We didn’t expect to hear anything after sending in our form, knowing that tens of thousands apply, but a week later we had a Zoom interview. That was basically Billy telling us we’d be mad to do it, going to an island with no electricity or hot water. But we’re used to simple living, and the more Billy described it the more we wanted this once-in-a-lifetime experience. About two weeks later, we were offered the job.
递交申请表后，我们没指望会有什么消息，因为知道有好几万人申请，但一周后我们参加了Zoom面试。面试基本上是Billy在告诉我们，去这个没有电和热水的岛会很疯狂。但我们习惯了简朴的生活，Billy描述得越详细，我们越想要这次千载难逢的体验。大约两周后，我们得到了这份工作。
On 1 April we arrived on the uninhabited windswept island. Guests rent the traditional cottages between April and the end of September, after which the seas are too rough to get here. The last islanders left in 1953 because of a lack of access to emergency services. After just a few days here, we understood what it must have been like for them: Storm Kathleen arrived and marooned us alone for 12 days, as no boats were able to dock.
4月1日，我们登上了这座无人居住、常年受狂风侵袭的岛屿，每年4月至9月底，会有游客租用这些传统小屋；这段时间之后，海面风浪过大，便无法抵达这里了。1953年，由于缺乏应急服务，最后一批岛民离开了这里。我们在岛上只待了几天，就真切体会到当年岛民们的处境 —— 凯瑟琳风暴来袭，船只无法靠岸，我们被困在岛上整整12天，身边再无他人。
We weren’t too worried, though, and it was a special time. Most days were dry, and hundreds of undisturbed seals lay on the sandy beach. There’s a colony of 2,000 seals with sharks, whales and dolphins nearby. Seabirds screeched eerily at night and rested on the back hill during the day. Sheep wandered along our cliff walks. Rabbits and hares passed by.
不过我们并没太担心，那段时光反而十分特别。大多数日子天气干燥，数百只未受惊扰的海豹躺在沙滩上。岛上有一个 2000 只左右的海豹群，周边海域还生活着鲨鱼、鲸鱼和海豚。海鸟夜里会发出诡异的尖叫，白天则在岛后的小山上休息。我们沿着悬崖步道行走时，会看到绵羊四处游荡，兔子和野兔也会从身边跑过。
Our cottage is cosy, with a stove and photos of previous islanders dotted around. There’s a small wind turbine with enough power to charge a phone, but no fridge or freezer.
我们住的小屋很舒适，里面有一个炉子，四处还点缀着以往岛民的照片。岛上有一台小型风力发电机，发电量仅够给手机充电，至于冰箱或冰柜，则一台也没有。
After the storm, we settled into a rhythm of seeing visitors, helping with the cottages and meeting Alice and Billy on their boat at the pier to collect fresh groceries. We have breakfast looking over the kitchen half-door, watching the seals move with the tide. Most evenings we watch spectacular sunsets.
风暴过后，我们渐渐适应了规律的生活：接待游客、帮忙打理小屋，以及到码头接爱丽丝和比利 —— 他们会乘船从大陆带来新鲜的日用品。我们吃早餐时，会透过厨房的半截门向外望去，看着海豹随着潮水移动。大多数傍晚，我们都会欣赏壮丽的日落。
In May, we saw the northern lights. They were magical – there’s no light pollution here. It was 1am when we saw the sky light up purple, with shades of bright pink and green. Every day in June, as a challenge, we swam in the very cold Atlantic Ocean. In August, shepherds came from the mainland to shear the island’s 300 or so sheep.
5月，我们看到了北极光。那景象十分奇妙 —— 因为这里完全没有光污染。当时是凌晨 1 点，我们看到夜空被染成紫色，还夹杂着亮粉色与绿色的光晕。6月里，我们每天都挑战在冰冷的大西洋中游泳。8月，来自大陆的牧羊人登上岛屿，给岛上大约300只绵羊剪毛。
Some evenings, we invite the cottage guests to join us round a fire pit. Indoors, when it’s dark, we use tealights, head torches, firelight and candles, with the stove for heat. We’re reading books by islanders, including Peig. We speak a decent amount of Irish, and sometimes speak it with locals and international visitors wanting to practise theirs, even if it’s just asking for cupán tae in the caifé.
有些晚上，我们会邀请住小屋的游客一起围坐在篝火旁。天黑后在室内，我们就用小蜡烛、头灯、炉火和普通蜡烛照明，靠炉子取暖。我们正在读岛民写的书，其中就包括《佩格》。我们的爱尔兰语说得还不错，有时会和当地居民以及想练习爱尔兰语的外国游客用这种语言交流，哪怕只是在咖啡馆里说一句 “来杯茶（爱尔兰语：cupán tae）”。
The time is flying by, and we leave on 1 October. We’ll be sad to go, but we’ll try to make it back here every year for the rest of our lives. Applications to replace us will now be capped at 300. Our advice to anyone thinking of applying? Go for it.
时间过得飞快，我们将于10月1日离开这里。虽然离开会很不舍，但我们尽量以后每年都回到这里。如今，申请接替我们岗位的人数上限已设为300人。对于所有正在考虑申请的人，我们的建议是：大胆去尝试吧。
（文章来源：www.theguardian.com，内容有删改）
这种“远离现代便利、亲近自然”的主题，正是高考英语阅读理解的经典选材方向。例如，2023年全国乙卷阅读理解B篇，讲述风景摄影师在魔鬼湖等地探索与拍摄自然景观的经历，展现了在自然探索中直面挑战、感受自然之美的过程；2022年全国甲卷语法填空，聚焦一位盲人徒步穿越古丝绸之路时沿途收集垃圾的故事，体现了在亲近自然的旅程中践行环保、传递责任的担当；而文中Darren和“我”在无电无热水的荒岛值守，与海豹、极光为伴的经历，同样以真实体验诠释了在简朴生活中与自然和谐共处的意义。
这些文章均围绕个人自然体验、环境保护、生活方式等新课标核心话题展开，既传递了对自然的敬畏与热爱，也考查了学生在真实语境中的文本理解与价值感知能力。
今天，我们以这篇外刊为原型，改编了一篇阅读理解，看看你能否读出高考要考的逻辑与思维。
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