10個完全錯誤的「常識」：英語精讀講義

Number 10:

第10名：

The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from space.

中國長城是唯一能從太空中看到的人造物。

To see something on Earth from space, it would have to be pretty big, 文法

想從太空中看到地球上的東西，它得足夠大才行，

which the Great Wall of China,

而中國長城，

all 5,000 mi of it, certainly is.

全長5000英里，肯定算得上。

But it's only 30 ft across at its widest. 片語搭配

但它最寬處也只有30英尺。

Here's a photo taken from the International Space Station 200 mi above Earth.

這是一張從地球上方200英里的國際太空站拍攝的照片。

Can you spot the Great Wall amid the mountaintops?

你能在群山中找到長城嗎？

Here, right?

在這兒，對吧？

No, that's a river.

不，那是一條河。

The wall is actually here.

長城其實在這裡。

Even if you guessed the right lines by pure luck, 講解

就算你純憑運氣猜對了位置，

this photo was taken with a zoom lens.

這張照片也是用長焦鏡頭拍的。

So from the window of the International Space Station,

所以從國際太空站的窗戶看出去，

it would look more like this,

它其實更像這樣，

which pretty clearly makes the Great Wall count as not visible. 片語搭配

這很明顯說明長城根本看不見。

As for the man-made part of this misconception, 表達脈絡

至於這個謬論中「人造」的部分，

our glorious man-made cities blasting light into the void certainly are visible. 慣用語

我們人類建造的光芒四射的城市在太空中絕對是可見的。

Number 9:

第9名：

Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis. 片語搭配

凹手指關節會導致關節炎。

Socially obnoxious?

這種行為招人煩嗎？

Yes.

是的。

Gives you arthritis later in life as karmic punishment? 片語搭配

會像因果報應一樣讓你晚年得關節炎嗎？

No.

不會。

Number 8:

第8名：

People only use 10% of their brain.

人類只使用了大腦的10%。

If you haven't seen a medical drama in the past,

如果你過去沒看過醫療劇，

oh, 30 years,

呃，大概30年來都沒看過，

you might not be aware that doctors now have machines that can see inside people's brains.

你可能不知道，現在的醫生已經有能看清人大腦內部的儀器了。

And, contrary to popular belief, 表達脈絡

而且，與大眾的認知相反，

90% of the neurons don't sit around all day doing nothing. 片語動詞

剩下的90%神經元並沒有整天無所事事。

While scientists don't yet know exactly what each part does, 表達脈絡

雖然科學家還沒完全弄清楚每個部分具體是幹嘛的，

they do know that all the bits matter. 文法

但他們確信每個部分都很重要。

So if you think that someone could scoop out 90% of your brain and you'd still be just fine, 片語動詞

所以如果你覺得有人挖掉你90%的大腦你還能好好的，

then perhaps you really only do use 10% of it. 語氣意圖

那也許你真的只用了大腦的10%。

Number 7:

第7名：

Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow.

愛斯基摩人有幾百個詞來形容雪。

This one is technically correct, 表達脈絡

這個說法嚴格來說是對的，

but misleading.

但有誤導性。

Some languages,

有些語言，

such as German,

比如德語，

like to make compound words by running several smaller ones together, 片語動詞

喜歡把幾個小字連在一起造出複合詞，

which is why German words are sometimes absurdly long.

這也是為什麼德語單字有時候長得離譜。

Inuit languages use compound words as well,

因紐特語也使用複合詞，

so rather than say yellow snow, 文法

所以他們不會說「黃色的雪」（yellow snow），

as you would in English,

像英語那樣，

an Inuit speaker combines the two words into one.

而是把這兩個字拼成一個字。

But it's not really a new word, 表達脈絡

但這算不上是一個新字，

just a quirk of grammar.

只是文法上的一個小特點。

So technically Eskimos do have hundreds of ways to describe snow,

所以嚴格來說，愛斯基摩人確實有幾百種描述雪的方法，

but then so does every language. 文法

但所有語言其實都能做到。

Number 6:

第6名：

You need eight glasses of water a day.

你每天需要喝八杯水。

While doubtless some people would benefit from drinking more water and drinking less crap, 片語搭配

毫無疑問，多喝水少喝垃圾飲料對某些人肯定有好處，

there's no scientific evidence that eight glasses of water a day is the required amount 片語搭配

但並沒有科學證據表明每天八杯水是必需的量，

and some evidence that it might be too much. 文法

反而有證據表明這可能喝得太多了。

And while we're talking about water, 表達脈絡

既然說到了水，

number 5:

第5名：

Tap water is bad,

自來水不好，

but bottled water is good.

