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不会阅读的精英大学生(The elite college students who can't read books)
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不会阅读的精英大学生
许多学生在进入大学时，即使是进入门槛高的精英大学时，也没有做好阅读书籍的准备。 
双语精读
Nicholas Dames has taught Literature Humanities, Columbia University's required great-books course, since 1998. He loves the job, but it has changed.
尼古拉斯·戴姆斯自1998年以来一直教授文学人文课，这是哥伦比亚大学的名著必修课。他热爱这份工作，但这门课已经变了。
Over the past decade, students have become overwhelmed by the reading. Many students no longer arrive at college--even at highly selective, elite colleges--prepared to read books.
在过去十年里，阅读让学生们感到不堪重负。许多学生在进入大学时，即使是进入门槛高的精英大学时，也没有做好阅读书籍的准备。
Daniel Shore, the chair of Georgetown's English department, told me that his students have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet. Failing to complete a 14-line poem without succumbing to distraction suggests one familiar explanation for the decline in reading aptitude: smartphones.
乔治敦大学英语系主任丹尼尔·肖尔告诉我，他的学生甚至难以集中注意力读完一首十四行诗。无法在不分心的情况下读完一首14行的诗，这说明阅读能力的下降有一个常见原因：智能手机。
Teenagers are constantly tempted by their devices, which inhibits their preparation for the rigors of college coursework--then they get to college, and the distractions keep flowing. Reading books, even for pleasure, can't compete with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube.
青少年不停地受到电子设备的诱惑，这阻碍了他们为严格的大学课程做好准备，然后他们进入大学，令人分心的事物还是不断涌现。即便只是为了消遣，读书也无法与TikTok、Instagram和YouTube竞争。
But middle- and high-school kids appear to be encountering fewer and fewer books in the classroom as well. Teachers at many schools shifted from books to short informational passages, followed by questions about the author's main idea--mimicking the format of standardized reading-comprehension tests.
不过中学生和高中生在课堂上接触到的书好像也越来越少了。许多学校的老师从使用书籍变成了使用信息型章节，后面跟着对作者的主要思想的提问，这是在模拟标准化阅读理解考试的格式。
Some experts I spoke with attributed the decline of book reading to a shift in values rather than in skill sets. Students can still read books, they argue--they're just choosing not to.
我采访的一些专家将阅读的减少归因于价值观的转变，而非技能的转变。他们认为学生们仍然可以读书，只是他们选择了不读书。
Students today are far more concerned about their job prospects than they were in the past. Every year, they tell Howley that, despite enjoying what they learned in Lit Hum, they plan to instead get a degree in something more useful for their career.
现在的学生比过去更关心自己的就业前景。每年他们都会告诉豪利，尽管他们很喜欢在文学人文课中学到的东西，但他们计划转而攻读对职业发展更有用的学位。
A couple of professors told me that their students see reading books as akin to listening to vinyl records--something that a small subculture may still enjoy, but that's mostly a relic of an earlier time.
几位教授告诉我，他们的学生认为读书就像听黑胶唱片一样，一小部分亚文化群体可能仍然喜欢这种东西，但这基本上算是过去时代的遗物。
Books can cultivate a sophisticated form of empathy, transporting a reader into the mind of someone who lived hundreds of years ago, or a person who lives in a radically different context from the reader's own.
书籍能够培养一种复杂细腻的共情，将读者带入生活在几百年前的人的思想中，或者带入生活环境与读者截然不同的人的思想中。
"A lot of contemporary ideas of empathy are built on identification, identity politics," Kahn, the Berkeley professor, said."Reading is more complicated than that, so it enlarges your sympathies."
"很多当代的共情概念都是建立在心理认同和身份政治的基础上，"伯克利大学教授卡恩说，"阅读比这更复杂，能扩大你的共情。"
Yet such benefits require staying with a character through their journey; they cannot be approximated by reading a five- or even 30-page excerpt.
然而要获得这些好处，读者需要陪伴人物走完所有旅程，只阅读5页甚至30页的摘录并不能让读者接近人物。
According to the neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, so-called deep reading--sustained immersion in a text--stimulates a number of valuable mental habits, including critical thinking and self-reflection, in ways that skimming or reading in short bursts does not.
