书籍的抚慰力量
The soothing power of books
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
大家好，这里是BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》，我是尼尔。
And I'm Georgina.
我是乔治娜。
What type of books do you like to read, Georgina?
乔治娜，你喜欢读什么类型的书？
I love reading crime fiction - you know detective stories by authors like Ruth Rendell or Agatha Christie.
我喜欢读犯罪小说——你知道的，就像露丝·兰德尔和阿加莎·克里斯蒂这样的作家所写的侦探小说。
Really? Do you find them relaxing?
真的吗？你发现它们能让人放松吗？
I wouldn't say relaxing exactly,
我不能说它完全让人放松下来，
but I get really involved in the story – trying to work out who the murderer is...
但我真的沉浸在故事之中——试图找出谁是凶手……
then finding out on the last page.
然后在最后一页揭晓答案。
That's interesting because today we'll be looking at how books can help us relax and feel more alive during troubled times.
那很有趣，因为今天我们将探讨书籍如何帮助我们在困难时期得到放松并使自己更有活力。
We'll be finding out how reading is one of the best ways to find relief from the pressures of modern life.
我们将看看阅读如何成为缓解现代生活压力的最佳方法之一。
Neil, are you talking about 'Bibliotherapy'?
尼尔，你是在说“阅读疗法”吗？
Amazing detective skills, Georgina!
侦查技能不错啊，乔治娜！
Exactly. 'Bibliotherapy' is the prescription of books as a remedy to sickness.
一点儿没错。“阅读疗法”是将书籍作为处方的一种疾病治疗法。
It has been around since 2013,
它大约是从2013年开始的，
when the UK charity 'Reading Agency' published a list of books that doctors could offer to patients,
当时英国慈善机构“阅读协会”发布了一份医生可以提供给病人的书单，
tackling topics from depression to dementia to chronic pain.
涉及话题从抑郁症到痴呆症，到慢性疼痛。
Since then, 1.2 million readers have borrowed the scheme's books from libraries.
从那时起，已经有120万读者从图书馆借阅了该计划书单里的书籍。
It's so successful that it's about to be extended to children as well.
它如此成功以至于也将被扩展到儿童领域。
I wonder which books have been most popular over that time?
我想知道那段时间哪些书最受欢迎？
In fact that's my quiz question for today.
事实上那是我今天的测试问题。
What is the best-selling book of all time?
有史以来最畅销的书是什么？
Is it: a) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling,
是：a)J·K·罗琳的《哈利·波特与魔法石》，
b) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens,
b)狄更斯的《双城记》，
or c) Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes?
还是c) 米格尔·德·塞万提斯的《堂吉诃德》？
I'll say a) Harry Potter.
我会说是a)《哈利·波特》。
OK. Well, we'll find out later if you're right.
好的。我们稍后将揭晓你是否正确。
In 'Bibliotherapy', people meet up to read together.
在“阅读疗法”中，人们聚在一起读书。
Professor Philip Davis, who runs these reading groups, believes they help the participants 'come more alive'.
组织这些读书会的菲利普·戴维斯教授认为，读书会可以帮助参与者变得“更有活力”。
Here he is speaking to BBC Radio 4s You and Yours about what he's discovered.
在这里他对BBC广播4频道的You and Yours节目讲述了他的发现。
Above all, that it's not to do with scanning, with quick reading, when they're reading literature.
最重要的是，他们在阅读文学作品时不是浏览，不是快速阅读。
If they're just scanning, if you're just looking for information, you go fast, it's very easy, it's automatic,
如果他们只是在浏览，如果你只是在寻找信息，你会读得很快，那很简单，那是无意识的，
but when literature begins to do something more complicated than that in an area that emotionally you care about,
但当文学作品开始完成一些你所关心领域内比那更复杂的事情时，
the brain begins to work from different parts, from a different hemisphere and it gets excited, it gets pre-emotional
大脑的不同区域，另一不同的大脑半球开始工作，大脑会变得兴奋，情绪激动
– you can see the brain coming to life and it's that life that is important in terms of these reading groups.
——你可以看到大脑开始活跃起来，对于这些读书会成员而言，那种生活才是重要的。
One type of reading is scanning
一种阅读方式是浏览
– reading quickly in order to find specific information or skimming the page to get a general understanding.
——快速阅读以找到具体信息，或略读来获得大致了解。
But the real therapy happens when a group reads literature
但真正的治疗发生是当一群人阅读文学作品时
– written works such as novels, poems or plays which are thought to have artistic merit.
