2015-11-26

【Aiden in English】

        As the years flew by, and I went through the transformation from young, idiotic kindergarteners self to the blooming, bright student I am today. Although I have changed so much throughout the course of elementary school, many interests of mine remain unfazed. 

        A pattern developed in the books I read, and it was that I usually picked out books with action, mystery, or at least some adventure. I like hearing the stories of people facing great danger and impossible-seeming odds, and also the crazy, unbelievable different universes out there. The books most of the time had an external conflict, such as an intergalactic war or a zombie apocalypse. These stories drew me in the most for some reason, shaping my imagination until, all of a sudden, here I am now, as the reader that the past has led up to. 

        Yet the books I read had another thing in common, and that was a good under-lying conflict. Most fiction stories have this gigantic problem that gets resolved at the end of the story, and everyone lives happily ever after. However, the novels and authors that entice my mind and attention are those that never let the audience really get a break to recollect their thoughts and replay the resolution. These books I find better because the author doesn’t give me a chance to settle down. Instead, the stories I enjoy would be even more unsettled, like a betrayal at the last moment, or a sudden realization of the true evil plan. Usually, this kind of story would have a sequel, and that is why I like it. Even at the end of a good novel, there is something to look forward to.

        Nevertheless, a book is a good friend. Reading makes a man graceful.

【紅霞譯文】

        光陰似水日月如梭，轉眼間我已從一位天真幼稚的兒童長成風華正茂的少年，無疑小學生涯改變了我人生軌跡，但萬變不離其宗，許多興趣愛好可以說並未因此而受到影響。

        在閱讀過程中，我逐漸形成了自身讀書風格，小說題材通常側重於打鬥、懸疑或者至少帶點冒險色彩，情節發展主要圍繞主人公正在陷入前所未有的巨大災難，也有反映荒誕離奇不同星體的故事，偏愛不惜把大部頭精力投注在外部衝突上的描述，譬如星際大戰或殭屍毀滅人類。出於某種原因，這些書無不強烈地吸引我的視線，讓我乘着想象的翅膀飛向遙遠的過去，剎那間又重新返回現實生活中來。

        我所閱讀的書籍都具有一個共同特點，那就是善於巧妙地埋下伏筆，大多數小說先把棘手的問題擺到讀者面前，等到收場的時候才找出解決辦法，結果人人皆大歡喜。然而最能打動我內心世界博取我眼球注意力的當屬那些不給讀者半點機會理順頭緒的作家，好的作品應該留下不少懸念，例如：關鍵時刻有人叛變，突然厄運當頭等。一般說來，此類故事後面將有續集跟進，這也是為什麼我喜歡閱讀的原因，讓人在讀完自己喜愛的小說之餘不斷寄予更多期待。

        不管怎麼說，好書如摯友，而閱讀確實令人陶醉，“腹有詩書氣自華”。