品味书香：应该多读书的12个理由

The more books you read, the better your life will be. If you don’t believe me, please consider these twelve compelling reasons to read more books.

　　你读的书越多，你的生活就会越好。如果你不相信我的话，请考虑这十二个令人信服的理由多读书。

　　1. You will optimize your brain power

　　多读书会优化你的脑力

　　This shouldn’t come as a shock, but studies suggest reading makes you smart. Unlike watching television, which requires no thought process, reading is an active learning experience that will keep your mind sharp (even in old age).

　　这条理由应该在大家意料之中：研究表明阅读使人变聪明。读书不像看电视，看电视不需要有思维活动过程，阅读是一个积极的学习体验，会让你的思维保持敏捷(即使到了老年思维也能保持敏捷)。

　　2. You will increase your odds of success

　　多读书会增加你的成功几率

　　The more books you read, the more knowledge you will have, the more strategies and resources your brain will store, the more likely you will succeed.

　　你读的书越多，你的知识就会越多，你的大脑中会存储的策略和资源就越多，你就越有可能成功。

　　3. You will immerse yourself in a new world

　　你会沉浸在一个崭新的世界

　　Sometimes our daily life can start to feel dull, dry or depressing — I know it, you know it, we all know it. At times like this, I like to dive into a good fiction book for a much-needed escape into another world, where I can forget about whatever problems are stressing me out. Whether you want to travel to the land of the Hobbits, a galaxy far away or a tropical destination in a steamy romance novel is up to you. You’ll come back refreshed after your mini-vacation to a fresh and exciting place in the world of words.

　　有时候我们在日常生活中感到枯燥、乏味或忧郁，我懂的、你懂的、我们都懂的。遇到这样的时候，我喜欢一头扎进好看的小说书中，我急需逃到另一个世界中，在那里我可以忘记任何让我感到有压力的问题。不论你是想前往霍比特人的土地上体验一下，还是想畅游在一个很遥远的星系，或是去往爱情小说中的热带胜地，都取决于你自己。在书中世界的某个让你感到兴奋的新鲜地方度过一个迷你假期，等你回来后，你会让自己的身心焕然一新。

　　4. You will improve your vocabulary

　　多读书会增加词汇量

　　The more words you’re capable of using, the better you will become at expressing your thoughts and feelings. I couldn’t imagine how I would write articles like this if I didn’t actively aim to expand my vocabulary, because using the same few words to express myself would get awfully boring in a hurry (don’t you agree?).

　　你运用的单词越多，你就越能更好地表达你的想法和感受。如果我没有积极地想去扩充我的词汇量，真想不到我会写出这么好的文章，因为总用那几句话来表达自己，势必会了无新意非常枯燥乏味。(你也这么认为吧?)

　　5. You will have things to talk about at parties

　　在聚会时你有的聊

　　Reading more books will enable you to say the sentence, “Did you know ________?” more often, making it easier to start conversations with strangers (or, as I like to say, “People who aren’t my friends yet”).

　　多阅读书籍会让你说这句话，“你知道____ 吗?” 以这样的方式开始与陌生人对话比较容易(或者我会说，“那些还不是我朋友的人”)。

　　6. You will entertain yourself for a low price

　　很低廉的方式取悦自己

　　If you’re looking for entertainment on a budget, you can’t beat books. Thanks to the popularity of electronic reading devices like the Kindle and re-selling websites like eBay, it’s never been easier to entertain yourself for hours at a time, for the low cost of a few dollars.

　　如果你还想花钱找乐子但又预算有限，那么看书就是无敌的自娱自乐方式。由于电子阅读设备的普及，像Kindle和像eBay等转售阅读网站非常方便，借助它们每次你都能轻松自娱自乐数小时之久，成本不过几美元而已。

　　7. You will discover surprising new ideas that are interesting and engaging

　　多读书你会发掘出自己惊人的、有趣的、很棒的新想法

　　Reading introduced me to concepts like mindful eating, relaxation exercises, and the importance of loving yourself. If I didn’t read, I wouldn’t even be aware of these ideas, which have defined my entire coaching philosophy. If you don’t read, you could be missing out on intriguing ideas that would likewise re-define your personal purpose or business philosophy.

