咖啡是由咖啡豆制成，变色龙会根据它们周围的环境改变身上的颜色，珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最高的山。

　　These are all modern day 'facts' which we believe to be true – but experts have pointed out that many are simple misconceptions.

　　这些都是在现代社会中我们确信的“事实”，但是专家指出其中一些“事实”其实是有误解的。

　　For example, while Qomolangma is officially the tallest mountain in the world, some claim it technically shouldn't own the title because Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain when measured from base to summit.

　　例如，虽然珠穆朗玛峰是官方认证世界上最高的山，但从技术角度来说，它并不是最高的。如果测量距离是从山底到山峰，莫纳克亚山（夏威夷岛的死火山）才是世界上最高的山。

　　Others are just downright myths, such as that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space and that caffeine is dehydrating.

　　其他的“事实”很明显是虚构的。比如，从太空上可以看到中国的长城，咖啡因让人脱水。

　　Many of the 'faux facts' date back generations and have become part of common folklore but are often based on rumour or as a result of Chinese whispers.

　　一些“假事实”来自代代相传的说法，其中一些说法转变成广为流传的民间传说，但它们经常都是从谣言或者以讹传讹的演变结果发展来的。

　　西红柿是水果？破解50个现代常见误解

　　However, closer inspection reveals that commonly-held assumptions such as 'eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares' are, in fact, not quite as true as they seem.

　　然而，更详细的调查揭露一些被普遍接受的假设，比如睡前吃奶酪会做噩梦，而实际上，并不是他们认为的那样准确。

　　The raft of common misconceptions was uncovered by Ripley's Believe it or Not! London, a visitor attraction dedicated to the bizarre in Piccadilly Circus.

　　许多普遍的误解在雷普利的节目《信不信由你》（Ripley's Believe it or Not）中被解开。

　　A spokesman said: 'If you're told something enough times, you're sure to start believing it.

　　一位发言人曾说过：“如果你把一件事说很多次，那么你就会开始相信它。”

　　'The misconceptions in this list are all pretty plausible, so it's understandable that many Brits will have read it and been certain it's true, with many of us being told these from an early age.

　　在这榜单上的误解貌似都非常可信，所以可以理解英国人读了这些后会信以为真，我们在早些时候也被告知过这些所谓的“事实”。

　　'Unbelievably, all of these commonly believed facts are in fact common misconceptions that we have myths and misconceptions.

　　不可思议的是，这些广泛被人们相信的事实实际上都是误解，这些是由我们虚构和误解得来的。

　　'We've found this research really interesting as the whole Ripley's attraction is filled with exhibits that have the 'Believe It or Not!' factor.

　　“我们发现这个研究非常的有意思，完全吸引了雷普利的眼球，因此这些就成为了《信不信由你》的节目素材。

　　'As our founder Robert Ripley used to say, it is often the strangest things that are true.'

　　“正如我们的创始人罗伯特雷普利（Robert Ripley）曾说过，最奇怪的事通常都是真的。”

　　THE TOP 50 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS RESOLVED

　　50大普遍的误解被解开

　　1. Coffee is made from beans

　　咖啡是由咖啡豆制成

　　While it is widely believed that coffee comes from 'coffee beans', experts say it is actually made from a seed which is called a bean.

　　尽管大家广泛认为，咖啡是由咖啡豆制成，但专家说，咖啡其实是由种子制成也就是大家说的“豆”。

　　2. Chameleons change colour to match their surroundings

　　变色龙会根据它们周围的环境改变身上的颜色

　　Believe it or not, chameleons actually change colour as a response to mood, temperature, communication and light instead of the object they are touching.

　　不管你信不信，变色龙其实是根据情绪、温度、沟通、光线来变色的，而不是它们接触到的物体。

　　3. Mount Qomolangma is the 'tallest' mountain in the world

　　珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最高的山

　　While Mount Qomolangma is officially deemed the tallest mountain in the world, experts claim that technically it may not be. The summit of Qomolangma is officially higher above sea level than the summit of any other mountain, but Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from base to summit. However, the record books deem it the tallest because it has the highest peak on Earth.

　　尽管珠穆朗玛峰是官方认可的世界上最高的山，但专家说在技术层面上来说它并不是最高的。官方认为，从海平面算起，珠穆朗玛峰的最高点要高于其它的山。但如果从山底算起，莫纳克亚山（夏威夷岛的死火山）是世界上最高的山。但是，世界纪录手册上依然认定珠穆朗玛峰是最高的，因为它有着地球上最高的山峰。

　　4. The Great Wall of China can be seen from space

　　在太空能看到中国的万里长城

　　The Apollo astronauts confirmed that you can't see the Great Wall of China from the Moon. In fact, all you can see from the Moon is the white and blue marble of Earth.

