第二次和現(xiàn)象級(jí)英語(yǔ)小伙伴組隊(duì)賞析經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人，其中1-3段來(lái)自荊棘海(背景信息from燦燦)，4-5段來(lái)自燦燦，6-7段來(lái)自0，8-9段來(lái)自王大冠，10-12段來(lái)自Zeroun。
How Japan’s prime minister plans to cope with daunting demography
The reforms he has in mind are not bold enough
How Japan’s prime minister plans to cope with daunting demography
大標(biāo)題：日本首相將會(huì)如何應(yīng)對(duì)本國(guó)令人氣餒的人口問(wèn)題
The reforms he has in mind are not bold enough
小標(biāo)題：他籌劃中的改革方案不夠大膽
正副標(biāo)題中我們可以看出來(lái)daunting和bold是一組反義詞，我們先來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)一下daunting，這個(gè)詞表示令人氣餒的、嚇人的，與后面demography連用讓人感到人口下降這件事有點(diǎn)細(xì)思恐極。而小標(biāo)題中的bold為勇敢和敢于冒險(xiǎn)之意，兩個(gè)標(biāo)題一對(duì)比，令人更加體會(huì)到面對(duì)令人恐慌的人口問(wèn)題時(shí)，安倍首相給出的改革措施實(shí)在有點(diǎn)過(guò)于保守。
這里可以學(xué)習(xí)一下兩個(gè)表達(dá)：
1.daunting：adj. frightening in a way that makes you feel less confident.表示使人氣餒，讓人變得不自信、望而卻步的意思。
例句：The trip seemed rather daunting for a young girl.
2.cope with：這個(gè)動(dòng)詞短語(yǔ)表示應(yīng)對(duì)、處理，to succeed in dealing with a difficult problem or situation，可以作為deal with，handle，manage等的同義替換詞。
例句：She feared she wouldn’t be able to cope with two new babies.
Paragraph 1：
①“THE DECLINE of the birth rate and the ageing of Japanese society is accelerating at unprecedented speed,” warns Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister.②Given the scale of the problem, he told The Economist this week, the government must push for “impactful policies” to tackle it right away. ③He mentions a series of reforms, intended to boost the workforce and reduce the cost of supporting the elderly. ④The Diet is currently debating a government proposal to admit 345,000 foreign workers over five years, for instance.
段落解析：
面對(duì)日趨嚴(yán)重的日本的出生率低和人口老齡化問(wèn)題，日本首相安倍晉三希望推出有力的應(yīng)對(duì)措施，刺激勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)并減少對(duì)老齡人口的服務(wù)開(kāi)支。此外，日本國(guó)會(huì)現(xiàn)正在對(duì)一項(xiàng)五年內(nèi)引進(jìn)超過(guò)30萬(wàn)的外國(guó)勞動(dòng)力提案進(jìn)行辯論。
詞句精讀：
1.accelerate：v（及物）表示加速，釋義為if a process accelerates or if something accelerates it, it happens faster than usual or sooner than you expect，后面經(jīng)常與speed、rate等表示速度的詞連用，文中“THE DECLINE of the birth rate and the ageing of Japanese society is accelerating at unprecedented speed”就表示日本的出生下降率和老齡化正在以前所未有的速度上升著。
2.unprecedented：adj. never having happened before, or never having happened so much 中文可以翻譯為空前的，前所未有的，與unusual是近義詞。這個(gè)詞來(lái)源于precedent，表示先例。
例句：Crime has increased on an unprecedented scale .
CNN就出過(guò)一本關(guān)于川普的書(shū)，書(shū)名叫Unprecedented：The election that changed everything，聯(lián)想到川普的種種駭人言論，這個(gè)單詞是不是很容易就記住了？
3.Given the scale of the problem…：given這個(gè)詞非常好用，在這里表示鑒于、考慮到，可以與considering做同義替換，后面可與名詞連接，也可接that引導(dǎo)的從句，在文中就表示，考慮到問(wèn)題的嚴(yán)重程度…。
例句：Given that the patients have some disabilities, we still try to enable them to be as independent as possible.
4.tackle：v（及物）表示處理、解決，to try to deal with a difficult problem，與前面標(biāo)題中的cope with同樣可做同義替換，后面可以直接跟名詞，比如：tackle the problem/issue；或者連接程度副詞，比如tackle directly；還可以與with或about連用，比如：When I tackled Susan about it, she admitted she’d made a mistake.
背景信息補(bǔ)充：（此段由燦燦提供）
Diet，名詞，常用釋義“飲食”，這里是指“議會(huì)”，a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan). 日本議會(huì)是Diet，英國(guó)/加拿大議會(huì)是Parliament，美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)是Congress。比如說(shuō)，日本的議會(huì)相當(dāng)于美國(guó)的國(guó)會(huì)，就可以說(shuō)：The Diet in Japan corresponds to the American Congress.應(yīng)用最近“每日一詞”學(xué)習(xí)的equivalent，可以說(shuō)“The Diet is the Japanese equivalent of the American Congress”。
從詞源角度來(lái)看，Diet(議會(huì))源自中世紀(jì)拉丁語(yǔ)的dieta，其有兩個(gè)意思，“parliamentary assembly 議會(huì)”和“daily food allowance 每天的食物津貼”，最初源自古希臘語(yǔ)的diaita，意思是“way of living 生活方式”，也即“diet 日常飲食”,"regular (daily) work 定期(每日)工作"。Diet這個(gè)詞之所以表示“會(huì)議”這個(gè)意思，是因?yàn)闀?huì)議是在每日的基礎(chǔ)上進(jìn)行的。日本議會(huì)Diet也是沿用德國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)，明治憲法（Meiji Constitution）深受德意志(普魯士)的影響(the heavy Prussian influence)。
Paragraph 2
①That sounds dramatic, but the demographic decline is even bigger. ②There are 400,000 more deaths than births each year.③Life expectancy is 84 years—the highest in the world. ④Over 28% of the population is older than 65, compared with 21% in Germany, 15% in America and 6% in India.⑤The country has 69,785 centenarians, a seven-fold increase on two decades ago.
