2026年考研英语二阅读 Text 4 原文翻译及答案解析

In 2023, Chicago lost one of its most beloved street festivals. The Silver Room Block Party, staged by Hyde Park community leader Eric Williams, announced it would not return in 2024. What began as a small neighborhood gathering blossomed into a massive cultural event, welcoming tens of thousands of people each year over nearly two decades before abruptly shutting down.

2023年，芝加哥失去了其最受欢迎的街头节日之一。由海德公园社区领袖埃里克·威廉姆斯举办的银室街区派对宣布不会在2024年回归。这个最初的小型社区聚会发展成了一个庞大的文化活动，在近二十年里每年欢迎数万人，然后突然关闭。

Williams pointed to rising production costs and declining attendee donations as primary reasons the Silver Room Block Party could not continue, highlighting a reality that all street festival organizers face right now. The cost of producing a street festival in Chicago has skyrocketed. Security, entertainment, portable restrooms, insurance and even basics such as fencing and staffing have all become significantly more expensive. At the same time, donations at festival gates have dropped dramatically.

威廉姆斯指出制作成本上升和参会者捐赠减少是银室街区派对无法继续的主要原因，突显了所有街头节日组织者当前面临的现实。在芝加哥举办街头节日的成本飙升。安保、娱乐、便携式厕所、保险甚至基本设施如围栏和人员都已变得显著昂贵。同时，节日入口的捐赠大幅下降。

Chicago's summer festivals are about more than just entertainment; they are economic engines that directly benefit the neighborhoods they're in and the city of Chicago as a whole. Street festivals drive foot traffic to local businesses and foster the kind of cultural vibrancy that makes our city special.

芝加哥的夏日节日不仅仅关乎娱乐；它们是经济引擎，直接惠及所在社区和整个芝加哥市。街头节日推动了当地商业的人流量，并培育了使我们城市独特的那种文化活力。

We often hear people ask why we solicit donations at our entry points, especially when the city's largest festivals like the Chicago Jazz Festival do not request donations. The fact is, unlike those large, city-produced music festivals, your neighborhood street festivals receive no city funding and rely on a combination of sponsorships, vendor fees and gate donations to cover their costs.

我们经常听到人们问为什么我们在入口点征集捐赠，特别是当芝加哥爵士音乐节等城市最大的节日不请求捐赠时。事实是，与那些大型、由城市制作的音乐节日不同，你所在的社区街头节日没有城市资金支持，依靠赞助商、供应商费用和入口捐赠的组合来覆盖成本。

Wicker Park Fest has long been one of Chicago's most anticipated summer festivals, drawing upward of 70,000 attendees for a full weekend of live indie music, local art, small business vendors and, most importantly, community connection. In 2024, Wicker Park Fest saw record-breaking attendance. Despite the turnout, gate donations reached their lowest point in our history. This year, we've been forced to scale back the footprint of the fest. We are eliminating a stage, booking fewer performers and making additional cuts to reduce our costs, all while striving to keep the festival as vibrant as ever, as supportive of local artists and businesses, and as true to Wicker Park's unique spirit and reputation as festgoers have come to expect.

威克公园节长期以来一直是芝加哥最受期待的夏日节日之一，吸引了超过7万名参会者参加一整个周末的现场独立音乐、当地艺术、小型企业供应商，最重要的是社区连接。2024年，威克公园节创下了出席人数纪录。尽管如此，入口捐赠降至我们历史上的最低点。今年，我们被迫缩减节日的规模。我们正在取消一个舞台，预订更少的表演者，并进行额外削减以降低成本，同时努力保持节日一如既往地充满活力，支持当地艺术家和企业，并忠实于威克公园的独特精神和声誉，正如参会者所期望的那样。

This summer, as you enjoy your favorite neighborhood street festival, I hope you'll remember that they exist because of community support. A thriving summer festival season doesn't happen by accident; it happens when we all chip in.

这个夏天，当你享受你最喜欢的社区街头节日时，我希望你能记住它们的存在是因为社区的支持。一个繁荣的夏日节日季节不会偶然发生；它发生在我们所有人都贡献一份力量的时候。