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VOA慢速英语2015 数字还是印刷?你怎样读书?

时间:2015-03-23 13:40:25

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(单词翻译)

AS IT IS 2015-03-22 Digital or Print? How Do You Read Books? 数字还是印刷?你怎样读书?

A South African technology expert says huge numbers of book readers in his country are using electronic reading devices. He says the rising popularity of such devices, known as e-readers, could lead to the slow disappearance1 of traditional books. But the appeal of paper may yet survive the changing technology.

Our story begins at a bookstore in the city of Johannesburg. Many people like to look through a book before buying it. But how much longer will traditional bookstores continue operating?

Arthur Goldstuck studies technological2 developments in Africa for World Wide Worx, a company based in Johannesburg. He says electronic books are growing in popularity and threatening the future of bookstores.

“We’ve seen many independent bookstores closing down because they simply can’t compete either with the big guys or with the digital market.”

Mr. Goldstuck says his brain tells him electronic books are the future of reading in South Africa. But his heart tells him there will always be a place in the country for printed books.  

“I’ve read many books on Kindles3 but I still prefer to go back to a physical book. An e-book is so ephemeral compared to a physical book that there’s a greater sense of solidity and almost stability in reading a book. The ability to flip4 back in a book, to quickly cross-ref(erence) something, just doesn’t exist in digital, even though it makes that promise.”

It is children’s story time at Love Books, one of the few independent bookstores in Johannesburg. Kate Rogan is the owner of the business. She says many of her store’s customers own e-reading devices, while remaining loyal to traditional books.

“A large part of our customer base is people who do love books. They love to feel them, flick5 the pages, smell them; they love to have them on their shelves. They are passionate6 about a certain author and they want a (book) collection.”

Kate Rogan says her store has not been hurt because of the growing popularity of e-books.

“I opened this business five-and-a-half years ago. And it coincided almost exactly with everybody going into a flat panic about digital downloading. But looking at figures and turnover7, my business has grown in the last five years. Last year was my best year in five years.”

Arthur Goldstuck says stores such as Love Books are able to survive in a time of changing technology because they specialize. For example, Kate Rogan does not have thousands of different books in her store. But what she does sell is unusual, varied8 and interesting. 

She knows the names of people who often come to her store. She also knows what books they like and dislike. She says bookstores offer experiences that e-books and online bookstores cannot.

“I don’t think that algorithms can ever replace walking into a shop, a bookshop, and finding something that you’ve never heard of, an author you’ve never heard of, buying it, loving it and it touching9 you in some way or another.”

The number of electronic reading devices in South Africa is growing. But so is the number of stores selling second-hand10, used books. Mr. Goldstuck says this is happening because new books are overpriced in South Africa.

Doron Locketz is the Book Dealers11 store owner. He says the business is very successful.

“We’re seeing continued interest and revived interest in physical books. The initial huge interest in electronic books I think has died down. Kid’s books are still huge. People still want their children to have a physical book.”

Doron Locketz says the printed book will survive e-books because South Africans like “face-to-face” service from booksellers.

“We believe in personally recommending books and this is what I think our customers want. They can come into the shop and they can talk to me or to one of our experienced staff who will recommend something to them which they’ll enjoy. They can’t get that experience online. Every day we have lovely conversations with customers who enjoy talking about books. They can’t do that with the major online retailers12; it’s impossible!”

But he warns that unless booksellers tell young people about the many reasons for owning printed books, their stores will not survive.

Words in This Story

ephemeral – adj. lasting13 a very short time

cross-reference – v. to supply (something, such as a book) with cross-references; n. a note in a book (such as a dictionary) that tells you where to look for more information

passionate – adj. having, showing or expressing strong emotions or beliefs

coincide– v. to happen at the same time as something else

algorithm – n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process


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1 disappearance ouEx5     
n.消失,消散,失踪
参考例句:
  • He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
  • Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。
2 technological gqiwY     
adj.技术的;工艺的
参考例句:
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
3 kindles c76532492d76d107aa0f6cc5724a75e8     
(使某物)燃烧,着火( kindle的第三人称单数 ); 激起(感情等); 发亮,放光
参考例句:
  • And as kindles hope, millions more will find it. 他们的自由又将影响周围,使更多的人民得到自由。
  • A person who stirs up trouble or kindles a revolt. 煽动叛乱者,挑动争端者挑起麻烦或引起叛乱的人。
4 flip Vjwx6     
vt.快速翻动;轻抛;轻拍;n.轻抛;adj.轻浮的
参考例句:
  • I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书,看来似乎很有趣。
  • Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。
5 flick mgZz1     
n.快速的轻打,轻打声,弹开;v.轻弹,轻轻拂去,忽然摇动
参考例句:
  • He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
  • By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下,将马头上的苍蝇驱走。
6 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
7 turnover nfkzmg     
n.人员流动率,人事变动率;营业额,成交量
参考例句:
  • The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
  • Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。
8 varied giIw9     
adj.多样的,多变化的
参考例句:
  • The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
  • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
9 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
10 second-hand second-hand     
adj.用过的,旧的,二手的
参考例句:
  • I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
  • They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。
11 dealers 95e592fc0f5dffc9b9616efd02201373     
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者
参考例句:
  • There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
  • The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败,与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。
12 retailers 08ff8df43efeef1abfd3410ef6661c95     
零售商,零售店( retailer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
  • Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。
13 lasting IpCz02     
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。

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