在你开始阅读(或是关掉视窗)之前，小编想先问问你，我们为什么需要阅读？阅读不只是看懂文字，还包含解读作者隐喻以及在脑海中建构出一个完整想像世界的能力，同时也影响我们「说话」的能力。也就是说，如果你在看完故事后能在脑海里构筑出详细的故事场景，那表示你在接收及表达资讯的能力上已有相当的底子，学起英文当然也更容易上手啰！ John Green 在这部影片中会详细地告诉你许多有关阅读的小秘密(虽然他的表现方式有点…… 激动?)，或许看完影片后你能更了解小编为啥要拿一篇童话故事来让大家瞧瞧。
如果你能看到这段文字，表示你已经看完上面的影片并了解阅读能带给你多大的帮助或是你和小编一样是个心血来潮想回忆一下童年的大孩子。不管怎么样，我们现在就放开我们的心灵，享受一下这单纯的故事吧。
The elves and the shoemaker.
There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest, but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes.Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up the next day, meaning to rise early in the morning to his work. His conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles; so he went peaceably to bed, left all his cares to Heaven, and soon fell asleep.
从前从前，有个平凡的鞋匠，他做的鞋子并不差、他也很努力工作，但不知道为什么，生意却总是好不起来。有一天，他发现家里的皮革材料只剩下做一双鞋的份了。鞋匠把皮革切割好，准备明天一大早起来做出这最后的一双鞋。虽然面对这样的困境，但他的心情相当平静，因为他已经把一切交给上帝决定。于是，鞋匠安详地进入梦乡。
shoemaker (n.) 修鞋匠、补鞋匠
honest (adj.) 诚实、正直的
honesty (n.) 真诚、正直
Honesty is the best policy.
诚实为上策。
leather (n.) 皮革、皮制品
conscience (n.) 良心、道德
conscientious (adj) 有良心的、有道德的
你们可能会好奇，为什么历史上有这么多作家花了大把的时间写出一本又一本厚厚的「文学」书？而文学跟一般的故事又有什么差别？其实文学比你想像的重要得多、也普遍得多，看看这些文学如何影响你的大脑！
In the morning after he had said his prayers, he sat himself down to his work; when, to his great wonder, there stood the shoes already made, upon the table. The good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening. He looked at the workmanship; there was not one false stitch in the whole job; all was so neat and true, that it was quite a masterpiece. The same day a customer came in, and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them; and the poor shoemaker, with the money, bought leather enough to make two pairs more.
第二天一早，当鞋匠完成祷告准备开始工作时，他惊讶地发现，桌上已经摆着一双做好了的鞋子！而且做工和设计都堪称杰作！而在这一天，有个顾客来买鞋，发现这双鞋出乎意料地合脚，于是他付了比平常更高的价钱买下它，鞋匠因此有钱买下能做出两双鞋子的皮革。
prayer (n.) 祈祷、祷告、祷词
wonder (v.) 纳闷、对…感到疑惑 (n.) 惊奇、讶异
odd (adj.) 奇特的、古怪的
In the evening he cut out the work, and went to bed early, that he might get up and begin betimes next day; but he was saved all the trouble, for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand. Soon in came buyers, who paid him handsomely for his goods, so that he bought leather enough for four pair more. He cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning, as before; and so it went on for some time: what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon became thriving and well off again.
当天晚上他完成前置作业后也早早休息，预备隔天能够准时开始工作。然而他发现他并不需要担心这些，因为当他起床时，鞋子又已经都做好了！而且当天的顾客也对鞋子非常满意，付给鞋匠一笔可观的价格，于是鞋匠又有钱买做更多鞋子的材料了。当他把皮革裁切好去睡觉后，神奇的事情又发生了，每天早上，皮革原料都会变成已经制作完成的漂亮鞋子，放在鞋匠的桌上。
betimes (adv.) 早、及时
handsomely (adv.) 漂亮地、气派地、可观地
handsome (adj.) 英俊的、慷慨大方的、可观的
The waiter received a handsome tip.
这位服务生收到了相当大方的小费。
读到这边觉得还是卡卡，没办法像中文一样读的又顺又快？让老师教教你，用简单五招来加快你的阅读速度！
One evening, about Christmas-time, as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together, he said to her, “I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me.” The wife liked the thought; so they left a light burning, and hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind a curtain that was hung up there, and watched what would happen.
就在圣诞节前一天的晚上，当鞋匠和他的太太正在炉火边聊天时，他说：「我今晚想躲起来，看看到底是谁帮我完成了我的工作？」太太同意了，于是他们没有把蜡烛吹熄，躲在房间角落的窗帘后面，看看会发生什么事？
sit up / stay up / pull an all-nighter / burn the midnight oil 熬夜不睡
curtain (n.) 窗帘、门帘、幕状物
A curtain of fog hid the mountain from the view.