段落解析：
本段承接上文，雖然五年內(nèi)引進(jìn)30萬(wàn)勞動(dòng)力像是個(gè)夸張的數(shù)字，但日本人口問(wèn)題卻更為夸張。并用數(shù)字舉例說(shuō)明了日本老齡化的嚴(yán)重程度。
詞句精讀：
1.Life expectancy：表示預(yù)期壽命，是一個(gè)專(zhuān)有名詞，可以形容人、動(dòng)物或者用品。expectancy這個(gè)詞是期待的意思，the feeling that something pleasant or exciting is going to happen。
expectancy這個(gè)詞在經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)領(lǐng)域應(yīng)用廣泛，比如說(shuō)：
expectancy of value：期望值
expectancy theory：期望理論
expectancy effect：期望效應(yīng)
2.seven-fold：七倍。fold作為名詞表示折疊的痕跡，與數(shù)字連用就表示倍數(shù)，是很形象的表達(dá)，可以與times同義替換。后常接increase/rise，表示增長(zhǎng)了幾倍。
例句：Burglaries have increased sixfold.
3.Over 28% of the population is older than 65, compared with 21% in Germany, 15% in America and 6% in India.
這段話(huà)我們可以學(xué)習(xí)一下用數(shù)據(jù)來(lái)證明文章論點(diǎn)。在用數(shù)字之間的對(duì)比進(jìn)行論證時(shí)，可以參考文中的寫(xiě)法，提煉出來(lái)就是：over xx% is…,compared with xx% in…,xx% in…and xx% in…，把想要說(shuō)明的主句放到前面，后面用compared with引導(dǎo)其他參照物的數(shù)據(jù)。
比如我們想表達(dá)中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)及其他地區(qū)的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)率，就可以說(shuō)：
China's GDP growth in 2017 is 6.9%,compared with 2.3% in America,1.8% in U.K and 1.6% in Japan.
Paragraph 3
①The welfare state has become unaffordable. Public debt is 250% of GDP. ②And Japan is suffering from an acute labour shortage. ③There are already 1.6 jobs for every job-seeker, and the workforce is predicted to shrink from 67m last year to 58m in 2030.
段落解析：
這段進(jìn)一步講述日本的福利制度快要崩不住了。而且勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)也非常短缺，預(yù)計(jì)到2030年還會(huì)減少九百萬(wàn)勞動(dòng)力。
詞句精讀：
1.suffer：v（及物）我們通常用這個(gè)詞表示遭受身體上的苦痛，然而它與經(jīng)歷、損失連用，來(lái)表示面臨和承受也同樣好用，可以與face、encounter等進(jìn)行同義替換。suffer后面可以與介詞from連用，也可以直接接名詞，比如loss/consequence/damage等。
本段中②Japan is suffering from an acute labour shortage.就表示日本正在面臨嚴(yán)重的勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)空缺。suffer用在這里比使用它的同義詞face更能令人感受到這個(gè)空缺帶來(lái)的種種困難。
其他例句：They are unlikely to suffer any further loss of business.
2.acute：adj. an acute problem is very serious.這個(gè)詞在修飾問(wèn)題的時(shí)候通常表示很?chē)?yán)重，可以與serous做同義替換。但在與sense、mind等連用時(shí)也有“靈敏的、聰明的”之意。要注意上下文。
在表示住房短缺問(wèn)題嚴(yán)重時(shí)，可以這么說(shuō)：The housing shortage is more acute than first thought.
3.shrink：v（及物）to become or to make something smaller in amount, size, or value.
這個(gè)詞原意為縮水，引申為（使）縮水、減少，當(dāng)在表示體積、體量減少的時(shí)候，可以使用shrink，可避免在論述中多次使用reduce等詞。后面可以與to連用，表示縮小到什么樣的程度。
比如：The firm’s staff had shrunk to only four people.
Paragraph 4
①One obvious solution is immigration. ②Only 2% of the workforce is foreign-born, compared with 17% in America. ③But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees. ④The plan before the Diet aims to attract blue-collar workers in 14 industries, including construction, shipbuilding and caring for the elderly. ⑤They will receive visas of no more than five years, at least initially, and will not be able to bring their families. ⑥All must have some proficiency in Japanese.
段落解析：
前文提出了日本的生育率降低、人口老齡化帶來(lái)的勞動(dòng)力急劇短缺的問(wèn)題，從本段開(kāi)始討論應(yīng)對(duì)的舉措。本段主要提到的是，通過(guò)移民的舉措解決勞動(dòng)力短缺。相對(duì)于美國(guó)這樣的移民大國(guó)來(lái)說(shuō)，日本勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)上的外國(guó)人占比還是很低的。政府其實(shí)已經(jīng)打著學(xué)生和實(shí)習(xí)生的幌子，私下準(zhǔn)入了更多的外國(guó)打工者，主要還是吸引建筑、造船、夕陽(yáng)產(chǎn)業(yè)等藍(lán)領(lǐng)工人，這樣的勞動(dòng)力也是有一定條件的，首次簽發(fā)的簽證有效期在5年之內(nèi)，還不能攜家?guī)Э冢⑶覍?duì)日語(yǔ)水平也有要求。
詞句精讀：
③But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees.
