第1581期:The power of books

For many of us, there’s nothing better than burying our head in a good book. Whether it’s a gripping crime story or a biography of someone’s amazing life, it’s good to read a book to switch off from the distractions of everyday life and help us relax. Maybe that’s why some of them are actually being prescribed as a remedy to sickness.

对于我们中的许多人来说，没有什么比埋头在一本好书中更好的了。无论是扣人心弦的犯罪故事还是某人精彩人生的传记，阅读一本书以摆脱日常生活的干扰并帮助我们放松是件好事。也许这就是为什么其中一些实际上被规定为治疗疾病的原因。

It may seem obvious that reading is good for us. It can be educational, and, as some say, it can ‘broaden the mind’. A good novel can make us happy or sad, or make us cry as we empathise with characters. The power of books was recognised a few years ago by the British charity Reading Agency, who published a list of books that doctors could offer to patients, tackling topics from depression to dementia to chronic pain. It called this ‘bibliotherapy’ and it’s become so successful that it's about to be extended to children as well.

阅读对我们有好处似乎很明显。它可以是教育性的，而且，正如一些人所说，它可以“拓宽思维”。一部好小说可以让我们快乐或悲伤，或者让我们在同情人物时哭泣。几年前，英国慈善机构阅读机构认识到书籍的力量，该机构发布了一份医生可以提供给患者的书籍清单，涉及从抑郁症到痴呆症再到慢性疼痛的主题。它称之为“阅读疗法”，它变得如此成功，以至于它也即将扩展到儿童。

Professor Philip Davis studies the effects of literature at Liverpool University and is author of a book called Reading for Life. He studies people in reading groups and found that it’s reading literature – written work thought to have artistic merit, that has the best effect. He told the BBC that when reading something for pleasure, “…the brain begins to work from different parts, from a different hemisphere and it gets excited, it gets pre-emotional – and you can see the brain coming to life.”

菲利普戴维斯教授在利物浦大学研究文学的影响，并着有一本名为“终身阅读”的书。他研究阅读小组中的人，发现阅读文学——被认为具有艺术价值的书面作品，效果最好。他告诉 BBC，当为了愉悦而阅读某些东西时，“……大脑开始从不同的部分，从不同的半球开始工作，它变得兴奋，变得情绪化——你可以看到大脑开始活跃起来。”

Of course, it’s easy in our smartphone generation to ditch a good book and fiddle with our phones instead. But opening up a paperback could be a simple way to help boost or maintain our mental health. It's thought they can help you set targets and find focus. And they may allow you to see that awkward situation you've been anxious about for weeks from someone else's perspective.

当然，在我们的智能手机一代中，很容易放弃一本好书，转而使用我们的手机。但打开平装本可能是一种帮助促进或维持我们心理健康的简单方法。人们认为它们可以帮助您设定目标并找到焦点。他们可能会让你从别人的角度看到你已经焦虑了数周的尴尬情况。

If you’re not an avid reader it can be hard to know where to begin. If the Reading Agency book list doesn’t appeal, you could to read book reviews, visit a library or bookshop or ask a friend. Once you’ve found the right text, you’ll be hooked! And if you still love your technology, you could always use an e-reader.

如果您不是狂热的读者，可能很难知道从哪里开始。如果阅读机构的书单没有吸引力，您可以阅读书评、访问图书馆或书店或询问朋友。一旦你找到了正确的文字，你会被迷住的！如果您仍然热爱您的技术，您可以随时使用电子阅读器。

词汇表

gripping 扣人心弦的，引人入胜的
crime story 犯罪故事
biography 传记
educational 有教育意义的
broaden the mind 拓宽思路
novel 小说
characters 人物，角色
bibliotherapy 阅读疗法
literature 文学，文学作品
artistic merit 艺术价值
ditch 丢弃
paperback 平装书
mental health 心里健康
perspective （思考问题的）角度，观点
avid reader 书迷
book reviews 书评
library 图书馆
text 文字
hooked 入迷的，上瘾的
e-reader 电子阅读器