Aging of Japan carries a village to extinction
By Norimitsu Onishi The New York Times
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006
OGAMA, Japan This mountain village on the West Coast, withered[1] to eight aging residents, concluded recently that it could no longer go on. So, （1）after months of anguish, the villagers settled on a drastic solution: selling all of Ogama to an industrial waste company from Tokyo, which will turn it into a landfill[2].
With the proceeds[3], the villagers plan to pack up everything, including their family graves, and move in the next few years to yet uncertain destinations, most likely becoming the first community in Japan to cease to exist voluntarily.
"There's no future for us here, zero." said Kazuo Miyasaka, 64, the village leader.
（2）On a hill overlooking a field of overgrown bushes, surrounded by the sounds of a running stream and a bush warbler, Miyasaka pointed below with his right index finger. "I never imagined it would come to this," he said. "I mean, those all used to be rice fields."
Ogama's decision, though extreme, points to a larger problem besetting[4] Japan, which has one of the world's fastest- graying societies. As rural Japan becomes increasingly depopulated, many villages and hamlets like Ogama, along with their traditions and histories, risk vanishing.
Japan is dotted with so many such communities that academics have coined a term - "villages that have reached their limits" - to describe those with populations that are more than half elderly. Out of 140 villages in Monzen, the municipality that includes Ogama, 40 percent have fewer than 10 households, inhabited mostly by the elderly.
（3）Rural Japan has never recovered from its long recession. Few rural areas have found economic alternatives to the huge public works projects. During his five years in office, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has reduced public works spending that yielded money and jobs to local construction companies.
Koizumi cut subsidies and tax redistribution to local governments, instead giving them the power to collect taxes directly. But rural officials argue that with a decreasing population and few businesses, there are few taxes to collect.
In keeping with a nationwide movement to combine financially squeezed[5] municipalities, Monzen merged with nearby Wajima City in February. Fumiaki Kaji, mayor of the merged municipality, said （4）recent changes amounted to a "simple logic of telling the countryside that it should die."
"Our children haven't come back, so there's no further growth. We'll just keep getting older." said Harue Miyasaka, the village leader's wife and, at 61, Ogama's youngest inhabitant.
"If young people came back, these villages could go on," Kenichi Taniguchi, 76, said. "But that's not happening. They're all dying out."
請(qǐng)?jiān)囎g文中劃線部分：
NOTES（《現(xiàn)代英漢詞典》）