surreptitiously，副詞，形容詞是surreptitious，秘密的，偷偷摸摸的，鬼鬼祟祟的，done secretly or quickly because you do not want other people to notice. 同義詞secret，反義詞barefaced(不隱瞞的)/aboveboard(光明正大的)。單詞很長(zhǎng)，但我們可以這么記憶：sur-rept-itious，sur下面, rept = creep爬（reptile爬行動(dòng)物）itious表示形容詞，在下面爬來(lái)爬去，偷偷摸摸的。比如我們想表達(dá)，商人私下付的報(bào)酬補(bǔ)充了低工資，就可以說(shuō)：Low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen.
guise，名詞，意思是“偽裝，外表，幌子”，是比較正式的表達(dá)，the way someone or something appears to be, which hides the truth or is only temporary，常用表達(dá)“in / under the guise of sth”，本文是指日本政府打著學(xué)生和實(shí)習(xí)生的幌子，私下準(zhǔn)入了更多的外國(guó)工作者。
比如我們想表達(dá)，他們掛著職業(yè)介紹所的牌子從事毒品走私活動(dòng)，就可以說(shuō)：They operated a drug-smuggling business under the guise of an employment agency.
再比如說(shuō)我們想表達(dá)，一樣的觀點(diǎn)只是形式不同，就可以說(shuō)：It’s the same idea in a different guise.
Paragraph 5:
①M(fèi)r Abe plays down the idea that he is doing anything momentous. ②In debates he is at pains to stress that the new arrivals are not permanent immigrants, but guest workers. ③Moreover, he portrays foreign workers as a last resort, to fill gaps while the government tries to get more Japanese to work. ④During his six-year tenure, 2m more women have joined the workforce, lifting the female participation rate above America’s. ⑤He has increased the number of nurseries and made big companies document their efforts to promote female workers. ⑥From next year nurseries will be free. ⑦Over half of women return to work after having a child, compared with 38% in 2010. ⑧“We have tried to make a society that enables more women to be active, advanced and empowered,” he says.
段落解析：
本段承接上一段，安倍對(duì)議會(huì)輕描淡寫(xiě)移民舉措的重要性，強(qiáng)調(diào)外來(lái)務(wù)工者只是來(lái)“客座”工作的，可不是永久移民，而且這是迫不得已而為之的最后舉措了。除了“引進(jìn)外援”，安倍在任期內(nèi)大力鼓勵(lì)女性工作，日本女性的工作參與率已超過(guò)了美國(guó)（這已顛覆了我的認(rèn)知），安倍通過(guò)增建托兒所和給職業(yè)女性晉升空間解決女性職工的后顧之憂(yōu)，并且從明年起托兒所都免費(fèi)啦！免費(fèi)啦！免費(fèi)啦！（重要事情說(shuō)三遍）怪不得日本有一半以上生完孩子的女性都重返職場(chǎng)。安倍希望打造一個(gè)社會(huì)，讓更多的女性積極、先進(jìn)、賦有權(quán)力。
詞句精讀：
①M(fèi)r Abe plays down the idea that he is doing anything momentous.
play down，表示“減低…的重要性，輕視”，give less emphasis or make something seem less important，可以說(shuō)是對(duì)某事的輕描淡寫(xiě)，同義詞downplay。比如我們想表達(dá)，這個(gè)政客對(duì)民意測(cè)驗(yàn)顯示出的他的影響力下降不予重視，就可以說(shuō)：The politician played down the polls that showed that he was becoming less popular.（請(qǐng)腦補(bǔ)川普大爺傲嬌地噘著小嘴表示“I don't care”）
momentous，表示“重大的”，程度要重于important，very important because it will have a great influence on the future. 本文是說(shuō)安倍首相想表示出在移民方面他并沒(méi)有做什么重大舉措。如果我們想表達(dá)，現(xiàn)在我們?cè)诮?jīng)歷東西方關(guān)系發(fā)生重大轉(zhuǎn)變的時(shí)期，就可以說(shuō)：Now we are experiencing a period of momentous changes in East–West relations.
②In debates he is at pains to stress that the new arrivals are not permanent immigrants, but guest workers.
at pains，表示“小心翼翼地做某事(以免別人誤解)”，be especially careful to make sure people understand what you are saying or what you plan to do. 本段通過(guò)一個(gè)“at pains”（小心翼翼）和前句的一個(gè)“play down”（輕描淡寫(xiě)），很形象的把安倍首相對(duì)移民問(wèn)題謹(jǐn)小慎微的處理方式表現(xiàn)出來(lái)，也與上一段的surreptitiously有暗合之處。比如我們想表達(dá)，翠花特地說(shuō)明英語(yǔ)是她唯一曾經(jīng)考試不及格的科目，就可以說(shuō)：Tracy was at pains to point out that English was the only exam she’d ever failed.
③Moreover, he portrays foreign workers as a last resort, to fill gaps while the government tries to get more Japanese to work.
resort，名詞，常用釋義“度假勝地”，在本文“l(fā)ast / final resort”是指（其他辦法都失敗后采用的）最后的辦法，what you will do if everything else fails，常用搭配為“as a last resort”，“of last resort”和“in the last resort”。比如我們想表達(dá)，藥物治療只能作為最后的辦法，就可以說(shuō)：Drug treatment should only be used as a last resort. 再比如說(shuō)我們想表達(dá)，最后使出的武器，就可以說(shuō)：a weapon of last resort. 還比如說(shuō)我們想表達(dá)，實(shí)在沒(méi)有別的辦法時(shí)，才會(huì)采取經(jīng)濟(jì)制裁，就可以說(shuō)：Economic sanctions will be used only in the last resort.
除了“l(fā)ast resort”的表達(dá)方式，英文中還有“first resort”的表達(dá)，表示“最先采取的手段”，what you will do first before you try other things. 比如我們想表達(dá)，過(guò)去找工作總是先找家人幫忙，就可以說(shuō)：In the past, your family was the first resort when looking for a job.
