VOA文化艺术2024--Filipino Man Makes Library in His Home

Filipino Man Makes Library in His Home

　　"A good book is easy to find." That is the message on a sign at Hernando Guanlao's home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

　　Guanlao has turned his home into a free public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free.

　　Guanlao says he hopes his library will inspire people to read, especially the young. The 72-year-old told reporters that his library includes books that all students can enjoy – from young children in Kindergarten to older students in grade 12.

　　Guanlao says his library has books for readers of all interests. He spoke¹ to reporters at his home, which is filled with thousands of available books.

　　He calls his library Reading Club 2000. It contains many different kinds of books, or genres³.

　　Genre² is a group of artistic⁴, musical, or literary works that share a particular style, form, or content. Some genres in literature are poetry, non-fiction (or real stories), and fiction (or imaginary stories). Then there are "sub-genres" such as cookbooks, science fiction, and mystery, to name just a few.

　　Guanlao added, "There are also spiritual books for those who are looking for religious knowledge, hardbound and softbound books, autobiographies⁵, and many different genres that one can enjoy, all for free."

　　He started his library more than 20 years ago when he set 50 books on the walkway in front of his home. Guanlao's collection has grown greatly over the years -- thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors⁶.

　　Speaking of donors, he said, "They just leave boxes of books outside my house." He has also started donating books himself. He sends reading materials to public schools in far-away communities.

　　Guanlao's efforts come at a time when reading ability among students in the Philippines remains⁷ low. The Program for International Student Assessment⁸ reports that reading scores in the Philippines are among the lowest in the world. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development runs that program.

　　Students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays in math and science.

　　Guanlao is firm about his goals: "My mission is to give away used and donated books to others at no cost," he said, "and to promote education through literature."

　　Words in This Story

　　inspire – v. to stimulate⁹ to greater or higher activity : make spirited

　　literature – n. written works having excellence¹⁰ of form or expression and ideas of lasting¹¹ and widespread interest

　　mission – n. a preestablished and often self-imposed objective or purpose

　　promote – v. to help (something) grow or develop

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

3 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 autobiographies   

n.自传( autobiography的名词复数 )；自传文学

参考例句：

• The series was based on the autobiographies of the author. 这部连续剧是根据那位作家的自传拍摄的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are some songs and, recently, a few autobiographies about peasant experience. 有些歌曲描述了农民的经验，最近还出了几本自传。 来自互联网

6 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

9 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

10 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。