阅读是为了炫耀么？ Do we read to show off?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Neil...
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是尼尔。
… and I’m Alice. Sorry, wait a minute Neil.I’m just finishing this book.
我是爱丽丝。不好意思，尼尔，稍等一分钟。我把这本书看完。
OK.
好的。
Last page… nearly there… ohh - fantastic book!
就剩最后一页了，看完了，不错的书！
Well I’m glad you enjoyed that.I’m glad you finished your book there Alice!We’re talking about books in today’s programme.What was it you were reading there?
看到你喜欢读书我很开心。你在这读完了这本书我也很欣慰。我们今天的节目就要谈论书籍。你刚刚读的是什么书？
No, never mind Neil.It’s not your kind of book.You wouldn’t like it.
没什么。这不是你爱看的类型。你不会喜欢的。
How do you know?
你怎么知道？
Well, I just think you might read something a little more intellectual.
我认为你会读一些更学术的书。
Oh I see… Well we are talking about the kinds of books people read and what they say about them today.
我了解了。我们今天谈论人们阅读的书籍类型以及他们对书籍的看法。
Yes. Perhaps you read the works of a famous writer – the classics – Charles Dickens, Shakespeare.
好的。也许你会读一些知名作家的经典作品，如查尔斯狄更斯，莎士比亚等。
People will think you are an intellectual.You can show off by reading these books – the classics.
那么人们会认为你很有智慧。你可以通过阅读这些经典作品炫耀自己的学识。
Or perhaps you read popular novels or romantic fiction – a light easy read.
也许你会读一些比较容易理解的畅销小说或言情小说。
When you go on holiday – maybe to the beach – what kind of books do you read?And what do you read when you’re going to work?
如果你去海滩度假，会选择阅读什么类型的书呢？在你上班的路上你又会读什么书呢？
We’re going to hear part of a BBC interview with David Adshead from the Commuter Book Club.A commuter travels to work by bus, train or here in London, The Tube, a train that goes all over the city, mostly underground.
我们听一段来自上班族读书俱乐部的David Adshead的BBC采访。伦敦的上班族搭乘公交或地铁上班。地铁，是在城市中穿梭的一种火车，大多在地下运行。
And Alice as usual, we have a quiz question.Are you ready?
和以往一样，爱丽丝，有一个问题需要回答。你准备好了吗？
Yes, absolutely.
当然准备好了。
OK. It’s about classic book sales.So these days are people buying…a) more classic books?b) the same number of classic books?c) fewer classic books than they used to?
好的，问题是关于经典作品的销售。与过去相比，如今的人们购买经典书籍多还是少？a) 更喜欢购买经典著作？b) 和过去一样？c) 没有过去买的多？
Oh that’s an interesting one.Tricky to guess but I’m going to say c) fewer classic books.
这是个挺有意思的问题。让我机智的猜一下，选c) 没有过去买的多。
OK, well, let’s find out the answer at the end of the programme.But now, here is David Adshead from the Commuter Club.What kind of book does he say people usually take with them to the beach?
好的，节目的最后我们再看你回答得是否正确。但是现在，我们听听上班族读书俱乐部的David Adshead的看法。人们通常在海滩读什么类型的书？
People often think that, you know, traditionally you take a light easy read for the beachand on the train, um, you maybe read something very different.
人们一般都这么想，如果是在沙滩上，那么就读一些浅显易懂的书籍，如果是在火车上，就读一些不一样的书。
… if only to show off.
只是为了炫耀。
Exactly, to appear to others to be more intellectual.But actually, what we find in this is that it really comes down to the individual – what they like to readand actually we’ve seen this summer a lot of the book sales - summer reads is generally lighter books, easier to get on with, to take away on holiday- but the big retailers have seen a shift actually - people moving sort of slightly higher brow, taking away more classic books.Sales in that way have increased.
实际上是想让其他人认为他们很聪明。但是事实上，我们发现这最终还是取决于个人——他们喜欢读什么，我们也看到夏天销售出很多书，夏天读物一般都是一些比较通俗易懂的书，便于度假时携带。但是大型零售商已经看到最近的转变，人们眼光抬高，越发喜欢携带经典著作。经典书籍的销量也增加了。
David Adshead from the Commuter Book Club there.He says that people usually – traditionally - take a light, easy read to the beach or on the train.
刚刚听到的是上班族读书俱乐部的David Adshead的观点。他说过去人们通常会选择在海滩或火车上阅读一些通俗易懂的书。
Yes. He says these books are easier to get on with.David says that it really comes down to the individual - each person is different.But he says that there has been a shift – a change – in what people read.
