The Scottish locals fighting to save their island

山東 齊現云

赫布里底群島位于蘇格蘭西部外海，這里曾經繁榮昌盛，現在卻一片蕭條……

主題語境：災害與防范 篇幅：345詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1I was from London to the edge of the Hebrides.It was late spring but there was snow on the runway at Inverness.The road from the airport to Ullapool,on the west coast of Scotland, was icy and at risk of closure.The ferry route had been down for 36 hours and counting.That night, the next morning's sailings were canceled and the islanders said the extreme weather would shift by lunchtime.

2If you live three hours' drive from mainland Britain, in the middle of the North Atlantic, this is easy to understand.On Great Bernera, a tiny Hebridean island, your days are determined by the light, the weather and Caledonian MacBrayne's ferry timetable.You just need a planning mind.

3Planning ahead is a fixed habit on this island.To an outsider, life here could sound slow, but it isn't; it's rigorous (嚴格的).It has to be.Otherwise, roofs would stay leaky, vegetables would wither and dry food supplies would run low just as a week-long storm sets in.

4In recent years, though, thinking ahead has come to mean something new.The population now stands at around 225, and they've been trying to form a plan to ensure the community's survival.But time is limited, and if they can't attract more young people to Great Bernera soon—and make it a suitable place for families to live, work and raise children—island life will disappear.

5For generations, the sea provided people on Great Bernera with a living.It was once a thriving community of fishermen, with its green waters full of fish.It's very different today: most islanders are approaching or well beyond retirement age.Last year, the school closed—there were only six pupils.The Post Office recently closed too.Meanwhile, the once busy dock is now quiet.These days, among those islanders still of employable age,finding work is a struggle.

6Since the 1990s, fishing has become less profitable.The farms struggled to get staff,losing workers to the mainland and to Stornoway, where an engineering firm was recruiting.It led to a population loss.

Reading Check

1.Why does the author introduce his trip in paragraph 1?

A.To present his love for the island.

B.To explain his hard time in London.

C.To show the impact of extreme weather.

D.To prove the risks of travelling in spring.

2.How do the islanders deal with potential storms?

A.By freezing vegetables in advance.

B.By preparing fully ahead of time.

C.By noticing weather forecasts.

D.By fixing roofs after storms.

3.What can we Know about Great Bernera from paragraph 4?

A.There is no need to save the island.

B.The island life will surely disappear.

C.The island should attract more retirees.

D.The locals should save their island in time.

4.What makes the island fall behind according to the text?

A.Lack of technology and engineering firms.

B.Increasing retirees and decreasing tourists.

C.Bad weather and the falling fishing industry.

D.Poor transportation and living conditions.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日積月累

closuren.暫時封閉

thrivingadj.繁榮的

dockn.碼頭

profitableadj.有利潤的

employableadj.具備受雇條件的

recruitv.招募；組建

ferry route 渡船路線

set in (不好的事情)開始；到來

Ⅱ.單句填空

1.The flight to New York ________ (cancel) because of the storm yesterday.

2.Vegetables are easy ________ (grow) there with frequent rain.

3.Living on a small island with fewer residents ________ (be) really a tough job.

4.They are trying to make the island ________ (suit) for families to live on.

5.The islanders are engaged in ________ bitter struggle with the extreme weather.

6.The island is losing workers to the mainland, ________ there are fewer storms.