BBC Take Away English (The power of books 书籍的力量)

在困难时期，书籍如何帮助我们放松，让我们感觉更有活力？阅读是缓解现代生活压力的最好方式之一吗？本期BBC随身英语讨论 “阅读疗法”，即通过阅读改善心理健康。

reading a book

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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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

vocabulary

gripping crime story 扣人心弦的犯罪故事
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

make sentences

• It’s easy in our smartphone generation to ditch a good book and fiddle with our phones instead.
  生活在智能时代的我们，摆弄手机比看书容易。

1. The latest action movie is really gripping, I’m going to see it again!

2. I like reading anything but especially biographies because I like to learn about other people’s lives.

3. According to the reviews, the new series of Doctor Who is going to be the best ever!

4. I am an avid sports fan so I’ll watch anything that gets shown on TV!

5. My dad said that going to university would help me broaden the mind, but I’m not so sure!

@BBC learning English