新加坡附近岛屿上的居民面临不确定的未来
📖 逐句对照翻译
A short boat ride from the wealthy city-state of Singapore is something rare – a small, quiet island.
从富裕的城邦新加坡乘船不远，就能到达一个罕见的地方——一座小而安静的岛屿。
People living on Pulau Ubin still talk about the arrival of solar power 11 years ago.
住在乌敏岛的人们至今仍在谈论11年前太阳能电力到来时的情景。
They call it a “miracle.”
他们称之为“奇迹”。
Although the electricity was expensive, Chu Yok Choon said he loved the convenience.
尽管电费昂贵，朱育春（音译）还是表示他喜欢这种便利。
He could just press a button, and a pump would send water to his home from the village well.
他只需按下一个按钮，水泵就会把水从村里的水井送到他家。
Until 2013, Chu had to carry water from the well by hand and use generators to provide electricity.
直到2013年，朱还得手工从井里打水，并使用发电机供电。
Chu is one of 30 people living on Pulau Ubin.
朱是居住在乌敏岛的30人之一。
The island measures only 10 square kilometers.
该岛面积仅10平方公里。
He spoke to Reuters recently and compared life on the island to life in Singapore, or as he calls it, the mainland.
他最近对路透社说，他把岛上的生活比作新加坡的生活，或者他称之为大陆的生活。
"Life on the mainland doesn't feel natural," said the 79-year-old.
这位79岁的老人说：“大陆上的生活让人感觉不自然。”
"Life here is quieter."
这里的生活更安静。
Pulau Ubin includes forest areas and wetlands.
乌敏岛包括森林区域和湿地。
The wetlands were once under threat from development until the plans were postponed.
这片湿地曾因开发计划而面临威胁，直到这些计划被推迟。
The island offers visitors walks along thick greenery and lakes that were formed from rock quarries.
这座岛屿为游客提供了漫步于茂密绿植间和由采石场形成的湖泊旁的机会。
They can ride bicycles on roads free of vehicles and eat seafood meals by the water's edge.
他们可以在没有车辆的道路上骑自行车，在水边享用海鲜大餐。
For those living in Singapore, the island is an escape.
对于居住在新加坡的人来说，这座岛屿是一个逃离喧嚣的好去处。
It can be reached in about 10 minutes by ferry.
乘渡轮大约10分钟即可到达。
But for those who live on the island, those ferry rides can be inconvenient.
但对于住在岛上的人来说，乘坐渡轮可能很不方便。
Trips to the mainland to buy food and other necessities can be delayed.
前往大陆购买食品和其他必需品的行程可能会被推迟。
Also, ferries can be costly.
此外，渡轮的费用可能很高。
For visits to the city, Chu said he would have to wait until the ferry filled up with 12 passengers.
楚说，要进城的话，他得等渡船载满12名乘客才能出发。
Each person pays $3.
每人付3美元。
This cost is similar to Singapore's public transportation.
这一费用与新加坡的公共交通费用相近。
But if he is in a hurry, he would have to pay $36 for the whole boat.
但如果他赶时间，就得付36美元包下整条船。
Still, the residents stay.
尽管如此，居民们还是留了下来。
They say they are enjoying a life different from the busy, stressful conditions in the city.
他们说他们享受着一种与城市里忙碌、充满压力的环境截然不同的生活。
"The energy is so fantastic," said 54-year-old Koh Bee Choo.
54岁的许美珠（音译）说：“这里的活力太棒了。”
She lives in a house on top of wooden supports that extends out over the water.
她住在一座由木桩支撑、向水面延伸出去的房子里。
"I go for morning walks and I absorb the energy in the jungle," added Koh.
许说道：“我会在早晨散步，吸收丛林中的能量。”
She lived in Singapore for nearly five years but returned to the island to run a bicycle rental shop.
她曾在新加坡生活了近五年，但后来回到岛上经营一家自行车租赁店。
While the older generation enjoys island life, their children have moved to the city after going there to attend school.
老一辈人享受海岛生活的同时，他们的子女却因上学去了城市，之后便留在了那里。
This has left an aging population.
这导致了人口老龄化。
The island's youngest residents are in their 50s.
岛上最年轻的居民也已五十多岁。
Conservation experts worry about the island's future.
保护专家担心该岛的未来。
No one is permitted to move to the island from the city.
任何人都不允许从城市搬到岛上。
In 2001, the government said the island was safe from changes until changes are required for development.
2001年，政府表示该岛在因开发需要而进行改变之前是安全的。
At the height of its popularity, almost 4,000 people lived on the island.
在其鼎盛时期，岛上居住着近4000人。
They worked in granite quarries and on farms.
他们在花岗岩采石场和农场工作。
But the largest quarry closed in 1970.
但最大的采石场于1970年关闭。
Then, many people moved to the city where a policy to develop industry grew the economy and covered a once-struggling nation in new developments, roads and factories.
随后，许多人迁往这座城市，那里一项发展工业的政策推动了经济增长，使这个曾经举步维艰的国家遍布新的开发区、道路和工厂。
A disappearing way of life
一种正在消失的生活方式
Each June for the past nine years, Singaporean officials have celebrated "Ubin Day."
过去九年来，每年六月，新加坡官员都会庆祝“乌敏岛日”。
The goal is to help people value and love the island's heritage and ecosystem, the National Parks Board says on its website.
国家公园局在其网站上表示，目标是帮助人们珍视并热爱这座岛屿的遗产与生态系统。
Games and enrichment booths mark the celebration.
游戏和丰富多样的摊位构成了庆祝活动的亮点。
So do plans for the island's future.
岛屿的未来规划也是如此。
In 1991, the government stopped a plan to extend the subway to the island.
1991年，政府停止了一项将地铁延伸至该岛的计划。
Now there are talks about saving the island for future generations.
现在人们正在讨论为子孙后代保护这座岛屿。
But there will come a day when no one will live there anymore.
但总有一天，那里将不再有人居住。
"The old people have died off, one by one…,” said Chu.
楚说：“老人们一个接一个地去世了……”
He told Reuters that young people do not want to stay.
他告诉路透社，年轻人不想留下来。
Koh said she hoped officials would let more people stay in guesthouses.
Koh表示，她希望官员们能让更多人留在宾馆里。
"Not the high-end ones but the kampung-type," she added, using the Malay term for a village.
“不是高端的那种，而是乡村型的，”她补充道，用了马来语中表示村庄的词。
Lim Csye See is a 69-year-old who runs a bicycle rental shop.
林财喜是一位69岁的自行车租赁店老板。
Lim said he did not want the island to become like Sentosa, Singapore’s theme park island which is crowded with costly hotels and homes.
林说，他不希望这个岛屿变成像新加坡的圣淘沙那样，到处都是昂贵酒店和住宅的拥挤主题公园岛。
"If this place becomes like Sentosa, then that's the end," said Lim.
林说：“如果这个地方变得像圣淘沙一样，那就完了。”
I’m Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥。
Xinghui Kok reported this story for Reuters.
邢慧·郭为路透社报道了此事。
Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
安娜·马特奥为VOA英语学习频道改编了此内容。