④During his six-year tenure, 2m more women have joined the workforce, lifting the female participation rate above America’s.
lift，常用義“抬起，提起，舉起”，這里的意思是“增加，提高(價(jià)格﹑利潤(rùn)等)”，to make prices, profit etc increase，同義詞increase，本文是指提升女性的參與率。比如我們想表達(dá)，美國(guó)可能會(huì)用減稅的方法來(lái)提振經(jīng)濟(jì)，就可以說(shuō)：The U.S. may use tax cuts to lift the economy.
⑤He has increased the number of nurseries and made big companies document their efforts to promote female workers.
document，動(dòng)詞，常見(jiàn)義是做名詞的“文件，文檔”，這里是“記錄”的意思，make a detailed record of it in writing or on film or tape. 比如我們想表達(dá)，他寫(xiě)了一本書(shū)，記錄他的海外經(jīng)歷，就可以說(shuō)：He wrote a book documenting his overseas experiences.
Paragraph 6:
①M(fèi)r Abe also wants people to “remain active without retirement throughout their lives”.②His government is likely to raise the retirement age for civil servants from 60 to 65, and to encourage companies to do the same.③As it is, many companies have raised their retirement ages or taken to rehiring retired workers, often on a part time basis. ④Fully 23% of over-65s work; they constitute a much bigger share of the workforce than in other rich countries (see chart).⑤Mr Abe plans to bolster this trend by increasing the public pension for those who agree to start drawing it later than they are currently entitled to.⑥In the long run, the prime minister hopes, robots and artificial intelligence will help ease the labour shortage. ⑦“I do think that we will need fewer jobs because of higher productivity.”
段落解析:
除了上文中提到的通過(guò)移民和讓更多女性進(jìn)入職場(chǎng)，安倍還計(jì)劃通過(guò)提高退休年齡，來(lái)應(yīng)對(duì)日本人口衰減帶來(lái)的勞動(dòng)力短缺問(wèn)題。安倍政府準(zhǔn)備把公務(wù)員的退休年齡從60歲提高到65歲，很多公司也開(kāi)始推行延遲退休。目前日本65歲以上人群中有23%的人還在工作，比例遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于其他富裕國(guó)家。為了鼓勵(lì)這種趨勢(shì)，安倍計(jì)劃提高延遲退休的人的公共養(yǎng)老金。而從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看，安倍寄希望于機(jī)器人和人工智能帶來(lái)生產(chǎn)率的提高，來(lái)徹底緩解日本的勞動(dòng)力短缺。本段最后提到的安倍寄希望于機(jī)器人和人工智能來(lái)緩解勞動(dòng)力短缺.
詞句精讀:
1.Likely:adj./adv.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about. 常用短語(yǔ)：be likely to do sth.有可能做某事。比如看外面的情況，雨雪天氣可能還會(huì)持續(xù)幾天?？梢赃@么說(shuō)：The raining day is likely to last for a few days.
2.數(shù)據(jù)圖表的解讀
Fully 23% of over-65s work; they constitute a much bigger share of the workforce than in other rich countries (see chart).
文中沒(méi)有直接以文讀圖，而是用圖文互補(bǔ)的方式，表達(dá)日本65歲以上還在工作的人所占比重很大。文中先說(shuō)在65歲以上的人群中，日本有23%的人還在工作，圖表則是各國(guó)65歲以上人群在國(guó)內(nèi)總勞動(dòng)力的占比，進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)大影響范圍說(shuō)明在國(guó)內(nèi)整體勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)中，日本65歲以上工作人群數(shù)量的情況。
3.bolster：vt.? support and strengthen
這里的句型可以直接套用：sb. plans to bolster sb./sth. by doing sth. 文中安倍通過(guò)增加退休金來(lái)鼓勵(lì)延遲退休。我們可以說(shuō)：老板發(fā)了一大筆獎(jiǎng)金來(lái)鼓勵(lì)員工繼續(xù)努力：
The boss hopes to bolster his staff keeping their efforts by offering a large bonus.
媽媽準(zhǔn)備周末給小明買(mǎi)他想要了很久的糖果，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)他在學(xué)校的良好表現(xiàn)：
Mother plans to bolster Xiao Ming by buying him the dreaming candy this weekend.
Paragraph 7：
①Getting older people to work for longer is especially beneficial to the government’s finances, since it leads both to higher tax revenue and lower spending on pensions.②Mr Abe’s tweaks are the latest in a series of changes intended to make the pension system more affordable. ③But the government is always playing catch-up, as the ageing of the population and shrinking of the workforce accelerate. ④It reckons social-welfare costs will rise by more than half by 2040, from ￥121trn ($1.06trn) to ￥190trn.
段落解析：
延遲退休對(duì)政府的財(cái)政尤其有利：一方面增加了稅收，另一方面又能降低養(yǎng)老金的支出。而安倍近期的一系列調(diào)整正是為了防止日本的養(yǎng)老系統(tǒng)崩潰。但是政府的舉措總是落后于日本人口老齡化和勞動(dòng)力萎縮的速度。據(jù)估計(jì)，到2040年，社會(huì)福利成本將增加一半以上。
詞句精讀：
1.Getting older people to work for longer is especially beneficial to the government’s finances, since it leads both to higher tax revenue and lower spending on pensions.此句可以提煉出一個(gè)句型：A is especially beneficial to B,since it leads both to C and D.
本段第一句提到延遲退休對(duì)政府財(cái)政有點(diǎn)妙，一石二鳥(niǎo)：增加收入還能減少支出。手段還是不錯(cuò)的，一個(gè)舉動(dòng)達(dá)到兩個(gè)目的，句型套用起來(lái)也是很順的。做什么對(duì)什么特別有利，既能怎樣又能怎樣（怎么想都覺(jué)得有點(diǎn)賊）。
比如最近追的劇中：放出老板生病的假消息對(duì)公司度過(guò)難關(guān)特別有用，一方面為自己爭(zhēng)取了時(shí)間，另一方面放松了競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的警惕心。
可以這么說(shuō)：Let out false information about the boss's illness is especially beneficial to their company，since it leads both to longer time for itself and lower vigilance of competitors.
