一年连续69天极昼，这座小岛要“废除时间”，世界首个“零时区”地区会诞生吗？
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01
“每天都感觉时间不够用，如果白天很长，就能有很多时间来做自己喜欢的事情了。” 你是否曾有过这样的想法？
英雄所见略同
这个疯狂的想法，最初由岛民Hveding提出，他还提交了请愿书，请愿书里要求“废除时间”，或者至少在他们居住的岛上“废除时间”。
△Sommarøy岛
02
“You have to go to work, and even after work, the clock takes up your time,” Hveding said. “
“你白天不得不去工作，下班后，你仍然要被时钟套牢。” Hveding如是说。
Although the concept of getting rid of time sounds far-fetched to outsiders, Hveding said that residents of Sommarøy —an Island, at a latitude of 69.6° N, one of the northernmost settlements in the world— have been going about their day however they want for generations.
尽管“抛弃时间”的想法在外人看来太过牵强，但是对于Sommarøy岛（位于北纬69.6度，世界上最北的人居地）的居民来说，他们很多代人的生活方式里早已把“时间”置之度外，Hveding 说。
△Google地图上Sommarøy的位置
The petition, he argued, would only put in writing what the town’s people have already been doing for years. And this has a lot to do with how the world’s standard time frame applies — or perhaps more fittingly does not apply — in this part of the globe.
Hveding说，这个提议只是把岛上居民早已经在做的事情以书面形式确定下来。主要是因为世界范围内使用的统一的时间框架并不适用于Sommarøy岛。
Sommarøy, which translates to “summer island,” boasts white sand beaches that are popular with tourists. But what really sets the island apart is how time works there. From November to January, the sun doesn’t rise at all, and for 69 days — from May 18 to July 27 – it doesn’t set.
Sommarøy是“夏之岛”的意思，它以白沙滩闻名，但是真正让这座岛区别于其它地方的，是这里的作息时间。每年从11月到次年1月，太阳从不升起，而从5月18日到7月27日这69天里，太阳又一直不落下。
The never-ending sunlight has had a peculiar effect on the island’s residents.
“极昼”对岛上居民的生活产生了特殊的影响。
“In the middle of the night, which city folk might call ‘2 a.m.,’ you can spot children playing soccer, people painting their houses or mowing their lawns, and teens going for a swim.”
午夜时分，市民也称之为凌晨2点，你可能会看到孩子们在踢球，大人在粉刷房子或者修理草坪，年轻人去游泳。
Through the campaign to establish a “time-free zone” on the island, residents hope to officially introduce flexible hours of school and work.
通过在岛上实行“无时区”的运动，居民们希望政府对上学和工作的时间进行弹性设置。
△Sommarøy居民撕时钟
03
The concept of abolishing time is certainly appealing, but many observers have questioned how practical it would be to apply to aspects of public life that rely on the rigidity of time and clocks. For instance, public transportation, schools, and even grocery stores could get chaotic without having a proper schedule.
“废除时间”对于岛民来说确实吸引力很大，但很多外部人士也表示，对于严格依赖时间管理的公共生活，这是否太不切实际。例如，公共交通、学校、甚至杂货店，如果没有合理的作息安排，可能会乱套。
Then there’s the matter of whether it’s even biologically possible to maintain a timeless lifestyle. According to an assistant professor of animal science who specializes in circadian rhythm, a time-free existence would be unnatural.
另外就是人们生理上是否能适应“时间缺失”的生活方式。根据一位专门研究生物周期学的助理教授的研究，“时间缺失”的生活方式可能不符合自然规律。
△人体昼夜节律
“One does not need to be put into a box,” Hveding said. “Our goal is to provide full flexibility, 24/7. If you want to cut the lawn at 4 a.m., then you do it.
Hveding说：“人不需要像物品一样被放在时间的盒子里，我们的目的是在一周七天、每天24小时里拥有完全弹性的作息。如果你想在凌晨4点钟修剪草皮，那就去吧。“
作者：Natasha Ishak
翻译整理：Flora Fang
如果政府通过了岛民的提议，你是否愿意居住在这座小岛上呢？住在那里，你想象中的生活会是怎样的？欢迎留言谈谈。
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英 语 相 伴
偶然关注 . 一直喜欢