April 23 marks this year’s World Book Day, an annual event initiated by UNESCO. A recent report released by Amazon and China’s Xinhua News Agency suggest that the Chinese population is reading more, while e-books are becoming increasingly popular.

　　4月23日是联合国教科文组织发起的世界读书日。亚马逊和新华社公布的报告表明，随着电子书越来越流行，中国人越来越爱读书。

　　The report surveyed more than 14,000 people in around 500 Chinese cities. More than half of those surveyed said they read over ten books last year, while nearly 90% of the respondents said they read e-books.

　　本报告调查了来自中国500个城市的14000名读者。其中过半受访者的年度阅读数量超过10本，近90%受访者表示会阅读电子书。

　　Bruce Aitken, a general manager at Amazon in China, said the latest figures suggest reading has caught on more and more among the Chinese people.

　　亚马逊中国总经理布鲁斯·艾特肯表示，最新数据表明中国人越来越爱读书。

　　"56% of the people we surveyed said they read more than ten books last year, an increase of 8 percentage points compared to the year before. 85% said they read both printed books and e-books. 64% said e-books have helped to increase their amount of reading. 82% said they read at least 30 minutes a day. We found that many people have formed good reading habits. 37% said they develop reading plans," said Aitken.

　　“56%受访者去年一年的读书量超过10本，同比上涨8个百分点。85%受访者会阅读纸质书和电子书，64%受访者表示电子书增加了他们的阅读量，82%受访者每天至少阅读30分钟。我们发现，很多人已经养成了良好的阅读习惯，37%受访者表示他们会制定阅读计划。”艾特肯说道。

　　Age differences are also reflected in the topics of reading.

　　不同年龄读者所读图书的类型也有所差异。

　　"People in their 20’s or younger like to read fantasy, detective stories or foreign-language books. Books on business administration and child-rearing were popular with readers in their 30’s, likely due to their career trajectories and family expansions. For people in their 40’s or older, with their more diverse life experience, books on history and cultural topics have been widely read," explained Li Shuangtian, a sales director of Amazon’s digital content.

　　“20多岁或者不到20岁的读者喜欢阅读科幻、推理小说和外语书籍，30多岁的读者由于工作和家庭原因更喜欢阅读管理类和育儿类的书籍，40岁以上的读者生活经验更加丰富，因此更喜欢阅读历史类和文化类的书籍。”亚马逊电子书销售主任李双田解释说。

　　Several books have proven their staying power among Chinese readers in recent years, including memoir "The Three of Us" by Chinese writer Yang Jiang, novel "Grief Grocery Store" by famous Japanese writer Keigo Higashino, and "Principles of Economics" by N. Gregory Mankiw, Professor of Economics at Harvard University.

　　近几年，杨绛先生的《我们仨》、日本作家东野奎吾的《解忧杂货店》和哈佛大学经济学教授格里高利·曼昆的《经济学原理》等书一直位列热销榜单。

　　It seems that popular culture has also played a role in influencing reading choices. In recent months, several highly rated TV programs on Chinese literature and poetry have aired in China. Amazon says that has also coincided with an increase in the sales of books related to the same topics.

　　流行文化也是影响阅读选择的原因之一。最近，有关中国诗词文学的电视节目好评如潮，引起诗词类图书销量的大大增加。

　　Bruce Aitken says a recent hit TV series has also led to a surge in the sales of the book, on which it is based.

　　艾特肯表示，热播电视剧也会引起图书销量的增加。

　　"The best-seller list of e-books is influenced by hot social and cultural topics. For example, in the week after the airing of ’In the Name of the People,’ the sales of its e-books grew 191 times," said Aitken.

　　“最畅销的电子书往往受到热门的社会和文化话题的影响。比如说，电视剧《人民的名义》的热播使其电子书的销量同比增长了191倍。”艾特肯说道。

　　"In the Name of the People" is about China’s ongoing campaign to crack down on corruption. It began airing in China late last month and has become highly praised for its realistic depiction of China’s politics and culture, as well as the nation’s resolve in the fight against corruption among the political and business elites.

　　《人民的名义》讲述的是中国的反腐斗争。《人民的名义》自3月底开播以来，因其对中国政治文化的真实描述和整治贪官污吏和商业腐败的决心而广受好评。

　　Finally, the Amazon and Xinhua survey has found that with the development of social media, more and more people are inclined to share their reading choices and experiences online with other readers.

　　亚马逊和新华社的报告还发现，随着社交媒体的发展，越来越多的人倾向于在网上和其他读者分享自己的阅读书目和经验。

（编辑：何莹莹）