　　阅读使我形成这些概念：用心饮食、放松锻炼和爱自己的重要性。如果我不读书，我甚至不会意识到这些想法，它重新定义了我的整个人生指导哲学。如果你不读书，你也许就不会发掘出自己的一些有趣想法，这些想法则能重新定义你的个人目标和职业哲学。

　　8. You will eliminate boredom during down-time

　　读书可以在闲暇时间打发无聊

　　Have you ever found yourself stuck in a waiting room, bored out of your mind, with nothing to read but gossip magazines? If so, you should know that it is wise to keep a book in your purse or car at all times, as you never know when you’ll find yourself with some time to kill. Even if you just take a few minutes to read a chapter during your commute and lunch break every day, those minutes will quickly turn into hours if repeated consistently.

　　你一定有过等在候诊室无事可做的时候，感觉很无聊死了，除了翻看八卦杂志就没什么可阅读的好书?如果你遇到过这样的情况，你就会知道在你的包里或车里始终放一本书是多么明智的选择，你永远都无法预知自己什么时候会遇到需要消磨时间的情况。即使你每天只是在上下班的车上或者午休时间都可以用几分钟的时间读一章内容，坚持几分钟几分钟地累计，很快阅读时间就累计成数小时。

　　9. You will strengthen your patience muscles

　　多读书会增强你的耐力肌肉

　　We live in a society that expects instant gratification, which is anything but a blessing for most people’s success in life, as there is nothing “quick” or “easy” about losing weight or starting a successful business. While it might be “easier” to watch a two-hour movie, it is far more beneficial to spend forty-eight hours reading a book. Opting for the book over the TV will strengthen your patience muscles over time, resulting in more success in business and life.

　　我们生活在一个期望即时满足的社会，对大多数人成功生活而言，我们只能祝福了：因为对于减肥或成功开始一份事业，并没有什么“快速” 或“容易” 的路途可走。虽然看两小时的电影可能会比较“容易”，但花48个小时阅读一本书却有益得多。选择阅读而不是看电视，随着时间的推移这会增强你的“耐力肌肉”，结果工作和生活都会取得比较大的成功。

　　10. You will become an expert in your field

　　多读书你在你的领域会变成专家

　　Don’t you think reading academic journals, articles, and books by experts in your field might make you better at what you do? If you can’t be bothered to learn more about your profession, then your lack of passion could be a sign that you’re in the wrong field.

　　你不觉得阅读你的领域的专家们所著的学术期刊、文章和书籍，可能会使你在自己的领域上做的更好吗?如果对于你自己的职业你不愿意多学习，那么可能代表你对自己这个职业缺少激情，你自己选错了职业领域。

　　11. You will reduce stress and unwind into a good night’s sleep

　　多读书会减轻压力并放松地睡个好觉

　　Exposing yourself to artificial light on your cellphone, TV or tablet reduces your body’s production of melatonin, which can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, if you do so late at night. You would be wise to cut off all electronics at least an hour before bed, and replace that with a good book, which is a much better sleep-friendly alternative.

　　你总是处在手机、电视或平板电脑这类人造光的环境下，会造成身体褪黑激素量降低，这样就很难睡个好觉，尤其是如果你晚上睡得那么晚。明智的选择是：至少在睡觉前一个小时，切断所有电器，换成一本好书，这是一种更加睡眠友好的选择。

　　12. You will change your life

　　多读书会改变你的生活

　　I firmly believe that if it wasn’t for books, I wouldn’t have achieved an awful lot in my life; nor would I have the knowledge, imagination or creativity that I depend on as a writer, business owner, and coach. I hope these reasons to read more books encourage you to unlock your potential with the power of reading.

　　我坚信在我的生活中，如果不多读书的话，我不会有今天的收获和成就，我也没有知识、想象力或创造力从事作家、企业主和教练这些职业。我希望这些理由能鼓励你多读书，开发你在阅读力量上的潜能。

　　Three Questions for the Comments:

　　欢迎评论回复下面三个问题：

　　What are you reading right now (or, if you don’t have a book in process, what was the last thing you read)?

　　你现在在读什么书?(或者，如果你目前没有在读任何一本书，你最近一次读的是哪一本书)?

　　What was your favorite book as a child?

　　你小时候最喜欢哪一本书?

　　What book made the largest impact on who you are today?

　　哪一本书对今天的你影响最大?