——如小说、诗歌或戏剧等被认为具有艺术价值的书面作品。
When group members read literature their brains get excited and start working from a different hemisphere
当读书会成员阅读文学作品时，他们的大脑变得兴奋起来，另一个大脑半球开始工作
– a word meaning 'half a sphere' – usually half the Earth or in this case, the human brain.
这个词的意思是“半个球”——通常是指半个地球，或者在这种情况下是指半个人类大脑。
Reading literature in this this way makes both the left and right hemisphere of the brain come to life - start to be activated again after a quiet period.
以这种方式阅读文学作品可以使大脑的左右半球都活跃起来——经过一段平静期后又开始活跃起来。
And it's this 'coming to life' that proves the therapeutic effects of 'Bibliotherapy'.
正是这种“活跃”证明了“阅读疗法”的治疗效果。
Here's Professor Davis again explaining how the benefits of group reading are observed.
戴维斯教授再次解释了读书会的好处是如何被发现的。
There are two methods really – you can have ECG where you put electrodes on the scalp and it measures electricity
确实有两种方法——你可以做心电图，把电极放在头皮上测量电流，
so that you can have a print-off of a graph of the sudden leaps that can happen at particular moments in reading a poem or short story,
这样你就可以打印出在阅读诗词或短篇小说这些特定时刻时发生突然跳跃的图表。
or you can go into the scanner, the FMRI,
或者你可以进入扫描仪，做功能性磁共振成像，
and there, the blood flow, the oxygen indicates again changes in the configuration of the brain as it takes in this new stimulus.
血氧水平表明大脑结构在接受这个新刺激后再次发生变化。
The benefits of reading literature with others can be felt by group members
读书会成员能感受到和别人一起阅读文学作品的益处，
as they begin to feel more alive and able to cope with life’s ups and downs.
因为他们开始感到更有活力并能应对生活的起起伏伏。
But they can also be measured scientifically by recording brain wave activity.
这些也可以通过记录脑电波活动被科学地测量出来。
This can be done by carefully attaching metal wires called electrodes to the reader’s scalp – the skin under the hair on the head.
这可以通过将一种叫做电极的金属丝小心地接触到读者的头皮上——脑袋上头发下面的皮肤——来实现。
Brain activity is then measured by giving the reader a stimulus – something that encourages activity in people.
然后通过给读者一个刺激——促使人们活动的事物——来测量大脑活动。
In this case, it could be a poem or novel to read.
在这种情况下，它可以是要读的一首诗或一本小说。
Or something really stimulating – like a detective story!
或者是一些真正刺激的东西——比如侦探小说！
Or a work of literature – which reminds me of today's quiz question.
或者是一部文学作品——那让我想起了今天的测试问题。
I asked you to name the most popular book of all time, and you said…
我让你说出有史以来最受欢迎的书，你说……
a) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone…
a)《哈利波特与魔法石》……
…which is definitely the most popular book in the 21st Century.
这本书绝对是21世纪最受欢迎的书。
But number one of all time, selling over 500 million copies is c) Cervantes' Don Quixote.
但是有史以来最畅销，销量超过5亿册的是c)塞万提斯的《堂吉诃德》。
And there's even a detective in it!
里面甚至还有个侦探！
Today, we’ve been discussing the therapeutic effects of meeting up with others in a reading group to read literature
今天，我们一直在讨论在读书会中与他人一起阅读文学作品的治疗效果
– writing of artistic value, such as stories and poetry.
——文学作品是指具有艺术价值的作品，如故事和诗歌。
In contrast to scanning – reading quickly to find facts,
与浏览——快速阅读以发现事实相反，
reading groups use literature as a stimulus - something that encourages activity in people.
读书会把文学作品作为一种刺激——促使人们活动的事物。
Reading stimulates both the left and right hemispheres – the two halves of the brain,
阅读会同时刺激大脑左右半球——大脑的两半部分，
and increases emotional activity which can be measured on the scalp – the skin under the hair on a reader's head.
并增加情感活动，这种情感活动可以通过头皮——读者头发下面的皮肤——来测量。
All of which helps people dealing with trauma to come to life – feel active and more alive after a quiet period.
所有这些都能帮助人们从创伤中恢复过来——在一段平静期后变得活跃并更有活力。
Right, that's it – I'm off to the library!
没错，就是那样——我要去图书馆了！
If only you could…
只要你能的话……
Thanks for listening and remember you can find many more stimulating topics and vocabulary here at 6 Minute English on BBC Learning English.
感谢你的收听，要记得啊，更多有趣的话题和词汇，就在BBC教学英语的《六分钟英语》。
Bye for now.
再见了。
Bye!
再见！