2.play catch-up
這也是一個(gè)有趣的表達(dá)，句中③But the government is always playing catch-up, as the ageing of the population and shrinking of the workforce accelerate.看起來(lái)就像是政府永遠(yuǎn)在玩貓和老鼠的游戲，動(dòng)畫(huà)中的貓和永遠(yuǎn)也追不上的老鼠。
生活中也有很多無(wú)奈的時(shí)候，可以用起來(lái)。比如信息焦慮，職場(chǎng)中的我們,感覺(jué)一天都是追在信息的后面疲憊不堪，回不完的郵件，看不完的新消息…
可以這么說(shuō)：In the work place,we always spend much of our day just playing catch-up to news,emails,new messages…
3.? ? 數(shù)據(jù)的表達(dá)
④It reckons social-welfare costs will rise by more than half by 2040, from ￥121trn ($1.06trn) to ￥190trn. 本段最后一句的數(shù)值表達(dá)套路：It reckons A will rise by B by 2040, from C to D. 據(jù)估計(jì)，到2040年，A將會(huì)上升到B，從現(xiàn)在的具體數(shù)值C到2040年的數(shù)值D。
例句：預(yù)計(jì)到2050年，月球旅行的人數(shù)將會(huì)上升到十倍以上，從現(xiàn)在的3000多人到3萬(wàn)人以上。（瞎扯的數(shù)據(jù)%>_<%）
It reckons the number of people traveling to the moon will rise by more than ten fold by 2050, from over 3000 now to 30,000.
Paragraph 8：
①M(fèi)r Abe appears to be planning sweeping changes to put the welfare state on a firmer footing. ②“There will be an overall social-security reform, including health and medicine, pension and others,” he says. “We are trying to create a society and community where people can remain healthy and active...and find meaning in staying alive and living long.”
段落解析：
這段的大意是講安倍看上去在計(jì)劃在社會(huì)福利方面有一些大動(dòng)作以便使其基礎(chǔ)更加穩(wěn)固。這是根據(jù)他說(shuō)的話(huà)推斷的：“馬上會(huì)有一個(gè)整體的社會(huì)安全的改革，包括健康、醫(yī)療、養(yǎng)老金和其他。....我們正試圖創(chuàng)造一個(gè)人民可以保持健康和活力的社會(huì)和社區(qū)...讓他們能找到活得長(zhǎng)久的意義...”
詞句精讀：（可以學(xué)習(xí)的實(shí)用表達(dá)）
1. appears to be
V-LINK 連系動(dòng)詞:①好像;似乎;看來(lái) If you say that something appears to be the way you describe it, you are reporting what you believe or what you have been told, though you cannot be sure it is true.②看起來(lái)；顯得? If someone or something appears to have a particular quality or characteristic, they give the impression of having that quality or characteristic. 同義詞：give the impression。
這個(gè)詞組可以學(xué)起來(lái)，保證使用率超高哦。不管是口語(yǔ)中還是寫(xiě)作中都可以使用。如果你說(shuō)一個(gè)東西看起來(lái)像你形容的樣子，就是表示你在表達(dá)你的主觀看法，你認(rèn)為你說(shuō)的是對(duì)的，但是你并不完全確定百分之百正確。在這里是用在了形容政治立場(chǎng)上，也是比較常見(jiàn)的句型:
someone or something appear to be xxxxx
牛津搭配詞典例句：
There appears to be increasing support for the leadership to take a more aggressive stance...好像有越來(lái)越多的人支持領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層采取更為強(qiáng)勢(shì)的立場(chǎng)。
Under stress these people will appear to be superficial, over-eager and manipulative.這些人在壓力下會(huì)顯得淺薄無(wú)知、操之過(guò)急，而且愛(ài)擺布人。
在口語(yǔ)中，你也可以經(jīng)常使用在八卦或者表達(dá)個(gè)人看法上面。比如你第一次見(jiàn)到Jasmine，感覺(jué)她看上去很傲慢耶，就可以說(shuō)：
Jasmine appears to be very arrogant.
2. planning sweeping changes
ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副詞或介詞詞組修飾的形容詞(變化)巨大的，重要的，有廣泛影響的,深遠(yuǎn)的 Sweeping changes are large and very important or significant.
我剛開(kāi)始就有點(diǎn)想當(dāng)然了，把sweeping的意思認(rèn)作了sweep的動(dòng)詞含義再延伸過(guò)來(lái)，以為是掃平的意思，但是其實(shí)不是。sweeping在這里做形容詞，表示的是重要的改變，在政治經(jīng)濟(jì)領(lǐng)域會(huì)很常用到這個(gè)表達(dá)，可以在寫(xiě)作中使用到。
例句：The new government has started to make sweeping changes in the economy...新政府已經(jīng)著手在經(jīng)濟(jì)領(lǐng)域進(jìn)行意義深遠(yuǎn)的改革。
3.? on a firmer footing
footing這個(gè)詞理解起來(lái)比較tricky，屬于那種你好像理解了又好像沒(méi)理解的詞匯類(lèi)型。看上去簡(jiǎn)單，實(shí)際上的使用范圍也很廣，需要你有一些英式思維。foot指的是腳跟，加上ing變成名詞footing，很容易讓人聯(lián)想到中文中的“站穩(wěn)腳跟”，拓展一下就是表達(dá)基礎(chǔ)和地位的意思。在這里，firmer footing的意思就是打一個(gè)牢固的基礎(chǔ)。這個(gè)表達(dá)同樣在政治經(jīng)濟(jì)領(lǐng)域很常見(jiàn)。比如：
A Supreme Court ruling against the university might put ethnic and racial diversity on college campuses on a firmer-footing for the long term.