是的，他说这些书浅显易懂。David 说这事实上因人而异，每个人都是不同的。但是他表示最近人们阅读的类型发生了改变。
Yes, he says that the shops that sell books – that’s the retailers – say the books people are buying are more highbrow – the classics, as we were talking about.
他说销售书籍的商店，也就是零售商表示如今人们偏向于购买高深难懂的书籍，像我们刚刚提到的经典作品。
Absolutely. Highbrow books are read by intellectuals or perhaps the people who read these books are just showing off.
确实如此。学术性强的书籍一般都是学者们读的，或者有些人读这些书只是为了炫耀显摆。
Yes, maybe they are.Well I wonder if these people have read any books by Fiona Harper.She writes romantic novels – that’s stories about love.
也许是的。我在想这些人是否读过Fiona Harper的书。她写了很多言情小说，也就是关于爱的故事。
Light reading – not highbrow.She was also at this interview about the Commuter Book Club.
这种消遣阅读不属于高雅文学。她在采访中也提到了上班族读书俱乐部。
Now, do commuters read her romantic novels on the Tube?
那么，上班族在地铁上读她的言情小说吗？
Well here is novelist Fiona Harper talking about how she writes her romantic novels.She wants people to not stop reading her stories once they start – she wants them to be hooked.
我们听听小说家Fiona Harper谈论她怎么写言情小说。她想让人们一读就停不下来，完全被小说吸引。
I think what it comes down to most of the time is you just want to write a really good story because if you write a good story then hopefully people are hooked, they’ll keep turning the pages and..
大多数时间你只是想要写一个很棒的故事，因为如果你想写一个好故事，就希望人们能被吸引，一页一页看下去。
And do you wonder whether they are reading them on holiday?I mean presumably, they’re more likely to read your stuff on holiday than when they’re sitting on the Tube being looked at by lots of other people.I don’t know.
你有没有想过他们在假期会读这些小说吗？我的意思是，假设一下，人们是在假期更喜欢读你的作品，还是更喜欢坐地铁时吸引大家的关注而读你的作品。我不了解。
Possibly, although with the advent of e-readers, you can read anything you like and no one knows – or on your phone – no one knows what you’re reading.
随着电子阅读器的出现，你可以，例如在手机上，读任何你喜欢的书，其他人也不知道你读什么。
And that’s an important point.
这是很重要的一点。
That‘s the author Fiona Harper talking about her romantic novels.So do commuters read her books on the Tube?
作家Fiona Harper谈论她的言情小说。上班族会在地铁上读她的小说吗？
Well perhaps you don’t want others to see you reading that stuff.It can be a bit embarrassing.It shouldn’t be, but Fiona says you can also use an e-reader.
也许，你不希望其他人知道你在读什么。这有点尴尬。其实不必尴尬，但是你可以使用电子阅读器。
An e-reader – that’s an electronic book.Instead of pages, you read off a screen.
电子阅读器，也就是电子书。不是从传统的纸质页面上读书，而是从屏幕上阅读。
Well if you use an e-reader or tablet, no one knows what you’re reading.
如果你使用电子阅读器或平板电脑，没有人知道你在读什么。
So perhaps they are reading a romantic novel – no one knows.OK. Let’s take a moment to look at some of today’s words.
所以也许人们在读言情小说，反正没有人知道。好了，我们再复习一下今天听到的单词。
Here they are:
今天听到的单词有：
intellectual
聪明的
show off
炫耀
the classics
经典著作
romantic fiction
言情小说
light read
消遣阅读
heavy read
高雅读物
retailers
零售商
highbrow
高学术水平的
shift
转变
hooked
入迷的
advent
出现
e-reader
电子阅读器
And before we go, the answer to today’s quiz question. I asked about classic books. Are people these days buying…a) more classic books?b) the same number of classic books?c) fewer classic books than they used to?
在节目结束前，我们公布一下今天问题的答案。我们谈论的是经典著作。与过去相比，如今的人们购买经典书籍多还是少？a) 更喜欢购买经典著作？b) 和过去一样？c) 没有过去买的多？
Yes. And I said c) fewer classic books.
我选的是c) 没有过去买的多。
Well I’m afraid to say Alice that you’re wrong.
抱歉你答错了。
Oh no.
不是吧。
I know. They’re reading more classic books!
如今的人们更喜欢读经典著作。
Oh excellent!
不错。
Sales of these books are apparently increasing.
经典著作的销量明显增加。
Well that’s good to hear.
听到这个消息还是很高兴的。
And that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English.Please do join us again soon.
今天的六分钟英语就到这里。下次再会！
And keep reading books… in English.Highbrow classics or a light read – it doesn’t matter.
坚持读英文原着。不管是消遣文学还是经典著作，都可以。
It doesn’t matter at all.
确实都可以，没什么关系。
Bye.
再见。