Do you read to show off?你读书是为了炫耀吗？

Vocabulary: Reading 词汇: 阅读

What do you read when you are travelling by train or bus?

 你一般会在坐火车或者公交的时候，阅读些什么书呢？

What are other passengers reading? Perhaps a woman sitting near you is reading a trashy romantic novel. A man is reading a serious biography about a politician. And there's a student reading an English textbook.

车上的其他乘客在阅读什么书呢？也许坐在你旁边的女士正在阅读一本无价值的浪漫爱情小说。一位男士正在阅读一本关于政治家的自传。有个学生正在阅读英语课本。

What do their choices say about them? Do you judge them by what they are reading?

 他们的取向说明了什么？你是否会从他们阅读的取向来判断他们呢？

The woman reading the romantic novel could be a lawyer. She just wants a light read to take her mind off work.

我不得不告诉你，你对他们的印象是完全错误的。那位阅读爱情小说的女士有可能是律师。她只是想一本欢快的小说来让她不在思考工作。

The man reading the biography wants you to think that he is an intellectual, but he is just showing off. The student reading the textbook isn't a student at all. She's an English teacher.

那位阅读自传的男士只是想让你认为他是个知识分子，但他只是在炫耀。那位正在阅读学生课本的学生也压根可能不是学生，她是一位老师。

Publishers know that some people are self-conscious about what they read o-n public transport and so they put out different versions of a cover. For example, books about Harry Potter have an original cover for young readers and then another more serious version for adults.

出版商知道，当有些读者在乘坐公共交通工具时，有很强的自我意识关于他们所读。所以他们推出不同版本的封面。例如，哈利波特的原版封面是给年轻的读者们，还有另一些比较成熟的封面给成人们。

So next time you are on a train, look around and see what other people are reading, but don't jump to any conclusions. You will probably be wrong.

所以下次当你你在火车上时，看看四周并观察其他人在看什么书，但是不要轻率下结论。你有可能是错的。

Here is a situation where you could say, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'.

这是一个你经常会说的例子“不要以貌取人”。

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Vocabulary List

trashy 无价值的

a romantic novel 浪漫小说，言情小说

serious 严肃的

a biography 自传

a textbook 课本

a choice 选择

to say about them 对他们的印象

to judge 判断

an impression 印象

a light read 文笔轻松， 欢快的小说

to take one’s mind off work 不再思考工作

an intellectual 知识分子

to show off 炫耀

a publisher 出版商

self-conscious 自我意识

a version 版本，说法

a cover 封面

an original 原版、原创

don't jump to any conclusions 不要轻率下结论

don't judge a book by its cover 不要以貌取人

Examples

1. I read fewer novels than I used to

2. This biography is interesting.

3. I am bored with this book.

4. That author is an intellectual.

5. He keeps telling everybody how great he is. I'm fed up with his showing off!

Quiz

1. Is the woman on the train reading a serious novel?

No, it's a light read.

2. What is the topic of the biography that the man is reading?

A politician's life story.

3. Why is the person reading an English textbook?

She is an English teacher. Perhaps she is preparing for a lesson.

4. True or false? Our impressions of people are always correct.

False. They are often incorrect.

5. What do you call a person or company that produces books?

A publisher.