同樣我們還可以變化下這個(gè)表達(dá)就是一個(gè)俚語(yǔ)，用在口語(yǔ)中表達(dá)一個(gè)堅(jiān)定的立場(chǎng)：on firm footing，意思是well supported。例句：
He believes that his argument is on firm ground/footing.
Paragraph 9：
①Yet in practice Mr Abe is being cautious. ②Even after the retirement age increases, it will still be lower than in many other rich countries. ③Moreover, the current system discourages those over 65 from working more than part-time since their pension is reduced if their income from it and their salary exceeds 460,000 yen ($4,039) a month. ④It is not clear whether this will change. ⑤The government has modified but not eliminated a tax quirk that discourages married women from earning more than a relatively lowly amount. ⑥By the same token, the share of medical expenses that patients must pay under the public health-care system falls as they get older, imposing a big burden on the state. ⑦There are various ways the government could reduce its health-care bill, including increasing premiums for the public insurance scheme, raising patients’ co-payments for treatments and excluding some expensive procedures from the scheme.
段落解析：
上一段講的是安倍看上去想搞大動(dòng)作改革，這一段接著說(shuō)和看上去相反，安倍實(shí)際上卻非常謹(jǐn)慎。這段具體描述了安倍實(shí)際上都做了哪些事情，而這些舉措收效甚微。老齡化還是很?chē)?yán)重，這些舉措也很不合理，比如針對(duì)65歲老年人的稅收和醫(yī)療花費(fèi)等：即使退休年齡增長(zhǎng)了，但是還是和其他富裕國(guó)家相比更低?，F(xiàn)有的系統(tǒng)也很奇怪，65歲的老人如果想要全職工作的話(huà)他們的養(yǎng)老金會(huì)減少，所以他們只會(huì)選擇做 part-time。政府也并沒(méi)有取消一個(gè)針對(duì)已婚女性的很奇怪的稅收政策，不鼓勵(lì)她們?nèi)ベ嶅X(qián)。同樣的奇怪的情況也發(fā)生在醫(yī)療上。隨著年齡的增長(zhǎng)，病人付錢(qián)享受公共醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)的金額卻逐漸下降，這給國(guó)家?guī)?lái)了巨大的負(fù)擔(dān)。而實(shí)際上政府有很多的方式來(lái)減少醫(yī)療支出，比如增加公共保險(xiǎn)的保費(fèi)啊，提高病人的 co-payments啊，去除一些昂貴的項(xiàng)目啊，然而政府卻沒(méi)有這么做。
詞句精讀
1.in practice：used to say what is actually done or what the actual effect or result of something is.這個(gè)表達(dá)看上去很簡(jiǎn)單卻很實(shí)用，不管用在句首句中句尾，口語(yǔ)或?qū)懽髦校际且粋€(gè)實(shí)用的表達(dá)。給自己的詞庫(kù)里多增添一些可替換表達(dá)，去替換in reality或者actually。
例句：The software is designed to block pornographic Web sites, but in practice[=in reality], it blocks many other sites as well.
In actual practice, people sometimes forget to take their medication.
口語(yǔ)中也可以直接用，頻率很高。比如說(shuō)這個(gè)工作實(shí)際咋做的呀，就可以說(shuō)：
How would this work in practice?
2. a tax quirk：A quirk is something unusual or interesting that happens by chance.
這句話(huà)老實(shí)說(shuō)不太懂，查了很久。第一反應(yīng)是一個(gè)專(zhuān)有名詞，特指一種類(lèi)型的稅收。但是谷歌了老半天都沒(méi)找到什么相關(guān)的，只在一些新聞標(biāo)題上看到使用quirk這詞。結(jié)合上下文，推斷這句話(huà)⑤The government has modified but not eliminated a tax quirk that discourages married women from earning more than a relatively lowly amount. 的意思為：政府正在修改但并沒(méi)有取消這個(gè)奇怪的稅收政策，這個(gè)政策不鼓勵(lì)已婚女性賺取高于一個(gè)相對(duì)而言較低的數(shù)字的收入。
3.by the same token：for the same reason；in the same way— used to introduce a statement that says something more and often something different about the same situation referred to by a previous statement
這個(gè)表達(dá)可以學(xué)起來(lái)，用來(lái)豐富寫(xiě)作中的連接詞組。有兩層意思。
第一層是表示同樣的意思：比如我不擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)，同樣，我也很糾結(jié)與科學(xué)方程式。
Similarly. In the same manner. I'm not good at math and, by the same token, I struggle with scientific equations.
第二層意思是在之前提到的相同的條件下會(huì)怎樣：
Because of the same causes or the same reasons as what was previously stated. When crime increases, houseprices plummet by the same token.
這個(gè)結(jié)果很令人沮喪，但是同樣的條件下，說(shuō)不定會(huì)更壞呢。
The result was disappointing, butby the same token, it could have been much worse.
在想表達(dá)一些復(fù)雜意思的時(shí)候，可以用到這個(gè)表達(dá)。
4. imposing a big burden
這個(gè)詞組也很簡(jiǎn)單實(shí)用：impose a burden 施加一個(gè)很大的影響。
impose這個(gè)動(dòng)詞表示強(qiáng)制實(shí)行或強(qiáng)加的意思。If you impose something on people, you use your authority to force them to accept it.
這個(gè)burden前面的big可以隨意替換形容詞。例句：
Achievement of the targets set in the framework legislation must not impose a burden on consumers and firms because of an exhorbitant increase in energy costs.
Assure that the use of food additives does not lead to unacceptable risks for the consumer and at the same time does notimpose unnecessary burdento the industry.
