2004年高考英语全国卷2 - 阅读理解A

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker' s Comer. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
罗马有论坛，伦敦有演讲角，现在，整日奔波的纽约人有莉兹和比尔。

Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 2Os, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands d people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. Just talk.
莉兹和比尔是两位20出头的大学毕业生，他们花了整整一年的时间想让数千人在地铁站和繁忙的街角与他们交谈，只是交谈。

Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
他们用一个2英尺高的牌子，上面写着：“和我说话”，吸引健谈的人，一天晚上，来了一名精神病患者和穿着西装的男子。

They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?
他们不收钱，不宣扬宗教 ，那是为什么呢？

"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication."
“看看会发生什么，”丽兹说，“我们只是通过开放的交流来享受生活"。

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
2001年911攻击后不久，他们决定从纽约步行270英里至华盛顿。他们发现自己喜欢一路上与人交谈，并希望返回来后继续与陌生人交谈。

"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
“这开始于一个疯狂的想法， ” 利兹说， “我们好奇于路过的陌生人和他们的生活经历，他们会跟我们讲任何事情：他们的工作、衣服、童年经验、任何事情”。

Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
丹尼斯想谈谈她要参加的考试。她两天内第二次来这里，让两位听众知道事情进展如何。

Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
玛西娅的丈夫死于重病。“我心情非常沉重，能够和完全陌生的人谈论这件事感觉非常好”，玛西娅这样解释。

To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
为庆祝一年的交谈，两人在一个城市公园为去年他们遇到过的所有人举行了一次聚会。数百人到场，还有一些电视摄像师和记者。

They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
他们可能会计划更多的聚会，或吸引更多的人加入他们的非正式会谈。一些出版商对出书感兴趣，他们说他们会考虑。