每天分享一篇中英雙語美文，對英語口語的練習很有幫助，也是積累英語考試中寫作，翻譯素材的好資料，加油吧!

Quora上有網友問： I have read lots of books but forgotten most of them. What’s the purpose of reading?

我雖然讀了很多書，但是都忘了內容講的是什么了，那么問題來了，讀書的意義何在呢?

Answered by Katekonda Surya Prakash

Katekonda Surya Prakash 回復說：

An old farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his holy book. One day the grandson asked, "grandpa! I try to read the holy book just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?"

從前，有一位老農和他的小孫子住在山間的農場里。每天早上，老人都會早早起床，坐在廚房桌子上讀圣書。一天，他的孫子問道：“爺爺!我努力嘗試像您一樣讀圣書，可我看不大懂，而那些能看懂的部分，一合上書我又給忘了。那我讀這本書有什么用呢?”

The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."

老人正在給爐子添煤，這會兒平靜地停下手中的動作，答道：“帶著這個煤籃子到河邊去，給我打一籃水回來吧。”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "you’ll have to move a little faster next time", and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "see grandpa, it’s useless!"

男孩便照做，可還沒等他回到家，籃子里的水就都漏光了。老農夫笑道：“你下次得跑快點。”說完便又讓他提著籃子回去。這一次，男孩跑得更快了，但半路上籃子里的水又漏光了。他喘著氣告訴老農夫用籃子提水是不可能的，他要去換成桶。老人說：“我不要一桶水，我要的是一籃水。你只是沒有盡全力罷了。”說完便出門想看著男孩再試一次。這回，男孩心里已經清楚這是不可能的，但為了向祖父證明即便自己竭盡全力地跑，水還是會在他沒到家前就流光，便再一次把籃子浸到河里裝水，提起后飛奔往回跑。不出所料，當他來到祖父面前時，籃子又一次空了。他氣喘吁吁地說：“看吧，爺爺，根本沒用!”

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

“所以你覺得沒用?”老人說，“你再看看籃子。”男孩看了看籃子，這時，他突然意識到籃子已經變得不一樣了：本來又臟又舊的煤籃如今竟由內而外都變得干凈如新。

So, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out!!!

讀書也是如此。或許你無法理解或記住所有東西，然而，當你在讀它們的時候，它們已經由內而外地改變了你!

This story above uses a holy book as example, but applies to any book you read!!

這個故事以圣書為例，但其中的道理適用于你讀的每一本書。