males any more, they start grooming a certain young male who they think has a future, and they may end up making that young male the alpha male with their help, meaning that they are essential to the power of that young male…
Professor de Waal calls chimps who are too old to be alpha males, over the hill – a phrase describing someone who is old and no longer useful or attractive.
Older chimps try to control younger males in order to maintain their own power and influence. In other words, they are the power behind the throne – an expression meaning someone with no official power but who secretly controls things in the background.
Another example of chimp politics is when several weaker males gang up and overthrow a stronger alpha male. By working together weaker chimps can increase their power and the benefits, like food, which power brings.
According to Simon Hicks, professor of political science at the London School of Economics, human alliances work in exactly the same way.
伦敦政治经济学院政治学教授西蒙·希克斯认为，人类联盟的运作方式完全相同。
Sam(山姆)
Here is Professor Hicks speaking with BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor:
以下是希克斯教授在接受英国广播公司世界服务节目《为什么因素》采访时的讲话：
Prof Simon Hicks(Simon Hicks教授)
So, for example if you imagine three parties in a parliament, one big one and two small ones, you might think that naturally the most likely coalition is the big party with either one of the two small ones, whereas, in fact, minimum winning coalition prediction would suggest the two smaller ones should get together, if together they can reach more than 50 percent of the seats, because they can divide up the spoils between the two of them. Whereas, if either one of them form a coalition with a big party, the big party would dominate, and they wouldn’t get many of the spoils for themselves.
In human politics making coalitions improves your chances of winning an election.
在人类政治中，结成联盟可以提高你赢得选举的机会。
Sam(山姆)
And in chimpanzee politics coalitions are a good way for young male chimps to defeat the alpha male and divide up the spoils between themselves. Here, the word spoils means the benefits obtained by winning a war or being in a strong position.
For ambitious alpha chimps the spoils might include getting first choice of food and female partners.
对于雄心勃勃的阿尔法黑猩猩来说，战利品可能包括获得首选食物和雌性伴侣。
Sam(山姆)
While for human politicians’ power can bring wealth and fame as well.
而对于人类来说，政治家的权力也可以带来财富和名声。
Neil(尼尔)
And there’s something else alpha chimpanzees and human politicians have in common – they like to show their softer side by kissing babies!
阿尔法黑猩猩和人类政客还有其他共同点 —— 它们喜欢通过亲吻婴儿来展示自己柔软的一面！
Sam(山姆)
It looks like chimps and humans share many similar behaviours after all – which reminds me of your quiz question, Neil.
看起来黑猩猩和人类毕竟有许多相似的行为 —— 这让我想起了你的测验问题，尼尔。
Neil(尼尔)
Yes, in my quiz question I asked Sam how similar we are to chimps. What did you say, Sam?
是的，在我的测验问题中，我问山姆我们和黑猩猩有多相似。你说什么，山姆？
Sam(山姆)
I said that, biologically speaking, we’re c) 99 % the same.
我说，从生物学上讲，我们是 c） 99% 相同。
Neil(尼尔)
Which is… the correct answer! Well done, Sam – you’re as clever as a chimp!
哪个是...正确答案！干得好，山姆 —— 你像黑猩猩一样聪明！
Sam(山姆)
Ah, thanks, Neil! And you’re definitely not over the hill! Let’s recap the vocabulary from today’s programme about chimp politics, starting with alpha male - the most successful and powerful male in any group.
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