揭穿四大流傳甚廣的“真相”

1. Penguins Mate for Life

Young lovers went around spouting off facts like “penguins mate for life.” While the idea is sweet， it’s not exactly true.

Penguins usually stick with their partners through the mating season， but when it’s time to mate again， they choose whomever is convenient， not necessarily their old flame.

1. 企鵝伴侶廝守終身

“企鵝伴侶廝守終身”的傳言在年輕情侶間流傳甚廣。盡管這個說法很動聽，但它并不是事實。

在交配季，企鵝會與選定的伴侶廝守在一起。但當下一個交配季來臨時，它們會再次選擇“方便”的配偶，不論對方是不是自己的“舊愛”。

2. Vincent Van Gogh Cut Off His Entire Ear

This is not entirely true. It was not his entire ear — just the tip of the lobe — and some say he didn’t even do it.

Van Gogh lived with artist Paul Gauguin， who had quite a violent temper， and many believe Gauguin actually did the cutting.

Either way， Van Gogh did reportedly send the tip to a prostitute.

2. 凡·高割下整只耳朵

此說法并非完全屬實，凡·高割掉的不是整只耳朵，而是一部分耳垂;甚至有人認為他根本沒有那樣做過。

還有人認為與凡·高住在一起的藝術家保羅·高更脾氣暴烈，是他割掉了凡·高的耳朵。

不管怎樣，的確有傳聞稱凡·高將耳垂送給了一名妓女。

3. Napoleon Bonaparte Was Short

Everyone knows Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny man—after all， his nickname was “le Petit Corporal”. His reputation for being short even inspired the phenomenon known as the “Napoleon complex”.

In reality， Napoleon stood around 5 feet and 7 inches tall， which was very average back in the day. Many believe his nickname was meant as a term of endearment， not a reference to his height.

3. 拿破侖·波拿巴是個矮子

人們普遍認為拿破侖·波拿巴是個矮子，畢竟，他被戲稱為“小士兵”。甚至“矮個子更暴力”這種說法也被稱為“拿破侖情結”。

事實上，拿破侖的身高接近5英尺7英寸（約合1.7米），在他所處的年代這屬于普遍身高。許多人認為他的昵稱是人們對他的愛稱，而非取笑他的身高。

4. Ben Franklin Preferred a Turkey to a Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is certainly a well-known representation of America， but legend has it that if Ben Franklin had his way， a turkey would have been much better. In reality， Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter mocking the eagle symbol used in a seal by the Society of the Cincinnati， a private military group. He said it looked like a turkey and may as well be one.

4. 本·富蘭克林建議選火雞當美國國鳥

眾所周知，禿鷹是美國的標志。然而，有傳言稱，本·富蘭克林不滿意禿鷹作為美國國鳥，他建議選用火雞，這其實是誤傳。在富蘭克林寫給女兒的一封信中，他譏諷一個私人軍事組織——辛辛那提社會——將禿鷹用于印章，但他嘲笑的是印章上的禿鷹看起來像火雞，最好就用火雞得了。