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BLACKPOOL, England — The woman on the other end of the phone spoke lightheartedly of spring and her 81st birthday the previous week. “Who did you celebrate with, Beryl?” asked Alison, whose job was to offer a kind ear. 英格兰布莱克浦——一位女士在电话里快活地聊着春暖花开，还有她上周刚度过的81岁生日。“是谁和你一起庆生的，贝柔？”艾利森问道；她的工作就是当个耐心的听众。 “No one, I …” And with that, Beryl’s cheer turned to despair. “没有人。我......”因为艾利森这句话，贝柔的情绪从快活转为低落。 Her voice began to quaver as she acknowledged that she had been alone at home not just on her birthday, but for days and days. The telephone conversation was the first time she had spoken in more than a week. 当贝柔承认自己不只生日那天独自在家，还有好一段时间都是如此，说话的声音开始颤抖。这通电话是她一个多星期以来首度与人交谈。 | 