背景補(bǔ)充
co-payments:an amount of money that a person with health insurance is required to pay at the time of each visit to a doctor or when purchasing medicine.
co-payments是指你已經(jīng)有了醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)，但是你每次去買(mǎi)藥或者看醫(yī)生的時(shí)候還是要自付一部分費(fèi)用，表達(dá)上也可以簡(jiǎn)化成co-pay。
Paragraph 10:
①Yet Mr Abe only hints at the need for any of this. ②“We are not thinking about immediately raising the co-payment for medical and health services,” he says. “But there must be a careful review of the balance between the contribution and benefit.” ③Those who take action to prevent illness, such as regular exercise, could be rewarded. ④“We would like to think about the incentives—what should be done to the contributions that have to be paid by the people who adopt habits to prevent diseases,” he says.
段落解析：
本段繼續(xù)前面的話(huà)題，安倍解釋為什么不提高醫(yī)療中的自費(fèi)金額，以及他的解決方式和這么做的理由。他指出必須有一個(gè)對(duì)于貢獻(xiàn)和利益之間平衡的仔細(xì)的審查，比如對(duì)采取行動(dòng)去預(yù)防疾病的人進(jìn)行激勵(lì)。
詞句精讀：
1. hint：本詞在文段中表示暗示的動(dòng)詞。要注意hint（動(dòng)詞）后面通常接 at，偶爾接 of。也可以接that從句。
動(dòng)詞：暗示;示意；If you hint at something, you suggest it in an indirect way.
要注意這個(gè)詞的名詞用法，除了和動(dòng)詞同義的暗示之外，還有好主意和少量的意思。
名詞：暗示；A hint is a suggestion about something that is made in an indirect way/有益的建議，不錯(cuò)的主意，好點(diǎn)子；A hint is a helpful piece of advice, usually about how to do something./少許;微量；A hint of something is a very small amount of it.
例句：
1）I'm hoping to get some fashion hints.
2）She added only a hint of vermouth to the gin.
她只在杜松子酒里加了少許苦艾酒。（熟悉柯南的同學(xué)，這個(gè)例句的場(chǎng)景你記得在哪一集嗎？）
2.incentive：n. If something is an incentive to do something, it encourages you to do it.可以與motivation進(jìn)行同義替換.
例句：As an added incentive , there’s a bottle of champagne for the best team.
3.reward：v（及物）If you do something and are rewarded with a particular benefit, you receive that benefit as a result of doing that thing.
不可有雙賓語(yǔ)，如不可說(shuō) They have rewarded me ￥100，該在 me 后面加上 with。
除去獎(jiǎng)賞之外，還有值得付出時(shí)間或精力、賞金、酬謝之意。
(1) 動(dòng)詞：值得付出時(shí)間或精力；If you say that something rewards your attention or effort, you mean that it is worth spending time or effort on it.
例句：It richly rewards the effort.
(2) 可數(shù)名詞：獎(jiǎng)勵(lì);獎(jiǎng)賞；A reward is something that you are given, for example because you have behaved well, worked hard, or provided a service to the community/賞金;賞格；A reward is a sum of money offered to anyone who can give information about lost or stolen property or about someone who is wanted by the police./報(bào)答;回報(bào);酬謝；The rewards of something are the benefits that you receive as a result of doing or having that thing.
例句：The firm last night offered a ￡10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer.
昨晚這家公司懸賞 1萬(wàn)英鎊，尋找能將兇手定罪的證據(jù)。
4. adopt：v（及物）采??；采納；采用；If you adopt a new attitude, plan, or way of behaving, you begin to have it.
在本段中與habits連用，為養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣之意。
句子解析：
③Those who take action to prevent illness, such as regular exercise, could be rewarded.
一個(gè)句子重點(diǎn)在頭和尾，一般中間的插入語(yǔ)不是主要信息。
④“We would like to think about the incentives—what should be done to the contributions that have to be paid by the people who adopt habits to prevent diseases,” he says.
the incentives—破折號(hào)解釋說(shuō)明激勵(lì)措施
what should be done to the contributions 激勵(lì)應(yīng)該被用于貢獻(xiàn)
that have to be paid 定語(yǔ)從句修飾貢獻(xiàn)：貢獻(xiàn)不得不被付出
by the people 來(lái)自人們
who adopt habits to prevent diseases 定語(yǔ)從句修飾人，養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣去預(yù)防疾病
這些激勵(lì)——應(yīng)該被用于那些養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣去預(yù)防疾病的人們付出的貢獻(xiàn)。
Paragraph 11:
①This caution is excessive. ②Pushing back the retirement age is not as controversial in Japan as elsewhere. ③A government poll conducted in 2017 found that 42% of people aged 60 or more who work want to continue to do so. ④Although some politicians fret about foreigners bringing crime and disturbing social harmony, the majority of the population approves of Mr Abe’s plans to admit more foreign workers.
段落解析：
經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人首先用開(kāi)門(mén)見(jiàn)山的寫(xiě)法馬上亮出自己的觀點(diǎn)，對(duì)于安倍的政策作出點(diǎn)評(píng)。之后馬上給出數(shù)據(jù)證明自己的觀點(diǎn)。2017年進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)政府民意調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，年齡在60歲或以上的人中有42％希望繼續(xù)這樣做。雖然一些政客擔(dān)心外國(guó)人帶來(lái)犯罪和擾亂社會(huì)的和諧，大多數(shù)人認(rèn)可安倍準(zhǔn)許接收更多外國(guó)工人的計(jì)劃。
詞句精讀：
1. push back：to change (a planned event) to start at a later date or time
改變（計(jì)劃的事件）以便在以后的日期或時(shí)間開(kāi)始。
2. be not as controversial as elsewhere.
……并不像其他地方那樣具有爭(zhēng)議性。
3. conduct：v（及物）進(jìn)行;組織;實(shí)施，When you conduct an activity or task, you organize it and carry it out.
