The other day I came across some disturbing statistics on reading. According to a Jenkins Group survey, 42% of college graduates will never read another book. Since most people read bestsellers printed in the past 10 years, it follows that virtually no one is reading the classics. Although it’s unfortunate that the intellectual heritage of humanity is being forgotten we can use this to our benefit. By reading the classics to improve your mind you can give yourself an advantage. These examples illustrate 10 ways reading the classics will help you succeed.
某天我发现了一些让人十分困惑的数据。根据Jenkins出版集团的调查，42%的人在大学毕业后再也没有读过书。由于现在大部分人都会选择近十年的畅销书进行阅读，越来越少的人会选择经典著作。不得不遗憾的说，我们人类智慧遗产正在逐渐被遗忘。读经典对你自己大有好处，可以帮助提升你的思想境界，下面就是读名著帮助你提升的10种方式。
1. Bigger Vocabulary
扩大词汇量
When reading the classics you’ll come across many words that are no longer commonly used. Why learn words most people don’t use? To set yourself apart. Having a bigger vocabulary is like having a tool box with more tools. A larger arsenal of words enables you to express yourself more eloquently. You’ll be able to communicate with precision and create a perception of higher intelligence that will give you an advantage in work and social situations.
读经典著作时常常会遇到现在不太常用的单词。为什么要学那些别人已经不用的词汇了呢？可以让你脱颖而出。词汇量大就像是你的工具箱里有了更多的工具，与此同时你还能更加准确的去表达自己。在工作和社交中，表达精确，谈吐智慧能给你大大加分。
2. Improved Writing Ability
提高写作能力
Reading the classics is the easiest way to improve your writing. While reading you unconsciously absorb the grammar and style of the author. Why not learn from the best? Great authors have a tendency to take over your mind. After reading, I’ve observed that my thoughts begin to mirror the writer’s style. This influence carries over to writing, helping form clear, rhythmic sentences.
阅读经典是提高写作水平最简单的方法。阅读的时候，你会不自觉的吸收作者的语法和风格。为什么不向最好的人学习呢？伟大的作家可以影响你。每次读完，我都觉得自己的想法开始模仿作者的写作风格，这种影响会让你写出优美韵律的句子。
3. Improved Speaking Ability
提高语言表达能力
Becoming a better speaker accompanies becoming a better writer because both are caused by becoming a better thinker. Studying works of genius will teach you to express yourself with clarity and style. By improving your command of the English language, you’ll become more persuasive, sound more intelligent, and enjoy an advantage over less articulate people.
要想能说会道，你首先要能写。因为其前提都是成为有思想的人。阅读那些天才的著作，你就能知道如何简洁的表达自己。随着英语水平的提高，你就会更有说服力，听起来更富于智慧，还能比那些口语表达不流利的人们获得更多优势。
4. Fresh Ideas
新想法
Isn’t it ironic that the best source for new ideas are writers who’ve been dead for centuries? I’ve derived some of my best ideas directly from the classics. Everyone you know is reading the same popular blogs and bestselling books. Observing the same ideas as everyone else leads to generic and repetitive thinking. No wonder it’s difficult to sound original! By looking to the classics for inspiration you can enhance your creativity and find fresh subject matter.
从那些死了几世纪的作家那里获得新想法是不是有点讽刺？但不得不说我的一些绝妙的点子都是从经典之中获得的。你身边的每个人也许都在读同样的博客或畅销书，每个人的想法都差不多，毫无新意和建树。难怪现在找不到原创的东西了！读名著，你不仅能开拓创造力还能找到一些新鲜的话题。
5. Historical Perspective
历史角度
There are only a few enlightened people with a lucid mind and style and with good taste within a century. What has been preserved of their work belongs among the most precious possessions of mankind. Nothing is more needed than to overcome the modernist’s snobbishness.
一个世纪里也许只会出几个睿智有品位的人，这些智慧都毫无保留的反映在他们的作品里，成为了人类最宝贵的财富之一。克服现代的固执，刻不容缓。
6. Educational Entertainment
教育的乐趣
Reading great books is fun. The key is getting past the initial vocabulary barrier. It’s actually less difficult than you think. Even challenging authors use a limited vocabulary. After the initial learning curve, you’ll find the classics as readable as modern books and infinitely more stimulating. Classics have endured because of entertainment value. There’s a reason filmmakers keep remaking old books — they have the best content.
读一本好书乐趣无穷，关键在于克服词汇障碍。这其实没有你想象中那么难。再牛的作家也只会选择那些常用的词汇进行表达。过了最初的学习弯路之后，你就会发现读这些经典和读现代书没有什么太大的区别，甚至更加有意思。经典之所以成为经典就是其内在的观赏价值。这就是为什么电影人对经典再现乐此不疲——这是永恒的经典。
7. Sophistication
深度
If you’d like to excel in conversation, knowledge of the classics is essential. These are books that keep coming up. They’re a part of human history that isn’t going to disappear in 10 years like 99% of books on the bestsellers list. By reading the classics you gain a deeper appreciation of ideas generally taken for granted. Plus quoting Aristotle or Voltaire is a great way to win an argument.
如果你想学到交流的技巧，对名著的了解必不可少。这些都是永不过时的书籍，也是人类历史的一部分，不仅在十年内不会消失，99%还会一直保持在畅销榜上。读名著你就能更深层次的去了解一些常识的由来，多读读亚里士多德和伏尔泰的书还能叫你怎么辩论。
8. More Efficient Reading
更加有效的阅读
I just finished reading The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. It’s so good that it won the Pulitzer Prize. Afterwards I read the first few chapters of Lolita. I was shocked by Lolita’s superiority. Truly great books don’t come around every year. Why not make the most of your reading time by finding the best of the best?
我刚刚读完美国小说家科马克·麦卡锡的作品《路》，非常棒的一本书，难怪能获得普利策奖。之后我又读了《洛丽塔》的前几章，这部优秀的作品完全让我震惊了。真正好的书不会每年都出来。为什么不充分利用阅读时间，读那些精华中的精华呢？
9. Develop a Distinct Voice
发出不同声音
If you’re a writer/blogger, ignoring the classics is a mistake. This has nothing to do with subject matter. Regardless of what you write about, you need to be persuasive and develop a distinct voice. The best way to learn is from the masters. Spending some time with the classics will give you an edge.
如果你是个作家或博主，忽视名著可真是大错特错。这和你要写的主题完全无关，不管你写什么，你都需要具有说服力和特别的视角。最好的办法就是和大师学习，花点时间阅读名著能让你有所突破。
10. Learn Timeless Ideas
学习经典的想法
We like to believe, in our modern arrogance, that technology has changed everything. In truth, it feels the same to be alive today as it did a thousand years ago. The lessons of the classics carry as much weight as ever. They contain information that is directly applicable to your life. Don’t believe me? Try reading Ben Franklin’s Autobiography without learning something. Reading the classics develops an understanding of the human condition and a deeper appreciation of modern problems. The aim is to combine the wisdom of the past with the innovation of the future.
我们都认为，在现代社会下，科技改变了一切。实际上，一千年以前的人也是这么想的。经典的意义和价值一直都没有变过。这里面富含了很多适用于现在的人生哲理。不信我的话？试试读读《本·富兰克林自传》吧，你肯定会有所收获。读名著能加深你对人类现状的理解，更能明白现代社会这些问题所在，最主要的是要把过去的精华和未来改革联系起来。
