Norway Islanders Want to Go ‘Time-Free’

 

Many people who live on Norway’s far-northern island of Sommaroey are campaigning to go “time-free.”

They note that between May and July, the sun does not set there for 69 days. To enjoy the bright summer months, they would like to ignore traditional business hours. For example, stores would be open when people are there to work at them. Schools would operate when teachers and students are ready.

Kjell Ove Hveding is one of the local leaders of the campaign. He said the 350 people who live on the island already go mostly time-free. He said that in the summer at 2 in the morning, you might see “children playing soccer, people painting their houses or mowing² their lawns³, and teens going for a swim.”

To show their feelings about time, many islanders take off their watches. They leave them on a bridge that connects the island to the mainland⁴.

Earlier this month, Hveding met with a Norwegian lawmaker. He presented a formal request signed by people who live on the island. The request asked the government to declare the area a “time-free zone.”

Hveding noted⁵ that he understands going completely time-free would be too complex in a world that operates on schedules. And, as an article in the Smithsonian magazine says, people’s health depends on keeping a usual rhythm⁶ of being asleep and being awake.

But Hveding argues that letting go of time limits can also be good for people. He said the time-free proposal⁷ would permit the islanders to get used to the daylight and feel more calm.

“The idea is also to chill⁸ out,” he said. “I have seen people suffering from stress because they were pressed by time.”

Since the people of Sommaroey made their proposal, other northern towns have reportedly supported similar ideas for their areas, too.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

mow¹ - v. to cut grass with a machine or a blade⁹

teen - n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

zone - n. an area that is different from other areas in a particular way

rhythm - n. a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements

chill out - v. to become more relaxed : to become less tense, anxious, or angry

stress - n. something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety

1 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

2 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 lawns   

n.草地，草坪( lawn的名词复数 )；上等细棉布（或麻布）

参考例句：

• carefully tended lawns set in a girdle of trees 树木环绕、精心修整的草坪
• Every one was moving their lawns. 大家都在割自家草坪上的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 mainland   

n.大陆，本土

参考例句：

• The new bridge will link the island to the mainland.新的桥梁将把该岛与大陆连接在一起。
• Hong Kong's prosperity relies heavily on mainland.香港的繁荣在很大程度上依赖于大陆。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 rhythm   

n.韵律；节奏

参考例句：

• He has an ear for the rhythm of Irish speech.他对爱尔兰语的节奏很敏感。
• His poem has a pleasing rhythm.他的诗有和谐的韵律。

7 proposal   

n.提议，建议；求婚

参考例句：

• I feel that we ought to accept his proposal.我觉得我们应该接受他的建议。
• They could not gain over anyone to support their proposal.他们无法争取到支持他们建议的人。

8 chill   

vt.使变冷，使冷却，使沮丧；n.寒冷，风寒

参考例句：

• With the chill factor,it's nearly minus forty here.加上风寒指数，气温接近零下40度。
• The bad news cast a chill over the whole family.这坏消息使全家人感到沮丧。

9 blade   

n.刀刃，刀片；叶片

参考例句：

• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
• He is a good blade.他剑术高明。