How Japan's prime minister plans to cope with daunting demography
本文描述了日本现在所面临的人口老龄化问题,以及解决方案。
下面重点分析一下第4-5段的内容
①One obvious solution is immigration. Only 2% of the workforce is foreign-born, compared with 17% in America. ②But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees. ③The plan before the Diet aims to attract blue-collar workers in 14 industries, including construction, shipbuilding and caring for the elderly. ④They will receive visas of no more than five years, at least initially, and will not be able to bring their families.⑤ All must have some proficiency in Japanese.
从第4段就开始阐述老龄化的解决问题。①第一个显而易见的方案就是移民。②句表达在日本外籍劳工显然很少，只有2%的劳动力是移民，这个数据远低于美国的17%。③but转折,日本政府对更多的国外工作者是盖以学生和实习的幌子,遮掩着承认他们是外籍劳工,这句隐含的意思是事实上日本的外籍劳工的人数比统计的2%多,这也跟第5段第②句相呼应,他们之所以这么做是认为外来者不会是永久的移民,只是一些客籍工人。④国会的之前的计划旨在吸引更多蓝领工作者去填充建筑业、造船业、和护理老人等14个行业。⑤日本对移民设置了很苛刻的条件：首次签证不超过5年，不允许带着家人，还要精通日语。
从这一段可以看出日本对以移民去填补国内劳动力空缺这个方法很不感冒,那么他们想以什么样的方式去填补劳动力缺口呢?
在这段中学到了两个表达：
①.proficiency in ...
精通某种语言
我的目标是精通英语可以表达为: My aim is proficiency in Enghlish.
②. But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees.
这句话描述的很形象,指出了日本政府不愿意光明正大承认外籍工人,而是以学生和练习生来掩盖他们的身份.
想起了在国企,企业不能给员工光明正大的发放福利,而是以饭补和车补的名义发放. In state-owned enterprise, management has been surreptitiously admitting more staff-welfare, mostly in the guise of food and commute allowance.
①Mr 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.
第五段话①-③表达安倍对采用移民方式解决日本老龄化问题的态度.他在淡化对移民所做的努力,而是费尽心思强调外来者不是永久移民,而是客籍工人。并指出外籍工人是填补劳动力缺口的最后的解决办法。④-⑧阐述安倍在任期为了提高已育女性工作人数比率所做的努力。在他6年任期内，超过200万妇女加入工作，使已育妇女参加工作的比率超过了美国。增加托儿所的数量并要求大公司记录他们为提拔女性工作者所在的努力。下一年，所有的托儿所豆浆免费。相较于2010年的38%，已有超过50%的已育女性重返职场。日本将会营造一个让女性更活跃、更高级、更多权利的社会。
学到的表达：
① play sth down
meanings: to try to make something seem less important or less likely than it really is 使....看起来不那么重要，贬低，对...轻描淡写
由于销售业绩不好，管理层一直在淡化降低员工薪水的可能性。Beacuse of the depressed sales, management has been palying down the possibility of salary decrease.
② be at pains to do sth
苦心经营,费力的做某事
近义词:take pains to do sth
她费尽心思的强调踏实无辜的。She is at pains to stress that she is innocent.
③ portray sb/sth as sth
meanings: to describe or show someone or something in a paritcular way, according to your opinion of them.把某人/某物描写成某种样子
近义词:depict
小说《再见，契普斯先生》是这样描绘契普斯先生的事业，体面的职业生涯，体面的结束。The fiction , Good bye, Chips, portrays Chips'work as a decent career, decently closed.
④ last/final resort
meanings: what you will do if everything else fails[其他办法都失败后采用的]最后的办法
这部分钱只有在没有其他办法时,才会动用.This part of money will be used only in the last resort.
⑤ lift
看到这个单词倍感亲切,想到了在 I Have a Dream 中背到的那句: Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