　　阿波罗宇航员证实，人们不能从月球看到中国的长城。事实上，你可以从月球看到像白色和蓝色大理石一样的地球。

　　5. One human year is equivalent to seven dog years

　　人类的一年相当于狗的七年。

　　While true in some cases, it does not apply to everyone because it very much depends on the size and breed of the dog.

　　虽然在某些情况下是真实的，但并不都这样，因为它在很大程度上取决于狗的大小和品种。

　　6. You lose your body heat fastest through your head

　　散失身体热量最快的部位是头部。

　　While this is widely believed to be true, some experts say it is a myth and claim humans would be just as cold if they went without a hat as if they went without trousers.

　　虽然这被普遍认为是真实的，但一些专家认为这是没有依据的，因为如果他们不戴帽子，一定会像没穿裤子一样的冷。

　　7. The Earth revolves around the Sun

　　地球围绕太阳转。

　　Technically, the Earth, sun and all of the other the planets are orbiting around the centre of mass of the solar system, not specifically the sun.

　　从技术上讲，地球、太阳和所有其他的行星都围绕着太阳系的质量中心转，并不是特定地围绕着太阳转。

　　8. Different parts of your tongue detects different tastes

　　舌头的不同部位品尝不同的味道。

　　This was scientifically disproven by research which found that all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue, although different parts are more sensitive to certain tastes which may be where the popular saying comes from.

　　科学研究发现，所有味觉来自舌头各地区，只是不同的部分对其特定的味道更为敏感，可能这个流行的错误说法正来自于此。

　　9. Peanuts are a type of nut

　　花生是坚果的一种。

　　Unbelievably, peanuts, along with beans and peas, actually belong to the single plant family, Leguminosae.

　　令人难以置信的是，继豆类，豌豆之后，花生也属于单一植物家族——豆科。

　　10. Giving children sugar makes them hyper

　　糖会使儿童亢奋。

　　While some experts do stand by this common belief, other professors claim that the majority of scientific research has concluded that sugar does not cause hyperactivity in youngsters.

　　虽然一些专家认同这个说法，但其他教授声称，大多数科学研究得出的结论是糖不会导致青少年患多动症。

　　11. Humans have five senses

　　人类有五种感觉。

　　This is correct, although in actual fact there are at least nine senses and most researchers think there are more like 21. The five main senses - sight, sound, touch, smell and taste - are the ones referred to in this popular saying.

　　这是正确的，尽管事实上人类有至少九种感觉，并且大多数研究者认为更多，也许多达二十一种。五个主要的感官——视觉，听觉，触觉，嗅觉和味觉——是这个流行说法中所提到的。

　　12. Fortune cookies are a Chinese tradition

　　吃福饼是中国人的传统。

　　Fortune cookies were originally the invention of Japanese-Americans before being widely adopted by Chinese culture.

　　在被中国文化广泛采纳之前，幸运饼干是日裔美国人发明的。

　　13. Sushi means 'raw fish'

　　寿司的意思是生鱼片。

　　Sushi actually translates as sour-tasting.

　　实际上，寿司应译为酸味食物。

　　14. Vikings wore horned helmets

　　维京人戴着唐冠螺。

　　While this may well be true, experts say there is actually no evidence to suggest that Vikings ever wore horned helmets.

　　专家认为，虽然这可能是真的，但其实没有证据表明海盗曾经戴唐冠螺。

　　15. The forbidden fruit mentioned in the Book of Genesis is an apple

　　在圣经《创世纪》中提到的禁果是苹果。

　　The bible never mentions the forbidden fruit was an apple.

　　圣经中从未提到圣果就是苹果。

　　16. Vitamin C is an effective treatment for a cold

　　维生素C可以有效地治疗感冒。

　　Flu-sufferers are often encouraged to increase their dosage of Vitamin C, but most experts have stated that there is little or no evidence that the vitamin can help treatment of a cold. Instead of effectively treating a cold, it is thought to help build up the immune system to ward of potential flu viruses.

　　流感患者们经常被鼓励增加维生素C的剂量，但大多数专家都表示，有很少或没有证据表明维生素可以帮助治疗感冒的。事实上，维生素C被认为能帮助建立免疫系统，以抵御潜在的流感病毒，而不能有效地治疗感冒。

　　17. Penguins mate for life

　　企鹅都是终身一夫一妻制

　　Penguins are mostly monogamous, but there are some species such as the Emperor Penguin which are serially monogamous. They mate with one couple for the whole season but will probably mate with another penguin the following year as the urgent need for breeding will make them avoid waiting for the same couple.

