【英譯漢】
A less noticed aspect of the greying of Japan is the coming sharp decline in the population of the youngest workers．At present，some l6m Japanese are in their 20s，many of them children of baby- boomer parents．But the number in this age bracket will shrink by about 3 m over the next decade．(1)The consequence of all this is，first，that fewer workers will support an ever growing number of non- workers，other things being equal；and，second，that the demographic shape of the workforce is assuming that of an inverted pyramid，with fewer young workers at the base where once there were many．(2)These factors combined lead some commentators to speak of dire consequences：of a national malaise led by a decline in living and even educational standards(soon，for instance，you will be able to gain a place at university simply by sitting the exam)，accompanied by a government bankrupted by retirement obligations．
Yet this is all far from inevitable．(3)Atsushi Seike，a labour economist at Keio University，argues that，since the great bulk of older workers are company employees，the solution lies in fixing the corporate employment and retirement systems to allow people more easily to work for longer．Those systems were designed for the age of the pyramid．When lots of young people were coming into the workforce，mandatory retirement was adopted by companies who wanted to make room for them．(4)The policy was also useful for getting rid of surplus workers that employment—protection laws other- wise stopped from being laid off．As a result，nine-tenths of companies with more than 30 employees today set a mandatory retirement age，usually 60，the legal minimum．
The government and some companies are starting to respond to the Dew circumstances．Already。 eligibility for the fixed part of the state’s two-tier pension benefit has been raised t0 62；it will be 65 by 2013．Eligibility for the bigger，earnings related part still stands at 60 till 2013，but rises t0 65 by 2025．
(5)To bring corporate practices into line，a law passed in 2004 takes effect in April requiring companie to raise the minimum mandatory retirement age t0 65 by 2013or，if that is not feasible，to provid employment until they are eligible for the fixed part of the state pension．[379 words]
超綱詞匯
bring into line使符合原則，使規(guī)范
corporate adj．社團(tuán)的；市政府的；公司的
Eligibility n．合格，具備資格，當(dāng)選資格，格性
Malaise n．不適，欠爽，小病
Mandatory adj．命令的，強(qiáng)制的，必須,循的
Tier n．列，行，排，層，等級
Dire adj．可怕的，恐怖的
A less noticed aspect of the greying of Japan is the coming sharp decline in the population of the youngest workers．At present，some l6m Japanese are in their 20s，many of them children of baby- boomer parents．But the number in this age bracket will shrink by about 3 m over the next decade．(1)The consequence of all this is，first，that fewer workers will support an ever growing number of non- workers，other things being equal；and，second，that the demographic shape of the workforce is assuming that of an inverted pyramid，with fewer young workers at the base where once there were many．(2)These factors combined lead some commentators to speak of dire consequences：of a national malaise led by a decline in living and even educational standards(soon，for instance，you will be able to gain a place at university simply by sitting the exam)，accompanied by a government bankrupted by retirement obligations．
Yet this is all far from inevitable．(3)Atsushi Seike，a labour economist at Keio University，argues that，since the great bulk of older workers are company employees，the solution lies in fixing the corporate employment and retirement systems to allow people more easily to work for longer．Those systems were designed for the age of the pyramid．When lots of young people were coming into the workforce，mandatory retirement was adopted by companies who wanted to make room for them．(4)The policy was also useful for getting rid of surplus workers that employment—protection laws other- wise stopped from being laid off．As a result，nine-tenths of companies with more than 30 employees today set a mandatory retirement age，usually 60，the legal minimum．
The government and some companies are starting to respond to the Dew circumstances．Already。 eligibility for the fixed part of the state’s two-tier pension benefit has been raised t0 62；it will be 65 by 2013．Eligibility for the bigger，earnings related part still stands at 60 till 2013，but rises t0 65 by 2025．
(5)To bring corporate practices into line，a law passed in 2004 takes effect in April requiring companie to raise the minimum mandatory retirement age t0 65 by 2013or，if that is not feasible，to provid employment until they are eligible for the fixed part of the state pension．[379 words]
超綱詞匯
bring into line使符合原則，使規(guī)范
corporate adj．社團(tuán)的；市政府的；公司的
Eligibility n．合格，具備資格，當(dāng)選資格，格性
Malaise n．不適，欠爽，小病
Mandatory adj．命令的，強(qiáng)制的，必須,循的
Tier n．列，行，排，層，等級
Dire adj．可怕的，恐怖的