Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorker

Romehad the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkershave Liz and Bill.

Lizand Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole yeartrying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busystreet corners. Just talk.

Usinga 2-foot-tall sign that says, “Talk to Me, ” they attract conversationalists,who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.

Theydon’t collect money. They don’t push religion(宗教).So what’s the point?

“Tosee what happens, ” said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication. ”

Shortlyafter the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York Cityto Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people alongthe way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.

“Itstarted as a crazy idea, ” Liz said. “We were so curious about all thestrangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us aboutanything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything. ”

Denisewanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for thesecond time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.

Marciahad left her husband to a serious disease.  “That was very heavy on my mind, ” Marcia said. “To be ableto talk about it to total strangers was very good, ” she explained.

Tocelebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for allthe people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, aswell as some television cameramen and reporters.

Theymay plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informaltalks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they saythey’ll consider.

1.  What did Liz and Bill start doing afterSeptember 2001?

A.  Chatting with people.

B.  Setting up street signs.

C.  Telling stories to strangers.

D.  Organizing a speaker’s corner.

2.  What they have been doing can bedescribed as_______.

A.pointless B.normal C.crazy      D.successful

3.  Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned inthe text?

A.They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B.They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C.They organized the get-together in the city park.

D.They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

4.  What will Liz and Bill do in thefuture?

A.  Go in for publishing.

B.  Do more television programs.

C.  Continue what they are doing.

D.  Spend more time reading books.

5.  How do they like the idea of writing abook?

A.They have decided to wait a year or two.

B.They will think about it carefully.

C.They agreed immediately. [KG6]

D.They find it hard to do that.

试题答案

答案：1A2D3D4C5B