2014年4月23日是第19個世界讀書日(全稱世界圖書與版權日World Book and Copyright Day)。1995年，聯合國教科文組織宣布4月23日為“世界讀書日”，以鼓勵人們閱讀，以及紀念那些為促進人類社會和文化進步做出巨大貢獻的人。你平時是個愛讀書的人嗎?我們為什么要閱讀?

　　It doesn't matter if books are delivered in print or by smartphone, the main thing is to get lost in reading them. Reading books is vital for human development.

　　看紙質書還是電子書并不重要，重要的是沉迷于閱讀中的那種感覺。讀書對人類的發展非常重要。

　　Why should we bother reading a book? All children say this occasionally. Many of the 12 million adults in Britain with reading difficulties repeat it to themselves daily. But for the first time in the 500 years since Johannes Gutenberg democratised reading, in a world of accelerating technology, increasing time poverty and diminishing attention spans, should they invest precious time sinking into a good book?

　　我們為什么要費神去讀書呢?所有的孩子都曾經問過這個問題。英國有1200萬成年人存在閱讀困難的問題，他們每天也會這樣問自己。從約翰內斯·古騰堡普及閱讀至今已有500年了(小編注：1440年到1445年之間，德國人約翰內斯·古滕堡制造了世界上第一臺鉛活字印刷機)，在這樣一個技術不斷加速發展的世界，人們感覺時間越來越少，能集中注意力的時間也越來越短，為什么還要把寶貴的時間投入到一本好書上呢?

　　The discovery that our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading is something many of us will understand instinctively, as we think back to the way an extraordinary book had a transformative effect on the way we viewed the world. This transformation only takes place when we lose ourselves in a book, abandoning the emotional and mental chatter of the real world. That's why studies have found this kind of deep reading makes us more empathetic, or as Nicholas Carr puts it in his essay, The Dreams of Readers, "more alert to the inner lives of others".

　　研究發現閱讀會從生理上改變我們的大腦，當我們回想一下一本特別的書是如何轉變我們的世界觀的時候，就會立刻地理解這種變化。只有當我們在情感上和精神上忽視現實世界的瑣碎生活、完全沉迷于書中的時候，這種轉變才會發生。這就是為什么研究發現深度閱讀會讓我們更加感同身受。或者說，正如美國作家尼古拉斯·卡爾在他的著作《讀者的夢》中所描述的那樣， “閱讀能使人更容易注意到他人的內心生活。”

　　Rationally, we know that reading is the foundation stone of all education, and therefore an essential underpinning of the knowledge economy. So reading is – or should be – an aspect of public policy. But perhaps even more significant is its emotional role as the starting point for individual voyages of personal development and pleasure. Books can open up emotional, imaginative and historical landscapes that equal and extend the corridors of the web. They can help create and reinforce our sense of self.

　　從理性角度來說，我們理解閱讀是所有教育的基石，因而也是知識經濟必要的支撐。所以閱讀理所當然應當是公共政策的一部分。但可能更重要的是，它作為通向個人發展和幸福旅程的起點時扮演的感性角色。與網絡相比，書籍在提升我們的情感、想象力和歷史觀方面更勝一籌。書籍也有助于創建和增強我們的自我感。

　　If reading were to decline significantly, it would change the very nature of our species. If we, in the future, are no longer wired for solitary reflection and creative thought, we will be diminished. However, technology throws up as many solutions as it does challenges: for every door it closes, another opens. So the ability, offered by devices like e-readers, smartphones and tablets, to carry an entire library in your hand is an amazing opportunity. Publishers need to use every new piece of technology to embed long-form reading within our culture. We should concentrate on the message, not agonise over the medium. We should be agnostic on the platform, but evangelical about the content.

　　如果閱讀能力顯著下降，人類的天性也會發生變化。如果我們將來不再自我反省、不再有創造性的思維，人類勢必會消亡。不過技術給我們帶來了很多挑戰的同時，也為我們提供了多種解決方案：每關閉一扇門，另一扇門就會打開。電子書、智能手機、平板電腦這些設備讓你在手中托起整個圖書館，這是一個絕好的機遇。出版商需要利用每一種新興技術把長期閱讀融入到我們的文化中。我們應該把注意力集中在信息本身，而不該為傳播載體而煩惱。我們應該忽視平臺而專注于內容。

　　We must also get better at harnessing the ability of the internet to inform readers, and potential readers, about all the extraordinary new books that are published every year, and to renew their acquaintance with the best of rich literary tradition. The research shows that if we stop reading, we will be different people: less intricate, less empathetic, less interesting. There can hardly be a better reason for fighting to protect the future of the book.

　　我們也要更好地利用互聯網，為讀者也包括潛在的讀者提供每年值得看的新書信息，讓他們重新熟識豐富多彩的傳統文學精粹。研究表明，如果我們停止閱讀，我們會變得不同：沒那么精細、沒那么善解人意，沒那么有趣。再也沒有比這更好的理由來努力保護圖書的未來了。

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