39 Which of the following statements is true?
(A) More than 40% of the population in Japan is older than 60.
(B) One out of three Japanese aged 60 or older is still employed.
(C) 75% of the wealth in Britain is in the hands of those older than 60.
(D) In order to save up for health payments, old people tend to spent very little. 代號：2201 頁次：4－4

There’s no question that taking care of the elderly and frail will incur huge costs, stretching already overburdened pension and health-care systems. But with people living longer and continuing to contribute productively to society, we need to recalibrate just what we mean by old. In Japan, for instance, more than a quarter of the population is currently at the age of 60 or older, a figure that’s set to reach 42% by 2050. However, many of these folks are hardly sitting idly at home. One in three Japanese aged 60 or over is still part of the labor force.

毫無疑問，照顧年長和虛弱的老人將產生巨大的費用，進一步加重已經負擔沉重的養老金和醫療保健系統的壓力。但是，隨著人們壽命延長並繼續對社會做出有意義的貢獻，我們需要重新調整對老年的理解。例如，在日本，超過四分之一的人口目前年齡在60歲或以上，預計到2050年將達到42%。然而，這些人中有很多人並不閒坐在家中。三分之一的60歲或以上的日本人仍然在勞動力市場上。

Keeping older folks employed is particularly important because by mid-century, says the UN, the world will have more elderly people than children. By 2050, nearly a third of the developed world’s labor force will be aged 50 or older. Many elderly are spending more, too. While a good chunk of their savings will be needed to fund longer retirements and higher health payments, older people have considerable purchasing power. Britons over 50 years of age, for instance, control 75% of the country’s wealth. Businesses catering to a so-called silver economy are booming, offering everything from elderly-friendly housing to trips for retiree globetrotters.

保持老年人就業尤為重要，因為聯合國表示，到本世紀中葉，世界上的老年人口將超過兒童人口。到2050年，發達國家近三分之一的勞動力將年齡在50歲或以上。許多老年人的消費也在增加。雖然他們的一大部分儲蓄將用於支付更長的退休年限和更高的醫療費用，但老年人擁有相當大的購買力。例如，英國50歲以上的人控制著該國75%的財富。面向所謂銀髮經濟的企業正在蓬勃發展，提供從適合老人的住房到退休旅遊的一切。

With the older generation controlling so much of the world’s money, it’s hardly fair to dismiss senior citizens as an inevitable burden on society. “Many Japanese are living so long, it’s like they’ve been given second lives,” says Toshiko Katayose, editor of a Tokyo magazine. “They’re doing everything with energy: working, turning kimonos into cool patchwork designs; even doing math drills to keep mentally fit.

由於年長一代掌握著全球如此龐大的財富，將老年公民視為社會上不可避免的負擔是不公平的。東京一本雜誌的編輯Toshiko Katayose表示：“很多日本人活得很長壽，就像他們得到了第二次生命。他們充滿活力地做著各種事情：工作，把和服做成時尚的拼布設計；甚至做數學練習以保持思維靈活。”
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重點單字：
- frail: 虛弱的
- incur: 承擔
- overburdened: 負擔過重的
- recalibrate: 重新調整
- sitting idly: 閒坐不動
- labor force: 勞動力
- developed world: 發達