Reading Good Books

Reading Good Books

Devote some of your leisure, I repeat, to cultivating a love of reading good books. Fortunate indeed are those who contrive to make themselves genuine book-lovers. For book lovers have some noteworthy advantages over other people. They need never know lonely hours so long as they have books around them, and the better the books the more delightful the company(1). From good books, moreover, they draw much besides entertainment. They gain mental food such as few companions can supply(2). Even while resting from their labors they are, through the books they read, equipping themselves to perform those labors more efficiently. This(3) albeit they may not be deliberately reading to improve their mind. All unconsciously the ideas they derive from the printed pages(4) are stored up, to be worked over(5) by the imagination for their future profit.







注釋:

(1)  the better the books the more delightful the company:
書越好，與書作伴就越快活。

(2)  They gain mental food such as few companions can supply: 他們從中獲得的那種精神食糧，從其他地方是很難得到的。此次 such as 相當於such mental food as。

(3) This: 指上句；　albeit：　連詞，含義是　although it be（盡管，雖然），用於書麵語。

(4) the printed pages：書本。

(5) to be worked over：以便加以研究。
 

Additional words and their definitions:

de·vote (d-vt) tr.v. de·vot·ed, de·vot·ing, de·votes 1. To give or apply (one's time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person. 2. To set apart for a specific purpose or use: land devoted to mining. 3. To set apart by or as if by a vow or solemn act; consecrate: a temple devoted to Apollo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Latin dvovre, dvt-, to vow : d-, de- + vovre, to vow.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- de·votement n. Synonyms: devote, dedicate, consecrate, pledge These verbs mean to give to a particular end and especially to a higher purpose. Devote implies faithfulness and loyalty: Nurses devote themselves to the care of the sick. Dedicate connotes a solemn, often formal commitment: "To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes" (Woodrow Wilson). Consecrate suggests sacred commitment: His entire life is consecrated to science. To pledge is to back a personal commitment by a solemn promise: "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people" (Franklin D. Roosevelt). re·peat (r-pt rpt) v. re·peat·ed, re·peat·ing, re·peats v.tr. 1. To say again: repeat a question. 2. To utter in duplication of another's utterance. 3. To recite from memory. 4. To tell to another. 5. To do, experience, or produce again: repeat past successes. 6. To express (oneself) in the same way or words: repeats himself constantly. v.intr. 1. To do or say something again. 2. To commit the fraudulent offense of voting more than once in a single election. n. 1. An act of repeating. 2. Something repeated, as an interval in athletic training. 3. A broadcast of a television or radio program that has been previously broadcast; a rerun. 4. Music a. A passage or section that is repeated. b. A sign usually consisting of two vertical dots, indicating a passage to be repeated. adj. Of, relating to, or being something that repeats or is repeated: a repeat offender; a repeat performance of the play. lei·sure (lzhr, lzhr) n. Freedom from time-consuming duties, responsibilities, or activities. Idiom: at (one's) leisure When one has free time; at one's convenience: I'll return the call at my leisure. Noun 1. leisure time - time available for ease and relaxation; "his job left him little leisure" leisure free time, spare time - time that is free from duties or responsibilities time off - a time period when you are not required to work; "he requested time off to attend his grandmother's funeral" holiday, vacation - leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure; "we get two weeks of vacation every summer"; "we took a short holiday in Puerto Rico" playday, playtime - time for play or diversion cul·ti·vate tr.v. cul·ti·vat·ed, cul·ti·vat·ing, cul·ti·vates 1. a. To improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till. b. To loosen or dig soil around (growing plants). 2. To grow or tend (a plant or crop). 3. To promote the growth of (a biological culture). 4. To nurture; foster. See Synonyms at nurture. 5. To form and refine, as by education. 6. To seek the acquaintance or goodwill of; make friends with. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Medieval Latin cultvre, cultvt-, from cultvus, tilled, from Latin cultus, past participle of colere, to till; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- culti·vata·ble adj. note·wor·thy adj. note·wor·thi·er, note·wor·thi·est Deserving notice or attention; notable: a noteworthy advance in cancer research. Synonyms  remarkable, interesting, important, significant, extraordinary, outstanding, exceptional, notable Antonyms   normal, ordinary, pedestrian, commonplace, insignificant, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, unexceptional -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- noteworthi·ly adv. noteworthi·ness n. in hand 1. In one's possession: arrived with the contract in hand. 2. Under control: kept the tense situation in hand. 3. Under consideration: gave her attention to the matter in hand. 4. In preparation or process: With the work finally in hand, we began to see progress. 5. Sports Remaining to be played by one team but not by another: Their team is ahead in the standings, but our team has two games in hand. on hand 1. Present; available: Are there enough people on hand to hold a meeting? 2. About to happen; imminent; What is on hand for this evening? to hand 1. Nearby. 2. In one's possession. al·be·it conjunction ȯl-ˈbē-ət, al- Definition of ALBEIT : conceding the fact that : even though : although Examples of ALBEIT She appeared on the show, albeit briefly. It was an amazing computer, albeit expensive. … living a modest life as an editor wasn't as appealing as living in the grand style, albeit as someone else's valet. —Leslie Bennetts, Vanity Fair, Sept. 2000 As created during the Depression by a promoter named Leo Seltzer, roller derby was the first sport in which men and women competed on the same team, albeit on a separate-but-equal basis, alternating periods on the track. —Frank Deford, New York Times Magazine, 4 Jan. 1998 … customers seemed generally cheery, albeit some were more cautious than others … —Cynthia Clark, Publishers Weekly, 26 Jan. 1998 But suppose the life were in many ways a mess, albeit a fascinating, courageous, picturesque and emotionally intense mess … —Diane Ackerman, New York Times Book Review, 23 Aug. 1987

