Whenever my friends come to my home, they say it is very stuffy. Even my part-time domestic helper often says my apartment (flat) is stuffy. They always suggest that I open the windows. I always tell them if I open my windows and balcony door, bugs will fly in. I hate having bugs in my apartment. They always insist bugs cannot fly very high. I live on the 36th floor. My friends and part-time domestic helper insist it is impossible for bugs to fly that high. I always tell them it is a fallacy to believe bugs cannot fly up to the 36th floor.

  A stuffy apartment is an apartment that has no fresh air or ventilation. My apartment is often stuffy because I worry about bugs flying in if I open the windows. I also do not like to turn on the air-conditioner in the summer because it makes my nose uncomfortable. I use a fan instead when I sleep during the summer. The word “bug” used this way is an American slang word for insect, such as a mosquito. The word “fallacy” means something that a lot of people believe is true but is, in fact, not true. Many people believe mosquitoes cannot fly up to the 36th floor. This is a fallacy.

        In fact, bugs such as mosquitoes, flies, bees, and wasps can fly very high. Sometimes, mosquitoes are blown by the wind to even the 60th floor. A few times, when I opened my windows and balcony door to make my apartment less stuffy, flies flew in. I often see dead wasps on my balcony floor. Mosquitoes that bite humans prefer to fly to around 25 feet. But they are able to fly as high as hundreds of feet. Mosquitoes have even been seen in the Himalayas. I can say as a fact that I have been bitten by mosquitoes in my apartment. It is a fallacy that they cannot fly very high.

        每次朋友們上我家，他們都說它很悶熱（stuffy），就連我的鐘點家傭都說我的單位（apartment）很翳焗（stuffy）。他們都會建議我開窗。我常常跟他們說，若我開窗和露台的門，蟲子（bugs）就會飛進來，我很討厭我的單位（apartment）內有蟲子（bugs）。他們總是堅持，昆蟲（bugs）才不會飛很高。我住在三十六樓，我的朋友們和鐘點女傭堅持認為昆蟲（bugs）要飛到那麼高是不可能的。我常常跟他們說，以為昆蟲（bugs）不能飛到三十六樓，是個謬誤（fallacy）。

        A stuffy apartment就是空氣不流通、不通風的單位（apartment）。我的單位（apartment）常常都不透風（stuffy），因為我擔心若我開了窗，蟲子（bugs）會飛進來。我也不喜歡在夏天的時候開冷氣，因為那會令我的鼻子很不舒服。我夏天睡覺的時候會開風扇。 Bug在這裏是美式俚語，指例如蚊子的昆蟲。Fallacy是指很多人信以為真的事，但其實是個謬論。許多人以為蚊子不能飛到三十六樓那麼高——這就是個謬見（fallacy）。

        事實上，昆蟲（bugs）如蚊、蒼蠅、蜜蜂和黃蜂都可以飛很高。有時候，蚊子可以被風吹上六十樓那麼高。有幾次，當我開窗和露台門去令我的單位（apartment）不那麼翳焗（stuffy）時，蒼蠅便飛進來。我不時在露台地面見到黃蜂的屍體。會咬人的蚊較偏向飛至二十五呎高左右，但牠們也能飛至數百呎高，甚至在喜馬拉雅山也可以見到蚊的蹤影。我可以拿事實來說，就是我在自己的單位（apartment）內被蚊叮過。說牠們不能飛很高，是個謬論（fallacy）。

中譯：七刻

Michael Chugani 褚簡寧