听力文本

That's the end of that.
这个故事讲完了。
The next story is called In Praise of the Taxpayer.
下一个故事叫作《纳税人的荣耀》。
That so many of the city's most venerable taxpayers have survived yet another commercial building boom,is cause for celebration.
这个城市里，很多受人尊崇的纳税人又逃过了一次拆旧楼建新的商业大楼浪潮的劫难。他们为此庆祝。
These one or two story structures,designed to yield only enough income to cover the taxes on the land on which they stand,were not meant to be permanent buildings.
设计这些一两层的建筑，也只期望它们获得的收入能付得起土地租金就行了，并不把它们当做这长久的建筑。
Yet for one reason or another they have confounded the efforts of developers to be combined into lots suitable for high-rise construction.
然而由于种种原因，这些低层建筑常常困扰开发商让他们不知道该如何把这些零星的点组合成一块适合高层建筑的地皮。

Although they make no claim to architectural beauty,they are, in their perfect temporariness,a delightful alternative to the large-scale structures that might someday take their place.
虽然不能说这些小楼房有什么建筑设计的美感，但是，在它们这短暂存在的这段时间里，的确是钢筋水泥高楼林立的城市中一道亮丽的风景线，尽管最终要被取代。
The most perfect examples occupy corner lots.
最突出的例子就是拐角处的小楼盘。
They offer a pleasant respite from the high-density development around them.
它们是被迅猛发展的高楼包围着的一片惬意的栖息地。
A break of light and air,
这些小楼房为这高密度的水泥森林提供缕缕阳光和清新空气，
an architectural biding of time.
它们在和时间赛跑。
So buried in signage are these structures,
这些小楼房就这样被淹没在形形色色的商标之中，
that it often takes a moment to distinguish the modern specially constructed taxpayer from its neighbor:
以至于，要把它们的应纳税款和那些，附近的特别设计的大楼房区分开来，还得花些时间。
the small commercial building from an earlier century,
这是栋上世纪的小型商业建筑。
whose upper floors have been sealed,
他们的上面几层已经被查封了。
and whose groundfloor space now functions as a taxpayer.
但是一楼还营业着，并且缴着税。

演讲介绍
这则动人演讲选自TED锦集，是漫画家Ben Katchor从他的连环漫画中选出来朗读的。这些独具风韵的超现实小故事，在电灯开关、标记牌这些小物件上找到了历史（和现代纽约）残留其中的殷切希望和种种瑕疵。