　　企鹅大多是终身一夫一妻制，但也有一些物种如帝企鹅是连续性一夫一妻制。它们一年到头与同一个伴侣交配，但次年可能会作为育种的迫切需要，而与另一个企鹅交配，这样它们不必花时间等待之前的伴侣。

　　18. Caffeine dehydrates you

　　咖啡会使你脱水

　　While caffeinated drinks may have a mild diuretic effect - meaning that they may cause the need to urinate - some experts believe they don't appear to increase the risk of dehydration.

　　虽然含咖啡因的饮料可能有一种温和的利尿剂效果——这意味着他们可能会导致我们需要尿尿，但一些专家认为他们不会增加脱水的风险。

　　19. When in London, you are merely six feet away from a rat

　　在伦敦，离你六英尺的地方就会有一只老鼠

　　This could well be true but hasn't been proven and is just a rough estimate as rodents are not evenly spread apart.

　　这很可能是真的，但尚未被证实，只是一个粗略的估计，因为啮齿动物的分布并不均匀。

　　20. There is a dark side of the moon

　　月亮有一个黑暗面

　　As the Moon is constantly rotating on its own axis, there is no area of the planetoid which is in permanent darkness.

　　当月亮以它的轴为中心不断旋转时，没有哪个区域会在永恒的黑暗中。

　　21. A toilet's flush will change direction depending upon which hemisphere it is in

　　马桶的冲水方向会改变，这取决于它在哪一个半球

　　The real cause of 'backwards'-flushing toilets is just that the water jets point in the opposite direction.

　　“向后”的真正原因仅仅只是冲洗厕所的水柱指向相反的方向。

　　22. Mars is red

　　火星是红色的

　　The red colour we see in images of Mars is just the result of iron rusting.

　　我们看到的红色火星图像只是铁生锈的结果。

　　23. Sunflowers track the sun across the sky

　　向日葵追着太阳生长

　　A common misconception is that sunflower heads track the sun across the sky when in full bloom. The uniform alignment of the flowers does result from heliotropism in an earlier development stage, the bud stage, before the appearance of flower heads so technically they follow the sun before they have bloomed, not after.

　　一个常见的误解是向日葵盛开时花盘会跟着太阳转动。向日葵在萌芽阶段还没长出花盘时就已经具有向日性了，所以从技术上讲，它们在盛开前就已经追着太阳生长了，而不是盛开后才追着太阳生长。

　　24. People use just 10 per cent of their brain

　　人们仅仅使用了大脑的10%

　　Neurologists describe the myth as false and state we use virtually every part of the brain, and that (most of) the brain is active almost all the time.

　　神经学家认为这种观念是错误的，并且指出我们几乎使用了大脑的每一部分，大脑（大部分）基本上一直是活跃的。

　　25. Your fingernails continue to grow after you die

　　你的指甲在你死后继续生长

　　The dehydration of the body after death can cause retraction of the skin around hair and nails, giving the illusion that they have grown. However, all tissues require energy to sustain their functions, and no such thing is possible once the mechanism that promotes normal growth shuts down at death.

　　在人死后，身体的脱水可引起头发和指甲周围的皮肤收缩，造成指甲生长的错觉。然而，所有的组织都需要能量来维持他们的功能，一旦促进正常生长的机制在死亡时关闭，任何组织都不可能再生长。

　　26. Bats are blind

　　蝙蝠是瞎子

　　Despite the tiny eyes and nocturnal lifestyle, none of the roughly 1,100 bat species are blind.

　　尽管它们的眼睛很小而且总在夜间活动，但所有1100种蝙蝠都不是瞎子。

　　27. Dropping a penny from the Empire State building would kill someone

　　从帝国大厦抛下一分钱硬币会砸死人

　　A penny only weighs about a gram and it tumbles as it falls. Because of the tumbling and the light weight, there's so much air resistance that the penny never really gathers that much speed before it hits its terminal velocity. A gram of weight travelling at a relatively slow speed might hurt a little if it hit you on the head, but it's not going to kill you.

　　一分钱，只重约1克。所以当它下落时，因为翻滚和重量轻，又有这么大空气阻力，就算是达到最大速度也没有多快。一克重量以相对较慢的速度砸到你头上可能会让你有点疼，但它不至于会杀了你。

　　28. Handling a baby bird will make its mother reject it

　　被人养过的幼鸟会被母亲抛弃

　　Most birds have a very poor sense of smell, so in most cases are unable to even notice human scent on baby bird.