但瓶裝水好。

If you live in a paradise free from government regulations,

如果你住在一個沒有政府監管的「天堂」，

like say Somalia,

比如說索馬利亞，

then you might have good reason to prefer bottled water over tap. 片語搭配

那你確實有充分的理由偏愛瓶裝水而不是自來水。

But modern functioning countries have something called health regulations,

但現代正常運作的國家都有所謂的衛生法規，

which cover both kinds of water.

這涵蓋了兩種水。

Also,

另外，

water is extremely dense,

水的密度很大，

making transporting it from those pristine mountaintops and glaciers enormously expensive, 文法

要從那些原始的山頂和冰川運水過來成本極高，

which is why bottled water companies don't bother. 片語搭配

這也是為什麼瓶裝水公司根本懶得這麼幹。

Bottled water is often just local tap water with a fancy label and an enormous markup. 用詞

瓶裝水通常只是貼了漂亮標籤、價格翻了好幾倍的當地自來水。

Number 4:

第4名：

Gum takes 7 years to pass through your digestive system. 文法

口香糖需要7年才能從消化系統排出。

This is pretty easy to disprove yourself,

這個說法很容易自己去證偽，

but it's understandable why most people don't try the experiment. 文法

不過大多數人不願去親自實驗也是可以理解的。

Number 3:

第3名：

Blood in your veins is blue.

你的靜脈血是藍色的。

The idea here is that blood in veins is blue

這種觀點的理由是，靜脈裡的血是藍色的，

and it only turns red when exposed to the oxygen in the air. 文法

只有接觸到空氣中的氧氣才會變成紅色。

Thinking this isn't unreasonable.

這麼想並非毫無道理。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

your veins look blue and medical diagrams show arteries as red and veins as blue, 文法

你的靜脈看起來是藍色的，而且醫學圖表上也把動脈畫成紅色，靜脈畫成藍色，

but it's the same mistake as thinking that Mountain Dew is green because it's in a green bottle. 文法

這就像因為Mountain Dew（激浪）裝在綠瓶子裡就認為它是綠色的一樣，犯了同樣的錯誤。

Pour it out and you discover that Mountain Dew is really piss yellow,

倒出來你就會發現Mountain Dew其實是尿黃色的，

which is probably why it's in a green bottle to begin with. 片語搭配

這可能也是它一開始要裝在綠瓶子裡的原因。

The next time you get blood withdrawn from a vein, 文法

下次你抽靜脈血的時候，

take a look.

仔細看看。

What color is it?

是什麼顏色的？

Red.

紅色的。

How much oxygen is inside a good syringe?

一個好注射器裡有多少氧氣？

None.

一點也沒有。

Unless you're a horseshoe crab or Plavalaguna, 講解

除非你是鱟或者是Plavalaguna，

your blood isn't blue.

否則你的血絕對不是藍色的。

Number 2:

第2名：

Fan death. 文化背景

電風扇致死。

This misconception is a specialty of South Korea.

這個謬論是韓國的特產。

Here,

在那裡，

the belief is that if you spend too much time with a rotating fan in a confined space,

人們認為如果你在密閉空間裡和一台轉動的電風扇待太久，

it will use up all your oxygen and you'll asphyxiate to death. 片語動詞

它會耗盡你所有的氧氣，讓你窒息而死。

Exactly how the fan, 表達脈絡

至於電風扇，

made of a lifeless anaerobic plastic,

一個毫無生命、不需要氧氣的塑膠機器，

competes for your oxygen is unclear,

到底是怎麼跟你搶氧氣的還真不清楚，

but hilariously South Korean fan manufacturers,

但好笑的是，韓國的電風扇製造商，

who surely must know better, 語氣意圖

他們肯定心知肚明，

include timers on fans to prevent them from running too long. 文法

卻還是在電風扇上加了定時器以防止運轉太久。

Number 1:

第1名：

People swallow eight spiders a year while sleeping. 文法

人在睡覺時每年會吞下八隻蜘蛛。

Supposedly, 表達脈絡

據說，

while you're in bed helplessly unconscious with your gob wide open, 用詞

當你躺在床上、毫無防備地失去意識、張著大嘴時，

each year eight spiders find their way into your mouth 片語搭配

每年會有八隻蜘蛛溜進你的嘴裡，

and you reflexively swallow them.

然後你不自覺地把它們吞了下去。

This is plainly ridiculous.

這簡直荒謬透頂。

Spiders love warm,

蜘蛛喜歡溫暖、

moist places,

潮濕的地方，

so eight is far too low an estimate. 語氣意圖

所以每年八隻這個估計也太低了吧。