读书，你比美国大学生落后几步?
中国 由我玩4年，无聊才看书
美国 只读兴趣书，何必进大学
在中国，一试定终身，学生熬过了中学，考进一所大学，终于可以摆脱教科书与参考书的纠缠，有了松一口气的机会。因此才有了大学university又有“由你玩四年”的别称。
进了大学之后，许多人倒是有了充裕的时间和机会可以去大学图书馆读一读自己在中学时没能接近的书籍。大学固然也有教科书，但是广泛阅读一些自己感兴趣的书，名正言顺。
至少我曾经这样以为，可事实告诉我：我的想法大错特错。
早在2001年，有人针对台北市、台中市、高雄市三个地区20岁以上的民众做过一次阅读调查。
那次调查中有一个题目是探寻大学生阅读的动机。调查发现，在阅读动机中，“训练独立思考能力”这个原因普遍不受重视，大学生阶层因为“无聊／打发时间”而选择阅读的比例，远远高于其他职业阶层。
看了调查分析，美国一个朋友立刻写了封e-mail，以好奇的语气问我一个问题：“为什么你们大学生的阅读动机里，有那么高成分的‘个人兴趣’？你们那里的大学生居然还可以为‘无聊、打发时间’而阅读？”
我也很好奇地反问他：“这难道有什么不对吗？”
他回答：“在美国，大学生连教授指定的读物都读不完，几乎没有什么时间读自己感兴趣的读物，更何况是为了无聊、打发时间，太不可思议了!”
那时，我才认真地思索中国和美国的大学生在阅读这件事上重点顺序为什么正好形成对比以及它可能带来的后续影响。
中国的中学实行的是六年学制，学生被老师塞了整整六年的教科书与考试用书。
相对于中国学生，美国中学生的六年处于相对放松的状态，相反，美国学生一旦决定要进大学，头一两年必定是通识教育，接下来的主修课程才真正需要你进行主修阅读。美国大学生脑子里有这样的观念：如果没有和专业课程相关的阅读，光是在图书馆看一些社会畅销书籍，咱们何必要费尽心思进大学呢？
中国 书籍任我选，只读休闲书
美国 读书有专攻，让书选择我
有一位美国作家生动地形容了美国年轻人的读书观。费迪曼在《一个年轻作家的读书经验》中写道：“过了17岁以后(有的人会延后一两年)就是书来选你，而不是你去选书了。你必须在某种限制之下去读书，阅读成了一种计划，成了大学课程中的一部分，或成为获取某一种学识的工具……”
可是中国年轻人的阅读习惯中却有太多极具讽刺意味的现象。在中国，不知到底是大学生的幸运还是不幸，我们的大学很少给学生阅读的压力。再加上大学生大多由于高考考试分数的驱使，不是基于自己真正兴趣而选择大学的某个专业，所以从踏入大学的那一刻起，已经注定欠缺主动积极求学意愿的命运。
20世纪，大量的学科在新生、在分化、在细化。于是全世界的大学教育都在为学问的细化与窄化而苦恼，所以美国大学教育立刻出了新招：大学头一两年必须加强补充一些通识教育。实际上，中国大学生面临的学问细化与窄化的问题比美国严重多了。中国在20世纪里延续着近百年来中学、西学之分，理科、文科之分，许多年轻人即使进了大学，也很可能会成为一个牺牲者—因为文理学院之间的阅读重点根本不同，即使是同样的文学院之间，中文系与外语系的阅读也基本谈不上贯通。
我接触过很多中国大学生，他们的老师并不是没有看到这些问题，让学生放任自流，事实上，不少老师会在课堂上给学生们列出满满当当的阅读书目，只是没有几个学生会在一个学期内认认真真把这些书借来读完。
如果你还在毫无压力地凭着个人兴趣选择看书，你已经远远落后于美国大学生了。至少，和你处于同一年级的他们正在被“有用的书”填满。
译文:
reading, how far you have laged behind american students
For Chinese students, they play four years and read books when bored
For American students, it is unnecessary for them to get into university if they just read what they are interested in.
In China, the college entrance examination can determine one’s whole life. Students worry along high school and get into university. They finally can get rid of fastening on textbooks and reference books, and they have chance to relax. That’s why university gets the name “a club for playing”.
After getting into university, many students have more time and opportunities to go to library for reading books they didn’t read in the high school. Of course they have textbooks in university, but it is reasonable to read what they are interested in.
At least I thought that way, but the truth proves me wrong.
In 2001, someone did a reading study among young people above the age of 20 in Taibei, Taizhong and Gaoxiong.
In that survey, there was a question about college students’ purpose for reading. It turned out that college students don’t attach much importance to the ability training of independent thinking. The rate that the reason they read is because they are bored or want to kill time is higher than other professionals.
An American friend read the survey and sent me an e-mail. He asked me a question in a curious mood，“why does personal interest account for so high proportion? Chinese college students do some reading in order to kill time? ”
“Is there anything wrong? ” I asked him back.
“In America, students cannot finish the books assigned by professors, not mention to reading what we are interested in to idle time. It is incredible! ”he replied.
At that time, I began to muse the comparison between Chinese and American college students’ reading key order and the impact it may bring about.
Chinese high school has 6 years. The students are filled with the whole six-year textbooks and reference books for exams.
Compared with Chinese students, American high school students are in relaxing state for six years. And once they determine to get into university, they have to receive common education in the first or two years. The subsequent major courses require you read books related to your major. There is a concept in their mind: If you just read best-sellers without reading what you are majoring in the library, you don’t have to work so hard to get into university.
For Chinese students, they can choose books freely, but only read leisure books
For American students, they specialize in some books, and they are selected by books.
An American writer whose name is Feidimen describes American young generation’s outlook on reading vividly. In his book called a young writer’s reading experience, it says,“ books will come to pick you but not you to choose books after you are 17 years old (some people may delay one or two years), because you have to read under some restriction. Reading has become a kind of plan, a part of college courses or a tool of getting knowledge.”
However，Chinese young generation’s reading habits have too much irony. I don’t know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate that college students seldom suffer reading pressure from university. What’s worse, they choose their major by the score of the college entrance examination, but not their interest. So they are doomed to be in lack of positive attitude towards their study at the moment that they get into university.
In the 20th century, a multitude of subjects are born, differentiated and specialized. Every university is worried about specification and narrowing of knowledge. Therefore, American university education releases a fresh rule: universities have to strengthen common education for students. To tell you the truth, the situation that faces Chinese college students is more serious than American students does. China continues the separation between Chinese education and western education, the separation between science and art. Even if many young people can get into university, they have many possibilities to become victims-as art and science colleges have fundamentally different reading emphasis. Even between art colleges, there is no fundamental reading connection between the college of literature and the college of foreign studies.
I have talked to many Chinese students. I found out that their teachers do not notice these problems or they don’t care much about that. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few teachers list a good amount of books during the class. However, there are few students borrowing these books and finishing them.
If you still select books depending on your interest and under no pressure, you already lag far behind the American university students. At least, that they are in the same grade are being filled with useful books.