Is Orkney the best place to live in the UK? 瞭解英國 “最宜居的地方”：奧克尼群島

由蘇格蘭哈利法克斯銀行（The Halifax Bank of Scotland）發佈的一份年度調查報告顯示，蘇格蘭奧克尼群島位列英國最宜居地區排行榜首。但這裡的生活是否真的完美無缺？

文字稿

The archipelago, which lies ten miles off Scotland’s north coast, is famed for its spectacular landscapes and archaeological treasures. It is home to just 22,000 people, spread over 20 inhabitable islands.

這個群島位於蘇格蘭北岸十英裡（約 16 公裡）外，以其壯觀的景色和考古學珍寶而聞名。這裡隻居住著 2.2 萬人，分佈在 20 多個適於居住的島嶼上。

Orkney has high employment levels. Almost nine out of ten people aged between 16 and 64 are in work. The crime rate is low, more than seven times lower than the Scottish average.

奧克尼的就業率較高。年齡在 16 到 64 歲之間的人，每十人當中就有近九人有工作。這裡的犯罪率低，比蘇格蘭平均水平低七倍多。

But there may also be some scepticism based largely on what reports like this tend not to ask about: the cost of living, reliability of transport links, robustness of digital connectivity and levels of fuel poverty.

但可能人們仍持懷疑態度，主要是基於這類報告往往不會問及的問題：生活成本、交通網絡的可靠性、數字連通的穩健性和燃料匱乏程度。

1. 詞匯

archipelago 群島
famed for 以…聞名
spectacular 壯觀的
landscapes 景色
archaeological 考古學的
inhabitable 可居住的
employment levels 就業水平
crime rate 犯罪率
scepticism 懷疑（態度）
cost of living 生活成本
reliability 可靠性
transport links 交通網絡
robustness 穩健性
digital connectivity 數字連通
fuel poverty 燃料匱乏

2. 閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。

1. True or false? Orkney has low unemployment levels.

2. What is Orkney known for?

3. What may be some of the difficulties of living on this island, according to the text?

4. Which word in the text means ‘the ordinary or usual standard of something’?

3. 答案

1. True or false? Orkney has low unemployment levels.
True. Orkney has high employment levels, which means it has low unemployment levels.

2. What is Orkney known for?
It is famed for its spectacular landscapes and archaeological treasures.

3. What may be some of the difficulties of living on this island, according to the text?
Some of the difficulties of living on this island may be the cost of living, reliability of transport links, robustness of digital connectivity and levels of fuel poverty.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the ordinary or usual standard of something’?
Average.