Rome had the Forum (论坛). London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.

   Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. And just talk.

   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.

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

   “ To see what happens,” said Liz. “ We simply enjoy life with open talk.”

   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.

   “ 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 job, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”

   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.

   Marcia had led 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.

   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 appeared, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.

   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 the two say they’ll consider before making a decision.

56. What did Liz and Bill determined to do after the attack on September 11, 2001?

   A. Telling stories to strangers.              B. Setting up street signs.

   C. Talking with people                    D. Organizing a speaker’s party.

57. What they have been doing can be described as ____________.

   A. pointless (无意义的)                     B. normal

   C. crazy                                  D. successful

58. Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the 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.

59. What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

   A. Go in for publishing                  B. Do more television programs.

   C. Continue what they are doing           D. Spend more time reading books.

60. How do they like the idea of writing a book?

   A. They have decided to wait a year or two.  B. They will think about it carefully

   C. They agreed immediately              D. They find it hard to do that.

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker's Corner. Now always–on–the-go. New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
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.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?
"To see what happens, said Liz. " We simply enjoy life with open communication."
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
【小题1】What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine (矿) explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident.

Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates (最新报道) on the rescuers’ progress.

The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a.m.—more than three hours after it happened. “It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.

The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.

At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4,800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later.

He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for 30 to 35 years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen (氧气) each. The company has not released the names of the miners.

The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to remove the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that. “We don’t want to be energizing (通电) anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High levels of carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) were detected shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided (减退), authorities said.

According to the passage, we can infer that ________.

A. all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive

B. communication with the trapped miners was cut off

C. the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time

D. the rescue started as soon as the accident happened

If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about ________ per hour.

   A. 1,000 feet          B. 2,400 feet          C. 1,200 feet         D. 4,800 feet

Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?

Where can the passage be seen?

A. In a magazine.    B. In a newspaper.    C. In a science book.         D. On an advertisement.

(陕西)Brave Frenchman Found Half?way Around the World

(NEW YORK)A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two?year?old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River.

　 Tuesday's Daily News said 29?year?old Julien Duret from France is the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.

　 He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum.He handed the girl to her father，David Anderson，who had dived in after him.

　 “I didn't think at all，”Duret told the Daily News.“It happened very fast.I reacted very fast.”

Duret，an engineer on vacation，was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(码头)when he saw something falling into the water.He thought it was a doll，but realized it was a child when he approached the river.In an instant，he took off his coat and jumped into the water.

　 When he reached the girl，she appeared lifeless，he said.Fortunately，when she was out of the water，she opened her eyes.

　 Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera.An ambulance came later for her，said Duret，who was handed dry clothes from onlookers.Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after.

The rescue happened on the day before he left for France.Duret said he didn't realize his tale of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning.

　 “I don't really think I'm a hero，”said Duret.“Anyone would do the same thing.”

67．Why was Duret in New York?

A．To meet his girlfriend.

B．To work as an engineer.

C．To spend his holiday.

D．To visit the Andersons.

68．What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?

A．He was interviewed by a newspaper.

B．He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes.

C．He went to the hospital in the ambulance.

D．He disappeared from the spot quickly.

69．Who dived after Duret into the river to save the little girl?

A．David Anderson. B．A passer?by.

C．His girlfriend. 　　　 D．A taxi driver.

70．When was Duret most probably found to be the very hero?

A．The day when he was leaving for home.

B．A couple of days after the girl was rescued.

C．The first day when he was in New York.

D．The same day when he was interviewed.

The basketball coach, as well as his team, ___interviewed shortly after the match for their outstanding performance.