根据神经学家玛丽安·沃尔夫，深度阅读----持续地沉浸在文本中----可以激发许多有价值的思维习惯，包括批判性思维和自我反思，而略读或不连续的短时间阅读是做不到的。
词汇预习
despite [高考]
美[dɪˈspaɪt] | 英[dɪˈspaɪt]
prep. 尽管；不管 n. 憎恨；轻视
critical [高考]
美[ˈkrɪtɪkl] | 英[ˈkrɪtɪkl]
adj. 批评的；挑剔的；决定性的；危险的 adj. 临界的
context [高考]
美[ˈkɑːntekst] | 英[ˈkɒntekst]
n. 上下文；环境；背景
constantly [高考]
美[ˈkɑːnstəntli] | 英[ˈkɒnstəntli]
adv. 不断地；经常地
empathy [高考]
美[ˈempəθi] | 英[ˈempəθi]
n. 移情作用；共鸣；[心]神入
shift [高考]
美[ʃɪft] | 英[ʃɪft]
v. 移动；改变；换挡；字型转换 n. 轮班；变化；移动；计谋；轮班职工
reflection [高考]
美[rɪˈflekʃn] | 英[rɪˈflekʃn]
n. 倒影；反射；反映；沉思；考虑
selective [高考]
美[sɪˈlektɪv] | 英[sɪˈlektɪv]
adj. 选择的；选择性的；精挑细选的
cultivate [高考]
美[ˈkʌltɪveɪt] | 英[ˈkʌltɪveɪt]
v. 耕作，种植; 培养（品质等）; 结交（朋友）
decade [高考]
美[ˈdekeɪd] | 英[ˈdekeɪd]
n. 十年，十年间，十年期（尤指一个年代)
decline [高考]
美[dɪˈklaɪn] | 英[dɪˈklaɪn]
v. 下降；减少；变弱；拒绝；倾斜 n. 减少，衰退
mental [高考]
美[ˈmentl] | 英[ˈmentl]
adj. 思想的；心理的；精神的；脑力的 n. 精神病患者
comprehension [高考]
美[ˌkɑːmprɪˈhenʃn] | 英[ˌkɒmprɪˈhenʃn]
n. 理解；理解力；领悟能力
explanation [高考]
美[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn] | 英[ˌekspləˈneɪʃn]
n. 解释；说明
identity [高考]
美[aɪˈdentəti] | 英[aɪˈdentəti]
n. 一致；身份；特征
contemporary [高考]
美[kənˈtempəreri] | 英[kənˈtemprəri]
adj. 同时代的；当代的 n. 同时代的人；同龄人
politics [高考]
美[ˈpɑːlətɪks] | 英[ˈpɒlətɪks]
n. 政治；政治学；政治活动；政治策略；政见
self [高考]
美[self] | 英[self]
n. 自己；本性；自我 pron. 我自己；你自己；他或她自己 adj.同一的；纯净的；单一的 v. 近亲繁殖；自花授粉
identification [高考]
美[aɪˌdentɪfɪˈkeɪʃn] | 英[aɪˌdentɪfɪˈkeɪʃn]
n. 确认；鉴定；识别；身份的证明
format [高考]
美[ˈfɔːrmæt] | 英[ˈfɔːmæt]
n. 版式；设计 vt. 使格式化；安排
in short [高考]
美[ɪn ʃɔːrt] | 英[ɪn ʃɔːt]
总之； 简言之
thinking [高考]
美[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ] | 英[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ]
n. 思考；思想 adj. 好思考的；有理性的
complicated [高考]
美[ˈkɑːmplɪkeɪtɪd] | 英[ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtɪd]
adj. 复杂难懂的；结构复杂的
distraction [高考]
美[dɪˈstrækʃn] | 英[dɪˈstrækʃn]
n. 分心；分心的事物；注意力分散；娱乐；消遣；发狂
relic [高考]
美[ˈrelɪk] | 英[ˈrelɪk]
n. 神圣的遗物；遗迹；纪念物
sophisticated [高考]
美[səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd] | 英[səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd]
adj. 老练的；精密的；复杂的；久经世故的
so-called [四级]
美[ˌsoʊ ˈkɔːld] | 英[ˌsəʊ ˈkɔːld]
adj. [贬]号称的；所谓的
informational [四级]
美[ˌɪnfə'meɪʃənl] | 英[ˌɪnfə'meɪʃənl]
adj. 信息的；介绍情况的
radically [四级]
美[ˈrædɪkli] | 英['rædɪkli]
adv. 根本地；完全地；过激地
neuroscientist [四级]
美['njʊəroʊsaɪəntɪst] | 英['njʊərəʊsaɪəntɪst]
n. 神经系统科学家
subculture [四级]
美[ˈsʌbˌkʌltʃɚ] | 英[ˈsʌbkʌltʃə(r)]
n. 亚文化群
aptitude [四级]
美[ˈæptɪtuːd] | 英[ˈæptɪtjuːd]
n. 天资；资质；才能；倾向
a number of [四级]
美[ə ˈnʌmbər əv] | 英[ə ˈnʌmbə(r) ɒv]
许多；若干（后接可数名词的复数形式）
decline in [四级]
美 | 英
在……方面的减少；下降
preparation for [四级]
美[ˌprɛpəˈreʃən fɔr] | 英[ˌprepəˈreiʃən fɔ:]
为 ... 做的准备
explanation for [四级]
美 | 英
对...的解释
concerned [四级]
美[kənˈsɜːrnd] | 英[kənˈsɜːnd]
adj. 担忧的；关心的；关切的；有关的
elite [四级]
美[eɪˈliːt , ɪˈliːt] | 英[eɪˈliːt , ɪˈliːt]
n. 精英 adj. 精英的；优秀的
learned [四级]
美[lɜːrnd , ˈlɜːrnɪd] | 英[lɜːnd , ˈlɜːnɪd]
adj. 有学问的；博学的
excerpt [专四]
美[ˈeksɜːrpt] | 英[ˈeksɜːpt]
n. 摘录 vt. 摘录；引用
sonnet [专八]
美[ˈsɑːnɪt] | 英[ˈsɒnɪt]
n. 十四行诗
akin [考研]
美[əˈkɪn] | 英[əˈkɪn]
adj. 同族的；同类的；近似的
immersion [托福]
美[ɪˈmɜrʃn] | 英[ɪˈmɜ:ʃn]
n. 沉浸；浸入；专心；浸礼
重点讲解
Nicholas Dames has taught Literature Humanities, Columbia University's required great-books course, since 1998. He loves the job, but it has changed.
