Young People’s Reading Habits

曲永华

Reading is getting more popular among young Chinese. A new survey says that 85% of young people in China read at least 1 book last year. The number of young people who are reading has been rising in recent years， especially for teenagers， who read an average （平均） of 11.5 books.

The data （数据） shows that teenagers spend much more time reading from school textbooks to some other reading materials， such as novels， e-books， magazines and so on. But younger children （ages 2-8） are mainly reading for fun. Compared with the past， the time teenagers spend on pleasure reading has dropped.

When it comes to technology and reading， the survey suggests little. It does point out that many parents control the time of electronic reading， mainly because of worrying about increased screen time. However， most Chinese parents are helping their children to develop a reading habit. They are served as examples for their children. More than 70% of Chinese parents spend at least 20 minutes a day reading to their children aged 0-8 years old. And visit book stores with them. An average of three times a year. Data shows that kids and teens who do a lot of reading， compared to those who don’t like reading， have more books in the home， and more books bought for them. Their parents read more often， and would like to spare time to read with them.

When was the last time you read a book？ If you’re one of the countless people who don’t develop a habit of reading， you might be missing out. Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information， and you never know when it might be useful. The more knowledge you have， the better equipped you are to deal with any challenge you’ll face. Remember that although you might lose something else， knowledge can never be taken away from you.

Now open a book， and feed your soul.

精彩譯文

年轻人的阅读习惯

阅读在中国年轻人中越来越流行。一项新的调查显示，去年中国85%的年轻人至少读过一本书。近年来，正在读书的年轻人人数不断上升，尤其是青少年，他们一年平均阅读11.5本书。

数据显示，青少年把更多的时间花在阅读课本和其他阅读材料上，如小说、电子书、杂志等。但年龄较小的孩子（2～8岁）主要是为了好玩而读书。与过去相比，青少年花在快乐阅读上的时间减少了。

在科技阅读方面，这项调查几乎没有什么启示。报告切实指出，许多家长控制孩子电子阅读的时间，主要是因为担心孩子们看电子屏幕的时间过多。然而，大多数中国父母都在帮助孩子养成一种阅读习惯。他们被当作孩子的榜样。超过70%的中国父母每天至少花20分钟给他们0～8岁的孩子读书，并陪他们逛书店，平均每年逛三次。数据显示，与不喜欢读书的孩子相比，经常读书的儿童和青少年家里的书更多，家长为他们买的书也更多。他们的父母比较爱读书，也愿意抽出时间和他们一起读书。

你上次看书是什么时候？如果你是无数没有养成阅读习惯的人中的一员，你可能会错过机会。你读到的每一篇文章都会让你的头脑充满新的信息，你永远不知道什么时候它可能有用。你拥有的知识越多，你就越有能力应对任何挑战。记住，尽管你可能会失去一些东西，但知识永远不会从你身上被夺走。

现在，打开书，熏陶你的灵魂。

小练习

1. Why do many parents control the time of their children’s electronic reading？

A. E-books are expensive.              B. It may harm children’s health.

C. It is very hard to order.              D. It could be a waste of time.

2. How should parents encourage their children to read more？

A. Talk with their teachers to encourage them in developing reading habits.

B. Buy more books for them in bookstores or borrow some from libraries.

C. Ask them to read more books every day through setting up reading groups.

D. Act as role models for them， read for their children and read for themselves.

3. What’s the survey mainly about？

A. Teenagers’ after-class activities.        B. Parent-child relationships.

C. Young people’s reading habits.        D. Read more often for fun.

4. Which one of the following is most probably to be discussed next？

A. Introduce some books for young people to read.

B. Encourage parents to read more after work.

C. List some different opinions about reading.

D. Develop children’s writing habits gradually.

【答案】1-4 BDCA