The Darkest Island

In a city, there are lights from cars and lamps all around. Many houses have lights on, and some businesses keep their lights on all night for safety reasons. By keeping lights on, people can see the roads well and feel relieved at night.

However, others find it ( 18 ). When the night is too bright, the light can disturb people’s sleep. Additionally, the lives of animals are often in danger.

Nowadays, such problems are caused by what is called “light pollution,” and it poses a challenge for almost every city in the world.

The people living in Sark, a small island near southern England, have done a lot to deal with this problem. They wanted to prevent their community from being bright with lights. Therefore, people cannot ( 19 ) on the streets of Sark.

With no cars, there is no need to place streetlights for safe driving. Walking and riding horses and bicycles are allowed when going somewhere. They buy lights when they really need them. However, they make sure to point lights to the ground.

On the island known for its amazingly dark skies, people can see beautiful stars. This has attracted many people from all over the world. The number of people who visit the island is increasing. Surprisingly, as many as 60,000 tourists come to the island every year. ( 20 ), the island’s population is getting smaller. The authority began to look for 500 new residents. They will probably face a new problem when new people arrive on this dark sky island.

Surprisingly, as many as 60,000 tourists come to the island every year. (20), the island’s population is getting smaller.

「驚くことに、年間6万人もの観光客がこの島を訪れている。(20)、島の人口は減少している。」

前文で観光客が多く訪れるというポジティブな事実に続き、「島の人口が減っている」というネガティブな事実が示されています。これは対比関係を示す語句が適切です。

• In contrast「それに対して」(〇適切な対比表現)
• In other words「言い換えると」(✕同じ意味を別の言葉で説明する時に使う)
• In the end「結局は、最終的に」(✕結果や結論を述べる時に使う)
• In a word「一言で言えば」(✕要約を表す時に使う)