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Why are they called Bookworms?
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WHEN a person is called a "bookworm", he must have something in common with other creatures. To me, a bookworm should at least have the qualities of three different insects: moths, locusts, and cabbageworms.
A bookworm loves books as much as moths love flame. Whenever a moth sees fire, it dashes into it regardless of danger. Similarly, a bookworm may bury himself into a pile of books whenever he can. Walking on the street, he is very easily drawn into a bookstore. Visiting a friend's home, he may sit in a sofa and start reading instantly if there happens to be a new book handy, even ignoring the host completely.
The love of books alone cannot make a bookworm, who also has to have read many, many books. As locusts raze entire crops, he makes the library a severely afflicted area. He vists every shelf, and touches every book. He can easily tell the contents of a book, let alone its author and publisher. And he has no difficulty in quoting famous sentences from writers.
If a person swallows lots of books without understanding their essence, I'll call him a "bookwhale" rather than a bookworm. Limited by its physical size, a cabbageworm has to eat a leaf inch by inch and digest little by little. Limited by mental capacity, a bookworm has to read a book carefully before thinking, judging and appreciating the book. If a cabbageworm has stuffed tonnes of cabbage leaves into its stomach, it will surely burst. Therefore, if one claims that he finished scores of books in one month, he is certainly not a bookworm. Perseverance is a virtue in the insect world, and a bookworm should share it.
Liu Ying
Shenzhen University
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