　　大多数鸟类的嗅觉都不太灵敏，所以在大多数情况下甚至无法察觉到在幼鸟身上的人类气味。

　　29. You need to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person to the police

　　一个人失踪24小时以后才能向警方报案

　　There is no rule that states you have to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person. The person will be recorded as missing and their details made available to other UK police forces within 48 hours.

　　没有任何规定要求你必须等待24小时后才能报失踪案。失踪的人将被记录在案，并且案件细节必须在48小时内被传达到英国其他警察部队。

　　30. Your blood is blue before its oxygenated

　　你的血液在氧化前是蓝色的

　　While many believe that de-oxygenated blood is blue, it is actually a myth because human blood is always red - although the level of redness does differ depending on how oxygenated it is.

　　很多人都会认为去氧血是蓝色的，这是错的，因为人类血液永远会是红的，而红色的程度则取决于不同的含氧量。

　　31. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds

　　金鱼只有三秒钟的记忆

　　This is not true as goldfish do actually have very good memories for fish. They can be trained to respond various ways to certain colours of light, different kinds of music and other sensory cues.

　　这实际上不是真的，金鱼是一种记忆力很好的鱼，经过训练它们能对特定颜色的光、不同种类的音乐和其他感官信号做出各种反应。

　　32. You need to wait an hour after eating before you can swim safely

　　你吃饭一小时后游泳才安全

　　As with any exercise after eating, swimming right after a big meal might be uncomfortable, but it won't cause you to drown. However, it is good advice to stay out of the pool right after a big meal as the digestive process does divert the circulation of the blood towards the gut and to a certain extent, away from the muscles, meaning swimming could feel harder.

　　与其他任何运动一样，大餐一顿之后马上游泳可能使胃会不舒服，但这不会使你溺水。然而，它确实值得注意，当大餐一顿后，消化过程在一定程度上确实将一部分血液循环从肌肉转移到肠道，这就意味着游泳会感觉到困难。

　　33. Bulls are enraged by the colour red

　　公牛是被红色激怒了

　　It is a proven fact that bulls only see blues and yellow. They only react to the red cape because of the movements that flutter around.

　　事实证明，公牛只能看到蓝色和黄色。他们有反应是因为红色斗篷不停地颤振。

　　34. Seasons are caused by the Earth being closer to the Sun

　　地球向太阳靠近造成季节的变换

　　As Earth orbits the sun, its tilted axis always points in the same direction. So, throughout the year, different parts of Earth get the sun's direct rays.

　　地球在围着太阳旋转时，其倾斜轴总是在同一个方向。因此，全年不同地区得到太阳的直接辐射不同导致季节变化。

　　35. Eating lots of chocolate will give you spots

　　吃太多巧克力会导致你长斑

　　There is no concrete evidence that suggests eating more chocolate can cause spots.

　　没有确切的证据表明多吃巧克力会导致长斑。

　　36. Shaving your leg hair will make it grow back quicker

　　剃掉你的腿毛会让它长得更快

　　Many believe shaving body hair makes it grow back quicker but shaving hair doesn't change its thickness, colour or rate of growth. Shaving facial or body hair simply gives the hair a blunt tip which might feel coarse or 'stubbly' for a period of time as it grows out.

　　许多人认为剃体毛让它长得更快，但剃头发并不会改变其厚度、颜色或生长率。剃掉脸上或身上的毛发仅仅给毛发留下钝形顶端，直到它长长之前，它在一段时间内会又粗又短而且硬。

　　37. Frankenstein was the name of the monster in Mary Shelley's book 'Frankenstein'

　　弗兰肯斯坦是玛丽·雪莱的书《弗兰肯斯坦》中怪物的名字

　　Frankenstein was the name of the monster's creator.

　　弗兰肯斯坦是怪物的创造者的名字。

　　38. Microwave radiation can cause cancer

　　微波辐射能引发癌症。

　　Most experts say that microwave ovens don't give off enough energy to damage the genetic material (DNA) in cells so they can't cause cancer.

　　很多专家认为，微波炉所释放的能量是不足以损害细胞内的基因物质的，所以它们不会引发癌症。

　　39. Men think about sex every seven seconds

　　男性每隔七秒就会想到性

　　While some men might think about sex this often, there is no real evidence to support this statement.

