When Giovanna Marras opens the door to her home in Bolotana, a mountain village in central Sardinia, her eyes are bright with curiosity as she sizes up(打量；评估) her visitors. Her sister, Mariangela, peeks out too, soon ushering(引领；招待) her guests inside and handing out dishes of ice-cream. The sisters are full of life(充满活力), talking animatedly(兴致勃勃地). Giovanna is 101 and Mariangela is 99.
当乔万娜·马拉斯打开她在博洛塔纳的家门时，她眼中闪烁着好奇的光芒，打量着来访者。博洛塔纳是撒丁岛中部的一个山村。她的妹妹玛丽安杰拉也探出头来，很快就把客人迎进屋，端上一碟碟冰淇淋。姐妹俩充满活力，谈笑风生。乔万娜101岁，玛丽安杰拉99岁。
Sitting in their living room, Giovanna swiftly recaps(扼要重述) her life story: she excelled(表现优异) at school before moving to Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island, at 18 to train as a seamstress(女裁缝). The sisters went on to(接着做；进而) run a successful tailoring(裁缝业；成衣) business in Bolotana before travelling the world after retirement. Neither married.
坐在客厅里，乔万娜迅速回顾了自己的人生故事：她上学时成绩优异，18岁搬到意大利撒丁岛的首府卡利亚里，接受裁缝培训。姐妹俩后来在博洛塔纳经营了一家成功的裁缝店，退休后周游世界。两人都终身未婚。
“Someone did come to the house and ask my parents for my hand in marriage,” Giovanna said. “I told them to tell him to go away – I mean, a woman should at least know her future husband.” Mariangela is equally as feisty(泼辣的；好强的) in her response. “I didn’t want to get married … I walk my own path(走自己的路), I don’t need support.”
“确实有人上门向我父母提亲，”乔万娜说。“我让他们告诉他走开——我的意思是，一个女人至少应该认识自己未来的丈夫。”玛丽安杰拉的回应同样泼辣。“我不想结婚……我走自己的路，不需要依靠。”