业余生活篇13-Reading Novels versus Watching Movies

Reading novels and watching movies are two of the most popular hobbies in the world. Of course, they are not mutually exclusive. Movie aficionados might enjoy the occasional piece of fiction, while even die-hard bookworms are likely to watch a film from time to time. Although I enjoy both of these classic pastimes, my overwhelming preference is in favor of reading novels.
 

1. mutually exclusive：相互排斥的
2. Movie aficionados：电影爱好者
3. die-hard：铁杆支持者
4. bookworms：书虫，极爱读书的人
5. from time to time：偶尔
6. classic pastimes：消遣，休闲活动
7. preference：偏爱
8. in favor of：支持，赞同

To begin with, reading a novel is a more personal experience than watching a movie. Our role in movies is a passive one. Moviegoers are fed a series of images and sounds that require little mental effort to process; even the background music prompts us as to the particular emotion we should "prepare for" in each scene. Novels, in contrast, require that we use our own imagination to visualize the settings, characters and events, allowing us to become an active participant in the story. Novel reading thus enables us to become immersed in the plot in a way that is not possible with movies.
 

1. Moviegoers：常看电影的人
2. prompts：提醒
3. become immersed in：沉浸于

Unlike movies, which require access to a theater or at least a TV or computer, novels can be read anytime and anywhere. Novels can be read on the bus, in a cafe or even in the park. In addition, since novels are usually broken down into well-defined chapters, you can read at night for as little as 10 or 20 minutes until the end of a chapter, and continue where you left off the next day. In contrast, due to the fast pace and uninterrupted flow of movies, no one would want to watch only 15 minutes of a movie and wait until the next day to resume watching.
 

1. broken down into：分解成
2. well-defined：定义明确的，清晰的
3. left off：停下的
4. resume：（中断后）继续

Finally, reading novels is a much better way to improve one's language skills than watching films. Whether you're reading a book in your native language or a foreign tongue, you can always enhance your language skills. Unlike movies, which generally contain limited dialogue and little or no voice-over narration, typical novels contain anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 words. Moreover, because of the active nature of reading, new words and expressions that a person encounters are retained much more effectively than if they were heard in a movie. Reading novels thus allows us to expand our overall vocabulary and linguistic competence.
 

1. voice-over narration：画外音
2. retained：保持
3. linguistic competence：语言能力

Obviously, reading novels and watching movies do not represent an "all or none" choice. Both of these activities are gratifying in their own way and can help people to relax and unwind. For all the reasons mentioned above, however, I much prefer to read novels than watch movies.
 

1. an "all or none" choice：“非有即无 ”的选择
2. gratifying：令人满意的
3. relax and unwind：放松休闲