謬誤有時(shí)披著真理的外衣，讓人深信不疑；有時(shí)它又籠罩著層層迷霧，讓人無法看透。脫去那件外衣，撥開那層迷霧，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它們錯(cuò)得如此荒誕離譜、如此不堪一擊。

Myths that are thought to be true facts do not stop at the ones listed below. Actually， there are countless fake ideas that people usually consider to be undeniable1) truths. From health to relationships and from Santa Claus to natural phenomena， every domain has its share of so called undeniable realities that are actually no more than plain myths. Here are 7 myths that people believe to be true.

那些被視為真理的謬誤可不止下面所列出的這些。其實(shí)，世間有不計(jì)其數(shù)的、具有欺騙性的觀點(diǎn)常常被人們認(rèn)為是不容爭辯的真理。從健康到人際關(guān)系，從圣誕老人到自然現(xiàn)象，每個(gè)領(lǐng)域都有一部分所謂的不可否認(rèn)的真理，而事實(shí)上，它們只不過是一些普通的謬誤而已。下面列舉了人們深信不疑的七個(gè)謬誤。

1. Barking dogs don't bite

I have heard this one since childhood. I always consider it one of the silliest myths out there， and it can turn out to be dangerous too. Barking dogs DO bite. Barking is a dog's way of telling you \"stay away\" and you should better listen to it， because a dog always means it， and this is not a myth!

2. If you are cold， you'll

get the flu

This is another myth that is taken as a general truth by most people. Stay away from cold， or you'll get sick， my mother always told me. Well， Mom， it is not the cold that get us sick， but those dreadful2) viruses! The true part about this one is that cold diminishes3) the activity of your immunity system， making it easier for viruses to enter your organism， but the cold itself is harmless.

3. Hot liquids are great for

a sore throat

This is one of the most diffused4) myths in the world. \"Drink your tea while it is hot\"， we hear this all the time when we are sick. Hot drinks are actually harmful and will not do any good to your throat. If you are talking of warm liquids， then yes， they are helpful. Hot ones will only harm our fragile tissues and hurt not only the throat， but the esophagus5) and the stomach as well.

4. History books are accurate

History books only try to be accurate but they do not succeed all the time. Historical errors in our school books are not so big as to be shocking but they do exist. For example， the statement \"Americans never lost a battle in the Vietnam War\" is 1， because some of the soldiers remember the events differently， and may give names of places and dates when Americans lost battles in Vietnam.

5. Cow milk is good for you

This is a most recently debunked6) myth. Doctors are learning nowadays about the negative effects of cow milk on human organisms. We， humans， are the only species that consume milk in adulthood， and also that consume the milk of other species. It is no wonder that this aliment7) may lead to such disorders as diarrhea8)， allergies9)， diabetes10) and even cancer. Some scientists advocate for ending milk consumption after the first years of life， while others recommend moderation11) only， as a way of protecting ourselves without giving up one of our favorite aliments.

6. If you want to know how a woman will look 20 years from now， look at her mother!

This is nothing more than a silly idea. First of all， women may take after12) their fathers or their grandparents and look nothing like their mothers. Secondly， it may happen that a woman takes a lot greater care of herself if she has a mother that neglected herself， than one who has a model as a mother. While some genes are indeed transmitted from one generation to another， what really counts is the determination of the particular person (regardless of the gender) of taking care of herself.

7. Lightning never strikes twice

in the same place

Here is one of the most popular myths in the world. However， nothing could be more obvious than the fact that lightning may strike the very same place countless times. It all depends on the nature of the target. The taller a construction is， the more chances it has that it will be struck by lightning multiple times.

1. 吠犬不咬人

從小我就聽過這句話。我一直認(rèn)為它是世界上最荒唐的謬誤之一，而且聽信這句話最后證明也是會(huì)有危險(xiǎn)的。吠犬當(dāng)然會(huì)咬人。吠叫是狗告訴你“離遠(yuǎn)點(diǎn)兒”的方式，你最好聽從它，因?yàn)楣房偸钦J(rèn)真的，而這可不是謬誤！

2. 如果你覺得冷，那么你要感冒了

這是另外一個(gè)被大多數(shù)人當(dāng)做是普遍真理的謬誤。別凍著，否則你會(huì)生病的，我母親常常這樣叮囑我。呃，媽媽，讓我們生病的并不是寒冷，而是那些可怕的病毒！關(guān)于這一謬誤的事實(shí)是寒冷會(huì)使你的免疫系統(tǒng)變得不那么活躍，致使病毒更容易侵入你的機(jī)體，但是寒冷本身是無害的。

