文/鲁希耶·潘德 译/郑秀君

Reading—A practice that has been encouraged ever since we were kids.From watching reruns after reruns of cartoons on TV to insisting on spending all our time playing outside, we sure came up with a lot of excuses not to read as children.The ones who did read a lot were considered “studious”.But as we grew up, we realised the habit of reading is a train to catch as soon as you can! A lot of us have grown up to wish that this habit had always been a part of our lives.And if you’re still looking for reason and motivation to read, then here’s my perspective on this wonderful practice.

阅读乃是我们从小就被鼓励去养成的习惯。小时候，不管是收看电视上一次次重播的动画片，还是执意一天到晚在外面玩耍，我们为了逃避阅读，的确想出了许多借口。大家会觉得那些实实在在读了很多书的小朋友“勤奋好学”。但是，随着我们渐渐长大，我们意识到阅读的习惯是一趟应该尽早赶上的列车！我们很多人长大后才后悔——真希望阅读的习惯一直是自己人生中的一部分。如果你还在寻找阅读的理由和动力，那么以下是我对这一美好习惯的看法。

2Yes, reading improves your vocabulary, grammar and general grasp on language—This is something everyone reiterates about reading books.But its outcome and the change it brings from within is far deeper.

2没错，阅读扩大你的词汇量、提高你的语法能力、增强你对语言的总体把握。这是每个人在谈到阅读时都会反复提及的。但是，阅读的作用以及它给人带来的由内向外的改变要深刻得多。

Helps you stay focused

3Reading a book needs you to pay attention to every detail and movement in the storyline.If one zones out for a few minutes, it takes time to get back on track with what’s going on.Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, you’re following the stream of thought of someone else, the writer—And that requires you to stay focused through it all.Isn’t this much like the professional process?Losing sight of tasks for the day, or deviating from goals for life—Faltering concentration is something we’ve all experienced, and understandably so!The key to achieving success, whether professional or personal is to keep your eyes on your objective and to know when that objective must change.And reading teaches you this much needed ability to pay attention to detail.

提升专注度

3阅读一本书需要你留意故事情节中的每个细节和每步发展。一旦走神几分钟，就要再花时间回到故事的正轨上。不管你读的是虚构类还是非虚构类作品，你毕竟是跟着别人（也就是作者）的思路走，所以你必须全程心无旁骛。这和我们做事很像，不是吗？小到忘记当天的任务，大到偏离人生目标，注意力不集中是我们每个人都经历过的，也是可以理解的！取得成功的关键在于紧盯着你的目标，该调整时就调整，对于事业和生活来说都是如此。阅读恰恰能教会你注重细节这个至关重要的能力。

Sharpens the mind

4When you read a book, you go on a journey with the characters.You remember every place your favourite character has been, people they’ve met and all the events that have taken place in their lives.Being truly invested in the journey you are following leads the mind to grasp quicker and hold on for longer.This ability to store detailed information, remember facts and of course make connections and observe patterns as you read, ultimately leads to a sharper, more agile brain.This doesn’t just augment memory but also enhances the ability to observe and strategise with learnings from past experience and human behaviour.

活跃思维

4阅读一本书时，你与故事中的人物一起踏上旅途。你记得你最喜欢的人物去过的每个地方、他们遇到的人以及发生在他们人生中的一切重大事件。当你全心投入这趟旅途，你的大脑会理解得更快，记得更久。阅读时，在头脑中储存详细的信息，记住每个情节，当然还有建立各种人物关系，观察规律，这些本领最终能让你的头脑更敏锐、思维更敏捷。这样一来，不仅记忆力变得更好了，同时，观察分析和鉴古知今的能力也会得到提升。

Builds empathy and cultural understanding

5People from all over the world come together to contribute to literature with their own style, views and opinions.Be it fiction or non-fiction, every writer has a different perspective and background.When we read a book from an author from the other corner of the world, we’re not just reading a story,we’re stepping into a world of different cultures, traditions and values.Books are oceans of knowledge.There’s something to learn in almost every book you’ll ever pick up, whether you like the book or not.Just like Daniel Goleman said inEmotional Intelligence:Why It Can Matter More Than IQ—“In a very real sense, we have two minds,one that thinks and one that feels.” With all these insights into different perspectives and cultures, empathy and a sense of solidarity with the world builds rapidly.

增强同理心，增进文化理解

5来自世界各地的人们一起用自己特有的风格、见解和看法为文学做贡献。虚构类作品也好，非虚构类也罢，每个作家都有不一样的观点和背景。当我们阅读一本书，而作者来自世界上的另一个角落，那我们不仅仅是在阅读一个故事，还同时走进了一个拥有不同文化、不同传统和不同价值观的世界。书是知识的海洋。你拿起的几乎每一书（不管你喜不喜欢），都能让你有所收获。正如丹尼尔·戈尔曼在《情商：为什么情商比智商更重要》一书中所说：“实际上我们有两个脑子，一个用来思考，一个用来感觉。”当我们对不同观点和文化有了这些认识，我们的共情能力就会迅速提高，一种和世界紧密联结的感觉就会快速产生。

Unleashes creativity

激发创造力

6阅读一本书时，你会想象书中描写的每个场景。从达西先生和伊丽莎白·贝内特参加的几场华丽舞会，到麦克白与三个女巫的会面，正是我们的创造力帮助我们想象每个细节。你读的每一个故事都会给予你一种看问题的新视角，比如莎士比亚的戏剧，再比如《相约星期二》里的情节——想象一下莫里在看台上笑问那支球队：“第二又怎么样？”阅读非虚构类作品能教你许多即学即用的生活经验，它们在激发创新力和创造力上也功不可没。阅读把你带到你从未见过的地方。这种想象力和横向思维甚至会给你的事业带来意想不到的帮助。这些只是阅读带来的美好变化中的一部分，这些变化会带来无限可能。马歇尔·古德史密斯在他的《自律力》一书中说：“任何人都能改变，但首先他得想要改变。”阅读时，你会开始渴望成长、渴望在生活和工作中变得优秀。付出一点时间锻炼你的大脑，这同时能让你更快取得成功。保持阅读就是保持进步。好了，现在我们再挑本书来读

怎么样？ □

6When you read a book, you imagine every scenario described in the book.From the grand parties that Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet attended to Macbeth meeting 3 witches, it was our creativity that helped us imagine every detail.Everything you read gives you a different perspective.Be it a Shakespearean tale or picturing Morrie smiling from the bleachers1bleacher（运动场的）露天看台。, as he asks the college team, “Why, what’s wrong in being Number Two?” inTuesdays with Morrie.While reading non-fiction can teach you a lot of immediately applicable life lessons, non-fiction deserves its fair share of credit in how it develops innovation and creativity.Reading takes you places you’ve never seen.And the imaginative, lateral thinking2lateral thinking 水平思考，横向思维（即用想象力寻求解决问题的新方法）。ability can help you even professionally in ways you might not have thought of.These are just a few brilliant changes reading brings, opening countless doors of possibility.Marshall Goldsmith said in his book,Triggers, “Anybody can change,but they have to want to change”.The desire to grow and excel in life and at work gets a kick start when you read.Dedicate some time to exercise your brain and it simultaneously revs up to pursue success.To keep reading is to keep growing.So, how about we pick another book? ■