路易斯·绍尔斯/Louis Shores
If you are an average reader you can read all average book at the ra te of 300 words a minute.You cannot maintain that average;however,unl ess you read regularly every day.Nor can you attain that speed with har d books in science,mathematics,agriculture,business,or any subject t hat is new or unfamiliar to you.The chances are you will never attempt that speed with poetry or want to race through some passages in fiction over which you wish to linger.But for most novels,biographies,and boo ks about travel,hobbies or personal interests,if you are an average re ader you should have no trouble at all absorbing meaning and pleasure ou t of 300 printed words every 60 seconds.
Statistics are not always practicable,but consider these:If the av erage reader can read 300 words a minute of average reading,then in 15 minutes he can read 4,500 words.Multiplied by 7,the days of the week,the product is 31,500.Another multiplication by 4,the weeks of the mon th,makes 126,000.And final multiplication by 12,the months of the tot al number of words of average reading an average reader can do in just 15 minutes a day for one year.
Books vary in length from 60,000 to 100,000 words.The average is ab out 75,000 words.In one year of average reading by an average reader fo r 15 minutes a day,20 books will be read.That's a lot of books.It is 4 times the number of books read by public-library borrowers in America.And yet it is easily possible.
One of the greatest of all modern physicians was Sir William Osler.He taught at the Johns Hopkins Medical School.He finished his teaching days at McGil University.Many of the outstanding physicians today were his students.Nearly all of the practicing doctors of today were brought up on his medical textbooks.Among his many remarkable contributions to medicine are his unpublished notes on how people die.
His greatness is attributed by his biographers and critics not alone to his profound medical knowledge and insight but to his broad general e ducation,for he was a very cultured man.He was interested in what men have done and thought throughout the ages.And he knew that the only way to find out what the best experiences of the race had been was to read w hat people had written.But Osler's problem was the same as everyone el se's,only more so.He was a busy physician,a teacher of physicians,a nd a medical-research specialist.There was no time in a 24-hour day tha t did not rightly belong to one of these three occupations,except the f ew hours for sleep,meals,and bodily functions.
Osler arrived at his solution early.He would read the last 15 minut es before he went to sleep.If bedtime was set for 11:00 P.M.,he read f rom 11:00 P.M.to 11:15 P.M.If research kept him up to 2:00 A.M.he rea d from 2:00 A.M.to 2:15 AM.Over a very long lifetime,Osler never brok e the rule once he had established it.We have evidence that after a whi le he simply could not fall asleep until he had done his 15 minutes of r eading.
In his lifetime,Osler read a significant library of books.Just do a mental calculation for half a century of 15-minute reading periods dai ly and see how many books you get.Consider what a range of interests an d variety of subjects are possible in one lifetime.Osler read widely ou tside of his medical specialty.Indeed,he developed from this 15-minute reading habit an avocational specialty to balance his vocational special ization.Among scholars in English literature,Osler is known as an auth ority on Sir Thomas Browne,seventeenth century English prose master and Osler's library on Sir Thomas is considered one of the best anywhere.A great many more things could be said about Osler's contribution to medi cal research,to the reform of medical teaching,to the introduction of modern clinical methods.But the important point for us here is that he answered supremely well for himself the question all of us who live a bu sy life must answer:How can I find time to read?
The answer may not be the last 15 minutes before I go to sleep.It m ay be 15 minutes a day at some other time.In the busiest of calendars t here is probably more than one 15-minute period tucked away somewhere st ill unassigned.I've seen some curious solutions to the problem of find ing time for reading.
During army days in the last year of the Second World War,I discove red a PFC in my squadron who seemed unusually well read.I found in his 201 file a remarkable civilian and military biography.His four years of service included two overseas,all meritorious but without heroics.Had all of his recommendations for promotion gone through he would have had not only his commission,but probably the rank of captain.But here he w as,still a private first-class-because despite the military emphasis o n education,efficiency,loyalty,and all other criteria for determining promotion,accident plays a most important part.Every time this PFC had been recommended for promotion,except once,he had been transferred or come up against tables of organization limitations,or a new change in r egulations,or a superior officer who had filled out the forms incorrect ly or forgotten them in his third right-hand drawer.And so he had remai ned a PFC,and had taken his reward in reading.The amount he did in the army was prodigious.