3. 熱飲有益于疼痛的嗓子

這是世界上散布最廣的謬誤之一?！俺脽岚涯愕牟韬攘恕?，我們?cè)谏〉臅r(shí)候總會(huì)聽到這句話。熱飲實(shí)際上有損健康，而且也不會(huì)對(duì)你的喉嚨有任何好處。如果你說的是溫飲，那么是的，它們確有幫助。熱飲只會(huì)傷害我們脆弱的組織，而且不僅會(huì)傷害喉嚨，也會(huì)傷害食道和胃。

4. 歷史書是準(zhǔn)確無誤的

歷史書只是力求做到準(zhǔn)確，但是它們并非總能做到準(zhǔn)確無誤。我們教科書上的歷史錯(cuò)誤雖然沒有錯(cuò)到令人震驚的地步，但是它們的確存在。比如，“美國人在越南戰(zhàn)爭中從未打過一次敗仗”的說法就是錯(cuò)誤的，因?yàn)橐恍┦勘鴮?duì)這些戰(zhàn)事的記憶截然不同，而且或許還能給出美國人在越南打那些敗仗的地點(diǎn)及日期。

5. 牛奶對(duì)你有好處

這個(gè)謬誤是最近剛剛被戳穿的。如今醫(yī)生們正在研究牛奶對(duì)人類機(jī)體的副作用。我們?nèi)祟愂俏ㄒ灰粋€(gè)在成年后飲用牛奶的物種，而且還飲用其他物種的奶水。難怪這種營養(yǎng)物可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致諸如腹瀉、過敏、糖尿病這樣的身體不適，甚至?xí)掳?。一些科學(xué)家提倡在嬰兒期過后便停止飲用牛奶，而其他科學(xué)家卻建議只需減少牛奶飲用量即可，以此來保護(hù)我們的身體，而無需放棄這一我們最愛的營養(yǎng)物。

6. 如果你想知道一個(gè)女人20年后的樣子，那就去看看她的媽媽吧！

這只不過是一個(gè)愚蠢的主意而已。首先，女性可能會(huì)長得像她們的父親或祖父母，而一點(diǎn)也不像她們的母親。其次，也可能會(huì)發(fā)生這樣的情況：如果一個(gè)女人有一個(gè)不注意保養(yǎng)自己的母親，她可能比一個(gè)母親是模特的女人要費(fèi)更多心思來保養(yǎng)自己。雖然一些基因的確會(huì)代代相傳，但是真正重要的是那個(gè)人(不論性別)保養(yǎng)自己的決心。

7. 閃電絕不會(huì)兩次擊中同一個(gè)地方

這是世上最被人認(rèn)可的謬誤之一。然而，事實(shí)卻顯而易見：閃電可能會(huì)無數(shù)次地?fù)糁型粋€(gè)地方。這完全取決于閃電擊中的那個(gè)地方的特性。一座建筑物越高，那它被閃電多次擊中的可能性就越大。

1.undeniable [#716;#652;nd#618;#712;na#618;#601;bl] adj. 不可否認(rèn)的；無可爭辯的

2.dreadful [#712;dredfl] adj. 可怕的；令人感到恐怖的

3.diminish [d#618;#712;m#618;n#618;#643;] vt. 減少，降低

4.diffuse [d#618;#712;fju#720;z] vt. 傳播；散布(知識(shí)、消息等)

5.esophagus: 參見P63注釋12

6.debunk [#716;di#720;#712;b#652;#331;k] vt. 揭穿

7.aliment [#712;aelig;l#618;m#601;nt] n. 食物；營養(yǎng)物

8.diarrhea [#716;da#618;#601;#712;r#618;#601;] n. 【醫(yī)】腹瀉

9.allergy [#712;aelig;l#601;d#658;i] n. 【醫(yī)】過敏性反應(yīng)；過敏癥

10.diabetes [#716;da#618;#601;#712;bi#720;ti#720;z] n. 【醫(yī)】糖尿病

11.moderation [#716;m#594;d#601;#712;re#618;#643;n] n. 適度；節(jié)制

12.take after: (在外貌、體格等方面)與(父、母等)相像