中级口语练习:阅读的10大好处
记得上次看书或是阅读杂志文章是什么时候吗?身处现代信息时代，你是不是已经很久没有捡起书本了?其实读书有很多好处，养成定期阅读的习惯，会给你带来很多精神和心灵上的感悟。
When was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine article? Do your daily reading habits center around tweets updates? If you’re one of countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a few benefits of reading are listed below.
还记得上次看书或是阅读杂志文章是什么时候吗?你每天是不是总关注着脸普的更新?如果你还没有养成定期阅读的习惯，那么就真的忽略了：阅读会有很多的好处，下面先一起看看列举出来的好处吧。
1. Mental Stimulation
刺激神经
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.
研究表明通过保持大脑活力和专注力，可有效防止大脑衰退，这样的持续精神刺激能够有效减缓(甚至可能防止)老年痴呆症的发生。正如身体其他部位的肌肉，大脑也需要通过锻炼来保持强壮和健康，所以有句话怎么说来着“不用就失去”，这对脑力尤其适用。猜谜以及玩游戏如下国际象棋也能有效刺激认知。
2. Stress Reduction
减缓压力
No matter how much stress you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.
无论工作、人际关系还是其他杂七杂八的日常琐事中遇到多大的压力，一个好故事绝对能让你把这些都抛在脑后。一本优质小说绝对可以带你进入另一个世界，而一篇好的文章足以把你牢牢吸引无暇顾其他，帮你去除紧张让你得以放松。
3. Knowledge
知识
Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.
你所阅读的都会充斥大脑，让其得到新的信息，你绝对不知道啥时候就会派上用场，知识越多，面对挑战时你的底气就越足。
Additionally, here’s a bit of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge can never be taken from you.
另外，这是你的精神食粮，哪怕发现自己处在这样可悲的境地，即使你失去了一切——工作，财产，金钱甚健康——你绝不会失去知识。
4.Vocabulary Expansion
扩大词汇量
This goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly (and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.
这和上面的话题其实差不多：你读的越多，获得的词汇就越多，这样就不可避免的会增加你的日常词汇量。语言表达流利对任何职业都大有好处，有自信的与上级交流可是对自尊的大大增加，甚至对职业都是个帮助。相比词汇量小、文学素养匮乏、科技知识小白、不关心国家大事的人而言，那些读书多、口才好、博学的人似乎升职更快(更频繁)哦。
Reading books is also vital for learning new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.
学习新语言，阅读也是个不可或缺的。这样非母语的学生才能了解语境中单词的使用，促使自己在口语和写作中更加自然流畅。
5. Memory Improvement
提高记忆力
When you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story. That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough, every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?
看书的时候，你需要记住一堆人物，他们的背景、野心、历史以及细微的差别，以及每个故事中他们的故事脉络和发展进程。这记起来可不那么容易，但我们大脑也十分强大，相对的放松就能记住这些哦。最惊奇的是，你在新突触(脑部神经)刻入了新的记忆，旧记忆也得以加强，这样能帮助短期记忆的回想以及稳定情绪，是不是听起来很不错啊!
6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
提高分析思考技巧