　　一些男性也许经常会想到性，但没有切实的证据证明这个观点。

　　40. Ostriches bury their head in the sand when they are scared

　　鸵鸟害怕的时候，往往会把自己的头部埋入沙中。

　　Ostriches swallow sand and pebbles to help grind up food in their stomachs. This means they have to bend down and briefly stick their heads in the earth to collect the pebbles. It is not because they are scared.

　　鸵鸟会大量吞咽沙子和卵石，以此来磨碎他们胃里的食物。这也就意味着他们会弯腰并低下头来到地面去收集卵石，并不是因为它们害怕了。

　　41. Waking sleepwalkers harms them

　　叫醒梦游者会对他们造成伤害

　　Waking a sleepwalker won't cause them any physical harm but but could leave them startled or disoriented which is why many people believe it is best not to disturb them.

　　叫醒一个梦游者，不会对他们造成身体上的伤害，但却会使他感到惊恐以及分不清方向，所以很多人认为，面对梦游病患者，最好的办法就是不去打扰他们。

　　42. Albert Einstein failed maths at school

　　阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦在上学期间数学考试曾经不及格

　　He failed one entry exam to a school but in fact, he actually excelled at mathematics throughout his schooling and even considered becoming a mathematician for a time.

　　阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦曾经在一次升学考试上失败了，但实际上，通过他在学校期间的表现，可以看出他在数学方面十分有天赋，甚至有一段时间想过成为一名数学家。

　　43. Salty water boils quicker

　　盐水更容易被煮沸

　　The salt water requires more exposure to the heat in order to boil than water alone, so the boiling point is elevated and the time it takes to get the water to boil increases.

　　盐水需要吸收更多的热量才能煮沸，所以盐水的沸点更高，煮沸的时间也比纯水更长。

　　44. Carrots help you see in the dark

　　胡萝卜能让你在黑暗中看清东西

　　Carrots contain vitamin A, or retinol, and this is required for your body to synthesise rhodopsin, which is the pigment in your eyes that operates in low-light conditions. If you have a vitamin A deficiency, you will develop nyctalopia or night blindness. Eating carrots would correct this and improve your night vision, but only to the point of an ordinary healthy person - it won't ever let you see in complete darkness.

　　胡萝卜内含有维生素A，也就是所说的视黄醇，它是你体内综合视网膜紫质的必需物质，是你眼睛里的一种色素，这种色素能让你在光线较暗的环境下看清东西。如果你缺少维生素A，你可能会形成夜盲症。吃胡萝卜能够改善这种情况，并能提高你的夜市能力，但这种方法只针对于普通的健康人群，并且也不能让你在完全漆黑的环境下看清东西。

　　45. Houseflies only live for around 24hours

　　家蝇仅能存活大约24小时

　　The adult housefly can live up to one month in the wild.

　　家蝇成虫在野外能存活一个月。

　　46. Eating cheese before bed will give you nightmares

　　睡觉之前吃奶酪会让你做噩梦

　　Cheese is believed to give you more emotionally charged dreams but not necessarily nightmares.

　　据认为，奶酪会让你的梦情感更充沛，但不一定是噩梦。

　　47. The capital of Australia is Sydney

　　澳大利亚的首都是悉尼

　　The capital of Australia is, in fact, Canberra.

　　实际上，澳大利亚的首都应该是堪培拉。

　　48. Tomatoes are a vegetable

　　西红柿是一种蔬菜

　　Tomatoes are a fruit

　　西红柿是一种水果。

　　49. Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you ill

　　顶着湿漉漉的头发在寒风中出门会使你生病

　　There is no evidence to support this, it is regarded as an old wives' tale.

　　没有证据证明这个观点，它通常被看做妇人之见。

　　50. Alcohol keeps you warm

　　酒精使你温暖

　　Alcohol may make your skin feel warm, but this apparent heatwave is deceptive. A nip or two actually causes your blood vessels to dilate, moving warm blood closer to the surface of your skin, making you feel warmer temporarily. At the same time, however, those same veins pumping blood closer to the skin's surface causing you to lose core body heat.

　　酒精能使你的皮肤感到温暖，但这种表面上的温度是具有欺骗性的。一两口酒确实会让你的血管扩张，让热血流向皮肤表面，使你感到暂时的温暖。但与此同时，这些给皮肤表面供血的血管也会使你失去核心的体温。

　　Vocabulary

　　Chinese whispers: 传小话

　　chameleon: 变色龙

　　monogamous: 一夫一妻的

　　heliotropism: 向日性

　　velocity: 速率，速度