第2136期:Filipino Man Makes Library in His Home

"A good book is easy to find." That is the message on a sign at Hernando Guanlao's home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. “一本好书很容易找到。” 这是菲律宾首都马尼拉马卡蒂地区埃尔南多·关老家中的一块牌子上写的信息。

Guanlao has turned his home into a free public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free. 关老把他的家变成了免费的公共图书馆。游客可以免费借阅里面的书籍。

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 Kindergarten to older students in grade 12. 关老说，他希望他的图书馆能够激发人们，尤其是年轻人的阅读热情。这位 72 岁的老人告诉记者，他的图书馆里有所有学生都可以喜欢的书籍——从幼儿园的幼儿到 12 年级的高年级学生。

Guanlao says his library has books for readers of all interests. He spoke to reporters at his home, which is filled with thousands of available books. 关老说，他的图书馆有适合各种兴趣读者的书籍。他在自己的家里接受记者采访，家里摆满了数千本可用书籍。

He calls his library Reading Club 2000. It contains many different kinds of books, or genres. 他把他的图书馆称为“阅读俱乐部 2000”。里面有许多不同种类或类型的书籍。

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. 流派是一组具有特定风格、形式或内容的艺术、音乐或文学作品。文学的一些类型是诗歌、非小说类（或真实故事）和小说（或虚构故事）。还有一些“子类型”，例如烹饪书、科幻小说和悬疑小说等等。

Guanlao added, "There are also spiritual books for those who are looking for religious knowledge, hardbound and softbound books, autobiographies, and many different genres that one can enjoy, all for free.” 关老补充道：“还有宗教类的灵性书籍，精装本、软装本、自传等多种类型的书籍都可以免费阅读。”

He 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 grown greatly over the years -- thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors. 20 多年前，他在自家门前的人行道上放置了 50 本书，由此建立了自己的图书馆。多年来，由于捐赠者源源不断地提供书籍，关老的藏书不断增加。

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.谈到捐赠者，他说：“他们只是把一箱箱书留在我家外面。” 他自己也开始捐赠书籍，向偏远社区的公立学校发送阅读材料。

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. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development runs that program. 关老的努力正值菲律宾学生的阅读能力仍然较低之际。国际学生评估计划报告称，菲律宾的阅读成绩是世界上最低的。经济合作与发展组织负责执行该计划。

Students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays in math and science. 菲律宾的学生在数学和科学方面也面临着学习延迟的问题。

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." 关老对自己的目标很坚定：“我的使命是免费向他人赠送二手书和捐赠的书籍，”他说，“并通过文学促进教育。”