尼古拉斯·戴姆斯自1998年以来一直教授文学人文课，这是哥伦比亚大学的名著必修课。他热爱这份工作，但这门课已经变了。
require v. 要求；规定
【例】The course requires you to be bilingual.
这门课程要求修学者懂两种语言。
【辨析】request v. （人）请求
selective adj. 选拔性的；严格筛选的
【例】a selective admission policy
择优录取政策
【搭配】be selective about 对……有选择性
【例】She is selective about clothes.
她穿衣服很讲究。
【拓展】select v. 挑选
Over the past decade, students have become overwhelmed by the reading. Many students no longer arrive at college--even at highly selective, elite colleges--prepared to read books.
在过去十年里，阅读让学生们感到不堪重负。许多学生在进入大学时，即使是进入门槛高的精英大学时，也没有做好阅读书籍的准备。
require v. 要求；规定
【例】The course requires you to be bilingual.
这门课程要求修学者懂两种语言。
【辨析】request v. （人）请求
selective adj. 选拔性的；严格筛选的
【例】a selective admission policy
择优录取政策
【搭配】be selective about 对……有选择性
【例】She is selective about clothes.
她穿衣服很讲究。
【拓展】select v. 挑选
Daniel Shore, the chair of Georgetown's English department, told me that his students have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet. Failing to complete a 14-line poem without succumbing to distraction suggests one familiar explanation for the decline in reading aptitude: smartphones.
乔治敦大学英语系主任丹尼尔·肖尔告诉我，他的学生甚至难以集中注意力读完一首十四行诗。无法在不分心的情况下读完一首14行的诗，这说明阅读能力的下降有一个常见原因：智能手机。
succumb to 屈从，抵挡不住（攻击、疾病、诱惑等）
【例】to succumb to cancer/old age
因癌症/年老而死亡
to succumb to the pressure/temptation
抵挡不住压力/诱惑
【近义词】submit to/give in to 屈服
aptitude n. 天生的能力
【例】his aptitude for dealing with children/for language
他天生善于与小孩打交道/他有语言天赋
【拓展】apt adj. 自然地倾向于……
【例】He is apt to forget things.
他常常记不住事情。
Teenagers are constantly tempted by their devices, which inhibits their preparation for the rigors of college coursework--then they get to college, and the distractions keep flowing. Reading books, even for pleasure, can't compete with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube.
青少年不停地受到电子设备的诱惑，这阻碍了他们为严格的大学课程做好准备，然后他们进入大学，令人分心的事物还是不断涌现。即便只是为了消遣，读书也无法与TikTok、Instagram和YouTube竞争。
inhibit v. 阻碍；阻止
【例】His shyness inhibited him from asking questions.
他的羞怯性格使他没有提问。
【近义词】prevent/hinder v. 阻碍；妨碍
But middle- and high-school kids appear to be encountering fewer and fewer books in the classroom as well. Teachers at many schools shifted from books to short informational passages, followed by questions about the author's main idea--mimicking the format of standardized reading-comprehension tests.
不过中学生和高中生在课堂上接触到的书好像也越来越少了。许多学校的老师从使用书籍变成了使用信息型章节，后面跟着对作者的主要思想的提问，这是在模拟标准化阅读理解考试的格式。
attribute sth to 把某物归因于……
【例】She attributes her success to hard work.
她认为自己成功的原因是努力工作。
【近义词】blame sth for 把（坏事）归咎于某物
owe sth to... （好事）归功于……
Some experts I spoke with attributed the decline of book reading to a shift in values rather than in skill sets. Students can still read books, they argue--they're just choosing not to.
