标题:  Rural Japan

Pining for the paddyfields

正文:

There was nothing wrong with Chika and TakeshiOta’s life in Osaka, Japan’s liveliest city, where she worked as a shop manager and he as a driver. But a visit to Tasmania, in Australia, convinced Chika of the superiority of rural life. In May last year, with two tiny children in tow,  they moved to Shimanto, a sprawling town in Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Sitting in one of the sparse buildings that make up Kleingarten, a community of 22 basic houses with allotments they now call home, the couple, who are in their late 30s, describe how they hope to make a living through farming. “It is a risky choice, but we are happy,” says Chika.

Japan’s population is shrinking and ageing. Both trends are especially pronounced in the countryside, since young people tend to move to cities to find jobs, romance and good restaurants. The net inflow of Japanese to Tokyo rose from 96,500 in 2013 to 120,000 people last year, notes Ayumi Ito Rai ofthe cabinet office’s department for revitalising local areas. The city’s population continues to creep up. But there was net emigration from all but seven of Japan’s 47 prefectures last year. The population of Kochi prefecture, where Shimanto sits, peaked in 1955 at 883,000. By 2015 it had fallen to 728,000.

笔记:

1.Convince sb of sth 让某人信服

2.Work as ... 做什么工作

3.The superiority of rural life 乡村生活的优越性

4.In tow = together 一起

5.A sprawling town 广阔的城镇

6.Sparse 稀疏的

7.Make up 组成

8.In one’s late 30s 在某人二十七八的时候

9.Make a living through 通过...谋生

10.Tend to do sth 有做...的倾向

11.Rise from... to...从...上升到...

12.All but= just about 几乎、差不多

13.Net inflow  净增量

14....creep up  缓慢上升

15....peak in 1995 在1995年达到最大值

16.Fall to ... 降至

17.Both trends are especially pronounced in the countryside. (pronounce 常见含义为发音，这里指变得明显==obvious)

本经济学人节选中也有写作可以借鉴的句型，比如: Japan's population is shrinking and ageing.  在写作时可以进行改写，如As Japan's population shrinks and ages...