除了組織，還有其他的名詞用法和動(dòng)詞用法
(1) 單數(shù)名詞(任務(wù)或活動(dòng)的)組織方式，實(shí)施辦法；The conduct of a task or activity is the way in which it is organized and carried out.
(2) 不可數(shù)名詞：行為;舉止；Someone's conduct is the way they behave in particular situations.
(3) 動(dòng)詞：表現(xiàn);舉止；If you conduct yourself in a particular way, you behave in that way.
(4) 動(dòng)詞：指揮(管弦樂(lè)隊(duì)或合唱團(tuán))；When someone conducts an orchestra or choir, they stand in front of it and direct its performance.
例句：Solti will continue to conduct here and abroad.
索爾蒂將繼續(xù)在國(guó)內(nèi)外擔(dān)任指揮。
(5) 動(dòng)詞：傳導(dǎo)(熱或電)；If something conducts heat or electricity, it allows heat or electricity to pass through it or along it.
例句：Water conducts heat faster than air.
水的導(dǎo)熱速度比空氣快。
(6) 動(dòng)詞：陪伴;引導(dǎo);帶領(lǐng)；If you conduct someone to a place, you go there with them.
例句：He asked if he might conduct us to the ball which was to bring the proceedings to an end.
他問(wèn)是否可以帶我們?nèi)ノ钑?huì)現(xiàn)場(chǎng)，整個(gè)儀式將在那兒結(jié)束。
4. poll：可數(shù)名詞，A poll is a survey in which people are asked their opinions about something, usually in order to find out how popular something is or what people intend to do in the future.
本詞含義都是圍繞民意調(diào)查相關(guān)的，要注意復(fù)數(shù)名詞的用法。
(1) 動(dòng)詞：對(duì)…進(jìn)行民意測(cè)驗(yàn)或調(diào)查；If you are polled onsomething, you are asked what you think about it as part of a survey.
(2) 復(fù)數(shù)名詞：政治選舉；大選；投票地點(diǎn)；The polls means an election for a country's government, or the place where people go to vote in an election.
(3) 動(dòng)詞：獲得…票數(shù)；If a political party or a candidate polls a particular number or percentage of votes, they get that number or percentage of votes in an election. [V n]
相關(guān)詞組：
【1】opinion poll
尤指政治議題的民意測(cè)驗(yàn)，民意調(diào)查；Anopinion poll involves asking people's opinions on a particular subject, especially one concerning politics.
【2】straw poll
[可數(shù)名詞] 非正式民意測(cè)驗(yàn)；A straw poll is the unofficial questioning of a group of people to find out their opinion about something.
【3】polling
[不可數(shù)名詞] 選舉中的投票；Polling is the act of voting in an election.
【4】deed poll
[PHRASE 短語(yǔ)] (在英國(guó))通過(guò)單務(wù)契約(更名等)；In Britain, if you change your name by deed poll, you change it officially and legally.
5.fret：v（不及物）苦惱;煩惱;發(fā)愁；If you fret about something, you worry about it.
用法：+ about/over n.
例句：She’s always fretting about the children.
6. approve：v（及物）贊成；同意；If you approve of an action, event, or suggestion, you like it or are pleased about it.
作“贊成”或“認(rèn)為良好”解的時(shí)候后面現(xiàn)在幾乎總有 of
【分辨】approve與approve of
approve表示來(lái)往手續(xù)公事公辦上的“予以同意”，不牽涉到好壞的價(jià)值判斷。
approve of則是個(gè)表示價(jià)值判斷的延續(xù)狀態(tài)動(dòng)詞，表示對(duì)某事或某人有好感，予以支持或善待。
反義詞disapprove與disapprove of，用法也與approve和approve of相對(duì)應(yīng)。
7. admit：v（及物）準(zhǔn)許…加入；接納；招收；If someone is admitted to an organization or group, they are allowed to join it.
本文用法為準(zhǔn)許加入。注意不情愿的意思。
(1) 動(dòng)詞：指不情愿地承認(rèn)，供認(rèn)；If you admit that something bad, unpleasant, or embarrassing is true, you agree, often unwillingly, that it is true.
(2)動(dòng)詞：準(zhǔn)許…進(jìn)入；To admit someone to a place means to allow them to enter it.
Paragraph 12:
①M(fèi)r Abe wants Japan to be a model for other ageing societies. ②He has done more than his predecessors to prepare for a smaller, older population. ③The danger is that Japan will become an example of a country that has done too little, too late.
段落解析：
全文最后點(diǎn)出安倍的目的和經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人對(duì)此的擔(dān)心，提出本文的洞見(jiàn)。個(gè)人的理解是安倍自以為給世界提出了一個(gè)好計(jì)劃、當(dāng)了一個(gè)好典范、開(kāi)了一個(gè)藥方，其實(shí)是給世界上越來(lái)越多的老齡化國(guó)家開(kāi)了一個(gè)錯(cuò)誤、糟糕的先河，他反而是在國(guó)家老齡化政策上為世界打開(kāi)了盒子的潘多拉。
詞句精讀：
1.predecessor：n（可數(shù)）someone who had your job before you started doing it
反義詞為繼任者：successor
例句：Kennedy’s predecessor as President was the war hero Dwight Eisenhower.
2.population：集合名詞，作為一個(gè)整體，前面可以按照定指或不定指加上定冠詞或不定冠詞。人數(shù)少，可以說(shuō)a small population (*few population, little population)。注意：一個(gè)整體，用a單數(shù)）
3.be a model for/ become an example of
成為一個(gè)……的榜樣
4.a smaller, older population/ too little, too late
small對(duì)little，older對(duì)late，相當(dāng)巧妙的呼應(yīng)。
補(bǔ)充閱讀：Aging in Japan
