Readers and Book Owners
A
Readers may be divided into①four classes:
1．Sponges，who absorb all they read and return it nearly in the same state，only a little dirtied．
2．Sand-glasses，who retain nothing and are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time．
3．Strain-bags，who retain merely the dregs②of what they read．
4．Mogul diamonds，equally rare and valuable，who profit by what they read，and enable others to profit by it also．
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
B
There are three kinds of book owners．The first has all the standard sets and best-sellers—unread，untouched．(This deluded individual owns woodpulp and ink，not books．)The second has a great many books—a few of them read through，most of them dipped into，but all of them as clean and shiny as the day they were bought．(This person would probably like to make books his own，but is restrained by a false respect for their physical appearance．)The third has a few books or many—every one of them dog-eared and dilapidated，shaken and loosened by continued use，marked and scribbled in from front to back．(This man owns books．)
—Mortimer Adler
sandglass n(计时用的)沙漏
mogul n大人物;泰斗(=tycoon，magnate)
retain v保留(=keep)
strain-bag n滤袋;滤器(=strainer)
deluded adj受幻觉所蒙骗的
dog-eared adj书页折了角的
dregs n残渣 dilapidated adj破损的
中译 读者与书籍拥有者
A
读者可分为四种类型:
1．海绵型。读书时全盘吸收，使用时几乎依照原样，只是有点走样。
2．计时沙漏型。他们读书一无所获，看书只是为了消磨时间而已。
3．滤袋型。他们读书只能得到书中的糟粕。
4．大宝石型。这种读者既稀少又可贵。他们读书不但自己受益，并能使他人受惠。
——塞缪尔·泰勒·柯勒律治
B
书籍拥有者有三种。第一种人藏有全部标准套装书和畅销书——但既没读过，也没碰过。(这位仁兄占有的只是纸张和油墨，而不是书。)第二种人藏书很多——有几本全文读过，大部分浅尝辄止，但全部都跟新买时一样整洁光亮。(此兄很可能真想拥有书籍，但因错误地过分关注书的外貌而束手束脚。)第三种人藏书或多或少——因不断使用，每本书都弄成书角卷起，破旧不堪，装订破损，书页松散，全书从头到尾画满了记号，涂满了字句。(此君正是书的真正拥有者。)
——莫蒂默·阿德勒
原来如此！
虽谓开卷有益，但不是所有读者都能从一本好书中得益。A段指出海绵型和沙漏型的读者对书的吸收只是一时而非长久，像是左耳入右耳出。滤袋型的读者更差，他们断章取义，把好的内容遗漏或忘掉，只看到坏的内容，并把这些无用的信息留下来。大宝石型则是难能可贵的，他们在读书时，不但能全盘吸收，受益匪浅，而且还能使他人受惠。
其实“尽信书不如无书”，读书前要选择好书，读书时又要有选择地吸纳有用的知识道理，这样读书才能获益。此外，能把书中所得，传给他人或应用在日常生活中，那就是利己利人了。
B段指出有些人喜欢书籍只为拥有及收藏一件物品，他们不是书的真正读者，他们不懂得书的价值并不在于其形体而在于其内涵和信息量。
笔者认为，无论你是四种类型的读者中的哪一种，也不论你藏书多少，书海茫茫，拥有藏书只是第一步，欲更上一层楼，就必须书人合一，息息相通。
增值英语
①Readers may be divided into four classes．
句式 谈分类，英语表达法颇多:sth may be divided into ×types|sth may be placed in×categories/classes|sth may fall into×kinds/types/categories|sth may(can)be classified/categorized in(into)×groups。
Students are classified intogrades．学生分成等级。
Hotels here fall intodifferent categories，some are two-star hotels，others are five-star luxury ones．这里的旅馆分属不同类别;有些是二星级旅馆，有些是五星级豪华酒店。
②…retain merely the dregs of what they read
dregs的意义为“渣滓”，是复数名词，有-s。
She rinses the coffee dregsout of the pot．她把壶里的咖啡渣子涮干净。
本篇中的dregs用作引申义，作“糟粕”解，如:
The triad members are the dregsof society．黑社会人物是社会的渣滓。
scum是同义词，是浮在液体上面的浮垢，用作比喻义时，代表废物、坏分子。scum是复数不可数名词，无-s。
Corrupt officials are the scumof the earth．贪官污吏是世上败类。
When you make chicken broth，you should remove the scum．煮清鸡汤要除掉汤面的泡沫。