 
漢譯：閱讀好書
 
我再說一遍，把你的一部分空閑時光用來培養閱讀好書的愛好吧。那些設法把自己培養成為真正愛好讀書的人，確實是幸運的。因為愛讀書的人比之別人有著明顯的好處。隻要手頭有書，他們就從來不知寂寞。書越好，讀來越是津津有味。他們從好書中不但得到樂趣，而且受到很多教益。他們從中獲得的那種精神食糧，從其他地方是很難得到的。即使是在工作休息時，通過讀書，他們的工作效率也能更加提高，盡管他們未必有意識地想到讀書是為了提高才智。在全然不知不覺中，他們從書中吸取的知識積累起來，經過想象力的加工，對將來大有用處。（唐力行　譯）


作者簡介：


下麵框框裏是大家的英譯總匯：

Source: http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/zhongyiingfanyi/108227.html NewVoice   I say it once more, use some of your leisure time to cultivate reading as your hobby. Those who strive to be good readers are indeed very fortunate. The people who love to read obviously hold many advantages over others. With a book in the hand, they never feel lonely. The better the book is, the more likely they will be absorbed in it. Not only they find joy in the books, but also they could benefit greatly from them. The spiritual food they obtain from the books cannot be acquired easily from anywhere else. Reading during the break time can help people increase their efficiency, even though they may not be aware that reading is meant to increase their knowledge and wisdom. Without any conscious effort, they accumulate the knowledge absorbed from the books and process it through their imagination, which will greatly benefit them in future. lmao   Let me reiterate: spend some of your spare time nourishing a hobby of reading good books. Those who’ve managed to become true book-lovers are fortunate because they have obvious advantages over others. They don’t ever feel lonely with books at hand. The better a book is, the more rewarding is the reading. Not only they enjoy reading a good book, also they benefit from it. The spiritual nourishment they gained from reading is hard to find in other places. They work more efficiently through reading during the breaks, though they might not be reading with an aim to enrich their brain. Without being totally aware of it, they accumulated their knowledge extracted from books, processed with their imagination, which turns out to be very useful in their future.   同學小薇 Let me say it once more - please develop the habit of reading in your free time. Those who love reading are indeed more fortunate than those who do not, because they will never feel lonely as long as they have books. The better the book, the more enjoyable it will be. Not only they get enjoyment from the books, they also get wisdom. The wisdom gained from reading can not be obtained from anywhere else. Therefore those who love to read become more efficient at work even though they don’t read merely to improve knowledge. The knowledge they accumulated from books, combined with their imagination, is of great help to the future. toast2011 Reading good books I say it again, use some of your spare time to develop reading as a hobby. Those people who try to make themselves as reading lovers are truly very fortunate because reading lovers has obvious advantages over others. They never feel lonely as long as they have books around. The better the book is, the more satisfied they are. They get not only entertainment, but also knowledge and lessons. Food for thought they get from books is difficult to obtain anywhere else. Reading during the work breaks also can improve working efficiency, although people may not consciously think that reading is to improve intelligence. Without any notice, the knowledge accumulated from books, after processing of imagination, will benefits their future dramatically. jennea Let me ask one more time, let’s devote (got the idea from self’s post) more of our leisure time to reading. I would say those who have this hobby are indeed lucky because they have apparent advantages comparing with those who don’t, for as long as they have one book in hand, they would never know the meaning of loneliness. The better the book, the more enjoyable the reading. Besides the fun and joy of reading, they also learn knowledge from good books. The spiritual fulfillment they acquire from books can rarely be achieved from other means. In addition, even their productivity can be improved through reading during breaks on their jobs.  