✅📜【英文‑中文对照·逐段完整版】
Ask people about public libraries and a certain image springs to mind:
当人们被问起公共图书馆，脑海立刻浮现出一个固有的印象：
dusty, old‑fashioned, the sort of place you enjoyed as a child but, rather like a British seaside town, would you go there now?
布满灰尘、老旧过时，是你小时候喜欢去的地方。可是这就如同英国的海滨小镇——现如今，你还会去那里吗？
And anyway — aren’t they all closing?
再说了——难道它们不都在陆续关门停业吗？
The reality is startlingly different, as I discovered when the culture department commissioned me to conduct an independent review of English public libraries, published yesterday.
然而真实情况却令人吃惊地不一样。昨天正式发布了这份报告：文化部委托我对英格兰的公共图书馆开展一次独立调研。
As I visited libraries up and down the country, I was surprised to learn there are more than twice the number of libraries (2,892) as there are branches of McDonald’s.
当我走访全国各地的图书馆之后，我惊讶地得知：图书馆一共有2892家，数量是麦当劳门店的两倍以上。
Enter any one of them and you will find a hive of activity.
随便走进一家图书馆，你就会看见一派热闹繁忙的景象。
While books are, and should always be, at the heart of any library, a multitude of other services are offered: employment advice, language classes or digital access and support.
尽管书籍现在是、也永远应该是图书馆的核心，但还提供许许多多其他服务：就业指导、语言课程，以及数字设备的使用和技术帮助。
There are libraries with business and intellectual property centres, which can help business owners and entrepreneurs.
有些图书馆设有商业与知识产权服务中心，可以帮助企业经营者和创业者。
Many have nurses on site to carry out basic health checks, with a link to the GP’s surgery.
很多馆内配有驻馆护士来做基础健康检查，并且对接全科医生诊所。
There are libraries where young people can borrow a Fifa‑standard football free.
还有一些图书馆，年轻人可以免费借出一只符合国际足联赛事标准的足球。
In return for all of this, you’ll be asked for precisely nothing.
作为得到这一切服务的回报，图书馆不会向你索取任何东西。
There will be no charge and you will never be asked to justify or explain yourself;
全程免费，而且从来不会要求你说明自己来这里的理由；
you will simply be welcomed in, offered help if you need it and left alone if you do not.
你只会受到热情欢迎：如果你需要帮助，就提供协助；如果你不需要，就不打扰你。
There is no other institution, public or private, that can say the same.
没有任何其他机构，不管是公立还是私立，可以做到这一点。
Yet still our libraries are often overlooked and underappreciated.
即便如此，我们的图书馆仍然常常被忽视，得不到足够的重视。
There is an overall decline in visits and many are struggling as local authorities come under continued financial pressure.
到访图书馆的总人数整体下滑。由于地方政府持续承受财政压力，许多图书馆的经营举步维艰。
The number of libraries that have closed since 2010 is disputed.
自2010年以来关闭的图书馆总数，各方统计并不一致。
An annual survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy puts it at nearly 800 across the UK;
英国特许公共财政与会计学会的一份年度调查表明：整个英国关闭了将近800家；
official statistics held by the Arts Council record 230 in England.
而英国艺术委员会的官方记录是，英格兰关闭了230家。
It is, of course, 230 libraries too many.
当然，即便是仅仅230家，也是太多了。
So if we are to protect our libraries for future generations, we must raise awareness of them and the work they do.
因此，如果我们要为子孙后代保护好图书馆，就必须提高公众对图书馆，以及它所做工作的认知度。
The review recommends a national branding campaign to give libraries a stronger physical presence,
这份调查报告建议：开展一场全国性的品牌宣传活动，强化图书馆的存在感；
the reintroduction of a scheme to enable members to use their card in any library in the country,
重新启用一项一卡通方案，让会员的借阅卡在国内任意一家图书馆都能够使用，
and automatic memberships for children.
并且为儿童开通自动会员资格。
If we don’t use them, we will end up losing them.
如果我们不去使用图书馆，最终我们将会失去它们。
And for those who haven’t been to a library for some time, they may be surprised by what they find.
而对于那些很久没有去过图书馆的人，他们会惊讶于眼前所看到的一切。
📖 下面是5道题的中英对照
21. What was the author commissioned to do about English public libraries?
👉作者受委托针对英国公共图书馆做什么？
[A] Document their valuable traditions. 记录它们珍贵的传统。
[B] Make a plan for their expansions. 制定扩张的计划。
[C] Obtain reader opinions on them. 收集读者的看法。
[D] Look into their current situation. 调查它们当下的状况。 ✅D
22. According to Paragraphs 3 & 4, the author finds that libraries .
👉根据第3、4段，作者发现图书馆。
[A] boast desirable book collections. 夸耀拥有理想的藏书。
[B] keep detailed visitor records. 保存详细的访客记录。
[C] perform diversified functions. 发挥多样化的服务功能。 ✅C
[D] attract mostly young readers. 主要吸引年轻读者。
23. It is implied in Paragraph 5 that libraries should .
👉第5段暗示图书馆应当。
[A] be given greater attention. 得到更多的关注。 ✅A
[B] impose stricter visit limits. 实施更加严格的到访限制。
[C] work with private institutions. 和私人机构开展合作。
[D] get their equipment upgraded. 将设备进行升级。
24. The statistics mentioned in Paragraph 6 show .
👉第6段里面的数据说明了。
[A] the crisis faced by libraries. 图书馆正面临的危机。 ✅A
[B] the advancement of libraries. 图书馆取得的进步。
[C] the contributions of libraries. 图书馆做出的贡献。
[D] the flaws existing in libraries. 图书馆本身存在的缺陷。
25. Which of the following is suggested for libraries in the last paragraph?
👉最后一段给图书馆提出了下面哪一条建议？
[A] Inviting public feedback. 邀请公众给出反馈。
[B] Seeking adequate funding. 去争取充足的资金。
[C] Improving user convenience. 提升使用者的便利度。 ✅C
[D] Offering lifetime memberships. 提供终身会员资格。