[1]wither vt, vi
（1）（使）枯萎；凋謝
The flowers withered in the cold. 花在寒冷的天氣里凋謝了。
（2）使…啞口無(wú)言
She withered him with a look. 她的一瞥使他無(wú)言以對(duì)。
[2]landfill n. 垃圾掩埋（法）
[3]proceeds n.（從事某種活動(dòng)或售賣(mài)、籌款等所得的）收入，進(jìn)款，收益
[4]beset vt. (beset, besetting)
（1）（后面常與by連用）困擾
beset by worries 憂慮重重
（2）包圍著，圍繞
The project was beset with difficulties.這項(xiàng)工程困難重重。
[5]squeeze vt, vi (squeezed, squeezing)
（1）（常與out連用）擠壓；握緊；夾緊；壓榨
Don't squeeze the kitten, you will hurt it. 不要緊捏那小貓，你會(huì)傷害它的。
（2）擠，擠進(jìn)；塞進(jìn)
The children squeezed together to make room for me to sit down. 孩子們擠在一起以便騰出空來(lái)讓我坐下。
（3）（常與out of連用）壓出，擠出；榨取
to squeeze the juice out of a lemon 榨出檸檬汁
He squeezed an orange to get the juice out. 他擠壓橘子以便榨出橘汁。
（4）使經(jīng)濟(jì)困難；引起財(cái)政困難
2006年04月27日參考消息6版《老齡化讓日本一村莊消亡》全文如下：
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
老齡化讓日本一村莊消亡
【美國(guó)《國(guó)際先驅(qū)論壇報(bào)》4月26日?qǐng)?bào)道】題：日本老齡化讓一個(gè)村莊消亡(記者大西則光)
大釜這個(gè)位于日本西海岸的山村只剩下了8個(gè)老人。最近，這里的居民終于認(rèn)識(shí)到，不能再這樣生活下去了。（1）經(jīng)過(guò)幾個(gè)月的痛苦掙扎后，村民作出了一個(gè)重大決定：把整個(gè)大釜村賣(mài)給東京一家工業(yè)廢棄物處理公司，這家公司會(huì)把這里變成垃圾填埋場(chǎng)。
村民們打算利用賣(mài)村莊換來(lái)的錢(qián)來(lái)打點(diǎn)行裝、遷走祖墳，在今后幾年里搬到某個(gè)未知的地方安家。這里很可能成為日本第一個(gè)主動(dòng)消亡的村落。
64歲的村長(zhǎng)宮坂三郎說(shuō)：“我們?cè)谶@里沒(méi)有未來(lái)，沒(méi)有一丁點(diǎn)兒的希望?！?BR> （2）從一處小山包向下望去，是大片瘋長(zhǎng)的灌木叢，耳畔是小溪流淌的聲音和灌木叢中小鳥(niǎo)的鳴叫。宮坂指著這片灌木說(shuō)：“我從來(lái)沒(méi)有想到我們這里會(huì)變成這個(gè)樣子。過(guò)去這里是稻田?！?BR> 大釜村村民的決定雖然有些“極端”，但表明了困擾日本的一個(gè)相當(dāng)嚴(yán)峻的問(wèn)題，日本是世界上老齡化速度最快的地方之一。由于日本農(nóng)村人口不斷減少，許多像大釜這樣的村莊連同它們的傳統(tǒng)和歷史面臨著消失的危險(xiǎn)。
日本到處都是像大釜這樣的村莊，一些學(xué)者甚至創(chuàng)造了“達(dá)到極限的村落”這樣的說(shuō)法，來(lái)形容半數(shù)以上人口為老年人的村子。在門(mén)前市所管轄的140個(gè)村莊中，包括大釜村在內(nèi)的40%的村莊居住著不到10戶人，而且居民多是老年人。
（3）長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，一些日本農(nóng)村一直沒(méi)有擺脫衰敗的命運(yùn)。絕大多數(shù)農(nóng)村地區(qū)在經(jīng)濟(jì)上依賴(lài)政府的大型公共工程項(xiàng)目。小泉純一郎擔(dān)任首相以來(lái)，政府減少了公共工程開(kāi)支，這些工程為地方建筑公司提供了資金和就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。
小泉削減了對(duì)地方政府的補(bǔ)貼和重新分配的稅款數(shù)額，授權(quán)地方政府直接征稅。但是農(nóng)村地區(qū)的官員說(shuō)，由于農(nóng)村人口的不斷減少，再加上沒(méi)有多少企業(yè)，根本征收不到多少稅款。
日本各地出現(xiàn)了財(cái)政緊張的各市相互合并的風(fēng)潮，今年2月，門(mén)前市也順應(yīng)這一潮流，與鄰近的輪島市合并。賀地文昭是合并后新市的市長(zhǎng)，他說(shuō)，（4）最近出現(xiàn)的變化很容易讓人得出這樣一個(gè)結(jié)論，那就是農(nóng)村應(yīng)該消亡。
大釜村村長(zhǎng)的妻子宮坂春惠今年61歲，是這個(gè)村子最年輕的村民。她說(shuō)：“孩子們沒(méi)有回來(lái)，所以村子不會(huì)有什么發(fā)展。我們只會(huì)越來(lái)越老?！?BR> 76歲的溪口研一說(shuō)：“如果年輕人回來(lái)，那么這些村子還可以繼續(xù)存在下去。但是這種情況沒(méi)有發(fā)生，所以這些村子正在逐漸消失?！?BR>
By Norimitsu Onishi The New York Times
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006
OGAMA, Japan This mountain village on the West Coast, withered[1] to eight aging residents, concluded recently that it could no longer go on. So, （1）after months of anguish, the villagers settled on a drastic solution: selling all of Ogama to an industrial waste company from Tokyo, which will turn it into a landfill[2].
