老外对自己也有诸多困惑。比如男性也会长“橘皮”组织吗？吃奶酪真的会让人作噩梦吗？如果不小心吞下了口香糖，会发生什么？针对这些平时在老外脑中经常闪过的古怪问题，英国广播公司《焦点》杂志对这些问题进行归纳并解答供大家来参考，英语原文附后。

　　1.OK这个单词是什么的缩写？
　　答：最普遍的观点认为－－OK是来自于拼错的词组“oll　korrect”，原意是“all　correct”（什么都是对的）。最早来源于19世纪40年代的波士顿报纸，当时非常流行用故意拼错单词来造成幽默的效果。

　　2.如果口香糖不小心吞进了肚中　是否真的无法消化而残留数年？
　　答：不会。口香糖的确很难被消化，但它仍然没能力逃过正常人类的消化系统，最多三天左右的时间便会被消化。

　　3.如果我们每人都成天呆在家里，流行感冒是否就会在人群中消失了？
　　答：是的。这样就在理论上形成了全球性的免疫系统，但是如果有一个人走了出来，病菌就会马上散播开来。

　　4.能让鱼离开水生活吗？
　　答：可以。世界上有很多种双栖鱼。同样，也有大约50种可以飞行的鱼。

　　5.一些植物会老死吗？
　　答：如果一直维持良好的生存环境与条件，某些植物能够永生。但外界环境一旦有变，它们的寿命就会结束。

　　6.海洋性气候对人体有益吗？
　　答：并不完全如此。海风的气味让人振奋是缘于一种沿海细菌的化学产物，尽管它在空气中比例甚微。但近来的研究表现，海中的盐分会与这些化学物质发生反应而释放出有害气体，对于海港的空气造成污染。

　　7.自言自语是否是疯癫的一种表现？
　　答：不是。无论人们在充满压力时还是一个人独处时，自言自语是再正常不过的行为。

　　8.男性也会有“橘皮”组织吗？
　　答：是的。并不只有女人才担心这些讨厌的橘皮脂肪，男人们也有，并分布在身体不同的地方，像脖子或是腹部。　

9.恐惧到底来自哪里？
　　答：大约有10％的人们经常承受着内心的恐惧。一些可能会导致生理问题，一些甚至导致外伤。研究表明，简单的恐惧症可能与基因遗传有关，而另一些是由于文化因素和历史因素。打个比方，对蜘蛛的恐惧就来源于中世纪，因为当时认为蜘蛛和瘟疫有关。

　　10.数码快照可以长期保存吗？
　　答：可以。只要你把它们打印出来并避光保存或是存在光碟里。

　　11.细菌会寄生在细菌的身上吗？
　　答：当然。小的细菌会寄生在大的细菌上，并攻击它们。

　　12.为什么坐在车的后座更容易晕车和不适？
　　答：这或许是因为你坐在车的后座就无法保证一个较好的视野。当你耳朵里的平衡器官正在适应着一种运动时，而眼睛却无法有充足视野来认定自己是在运动还是静止时，晕车就更易产生。

　　13.我们是否只需水和简单补给就可以生存下来？
　　答：不行。碳水化合物，维他命，矿物质，脂肪与蛋白质缺一不可，它们不仅用于补足生命所需能量还对细胞的修复有重要作用。

　　14.热饮能让我们冷下来？
　　答：是的。热饮会让我们的身体感受到温暖，而实际我们并没有获取同等的热量，受这种温暖的满足感影响导致了我们的热量加速流失。

　　15.头的大小决定智商的高低？
　　答：不会。研究表示头的大小最多只与脑的大小有关，与智商并无关联。

　　16.过多食用奶酪会让人做噩梦吗？
　　答：研究表明，睡前的高能量进食会减少眼球速动期睡眠（REM）的时间，这会造成多梦的现象。但目前还未有明确结果表示奶酪会对睡眠、梦，甚至是梦的内容造成什么明显的影响。

The answers to the questions you've always wanted to know
By Matt Roper

Ever wondered if men get cellulite, whether cheese gives you nightmares or what really happens if you accidentally swallow chewing gum?

