Li Xiaotong, a sophomore at Central China University, and her classmates set up a dormitory library to promote the habit of reading among their peers. She borrows books recommended online from the school library to share with neighbors. Her mini library has proved to be a hit in the dorm.
华中师范大学大二学生李晓彤（音译）和同学们联手建起了一件宿舍阅览室，目的是在同龄人间推广读书的好习惯。她从图书馆借来网上推荐的书籍，并与邻近宿舍的同学们共享。她的这间小型阅览室最终成为了宿舍里的大热门。
“Students don’t read much now apart from textbooks,” said Li. “Dipping into the Internet to read stuff is not enough to cultivate independent thinking.”
“现在的学生很少阅读一些课外书籍了。”李晓彤说：“对于培养独立思考能力而言，整日沉浸于在线阅读是不够的。”
A recent survey conducted by Xiamen Evening News among college students echoes Li’s comments. The findings indicated that 43 percent of respondents read for less than one hour each day and 11 percent of students didn’t read at all on campus.
最近《厦门晚报》针对大学生群体所做的一项调查也印证了李晓彤的这一观点。调查结果显示，43%的受访者每日阅读时间不到一小时，有11%的学生在校期间根本不读书。
In contrast, their contemporaries in the West receive reading lists as a major part of their college education.
相比之下，对于西方同龄人而言，阅读清单则是大学教育中的重要部分。
Samantha Lin is a graduate of US-based Northwestern University. She said the reading list she got from the university spans topics from history and sociology to post modern novels and literature classics.
毕业于美国西北大学的萨曼塔•林表示，大学给他们提供的阅读清单涵盖了从历史到社会学、从后现代主义小说再到文学经典等多种主题。
“Some of the books seem a bit far away from daily courses,” said Lin. “But at the end of the day, it is those books on the reading lists which give me inspiration and form my world view.”
“有些书似乎跟我们的日常课程不沾边。”林说，“但到头来，正是书单上的这些书赐予我灵感，形成了我的世界观。”
The University of Sydney also launched a first-year book club to encourage all freshmen to read beyond their course readers. All newly-enrolled students are given a book to read. In 2011, it was a novel about the first settlers in Australia.
悉尼大学同样也开办了一年级读书俱乐部，以鼓励大一新生阅读更多专业课程以外的书籍。所有新生都要阅读一本指定书籍，2011年指定书籍是一本有关澳大利亚第一批移民的小说。
“The information for you to do well in your future career never just comes from a course reader, it comes from the connections you make from all the material outside the classroom,” said Jordi Austin, director of student support service of the Australian university.
“让你可以在未来的职业生涯中大展拳脚的知识绝非仅仅来自于课本中，而是来自于你对所有课外读物的融会贯通。”澳洲国立大学学生支持服务中心主管乔迪•奥斯丁如是说。
Apart from its function to expand students’ horizons, the reading list has become a culture among many Western readers.
除了可以开阔学生眼界，阅读清单已成很多西方读者间的一种文化。
Andy O’Brien, a tour guide in the UK, followed Harvard’s admission reading list for years. He says the books picked by the top university faculty both address some of the must-know contemporary social and political issues and rediscover the significance of classics.
安迪•奥布莱恩是英国的一名导游，他已追随哈佛大学入学阅读清单多年。他表示，一流大学的教员们挑选的书目在涉猎一些你不可不知的当今社会热点和政治事件之外，还令你再次感悟经典的伟大之处。
“It is like a free tutor who guides your choice of books,” said O’Brien.
“它就像一位指导你筛选书目的义务导师。”奥布莱恩这样说。
As for Chinese universities, some of them are catching on. Fudan University and Zhejiang University released their freshmen reading list last year covering a range of topics.
一些中国高校正在奋起直追。复旦大学和浙江大学去年也为新生提供了涵盖多领域书籍的书单。
However, many students complain that it is impossible to finish the list.
然而，很多学生抱怨根本无法将这些书全部读完。
Kate Grenville, a renowned novelist in Australia, says it is not a necessity to finish a book. The important thing is to sit down and think profoundly about what you are reading.
澳大利亚知名小说家凯特•葛伦薇尔认为无需通读全书。坐下来深入地思考你所读到的内容才是最重要的。
“Now it’s almost a lost skill to concentrate your thoughts on books,” said Grenville.
“如今人们已经丧失了全身心阅读的能力了。” 葛伦薇尔说。
