Libraries represent human's most successful attempt in distributing knowledge. In the modern age, these magnificent institutions have also developed into important social structures that facilitate not just the reading of books, but a meeting point of different people, different ideas, discussion and debate. Libraries are usually the epicenter of cultural activity in neighbourhood in which they are located. Here is a list of several of the best libraries in the world, ones that we wished we could spend whole days in, if only they were closer home.

图书馆代表了人类分配知识的成功壮举。图书馆凝聚着智慧结晶，在现代社会它不仅仅是看书借书的地方，还拓展出了很多社会功能，不同观点的人在此思维碰撞，交流讨论。图书馆通常也是其所在社区文化活动的中心。今天我们就为大家介绍几所举世闻名的大型图书馆，若是它们开在家门口，我们或许就会成天泡在里面。

纽约公共图书馆

New York Public Library, New York City, USA

纽约公共图书馆，纽约，美国

The famous New York Public Library is awe inspiring in its layout, scope and size. It is the third largest library in North America, has over 50 million items in its collection. It consists of 87 libraries serving 3.5 million people. The Rose Main Reading Room is a treat for the eyes too. The Library special collections include the first Gutenberg Bible to come to America. It is one of the most recognizable libraries in the world due to its appearances in many Hollywood movies, and even a key setting in “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Ghostbusters”.

大名鼎鼎的纽约公共图书馆在布局、规模和图书种类上都充满亮点。作为北美第三大图书馆，纽约公共图书馆拥有5000万件藏品；共有87间分馆，可为350万人提供服务，其中“玫瑰主阅览室”更是“网红”般的存在。图书馆的特藏中最负盛名的当属美国首部《古腾堡圣经》。纽约公共图书馆也是全世界辨识度最高的图书馆之一，因其在好莱坞大片中上镜率颇高，如电影《后天》和《超能敢死队》中的关键镜头都有它的身影。

大英博物馆阅览室

Reading Room at the British Museum, London, UK

大英博物馆阅览室，伦敦，英国

The Reading Room at the British Museum is found in the center of the Great Court of the British Museum. It features a domed roof, with the ceiling made of a variety of papier-maché. For much of the Room’s history, access was only granted to registered researches, and during this period many notable figures studied at the Library, including Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, Mahatma Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell, Mark Twain, Lenin, and H.G. Wells. The Library’s collection was moved to the new British Library in 2000 and the Reading Room now houses an information center and a curated collection of books relating to history, art, travel and other subjects relevant to British Museum’s collections.

大英博物馆阅览室位于大英博物馆大中庭的中央，采用穹顶设计，其天花板由多种混凝纸制成。历史上，只有注册过的研究人员才能进入，其中不乏一些举世闻名的学者在此学习、研究，包括卡尔·马克思（Karl Marx）、奥斯卡·王尔德（Oscar Wilde）、莫罕达斯·甘地（Mahatma Gandhi）、拉迪亚德·吉卜林（Rudyard Kipling）、乔治·奥威尔（George Orwell）、马克·吐温（Mark Twain）、列宁（Lenin）、H·G·威尔斯（H. G. Wells）等名人。图书馆的藏书在千禧年整体搬迁至大英图书馆新馆，修葺后的阅览室转变为一座信息中心，馆藏主要是与大英博物馆内藏品相关的历史、艺术、旅游等精选书籍。

美国国会图书馆

Library of Congress, Washington D.C., USA

美国国会图书馆，华盛顿特区，美国

The Library of Congress is effectively the national library of the United States and the oldest federal cultural institution in the US. The library consists of three different buildings and is the largest library in the world. The library is open to the public, but only members of congress and other important government officials may check out books. The library also serves an important function as the “library of last resort” in the US, ensuring the availability of certain items to various libraries around the United States. The holdings of the library are extremely impressive, they include - over 32 million books, more than 61 million manuscripts, a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a perfect vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible (one of only four in the world), over 1 million newspapers from the last three centuries, over 5 million maps, 6 million pieces of sheet music, and more than 14 million photos and prints.

国会图书馆是美国的国家图书馆，并且是全美最古老的联邦文化机构。图书馆由三座建筑组成，是全世界规模最大的图书馆。国会图书馆对公众开放，但只有国会成员和政府机构人员才能借阅书籍。该图书馆还是美国的“终极图书馆”，以保障全美的馆际互借服务顺畅运行。国会图书馆的馆藏极其丰富，包括3200多万册图书，6100多万份手稿，《独立宣言》的原稿，一部完整的牛皮纸《古腾堡圣经》（全世界只有四部），过去三个世纪印刷的超过100万份报纸，500多万张地图，600多万页乐谱，以及1400多万张照片和影印资料。

亚历山大图书馆

The Library of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

亚历山大图书馆，亚历山大城，埃及

The Library of Alexandria was the greatest library in antiquity, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The new rebuilt Library of Alexandria hopes to one day match the precedent set by its illustrious predecessor. The Library cost $220 million to build and was completed in 2002. The Library doubles as a cultural center, and contains a planetarium, a manuscript restoration lab, art galleries and exhibition space, museums, a conference center, as well as libraries for children, young adults, and the blind. While the library contains space for over 8 million books, the library growing number of available titles currently stands at around 500,000.

埃及的亚历山大图书馆曾经是世界上文物最多的图书馆，也是世界七大奇迹之一。已落成的新亚历山大图书馆正在逐步完善，期待有一天能承旧图新，重现辉煌。新馆耗资2.2亿美元建造，于2002年全部完工，其附属设施包括一个文化中心，内设天文馆、会议中心、古籍修复室，以及分别为儿童、青少年和盲人读者服务的专属图书馆。新馆的规模十分庞大，设计容量高达800万册图书，目前的藏书量有50多万。

VOCABULARY

epicenter: n. 中心

papier-mâché: n. 混凝纸；制型纸

antiquity: n. 古迹；文物

planetarium: n. 天文馆