With the proceeds[3], the villagers plan to pack up everything, including their family graves, and move in the next few years to yet uncertain destinations, most likely becoming the first community in Japan to cease to exist voluntarily.
"There's no future for us here, zero." said Kazuo Miyasaka, 64, the village leader.
（2）On a hill overlooking a field of overgrown bushes, surrounded by the sounds of a running stream and a bush warbler, Miyasaka pointed below with his right index finger. "I never imagined it would come to this," he said. "I mean, those all used to be rice fields."
Ogama's decision, though extreme, points to a larger problem besetting[4] Japan, which has one of the world's fastest- graying societies. As rural Japan becomes increasingly depopulated, many villages and hamlets like Ogama, along with their traditions and histories, risk vanishing.
Japan is dotted with so many such communities that academics have coined a term - "villages that have reached their limits" - to describe those with populations that are more than half elderly. Out of 140 villages in Monzen, the municipality that includes Ogama, 40 percent have fewer than 10 households, inhabited mostly by the elderly.
（3）Rural Japan has never recovered from its long recession. Few rural areas have found economic alternatives to the huge public works projects. During his five years in office, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has reduced public works spending that yielded money and jobs to local construction companies.
Koizumi cut subsidies and tax redistribution to local governments, instead giving them the power to collect taxes directly. But rural officials argue that with a decreasing population and few businesses, there are few taxes to collect.
In keeping with a nationwide movement to combine financially squeezed[5] municipalities, Monzen merged with nearby Wajima City in February. Fumiaki Kaji, mayor of the merged municipality, said （4）recent changes amounted to a "simple logic of telling the countryside that it should die."
"Our children haven't come back, so there's no further growth. We'll just keep getting older." said Harue Miyasaka, the village leader's wife and, at 61, Ogama's youngest inhabitant.
"If young people came back, these villages could go on," Kenichi Taniguchi, 76, said. "But that's not happening. They're all dying out."
請(qǐng)?jiān)囎g文中劃線部分：
NOTES（《現(xiàn)代英漢詞典》）
[1]wither vt, vi
（1）（使）枯萎；凋謝
