在线读书俱乐部带动新潮流

浙江 彭文国

疫情期间，人们的身体被隔开了，但是心灵并没有被隔断。 在文学魅力的感召下，现在线上阅读俱乐部变得流行起来。 线上阅读俱乐部不仅拉近了人们的距离，也让我们有更多的时间享受文学之美。

难词探意

drastically /'drɑːstɪkli/ adv. 猛烈地

Owing to the COVID-19, many people are experiencing a difficult time of lockdown. Nowadays,many activities are on hold and the daily rhythm of life is now slower. As a result, joining a virtual book club is a growing and popular answer to connecting with others, learning, as well as staying positive and healthy.

Literature is always encouraging conversations as well as human, intellectual, and emotional interactions. Thanks to the possibilities of the Internet, reading habits have drastically shifted and it's no surprise that online book clubs are becoming a big thing. These collective gatherings have transformed an individual activity into a pleasant social experience, building powerful communities even in times when physical contact is limited. While some groups were originally created in the online world, others have recently migrated there by using platforms such as Zoom, Twitter, and Instagram.

Reading is really good for your health and is a proven stress reducer. It slows down the heart rate and eases tension in the muscles. It even has more benefits than listening to music or going for a walk! In a few words, getting lost in a book can truly help us escape from our everyday concerns. But there's more. Access to social activities such as book clubs can also improve people's mental and physical health. Research by The Reading Agency found out that book club members felt they received support and friendship from their groups, with 95 percent saying being a member made them feel happy. One can conclude then, that in groups where members share common interests and promote communication between individuals, people feel less isolated.

In spite of the lockdown many are experiencing, new online book clubs are rapidly growing.These virtual clubs are flourishing as a natural response to human beings' need for social interaction.And when people chat about literature, they can share a common experience as well as hold on to normality. If you haven't joined a book club yet, there's no better time to start! More likely than not,you'll learn a lot, make new friends from new places, and relax.

阅读短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

virtual一词多义的用法

virtual在词典上意为“虚拟的；实质上的”，似乎这两个解释正好相反。 那么，为何既是“虚拟的”又是“实质上的”呢？

实际上，virtual本意是“事实上……（但并未正式授权等）”。 如：

Because the government was weak, the army became the virtual ruler of the country. 由于政府弱小，军队成了实际上的控制者。

这里的virtual就是“并没有正式授权，但是实际上……”之意。

Mr Smith is the virtual president, though his title is secretary. 史密斯先生是实际上的社长，尽管他的头衔是秘书。

本句中，virtual就是“名义上没有，但是实际上是……”之意。

从以上两句中可以看出，virtual实际上有“影子（领导）”之意，因此，在现代英语中，尤其是网络和计算机英语中，virtual就成了“虚拟”之意。 如：

Up to four players can compete in a virtual world of role playing. 最多能有4个人可以在虚拟世界中扮演角色进行角逐。

He is addicted to the online virtual world, which makes his parents rather worried. 他沉迷于网络虚拟世界，这让他的父母非常担心。