眼前的山峦被一层雾遮盖住了。
As soon as it was midnight, there came in two little naked dwarfs; and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker’s bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply with their little fingers, stitching and rapping and tapping away at such a rate, that the shoemaker was all wonder, and could not take his eyes off them. And on they went, till the job was quite done, and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table. this was long before daybreak; and then they bustled away as quick as lightning.
当午夜来到后，两个没穿衣服的小矮人跑出来了，他们跳上鞋匠的长椅，开始所有的工作，用他们小小的手指，一边有节奏地敲敲打打一边做出新的鞋子。鞋匠看得下巴都要掉下来了，无法将眼睛从他们身上移开。不一会桌上就出现了几双亮晶晶的新鞋，当他们完成工作后就像闪电一般消失不见了，而这时离天亮还久呢！
midnight (n.) 午夜、半夜
naked (adj.) 暴露的、赤裸的
The mountain was left naked of plants.
这片山头光秃秃的，没有任何植物覆盖。
dwarf (n.) 小矮人、侏儒 (adj.) 矮小的、发育不良的
bench (n.) 板凳、长椅
ply (v.) 不断地工作
bustle (v.) 忙碌地奔走
The hustle and bustle of the big city exhausts people who live in.
大都市的喧嚣忙乱使人精疲力尽。
故事进展到这里，准备进入最后的结局或高潮(虽然童话故事通常没什么剧情高潮可言，你懂的)，你的思绪是否有跟上故事的进度呢？你是看着一行一行的文字在读书，还是仿佛看见剧情在脑海中上演？试试这种新方法，藉由多样化的感官刺激，能让你的大脑更直觉的理解文字内容在说什么！
The next day the wife said to the shoemaker. “These little wights have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them a good turn if we can. I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do; and indeed it is not very decent, for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I’ll tell you what, I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain; and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes.”
天亮后，鞋匠的太太对他说：「是这些小家伙帮我们赚到这些钱，我们应该要好好感谢他们才对。我觉得他们这样光着身体跑来跑去不是很好，我想做些能御寒的衣物给他们，像是外套、背心、长裤等等。而你也可以帮他们做几双小鞋子。」
The thought pleased the good cobbler very much; and one evening, when all the things were ready, they laid them on the table, instead of the work that they used to cut out, and then went and hid themselves, to watch what the little elves would do.
善良的鞋匠觉得这个主意真是不错，于是有意天晚上，鞋匠夫妇将这些小衣物留在桌上，而不是留下隔天工作所需的材料，然后他们躲了起来，看看小矮人们会有什么反应。
waistcoat (n.) 背心
into the bargain 而且、再加上
He is a shoemaker and a kind husband into the bargain.
他是个鞋匠，也是个好先生。
cobbler (n.) 鞋匠 (=shoemaker)
about midnight in they came, dancing and skipping, hopped round the room, and then went to sit down to their work as usual; but when they saw the clothes lying for them, they laughed and chuckled, and seemed mightily delighted.
当午夜再次来临时，小矮人们蹦蹦跳跳地出现了。当他们坐下来，正准备一如往常地开始工作时，他们发现了这些为他们而准备的衣服！他们笑了，看起来超开心的！
skip (v.) 蹦蹦跳跳、略过
chuckle (v.) 颗颗地笑
delight (n.) 欣喜、愉快
Then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about, as merry as could be; till at last they danced out at the door, and away over the green. The good couple saw them no more; but everything went well with them from that time forward, as long as they lived.
然后他们把这些衣服穿了起来，开心地跳着舞，一路跳着跳着跳出门外。鞋匠夫妇从此再也没看到这些小矮人，不过他们也从此过着幸福安定的生活。
twinkle (v.) 闪烁、闪耀
caper (v.) 雀跃、蹦跳
故事结束了，你有没有办法成功在脑海里画出刚刚故事的场景呢？你有没有在表面的故事文字中发现什么作者藏起来的彩蛋呢？说到彩蛋，小编一定要提一下自己的亲身经历。小编曾在高中时期读过当时超红（现在还是不错，而且外传电影明年要上映了）的 Harry Potter 原文版，在当时只觉得 J.K Rowling 怎么发明了这么多自创单字，就算读过中文版、知道剧情了都还是不太能理解哈利(或是妙丽)在说什么东西。但是在小编读完四年外文系毕业后再回头看才发现，天哪！ Rowling 原来在书中放满这么多的小秘密！有的是在角色名字上做文章，有的是从第一集铺到第七集才爆出来的梗，还有更多开放给读者想像的 open end。这些都是只有读原文版小说才有的好康大放送啊！如果你想说「我都已经离开学校、离开英文这么久了，现在开始练习还来得及吗？」当然来得及！大脑学习阅读是有方法的，只要掌握技巧，就可以在短时间内快速提升阅读实力～
