Hernando Guanlao has turned his home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, into a public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free. Guanlao says he hopes his library will inspire people to read, especially the young. The 72-year-old told reporters that his library includes books that all students can enjoy — from young children in kindergartens to older students in grade 12. What’s more, his library has books for readers of all interests.
赫尔南多.关老把他位于菲律宾首都马尼拉马卡蒂区的家变成了一个公共图书馆。来图书馆的人可以免费借阅里面的书。关老说，他希望他的图书馆能激励人们阅读，尤其是年轻人。这位72岁的老人告诉记者，他的图书馆里有所有学生都喜欢的书——从幼儿园的幼儿到12年级的高年级学生。更重要的是，他的图书馆有适合各种兴趣的读者的书。
Guanlao calls his library Reading Club 2000. It contains many different kinds of books, or genres (体裁). A genre is a group of artistic, musical, or literary works that share a particular style, form, or content. Some genres in literature are poetry, non-fiction (or real stories), and fiction (or imaginary stories). Then there are “sub-genres” such as cookbooks, science fiction, and mystery, to name just a few. Guanlao added, “There are also spiritual books for those who are looking for religious knowledge, hardbound and softbound books, autobiographies (自传), and many different genres that one can enjoy, all for free.”
关老把他的图书馆叫做“读书俱乐部2000”。它包含许多不同种类的书。体裁是一组具有特定风格、形式或内容的艺术、音乐或文学作品。文学的一些体裁是诗歌、非小说和小说。还有一些“子类型”，比如烹饪书、科幻小说和推理小说。关老补充说:“也有精神书籍供那些正在寻找宗教知识的阅读，还有精装本和软装本，自传，和许多不同类型的书可以阅读，都是免费的。”
Guanlao started his library more than 20 years ago when he set 50 books on the walkway in front of his home. Guanlao’s collection has skyrocketed greatly over the years — thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors (捐赠者). Speaking of donors, he said, “They just leave boxes of books outside my house.” He has also started donating books himself. He sends reading materials to public schools in far-away communities.
关老在20多年前创办了自己的图书馆，当时他在家门口的人行道上放了50本书。这些年，由于捐赠者的持续捐赠，关老的藏书急剧增加。谈到捐赠者，他说:“他们只是把一箱箱的书放在我家门外。”他自己也开始捐赠书籍。他把阅读材料送到偏远社区的公立学校。
Guanlao’s efforts come at a time when reading ability among students in the Philippines remains low. The Program for International Student Assessment reports that reading scores in the Philippines are among the lowest in the world. Students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays in math and science. Guanlao is firm about his goals. “My mission is to give away used and donated books to others at no cost,” he said, “and to promote education through literature.”
关老的努力发生在菲律宾学生的阅读能力仍然很低的时候。国际学生评估项目报告称，菲律宾学生的阅读成绩是世界上最低的。菲律宾的学生在数学和科学方面也面临学习迟缓的问题。关老对自己的目标很坚定。他说:“我的使命是免费赠送二手书和捐赠书籍给他人，并通过文学促进教育。”
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