教甄◆英文科題庫下載題庫

        The 7-Eleven store in Minami-Azabu 1-chome, Tokyo, is a microcosm reflecting Japan’s evolving demographic landscape. At first glance, it appears to be like any other “konbini,” as such shops are known locally—a(n) ____21____ of impeccable Japanese service culture. Clerks shout “Irasshaimase”, a greeting to customers, each time the doors open. Yet all the staff, including the franchise owner, are Burmese, including the owner, May Zin Chit, the first person from Myanmar to own a Japanese 7-Eleven franchise. 

       Konbini are the lifeblood of modern Japan and a $77bn-a-year industry. The four main chains—7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson and MiniStop boast a total of 55,700 branches, ____22____ across every city and town. Japanese rely on them as places to buy fresh food, pay bills, send parcels, and much more, 24 hours a day. Foreign tourists ____23____ the wide range of their offerings. 

       Yet there are ever fewer Japanese to make the konbini magic happen. Konbini, face a workforce shortage due to the country’s aging population. Japan’s working-age population peaked at 87m in 1995 and is projected to fall to 55m by 2050. Bringing more women and elderly Japanese into the workforce can help ____24____ the trend, but only to a limited extent. Immigration emerges as a critical solution, exemplified by May’s journey up the konbini ladder. 

       Japan’s government, albeit ____25____, has facilitated the entry of more foreign workers in recent years. The number of foreign workers has quadrupled since 2008, reaching the 2m mark for the first time last year. On March 29th the government expanded the list of fields ____26____ for skilled-worker visas. The number will have to rise faster. Japan needs 4.2m foreign workers by 2030 to sustain even its modest GDP growth targets. Though wariness about large-scale immigration is still widespread, the labor ____27____ has convinced many business leaders and officials of the necessity of a more multicultural Japan.

        At 7-Eleven, Ms. May is held up as a model the company hopes to replicate. Yet ____28____ hurdles persist, hindering migrants from following in her path. Many of the students who work at konbini struggle to get visas to continue working there after graduation. Relatively few rise to the level of store manager, much less an owner. Ms. May had to secure permanent residence, deemed by many a(n) ____29____ process, and a line of credit in order to achieve her dream of owning a shop. Despite all the government’s ____30____ to the migration rules, it is still far too difficult for prospective migrants to put down roots in Japan. 

(AB) bureaucratic (AC) counteract (AD) marvel at (AE) arduous (BC) susceptible (BD) dotted (BE) sordid (CD) impetuously (CE) paragon (DE) tweaks (ABC) valor (ABD) eligible (ABE) crunch (BCD) foment (BCE) discreetly