中文导读 英国童书作家尼克·巴特沃思是绘本系列《公园管理员珀西》（Percy the Park Keeper）的作者，今年80岁，曾多次获奖，但他说自己直到八九岁才学会读书。BBC 10月18日报道，他回到英格兰诺里奇的莱恩伍德幼儿学校（Lionwood Infant School），看望几年前他卖画筹款帮助建起的图书馆。他认为太多学校已经失去了图书馆，而他小时候是因为母亲坚持读书给他听，才先爱上故事、后爱上阅读。学校校长和老师则说明了这座图书馆刻意不放屏幕的原因。文章还提到今年是英国教育部与国家识字信托基金会发起的“全国阅读年”，并引用BBC本月早些时候对彼得伯勒一所小学的报道：那里鼓励学生自由选书，今年77%的学生阅读达到预期标准，高于75%的全国平均水平。文章按“事件—背景—意义”展开，结尾特意说明这些报道并不能证明一座图书馆就能提高成绩，可留意 cannot prove、still 等表达如何为结论划定边界。
正文 Nick Butterworth created Percy the Park Keeper , a popular series of picture books for young children . Now 80, he has won awards for his books . Yet he says he could not read until he was eight or nine . On October 18, the BBC reported on his visit to the library at Lionwood Infant School in Norwich , England . Years earlier , he had sold artwork to raise money for it .
本段译文 尼克·巴特沃思创作了面向低龄儿童的人气绘本系列《公园管理员珀西》。如今他已80岁，凭作品获得过多个奖项，但他说自己直到八九岁才会读书。英国广播公司（BBC）10月18日报道了他到英格兰诺里奇莱恩伍德幼儿学校图书馆参观的经过。几年前，他曾出售自己的一些画作，为这座图书馆筹款。
Butterworth said he wanted to support the library because so many schools had lost these spaces . With his help , an “uninspiring room ” became a place that children want to enter to lose themselves in stories . Selene Sawyer , the school’s executive head teacher , said he had been a “key feature “ in getting the library started . He also gave books and read with the children .
本段译文 巴特沃思说，他想支持这座图书馆，是因为太多学校已经失去了这样的空间。在他的帮助下，一间“乏味的屋子”变成了孩子们愿意走进来、沉浸在故事中的地方。学校执行校长塞琳·索耶说，他是图书馆得以建成的“关键人物”。他还捐赠了书籍，并和孩子们一起读书。
His own childhood explains why he cares . As a boy , he said , he was not hooked on reading , but he was hooked on stories . His mother kept reading to him long after most children stop being read to . She chose books such as Moby-Dick and Alice in Wonderland , and he fell in love with both the language and the stories . He compares opening a book to opening a door into another world . Stories , he added , let us meet people we would never come across in daily life .
本段译文 他自己的童年经历解释了他为何如此在意这件事。他说，小时候让他着迷的不是阅读本身，而是故事。在大多数孩子早已不再听大人读书的年纪，他的母亲仍一直读书给他听。她挑选了《白鲸》《爱丽丝梦游仙境》等书，而他既爱上了其中的语言，也爱上了那些故事。他把翻开一本书比作推开一扇通往另一个世界的门。他还说，故事让我们结识日常生活中永远不会遇到的人。
The school has made one clear choice : the library has no screens . Sawyer said children already have many chances to read on a phone or an iPad . But she believes the most important thing is for them to take time to look at text and understand it in its purest form . Maisie Potter , who has started teaching her reception class to read , also tries to use screens as little as possible . In her view , storytelling builds imagination and takes children to places they might never visit .
本段译文 学校做了一个明确的选择：图书馆里不放任何屏幕。索耶说，孩子们已经有很多机会在手机或iPad上阅读。但她认为，最重要的是让他们花时间看清文字，并以最纯粹的形式理解它。已经开始教学前班孩子识字阅读的教师梅茜·波特也尽量少用屏幕。在她看来，讲故事能培养想象力，还能把孩子们带到他们也许永远去不了的地方。
The visit comes during the National Year of Reading , a 2026 campaign set up by the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust . At St Augustine’s Junior School in Peterborough , the BBC reported earlier this month , pupils choose what interests them , from recipe books to mysteries . In 2026, 77 percent of its children met the expected standard in reading , above the national average of 75 percent .
本段译文 这次参观正值“全国阅读年”。这是英国教育部和国家识字信托基金会发起的2026年阅读推广活动。据BBC本月早些时候报道，在彼得伯勒的圣奥古斯丁初级学校，学生们可以挑选自己感兴趣的读物，从食谱书到悬疑小说都有。2026年，该校77%的孩子在阅读方面达到了预期标准，高于75%的全国平均水平。
These reports cannot prove that one library or one visit will raise test results . Still , they share a simple idea . Before many children enjoy reading , they first need to enjoy stories , and an adult who shares them can make that start easier .
本段译文 这些报道并不能证明一座图书馆或一次来访就能提高考试成绩。不过，它们传达了一个共同的简单想法：许多孩子在喜欢上阅读之前，首先需要喜欢上故事，而一个愿意分享故事的成年人可以让这个开端变得更容易。
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