苏格兰人拯救岛屿

齐现云

主題语境：灾害与防范 篇幅：345词 建议用时：6分钟

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

2 If 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 determinedby the light， the weather and Caledonian MacBraynes ferry timetable. You justneed a planning mind.

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

4 In recent years， though， thinking ahead has come to mean something new. The populationnow stands at around 225， and they've been trying to form a plan to ensure the com?munity's survival. But time is limited， and if they cant attract more young people to GreatBernera soon—and make it a suitable place for families to live， work and raise children—island life will disappear.

5 For generations， the sea provided people on Great Bernera with a living. It was oncea 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 schoolclosed—there were only six pupils. The Post Office recently closed too. Meanwhile， theonce busy dock is now quiet. These days， among those islanders still of employable age，finding work is a struggle.

6 Since 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.

 ReadingCheck

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.

 LanguageStudy

Ⅰ. 日積月累

closuren. 暂时封闭

thrivingadj. 繁荣的

dockn. 码头

profitableadj. 有利润的

employableadj. 具备受雇条件的

recruitv. 招募；组建

ferry route 渡船路线

set in （不好的事情）开始；到来

Ⅱ. 单句填空

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.