I was curious about his method.And one day,before I asked him.I f ound a partial answer.Every day the enlisted men put in an hour of dril l and formations.During that time at least one fairly long period of re st was called.Imagine my surprise on my first visit to the drill field when,at the command "rest!" I saw one man in the whole long line pull out a paper pocket book and begin to read,standing up.
When I talked with him,I found that from boyhood he had developed t he habit of carrying a little book in his pocket from which he read ever y minute he was not doing something else.He found a book especially use ful and relaxing during the periods of waiting which all of us experienc e daily-waiting for meals,buses,doctors,hair cuts,telephone calls,dates,performances to begin,or something to happen.There were his 15 minutes a day,or more.There were his 20 books a year-1,000 in a lifet ime.
No universal formula can be prescribed.Each of us must find our own 15-minute period each day.It is better if it is regular.Then all addit ional spare minutes are so many bonuses.And,believe me,the opportunit y for reading-bonuses are many and unexpected.Last night an uninvited g uest turned up to make five for bridge.I had the kind of paper book at hand to make being the fifth at bridge a joy.
The only requirement is the will to read.With it you can find the 15 minutes no matter how busy the day.And you must have the book at hand.Not even seconds of your 15 minutes must be wasted starting to read.S et that book out in advance.Put it into your pocket when you dress.Put another book beside your bed.Place one in your bathroom.Keep one near your dining table.
You can't escape reading 15 minutes a day,and that means you will read half a book a week,2 books a month,20 a year,and 1,000 or more i n a reading lifetime.It's an easy way to become well read.
如果你是一个中等水平的读者，你可以以每分钟300字的速度读一本中等水平的书。但是，除非你每天这样坚持下去，否则你是无法保持这个水平的。你也不可能以这个速度阅读科学、数学、农业、商业方面的书，或是对你来说主题生疏的书。你绝不会以这种速度阅读诗歌，或是一目十行地阅读小说中的精彩段落；然而，对于多数小说、传记、游记以及有关个人嗜好或你感兴趣的书籍而言，如果你是一个中等水平的读者，以这个速度阅读，在意思的理解上就不会有什么障碍，而且还可以享受其中的乐趣。
数学统计不是永远可靠的，但也可以思考一下这些数据：如果一个中等水平的读者以每分钟300字的速度读一本一般的书籍，那么15分钟可以读4，500字，一个星期便能读31，500字，一个月可以读126，000字，一年12个月的阅读量可以达到1，512，000字。这就是一个中等水平的读者每天只读15分钟的书，在一年内可以达到的阅读量。
书籍的篇幅在60，000字到100，000字之间不等，平均值大约为75，000字。中等阅读水平的人，读一般书籍，每天读15分钟，一年就可以读20本书，这真是很多本书啊！这个数字不仅是从美国公共图书馆借书的人们的阅读量的三倍，而且这很容易实现。
威廉·奥斯罗爵士是现代最伟大的内科医师之一。他曾在约翰·霍普金斯医学院教书，最后在麦吉尔大学留教。如今，很多赫赫有名的医师都曾是他的学生。几乎所有正在工作的医生们都曾从他的医学教科书中获益。他对医学最突出的贡献之一就是他尚未出版的一本记录人们死亡情形的笔记。
