Reading is good for more than just entertainment. Committing part of everyday to reading printed books can make you a smarter， kinder， more relaxed individual. And the positive effects can be felt at any age： Even before theyve fully developed their reading skills， kids can benefit from having access to printed materials and being read to on a regular basis. Exposing kids to books， magazines， and more at an early age is a great way to encourage them to be life-long readers， which means theyll reap these benefits for years to come.

讀書的好處不僅僅是自娛自樂。把每天一部分時間用于閱讀紙質(zhì)書籍，能讓你成為一個更聰明、更善良、更冷靜的人。這種積極的影響任何年齡均可受益：甚至在孩子們閱讀技能完全成熟前，他們就能從閱讀紙質(zhì)書籍和定期閱讀中受益。孩子在很小的時候就接觸書籍、雜志等能激勵他們養(yǎng)成終身閱讀的習(xí)慣，這會讓他們的未來幾年在以下方面受益。

1. Reading can boost intelligence.

閱讀可以提高智力。

People who exhibit strong reading skills early in life grow up to be more intelligent. That was the finding of a study published in 2014 that measured the cognitive development of 1，890 sets of identical twins. When two twins shared the same genes and home environments， early reading skills appeared to be the factor that decided which twin would be better at both verbal tests （like vocabulary） and non-verbal tests （like reasoning tests）. Because reading ability is something thats learned， the study authors concluded that more emphasis should be placed on teaching strong reading skills to young children.

在年幼時表現(xiàn)出較強(qiáng)閱讀能力的人長大后會更聰明，2014年發(fā)表的一項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果表明，通過研究1890對同卵雙胞胎的認(rèn)知發(fā)展可得出這樣的結(jié)論。當(dāng)兩個雙胞胎擁有相同的基因和家庭環(huán)境時，早期的閱讀能力似乎是決定哪一個雙胞胎在語言測試（如詞匯）和非語言測試（如推理測試）中表現(xiàn)更好的因素。由于閱讀能力是后天習(xí)得的，研究人員得出結(jié)論，應(yīng)更強(qiáng)調(diào)向幼兒傳授閱讀技能。

2. Reading helps increase empathy.

閱讀有助于增加同理心。

Reading books doesnt just make you smarter—it can make you a kinder person as well. According to a study， people who consume literary fiction have an easier time sensing and relating to emotions in other people. This effect likely has something to do with the way such books are written： Great literature forces readers to step outside themselves and empathize with the characters theyre reading about.

讀書不僅能讓你更聰明，還能讓你成為一個更善良的人。研究表明，閱讀文學(xué)類圖書的人更容易感知和聯(lián)結(jié)他人的情感。這種影響可能與此類書籍的寫作方式有關(guān)：偉大的文學(xué)作品會使讀者走出自我，對他們所閱讀的人物產(chǎn)生共鳴。

3. Reading can lower stress.

閱讀可以緩解壓力。

Feel stressed at the end of a long day？ Cracking open a book is a good way to wind down. A study found that reading for just 30 minutes has similar stress-reducing effects to doing 30 minutes of yoga.

你會在漫長的一天結(jié)束后感到壓力很大嗎？打開一本書是一種放松的好方法。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，30分鐘的閱讀和30分鐘的瑜伽練習(xí)有相似的減壓效果。

4. Reading may change your brain.

閱讀可能會改變你的大腦。

Even after you put down a book， the effects of reading it are still present in your brain. A study discovered that when people read fiction with a strong narrative and plot， their brains continue to behave differently hours and even days later. The brains of readers show increased connectivity in the left temporal cortex—the region responsible for language receptivity—even hours after theyve stopped reading. This suggests that reading can train the mind and boost neural function through a process thats similar to muscle memory.

即使你放下了書本，閱讀的效果仍會存在于你的大腦中。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)人們閱讀具有強(qiáng)烈敘事和情節(jié)的小說時，他們的大腦在數(shù)小時甚至數(shù)天后仍會有不同的表現(xiàn)。讀者的大腦左顳皮質(zhì)（負(fù)責(zé)語言接收的區(qū)域）即使在他們停止閱讀數(shù)小時后，仍表現(xiàn)出持續(xù)增加的連通性。這表明閱讀可以通過類似于肌肉記憶的過程來訓(xùn)練大腦和增強(qiáng)神經(jīng)功能。

5. Reading is an excuse to put your phone away at night.

閱讀是晚上收起手機(jī)的好理由。

If youre too busy to read during the day， consider making snuggling up with a good book as part of your bedtime routine. Reading a physical book before going to bed is a great alternative to scrolling through your phone—something most of us admit to doing. Research has shown that smartphone use at night makes it harder for people to fall asleep and leads to an overall decline in sleep quality. Some experts say reading books， on the other hand， can have relaxing effects， making it the ideal bedtime activity.

如果你白天太忙沒時間讀書，可以考慮在睡前讀一本好書。睡前讀一本紙質(zhì)書相比于翻閱手機(jī)是一個更好的選擇，然而大多數(shù)人都愛通過手機(jī)進(jìn)行閱讀。研究表明，晚上使用智能手機(jī)會讓人們更難入睡，導(dǎo)致整體睡眠質(zhì)量下降。一些專家說，從另一方面看，讀書有放松的效果，使其成為理想的睡前活動。

6. Reading helps families bond.

閱讀有助于增進(jìn)家庭關(guān)系。

Reading doesnt have to be a solitary activity. When parents read out loud to their children， they can pass on the benefits of reading and encourage meaningful interactions. To reap the positive effects of reading to kids， parents should stick to physical picture books. A recent study found that print books， in contrast to tablets and e-readers， can promote the deepest connections between caretakers and children.

閱讀并不一定是一項(xiàng)單獨(dú)的活動。當(dāng)父母給孩子朗讀時，他們可以把閱讀的好處傳遞給孩子，并能鼓勵有效的互動。為了使閱讀對孩子產(chǎn)生積極影響，父母應(yīng)該堅(jiān)持閱讀實(shí)體繪本。最近一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，與平板電腦和電子閱讀器相比，紙質(zhì)書能促進(jìn)父母和孩子之間最深層的聯(lián)系。

Word Study

cognitive /'k?ɡn?t?v/ adj. 認(rèn)知的;感知的;認(rèn)識的

appear /?'p??（r）/ v. 顯得;看來;似乎

They appeared not to know what was happening.

emphasis /'emf?s?s/ n. 強(qiáng)調(diào);重視;重要性

The emphasis is very much on learning the spoken language.

cortex /'k??teks/ n. 皮質(zhì);（尤指）大腦皮層

boost /bu?st/ v. 使增長;使興旺

The movie helped boost her screen career.

reap /ri?p/ v. 取得（成果）;收獲

They are now reaping the rewards of all their hard work.