Reading with Ears
I am the kind of person who uses the same pair of shoes for jogging，soccer and basketball，but when it comes to updating my MP3 player，I am always as meticulous as my savings allow me to be. The reason is simple: I keep my MP3 memory filled to the brim— with audio books in English.
用我的耳朵來閱讀
我是那種無論打籃球、慢跑、還是踢足球都永遠只有一雙鞋穿的人，但如果是用來給我的MP3升級換代，那本人對於錢包的管制就要寬鬆得多。原因也很簡單：我的MP3當中永遠塞滿了英文有聲書。
I began learning English at the early age of three; as I grew older，I started reading in both English and Chinese，establishing a lasting friendship with the written word. I would spend days reading inside the house，going out to play only when ordered to by my parents. So imagine my bitterness when school and homework deprived me of ever increasing periods of free time，allowing the bookshelf to gather a thin layer of dust as days went by.
早在三歲的時候，我就接觸到了英文，隨著年齡的增長，我逐漸嘗試著涉獵中文和英文兩種語言的書籍，而開始與文字結緣。一連幾天，我都可以把自己鎖在家裡與書為伴，只有被爸媽逼著才會出門玩耍。可想而知，當學校和作業把我越來越多的時間據為己有、讓我久違的書架沾染灰塵之時，我心中的悲慟該有多麼深厚。
Salvation presented itself in the form of a present. During my fourth year in grade school，my aunt returned from the US，bringing with her a seven-cassette audio book，Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets，narrated by Jim Dale. I received the present with trembling hands，feeling just as Harry would have felt when he found himself on the threshold of an entire new world filled with golden possibilities.
一個突如其來的禮物救贖了我嗷嗷待哺的心靈。小學四年級時，我的舅媽從美國返鄉，還特地給我帶了一套七盤磁帶裝的有聲書：《哈利波特與密室》，由Jim Dale朗讀。我用一雙顫抖的手接過禮物，突然感覺自己和哈利一樣，正在一個嶄新世界的當口面對無數精彩的可能性而歎為觀止。
Audio books，the perfect，almost obvious solution; even if my eyes had been taken hostage by the sad excuse of a grade school education，my ears could still roam free above all the relentless humdrum of daily obligations.
有聲書，對“悲慘”的小學生活來說簡直是最完美、近乎顯而易見的出路。哪怕我的雙眼被課本和紙筆所蒙塞，我的雙耳依舊可以在每日兢兢業業的苦力活之外自由翱翔。
Audio books，unlike printed ones，can be attended to almost anywhere，anytime. Bumpy rides and clamoring restaurants used to be my worst nightmare，but as soon as I grabbed a headphone set，the world became my very own desk.
有聲書和印刷書籍不同，可以在幾乎任何時間、地點給“讀者”帶來適之寶。顛簸的車程和喧鬧的餐廳曾幾何時是我這書蟲的天敵，而如今只要一對耳機掛在耳畔，那整個世界就頓時成了我的私人書桌。
Consequently every place I have been and every step I have taken has acquired its unique significance through a piece of literature. I went to school with J.D Salinger，watching Holden Caulfield play the catcher in the rye; I came back home to Fitzgerald，joining Gatsby in his party at night; I sat in Pizza Hut with the Corleone gang，listening to Vito reason with his sons; I stood on the subway with Forrest Gump，babbling away about the wonders of late. This is where Jane first met Rochester; this is where Elizabeth rejected Darcy's offer; this is where Heathcliff started his revenge anew; this is where David Copperfield hit Uriah. The mundane locations of my daily routines had been transformed into windows through which I could glance upon a thousand worlds.
拜有聲書所賜，我的每一個去處每一段路，都被某篇文學作品塗上了濃墨重彩。我和塞林格(《麥田守望者》的作者)並肩上學，睥睨霍爾頓考菲爾德(《麥田守望者》的主人公)守望在懸崖之上。我和菲茨傑羅德(美國二十世紀最傑出的作家之一)一同歸家，在夜色掩護下潛入蓋茨比的派對(Fitzgerald筆下《了不起的蓋茨比》的男主人公)。我與(《教父》中的角色)考利昂家族同坐披薩店餐桌，聽Vito在諸子前循循善誘。我和 Forrest Gump一起搭乘地鐵，信口開河回顧已往之奇觀……這邊是 Jane與 Rochester初遇之所，這廂，Elizabeth剛剛回絕Darcy的追求，這裡是Heathcliff復仇伊始，那裡是 David Copperfield痛打 Uriah的大快人心……我日復一日的百無聊賴被打開了一扇窗，透過它，大千世界之曼妙風采盡收眼底。
Naturally，audio books involve only the narrator and myself，yet the long hours spent in solitude never alienated me from other people or the outside world. A good speaker may attract any number of audiences，but as it turns out，a good listener can keep any number of friends. Fortunately，years of experience have made me a master at the art of listening. People trust me with their thoughts because when they talk，I really listen，instead of what most people do everyday: wait for their turn to speak.
儘管有聲書是我和朗誦者之間區區兩人的交流，但長時間的獨處並沒有讓我與世隔絕。一個能說會道的人也許能吸來諸多聽眾，但懂得傾聽之士才容易結交朋友。深得此幸，多年的經驗讓我在聆聽他人之道上早已輕車熟路;許多朋友喜歡把心事對我說，因為他們明白自己說出來的話我會用心傾聽，而不是像如今大多數人一般：等待自己開口的時機。
Over the past decade，audio books have proved far more than a means to an end，or a hobby for spare time. In fact，they have become my way of life. As duties urge me to keep up in this raging world and the ever more demanding tasks it offers， I have created for myself a safe haven of knowledge and inspiration. Surrounded by whispers of wisdom，I walk through school，work and play，through life.
在過去的十年裡，有聲書之於我早已不再是敲門磚之功用，也不僅僅停留在閒暇娛樂的層面—它已然成為了一種生活方式。在這個車水馬龍的世界裡，總有做不完的事和負不盡的責督促我大步向前，但有聲書為我搭建了一個知識和靈感源源不斷的桃花仙境。智慧的低語在身邊縈繞，陪伴著我學習、工作、玩樂，陪伴著我享受人生。
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