为他写传记的作家和评论者们都认为，他不仅拥有渊博的医学知识和深刻的洞察力，还具有丰富的基础知识，并且他还是一个很有修养的人。他对历代人类的行为和思想感兴趣，而且他明白要了解人类最伟大成就的唯一途径就是阅读先人的著作。然而，奥斯罗面临着与许多人同样的问题，而且难度更大。因为他是一名内科医生，工作繁忙，还要在医学院教书，同时他又是医学研究专家。除了睡觉、吃饭、上卫生间的几个小时外，他一天24个小时中的其他时间都理所当然地在做上述三种工作。
奥斯罗很早就摸索出了解决这个问题的办法。他会在睡觉前花15分钟来读书。如果就寝时间在晚上11点，他的读书时间就是11点到11点15分。如果研究工作到了2点，他的读书时间就是2点到2点15分。他决定这样做之后，就一直坚持。有证据表明，在这样坚持了一段时间后，如果每晚不读上15分钟书，他就很难入睡。
纵观奥斯罗的一生，他读过的书籍真是不胜枚举。每天阅读15分钟，算算看，半个世纪总共能读多少本书。考虑一下，在一个人的一生中，这是多么广泛的兴趣，可能涉及众多学科。奥斯罗在医学专业之外有非常广泛的涉猎。因为他习惯了每天阅读15分钟的书籍，所以他的业余特长也可以与专业知识相媲美。在研究英国文学的专家中，奥斯罗被公认为是研究17世纪英国散文大师托马斯·布朗爵士的权威人士，而奥斯罗有关托马斯·布朗的藏书也被认为是最棒的。有很多事例可以证明奥斯罗在医学研究、医学教学改革以及现代临床方法的使用等方面的杰出贡献。然而，我们这里要谈的重点是什么，他成功地回答了我们每一个工作忙碌的人一定要回答的问题——怎样找到时间读书？
回答不一定就是就寝前的15分钟。这15分钟可能是一天中的其他时间。在排得最满的时间表中，也可能有超过15分钟的空余时间隐藏在某一个地方。我曾经看到一些人很奇特的“找时间”的方法。
“二战”的最后一年，我发现我所服役的中队里有一个知识储备异常渊博的一等兵。我在他的201号档案中读到了一段很特别的、有关他入伍前后经历的描述：在四年的服役生涯中，有两年的时间他是在海外，在这期间虽然没有什么丰功伟绩，但却一直受到奖励。如果所有推荐信都能递到上面，他不仅可以获得军衔，估计早就成了上尉。可是，他还是个一等兵。尽管部队中的晋升需要学历、工作效率、忠诚，还有其他一些标准，与此同时机遇也起着非常重要的作用。除了有一次例外，他不是被调动，就是遇到有关组织机构的条文限制；不是规定有了新变动，就是上级填错了表格，要么就是将表格忘在了他右手的第三个抽屉里。总之，在部队中，他一直是个一等兵，可是，他在读书中却获益颇深，在服役期间，他的读书量太令人惊叹了。
我对他的读书方法感到很好奇。有一天，在询问他之前，我发现了问题的部分答案。每天，士兵们都要队列操练一个小时。在这段时间中，至少会有一段很长的休息时间。我第一次去操练场的时候，就惊奇地发现在“稍息”令下达后，在长长的队伍中，有一个人拿出了一本袖珍书，站着看了起来。
在与他的交谈中，我发现他从小就养成了在口袋中放一本袖珍书的习惯，休息时就拿出来看。他发现特别是在等候的时候，有一本书特别有用，它可以让人的心情得到放松。我们每天都要等吃饭、等坐车、等看病、等理发、等电话、等约会、等表演，或是等待其他事情的发生。在这些时间里，他有了属于自己的每天阅读所需的15分钟，甚至更多，一年他能读20本书，一生就是一千本书。
没有什么通用公式。每天，我们都必须发现自己的15分钟。最好是有规律的，这样所有其他的额外时间就会有意外的收获了。找到额外时间读书的机会很多，也会有一些意外感。昨晚，一位朋友不请自到，人手多了，我便不能打桥牌，可是我的手边刚好有一本简装书，因此，尽管没有打成桥牌，可是我依然很愉快。
唯一所需的就是读书的决心。这样无论多忙，你都可以找到这15分钟。而且，手边一定要有一本书。既然这15分钟已经开始，就不要浪费一秒。把书事先准备好，穿衣服的时候将它放进口袋，床头放一本，浴室放一本，餐桌上也要放一本。
这样你就不会丢失这15分钟了，这意味着你一个星期就能读半本书，一个月就能读两本，一年能读20本，一生能读一千本，或者更多。这可是一个博览群书的简便办法。
1.____I talked with him,I found that from boyhood he____developed the habit of carrying a little____in his pocket from whi ch he read every____he was not doing something else.
2.The____requirement is the will to____.With it you can find the 15 minutes no matter how____the day.And you must have the book at hand.Not even seconds of____15 minutes must be wasted sta rting to read.
1.如果你是一个中等水平的读者，以这个速度阅读，在意思的理解上就不会有什么障碍，而且还可以享受其中的乐趣。
2.为他写传记的作家和评论者们都认为，他不仅拥有渊博的医学知识和深刻的洞察力，还具有丰富的基础知识，并且他还是一个很有修养的人。
3.我曾经看到一些人很奇特的“找时间”的方法。
1.If you are an average reader you can read all average book at the rate of 300 words a minute.
at the rate of：以……速度或比率；按……价目
2....I've seen some curious solutions to the problem of finding ti me for reading.
solution to：解决方法