If you answered yes to the above then you have just pondered some of the 101 Greatest Questions Of All Time, according to BBC Focus magazine.

What’s even better, they now have the solutions to all these baffling brainteasers. Here’s a selection of the best – and the answers of course.

What is ‘OK’ short for?

The most popular theory is that OK comes from “oll korrect”, a deliberate misspelling of “all correct”. It comes from Boston newspapers in the 1840s when it was fashionable to spell things incorrectly for humorous effect.

Does chewing gum really stay inside you for years?

No. Chewing gum is indigestible but it doesn’t have any magic property that allows it to escape the normal digestive transit. Three days is the usual limit.

Would the common cold die out if we all stayed at home?

Yes. Global quarantine would work in theory, but if just one person evaded it the disease would be free to spread again.
Can you have a fish out of water?

Yes. Several species of fish can breathe air and crawl on land. There are about 50 species of flying fish, too.

Do plants die of old age?

Given good conditions, some plants can live for ever. It takes a change in external conditions to finish them off. But annuals die soon after seeding.

Why is sea air good for you?

It isn’t, particularly. In Victorian England, seaside resorts got a reputation for having healthy air – maybe in comparison to the era’s city smogs.

The seaside’s “bracing” smell is caused by a chemical produced by coastal bacteria, present in very low concentrations. But a study last year found that sea salt can react with chemicals in marine exhaust fumes to worsen the atmospheric pollution in a busy port.

Is talking to yourself a sign of madness?

No. The phenomenon known as “private speech”, in which people talk aloud to themselves when stressed or alone, is perfectly normal.

Do men have cellulite?

Yes. It’s not just women who are cursed with orange peel skin, although in men cellulite tends to be in different places, usually around the neck and abdomen.

Where do phobias come from?

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around 10 per cent of the population suffer from phobias. Some may be triggered by a traumatic event while others are linked to physical problems. Studies suggest that simple phobias are partly genetic while others may be due to cultural history. For example, a fear of spiders may be passed down from the Middle Ages when spiders were associated with the plague, as victims’ deserted homes became shrouded in cobwebs.

Will digital snaps last?

Yes. If you print them out or store them on CD-Rs shielded from light.

Will evolution make us more attractive?

Evolution is already doing this. Sexual attraction is an evolutionary mechanism designed to help us choose a mate with healthy genes.

Can germs catch germs?

Yes. The germ would be an even smaller organism that attacks its host germ from within.

Why do I get more car sick in the back?

It’s probably because you don’t have such a good view of the horizon. Motion sickness occurs when the balance mechanism in your ear registers movement while your eyes are telling you that you are stationary.

Could We live on water and supplements?

No. As well as vitamins and minerals we need carbohydrates, fats and proteins for energy and cell repair.

Do dock leaves sooth nettle stings?

No. This myth arose from parents’ desire to find something nearby with which to placate a stung child.

Do hot drinks cool you down?

Yes. They make your body think you are hotter than you really are so you sweat more and that leads to heat loss.

Does the size of your head affect your IQ?

No. A study concluded there is a correlation between head size and brain size, but that IQ was not related to size.

Would it be possible to surf a tidal wave?

Sort of. Nobody has ever surfed a tsunami, but the Severn Bore is effectively a large tidal wave caused by water being funnelled along the river’s estuary and is regularly surfed.

Does cheese give you nightmares?

Any heavy meal before bed can make you spend more time in REM sleep and therefore you will dream more. But there is no evidence to suggest that cheese is particularly effective at causing dreams, good or bad.

Read the full 101 Greatest Questions of All Time in the March issue of BBC Focus – the award-winning science and technology magazine, on sale now, ?3.60. Find out more at www.bbcfocusmagazine.com