我采访的一些专家将阅读的减少归因于价值观的转变，而非技能的转变。他们认为学生们仍然可以读书，只是他们选择了不读书。
attribute sth to 把某物归因于……
【例】She attributes her success to hard work.
她认为自己成功的原因是努力工作。
【近义词】blame sth for 把（坏事）归咎于某物
owe sth to... （好事）归功于……
Students today are far more concerned about their job prospects than they were in the past. Every year, they tell Howley that, despite enjoying what they learned in Lit Hum, they plan to instead get a degree in something more useful for their career.
现在的学生比过去更关心自己的就业前景。每年他们都会告诉豪利，尽管他们很喜欢在文学人文课中学到的东西，但他们计划转而攻读对职业发展更有用的学位。
be akin to 与……相似
【例】The liquid is akin to milk.
这种液体很像牛奶。
【近义词】be similar to 与……相似
relic n. 遗物；遗迹
【例】a cultural relic 文物古迹
【近义词】remains n. 遗迹；遗址
A couple of professors told me that their students see reading books as akin to listening to vinyl records--something that a small subculture may still enjoy, but that's mostly a relic of an earlier time.
几位教授告诉我，他们的学生认为读书就像听黑胶唱片一样，一小部分亚文化群体可能仍然喜欢这种东西，但这基本上算是过去时代的遗物。
be akin to 与……相似
【例】The liquid is akin to milk.
这种液体很像牛奶。
【近义词】be similar to 与……相似
relic n. 遗物；遗迹
【例】a cultural relic 文物古迹
【近义词】remains n. 遗迹；遗址
Books can cultivate a sophisticated form of empathy, transporting a reader into the mind of someone who lived hundreds of years ago, or a person who lives in a radically different context from the reader's own.
书籍能够培养一种复杂细腻的共情，将读者带入生活在几百年前的人的思想中，或者带入生活环境与读者截然不同的人的思想中。
transport v. 运输；使身临其境
【例】to transport passengers 运送旅客
The book transports the reader to the ancient Greece.
这本书把读者带到了古希腊。
identification n. 认同感；共鸣
【例】her emotional identification with the main character in the movie
电影的主人公引起了她的共鸣
【拓展】identify with sb 与某人产生共鸣
"A lot of contemporary ideas of empathy are built on identification, identity politics," Kahn, the Berkeley professor, said."Reading is more complicated than that, so it enlarges your sympathies."
"很多当代的共情概念都是建立在心理认同和身份政治的基础上，"伯克利大学教授卡恩说，"阅读比这更复杂，能扩大你的共情。"
transport v. 运输；使身临其境
【例】to transport passengers 运送旅客
The book transports the reader to the ancient Greece.
这本书把读者带到了古希腊。
identification n. 认同感；共鸣
【例】her emotional identification with the main character in the movie
电影的主人公引起了她的共鸣
【拓展】identify with sb 与某人产生共鸣
Yet such benefits require staying with a character through their journey; they cannot be approximated by reading a five- or even 30-page excerpt.
然而要获得这些好处，读者需要陪伴人物走完所有旅程，只阅读5页甚至30页的摘录并不能让读者接近人物。
immersion n. 沉浸
【例】 immersion in a video game
沉浸在视频游戏中
【拓展】be immersed in 沉浸于
immerse oneself in 沉浸于
According to the neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf, so-called deep reading--sustained immersion in a text--stimulates a number of valuable mental habits, including critical thinking and self-reflection, in ways that skimming or reading in short bursts does not.
根据神经学家玛丽安·沃尔夫，深度阅读----持续地沉浸在文本中----可以激发许多有价值的思维习惯，包括批判性思维和自我反思，而略读或不连续的短时间阅读是做不到的。
immersion n. 沉浸
【例】 immersion in a video game
沉浸在视频游戏中
【拓展】be immersed in 沉浸于
immerse oneself in 沉浸于
课后练习
What has caused middle- and high-school students to read fewer books?
A. They lack interest in the books assigned for them to read.
B. They are too busy with schoolwork to spend time reading.
C. The reading materials are too difficult for them to understand.
D. The teachers focus on shorter texts to prepare students for tests.
Some experts believe that the reason of the decline of book reading is ____.
A. the decline in students' reading and writing abilities
B. the pressure to find jobs rather than to study classics
C. the disappointment in humanities courses in college
D. the decrease of literature-related jobs in the labor market
The comparison between listening to vinyl records and reading books shows that ____.
A. both are equally popular among students nowadays
B. both are outdated and not very widespread nowadays
C. students prefer listening to vinyl records over reading books
D. reading books is more valuable than listening to vinyl records
Which of the following is true about the benefits of reading?
A. Reading books can give people a deeper insight into identity politics.
B. Reading excerpts can provide the same benefits as reading an entire book.
C. Reading is most beneficial when one reads in a way that suits their needs.
D. Reading books can enable a person to understand various perspectives.
