You may find this hard to believe, but all of our maps are wrong. No, Google Maps is not an exception to this rule.一个例外 Maps have and will always be wrong.
The thing is, maps are two-dimensional二维的, while the Earth is three-dimensional. Our planet is an imperfect sphere范围，球体, so flattening整平 it out into a rectangular shape is impossible. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you see for yourself…Take an orange, peel it very carefully, keeping the peel in one piece then try making it into a flat rectangle矩形，长方形.
Now, perhaps you understand. All maps are a lie, but they all lie about different things.Thus, the things that are chosen to be distorted扭曲 in a map provide us with clear insight into human behavior.
The map most commonly used in the world is the Mercator map. This is the map that we see in classrooms all over the world. This is also the map that formulates 规划，明确表达our basic ideas of what our planet looks like. In fact, even Google Maps uses the Mercator map.
To be completely honest, it is a convenient map. The latitudes and longitudes are straight lines that intersect横断，贯穿 perpendicularly垂直地，直立地, the rectangular shape is nice and compact for printing, and the shapes of the countries are well defined. However, the one thing this map does not get right is the relative sizes of the countries.Many country sizes are wrong…quite seriously wrong.
Take a good look at the map. North America seems larger than Africa, Scandinavian countries are larger than India, and Alaska looks bigger than Brazil. Greenland appears to be a large island big enough to rival Africa. All wrong. This is the map that you’ve grown up with, so surely it isn’t that much of a lie, right? How bad could the disparity 不同，不一致，不等really be?Answer: Extremely Bad.
*Monday Night Live*
How wrong are maps?
Are ALL maps wrong? Can you find accurate or correct maps?
Why are maps portrayed the way they are?
In what ways do maps lie?
生词好句
an exception to this rule 一个例外 make an exception to创建例外 ; 作为一个例外情况 ; 一个例外
make an exception to accept sth.破例接收
maps have （be）and will always be wrong
the thing is...问题是；最重要的是，The thing is,Ihave plans on Saturdaynight
why don't you see for yourself
thus/hence:adv.因此；今后therefore/accordingly/consequently/thus/as a result of
to riva： The boxer whaled his rival 3 to 0
n.对手；[劳经]竞争者equal/comparative/opponent/match/adversary adj.[劳经]竞争的competitive/vying
vt.与…竞争；比得上某人match/compete against vi.[劳经]竞争contest/cope/struggle to
adj.[劳经]竞争的competitive/vying
disparity:fiscal disparity财政差距 horizontal disparity水平视差 Vision Disparity视觉差异 ; 视觉差异 ; 视觉差异