8. Life on Monhegan Island

There are 1, 613 islands off the coast of the State of Maine in the U.S.A. Monhegan Island is one of only 14 of them which are inhabited nowadays. The islanders are a closely-knit community; when they visit the mainland, they will often say that they are going “to America,” as if it were a foreign country. Going “downtown” for the local people can mean a walk of no more than 30 yards to the post office, which is all there is to “downtown,” except for two small grocery stores and a scattering of other stores that cater to the summer tourists.

In summer ferries disgorge hundreds of day-trippers, who spend a few hours hiking the 7 miles of trails, and then head home, although some linger in the half a dozen inns which are only open in the tourism season. The summer population is about 200, although day-trippers can add another 600 to 700. In the winter, a quiet and lonely time, the island population shrinks to its 65 permanent inhabitants. In the unofficial hierarchy of Monhegan, day-trippers are at the bottom of the social ladder; next come people who rent cottages for short stays, followed by the stable population of summer residents. The “aristocrats” are the year-round residents, most of whom fish for lobsters to make a living.

By November, wind and cold have stripped the island of not only leaves and most other vegetation, but of tourists too. Tap water is turned off, marking the dividing line between the locals and anyone else. Only residents, who have wells, remain. A T-shirt on sale in a store announces: “If you can’t stand the winter, you don’t deserve the summer." The wind starts to blow so furiously that the ferry service is cut back to three times a week, and often suspended altogether for weeks. The rhythm of the island shifts.

For fishermen, the year begins with December 1, or Trap Day, when lobster fishing
starts. The fishermen include some unlikely people, attracted to this remote island, where the hectic pace of the mainland seems a million miles away. For one thing, many of them boast an advanced education. Seven of the island’s lobster fishermen have college degrees. Bryan Htchcock attended Andover University, and then got a degree in business at LeHigh University. His partner Ray, who also runs the Carina Grocery (nearly everyone holds more than one job), has a degree in architecture. Altough he once worked as a freelance photographer, for the past 30 years Hitchcock has fished for lobsters. When asked why, he explained that he liked being his own boss arid not having to listen to anyone else. “If I feel like going out to catch lobsters, I go,” he said. “If not, then I don’t.” He added that another attraction is the thrill of pulling up the lobster trap and never knowing what you will find. “You may catch a blue lobster (genetic permutations produce such things),” he said, “and once I caught a half-back, half-yellow lobster.” Like the other fishermen, Hitchcock is the sort of person who likes to be independent.

Monhegan has a fiercely-won set of regulations governing lobster fishing. Some are state law, but others are based on local traditions. The Monhegan Lobster Conservation Area, limiting fishing to holders of a Monhegan license, is state law passed by the Maine legislature, but the rule that on Trap Day everybody goes out to the f shing grounds, or nobody goes out there has only the binding force of tradition. Then ti ere is the “law of the lobstermen,” where local tradition and state statutes blur. This concerns territorial claims and who has the right to obtain a state license. “If you are a lobsterman you know where you belong,” said one veteran lobster catcher.

There is a great sense of comradeship among Monhegan’s lobster fishermen. At the end of every day, the lobstermen head for Sherman D. Stanley’s Fish House. This establishment has been used as a general store, workshop and recreation center for five ge terations. “If someone does not appear here in the evening after the day’s fishing” said one Monhegan resident, “we all go out looking for him, in case he’s been irjvolved in an accident.” He added, “We’re all neighbors here, and we help each other out.”

Adapted from an article by Cathy Newman in National Geographic

Questions 1—5
The paragraph below summarizes information from the reading passage. Select ONE word from the reading passage to fill each gap. Write your answers in the spaces numbered (1)-(5) on the answer sheet.

Monhegan is one of only 14 (1)_____ islands off the coast of Maine. In the summer, most of the people on the island are (2)_____ . Apart from tourism, the island’s main industry is catching (3)_____ . It is somewhat surprising to find that many of the men engaged in this occupation have had a good (4)_____ , but no matter what their backgrounds a strong sense of (5)_____ binds them together.

Questions 6—9
Write the appropriate letter A, B, C or D in the spaces numbered 6-9 on the answer sheet.

6. The residents of Monhegan:
A. want independence from the United States.
B. are suspicious of their neighbors.
C. are eager to develop their tourism industry.
D. have a deep feeling of community.

7. Summer residents of Monhegan:
A. only visit for one day at a time.
B. are the “aristocrats” of the island.
C. number about 200.
D. are second from the top of the social ladder.

8. From November, tap water on the island:
A. is supplied only to the locals.
B. is unavailable to anyone.
C. is supplied only to non-residents.
D. is available only on the ferries.

9. Morihegan’s fishing industry is governed by:
A. three types of regulations.
B. the laws of the State of Maine.
C. Trap Day.
D. licenses.

Questions 10—13
Five sentences have been left out of the reading passage. Each sentence is divided into Beginning of Sentence and End of Sentence. Complete questions 10—13 by adding a phrase from the list A —E. Write your answers in the spaces numbered 10—13 on the answer sheet.

Example The fact that most islanders have more than one job
Answer E

Beginning of Sentence
10. The islanders take a pride in...
11. The fierce winter on Monhegan...
12. Because of the smallness of the permanent population...
13. Monhegan’s fishermen fiercely oppose...

End of Sentence
A. ... halts the flow of tourists.
B. ... selling locally made handicrafts.
C. ... outsiders fishing in Monhegan’s waters.
D. ... their distinct lifestyle.
E. ... there is no shortage of employment.


Questions 14—16
In the reading passage, some peculiar aspects of Monhegan are mentioned. Answer questions 14—16 by listing some of these aspects, using ONE word taken from the passage for each answer Write your answers in the spaces numbered 14—16 on the answer sheet.

14. Some people are attracted to Monhegan because it is _____
15. The nature of the island’s fishermen can be characterized as_____
16. One advantage of living on Monhegan is the helpfulness of _____

Answer:1-inhabited,2-day-trippers,3-lobsters,4-education,5-comradeship,6-D,7-D,8-B,9-A,10-D,11-A,12-E,13-C,14-remote,15-independent,16-neighbors

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