The flowers withered in the cold. 花在寒冷的天氣里凋謝了。
（2）使…啞口無(wú)言
She withered him with a look. 她的一瞥使他無(wú)言以對(duì)。
[2]landfill n. 垃圾掩埋（法）
[3]proceeds n.（從事某種活動(dòng)或售賣(mài)、籌款等所得的）收入，進(jìn)款，收益
[4]beset vt. (beset, besetting)
（1）（后面常與by連用）困擾
beset by worries 憂慮重重
（2）包圍著，圍繞
The project was beset with difficulties.這項(xiàng)工程困難重重。
[5]squeeze vt, vi (squeezed, squeezing)
（1）（常與out連用）擠壓；握緊；夾緊；壓榨
Don't squeeze the kitten, you will hurt it. 不要緊捏那小貓，你會(huì)傷害它的。
（2）擠，擠進(jìn)；塞進(jìn)
The children squeezed together to make room for me to sit down. 孩子們擠在一起以便騰出空來(lái)讓我坐下。
（3）（常與out of連用）壓出，擠出；榨取
to squeeze the juice out of a lemon 榨出檸檬汁
He squeezed an orange to get the juice out. 他擠壓橘子以便榨出橘汁。
（4）使經(jīng)濟(jì)困難；引起財(cái)政困難
2006年04月27日參考消息6版《老齡化讓日本一村莊消亡》全文如下：
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
老齡化讓日本一村莊消亡
【美國(guó)《國(guó)際先驅(qū)論壇報(bào)》4月26日?qǐng)?bào)道】題：日本老齡化讓一個(gè)村莊消亡(記者大西則光)
大釜這個(gè)位于日本西海岸的山村只剩下了8個(gè)老人。最近，這里的居民終于認(rèn)識(shí)到，不能再這樣生活下去了。（1）經(jīng)過(guò)幾個(gè)月的痛苦掙扎后，村民作出了一個(gè)重大決定：把整個(gè)大釜村賣(mài)給東京一家工業(yè)廢棄物處理公司，這家公司會(huì)把這里變成垃圾填埋場(chǎng)。
村民們打算利用賣(mài)村莊換來(lái)的錢(qián)來(lái)打點(diǎn)行裝、遷走祖墳，在今后幾年里搬到某個(gè)未知的地方安家。這里很可能成為日本第一個(gè)主動(dòng)消亡的村落。
64歲的村長(zhǎng)宮坂三郎說(shuō)：“我們?cè)谶@里沒(méi)有未來(lái)，沒(méi)有一丁點(diǎn)兒的希望?！?BR> （2）從一處小山包向下望去，是大片瘋長(zhǎng)的灌木叢，耳畔是小溪流淌的聲音和灌木叢中小鳥(niǎo)的鳴叫。宮坂指著這片灌木說(shuō)：“我從來(lái)沒(méi)有想到我們這里會(huì)變成這個(gè)樣子。過(guò)去這里是稻田?！?BR> 大釜村村民的決定雖然有些“極端”，但表明了困擾日本的一個(gè)相當(dāng)嚴(yán)峻的問(wèn)題，日本是世界上老齡化速度最快的地方之一。由于日本農(nóng)村人口不斷減少，許多像大釜這樣的村莊連同它們的傳統(tǒng)和歷史面臨著消失的危險(xiǎn)。
日本到處都是像大釜這樣的村莊，一些學(xué)者甚至創(chuàng)造了“達(dá)到極限的村落”這樣的說(shuō)法，來(lái)形容半數(shù)以上人口為老年人的村子。在門(mén)前市所管轄的140個(gè)村莊中，包括大釜村在內(nèi)的40%的村莊居住著不到10戶人，而且居民多是老年人。
（3）長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，一些日本農(nóng)村一直沒(méi)有擺脫衰敗的命運(yùn)。絕大多數(shù)農(nóng)村地區(qū)在經(jīng)濟(jì)上依賴(lài)政府的大型公共工程項(xiàng)目。小泉純一郎擔(dān)任首相以來(lái)，政府減少了公共工程開(kāi)支，這些工程為地方建筑公司提供了資金和就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。
小泉削減了對(duì)地方政府的補(bǔ)貼和重新分配的稅款數(shù)額，授權(quán)地方政府直接征稅。但是農(nóng)村地區(qū)的官員說(shuō)，由于農(nóng)村人口的不斷減少，再加上沒(méi)有多少企業(yè)，根本征收不到多少稅款。
日本各地出現(xiàn)了財(cái)政緊張的各市相互合并的風(fēng)潮，今年2月，門(mén)前市也順應(yīng)這一潮流，與鄰近的輪島市合并。賀地文昭是合并后新市的市長(zhǎng)，他說(shuō)，（4）最近出現(xiàn)的變化很容易讓人得出這樣一個(gè)結(jié)論，那就是農(nóng)村應(yīng)該消亡。
大釜村村長(zhǎng)的妻子宮坂春惠今年61歲，是這個(gè)村子最年輕的村民。她說(shuō)：“孩子們沒(méi)有回來(lái)，所以村子不會(huì)有什么發(fā)展。我們只會(huì)越來(lái)越老?！?BR> 76歲的溪口研一說(shuō)：“如果年輕人回來(lái)，那么這些村子還可以繼續(xù)存在下去。但是這種情況沒(méi)有發(fā)生，所以這些村子正在逐漸消失?！?BR>