您现在的位置: Language Tips> Columnist> Brendan John Worrell  
   
 





 
Understanding the aging population
One of the pressing issues facing many nations today and tomorrow is that concerning the aging population.
[ 2008-10-09 11:54 ]


One of the pressing issues facing many nations today and tomorrow is that concerning the aging population. For government and those in the health sector it rates high on the national priority list. For students trying to pass English language tests it is a useful topic to have a good grounding in as it often appears in reading, writing, speaking and/or listening sections.

So let's not 'rest on our laurels' let's get into action...

Late last week came the news from Shanghai that demand for retirement homes in the city was outpacing supply. Shanghai, one of the first places in China that is seeing negative population growth, is aging fast and trying to address the problems that go with the worrying trend.

By the end of last year, more than 20 percent of Shanghai's permanent residents were aged above 60, official figures showed. By 2030, it is expected to increase to more than 33 percent. Senior citizens in the city have an average life span of 81.

Now this phenomenon is increasingly common in more developed nations though for China the situation is more complex.

Particularly, the number of people of working age - 15 to 59 - is in decline, as a result of the one-child policy.

In addition, many young people seek more independence and tend to live with their own family, instead of staying with their parents or grandparents.

The problem today in Shanghai is that there are not enough beds in retirement homes for the growing numbers of elderly who appear to be marginalized in today's society.

-----

Now if you are able to broach and communicate any of the above issues using some of the vocabulary and expressions listed below you will place yourself in a better position to get a high score regarding any test that deals with gerontology.

Vocabulary and Expressions

• Pressing issues = a matter of concern, problems that are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore and demanding of our attention; e.g. the global credit crisis has become a pressing political issue recently.

• National priority list = those issues that are of importance to a nation; e.g. one of the issues on China's national priority list this last year has been curbing inflation

• To have a good grounding in = to have a good foundation about a certain subject, to have a good understanding about something; e.g. after spending many years in Asia she had a good grounding in cross cultural relations

• 'Rest on our laurels' = to be lazy, to sit back and rely on past achievements rather than making new plans and preparations for future goals and actions; e.g. after winning the gold in Athens he rested on his laurels and failed to make the qualifying final in this years Beijing Games.

• Demand for ... outpacing supply = when there is more want for a product or service that is greater than the ability to produce it; e.g. with the recent milk scandal more consumers were turning to drinking soymilk and demand for homemade soymilk machines had outpaced supply

• Negative population growth = this occurs when the number of people dying is greater than the number of new births; e.g. in Australia negative population growth is balanced by immigration such that 25% of the population are born outside of the country.

• Address the problems = pay attention to the issue, look at the situation; e.g. by failing to address the problems within the US economy earlier the government has made matters worse

• Average life span = the normal, usual, expected time a person or organism or object lives for; e.g. the average life span of the Great Ocean Turtle is 60 years

• Marginalized and undervalued = put on the outer position, no longer appreciated or given attention; e.g. after he spoke up at the meeting against his boss the worker was from then on marginalized and undervalued at the company

• Broach = to open up a subject for discussion; e.g. they failed to broach her bad habits and the marriage ended in divorce

• Gerontology - the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

我要看更多专栏文章

 

About the author:
 

Understanding the aging population

About the author: Brendan has taught at universities, high schools and primary schools in Japan,the UK, Australia and China. He is a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor and has extensive experience with International English Language Examinations. In the field of writing Brendan has been published in The Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, Inflight magazines and the Asia News Network. He can be contacted at brendanjohnworrell@hotmail.com.

 
英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
相关文章 Related Story
 
 
 
本频道最新推荐
 
Walking in the US first lady's shoes
“准确无误”如何表达
英国新晋超女苏珊大妈改头换面
猪流感 swine flu
你有lottery mentality吗
翻吧推荐
 
论坛热贴
 
别乱扔垃圾。怎么译这个乱字呀?
橘子,橙子用英文怎么区分?
看Gossip Girl学英语
端午节怎么翻译?
母亲,您在天堂还好吗?