阅读文学小说通常被当作消遣，但我们Forbest认为，这也是一种有效的学习方式，是我们提供的ELL(English-language learner)课程的核心。
 

1. Greater chances of success on IB English and Provincial Exams
在IB英语和省考中更有优势

Exploring themes, such as integrity, stoicism, leadership, loyalty, and self-reliance, by making references to works of literature has become integral to IB English and provincial Exams. Hence, it is essential that students read novels and short stories throughout their school years. The following question from a recent IB exam highlights the need for incorporating works of literature into English courses:

以文学作品作为参考，思考有关“正直、坚忍、领导力、忠诚和自力更生”等话题的作文，是IB英语和BC英语省考的考点。对于学生来说，增加文学小说和短篇故事的阅读量是很有必要的。以下是近期IB考试的一道问题，体现了在英语课程中增加文学作品阅读量必要性。

 “The erroneous thoughts of the privileged few has often been the base upon which writers have developed interesting plots.  Compare the ways the writers of two or three works you have studied have developed such motivations.”

“少数特权阶层的错误思想往往是作家们创作有趣情节的基础。比较一下你读过的两到三部作品，思考作者是如何基于此进行发散创作的。”
 
Evidently, students who have not read a certain number of novels or short stories which explore the most popular universal themes or have failed to delve into key concepts in those novels and short stories will be at a major disadvantage once they take such tests.

如果学生没有阅读过多本探索这些话题的小说或短篇故事，或者只是粗略读过，没有深入理解过这些小说和短篇小说中的创作背景和思想基础，那么他们在这些考试中就会处于劣势。


2. A wider range of vocabulary
更广的词汇量

Upon admission to college, students’ opportunities for learning new words will greatly decrease as their reading time will be pretty much limited to studying academic textbooks rife with jargons and technical terms. Accordingly, the golden time for expanding one’s knowledge of vocabulary will be school years where students can read works of literature to learn new words.

进入大学之后，学生会需要花费更多的时间在学术相关的教科书上，学习新单词的机会反而会减少。因此，能有更多时间在阅读文学作品中学习新单词的中小学时期，才是扩大词汇量的黄金时期。

 

3. A better command of English syntax and spelling
更好的英语语法和拼写能力

On average, students who read extensively make fewer spelling mistakes compared to those who choose to listen to audio books or watch movies. The degree of involvement in the act of reading and the amount of exposure to words and grammatical structures meticulously chosen and adroitly used by acclaimed authors leave their mark on students’ performance on essay writing activities. Apart from giving students ample knowledge of recognition, reading novels helps readers activate words and sentence structures contextualized in the plot of novels and short stories.

​与那些选择听有声书或看电影的学生相比，倾向于阅读的学生的拼写错误一般会更少。阅读的深度，对著名作家使用的词汇和语法结构的了解程度，都会影响学生书写的作文水平。阅读小说除了能让学生获得足够的认知知识外，还能帮助学生熟悉并掌握文学作品中语境化的单词和句子结构。
 
4. A greater degree of creativity
更多的创造力

Reading great works of literature can enhance students’ levels of creativity as they help them unleash their imagination. Provided that the right feed is provided, learners can apply the insightful ideas they are introduced to in thought-provoking novels and short stories to a variety of other contexts.
 
阅读伟大的文学作品可以提高学生的创造力水平，帮助他们发挥想象力，学生可以将他们在这些优秀的小说和短篇故事中学习到的深刻思想，应用于不同话题的论文之中。