Although they may not consciously realize that reading could improve their intelligence, the knowledge accumulated from books, enhanced by the imagination, can be of great use in future. EnLearner I repeat, set aside part of your spare time to developing the hobby of reading good books.  Really lucky are those who have managed to be a good book reader for those who read have considerable adavantages over others who do not.    As long as they have books on hand, they have never been lonely.  The better the book the more they will enjoy their reading.  They can not only have fun from books, but learn a lot from them as well.  What they can gain from reading are hard to obtain anywhere else.  Even at work breaks, through reading they can improve work efficiency, even though they may have never realized that reading can better their intelligence.  While they are completely unware of it, the knowledge they accumulated from reading,through imaginative processing, will be very useful to the future. beautifulwind I would address it again to cultivate the hobby of reading good books in your spare time. Those people who try to make themselves to be real readers are really lucky because reading books do them a lot of good. They have never felt lonely as long as books in their hands.   The better the books are, the more interesting the reading is. They not only enjoy  reading good books, but also benefit from books.  The spirit acquired from books is hard to get from anywhere else.  Their working efficiency is enhanced by reading books while a break, although they may not realize that reading is to enhance wisdom. The knowledge gained from books accumulates together unawarely, processing with imagination, that will benefit a lot in the future. bolang Reading good books Let me repeat again, please spend part of you spare time on training yourself the habbit of reading good books. Those, who trained themselves as true lover for readings, are lucky. Book readers get significant benefit over others.They do not feel lonely as long as there is a book in front of them. The better the books, the more invovled they are. They get not only pleasure but also knowledge from the books. The mental food they get from the books is very diffcult to get from other places. Even during working break, through reading, they can improve their working efficency much more, though they do not mean to improve their intelligent on purpose. The knowledge they get unconsciously from the books accumulates, and processed by imagination, bring benefit to the future. newton123 Let me say it again. Bring up a hobby of reading in part of your leisure time. Those who have such hobby are really fortunate for they have an obvious advantage over others: they never feel lonely as long as there is a book in hands.The better the book, the more interesting to read. They are not only having fun but also reap the benefit from reading.They gain spiritual nutrition from it as is unavailable anywhere else. Reading in breaktime may improve efficiency, even if they do not intend to improve their intelligence through reading. In unawareness, the knowledge accumulated in reading, through process of imagination, will become greatly helpful in future.