There’s one thing for certain – we’re all getting older. And while the older amongst us may be no spring chickens不再年轻 any more, growing old gracefully is no bad thing. And with age comes wisdom. However, as the world population ages变老, will there be enough people to replace our younger selves?
A situation where there are more old people than young certainly has an effect on the world. A report by the Pew Research Center says that globally the number of people over 65 years old will triple三倍 by 2050, drastically彻底地 altering some countries’ demographic make-up人口构成.
This growing and dependent需要被赡养的 population means that there is an increased demand for health and social care社会护理服务. Governments will struggle to provide satisfactory pensions养老金, which are ultimately最终 funded by taxes paid by the working population. And long-term, a smaller population of economically-active people may be a problem for companies trying to recruit staff招聘员工.
Attitudes to an ageing population老龄化人口 vary around the world. The Pew Research Center survey found that 87% of Japanese people were most concerned about it, while only 26% of people from the USA were. Here, immigration移民 is helping to boost改善 the younger workforce. Some countries thought the elderly should take care of themselves, while others thought it was the responsibility of the family. Many thought the government should be responsible.
But old age shouldn’t just be seen negatively. Elderly people have knowledge and experience they can pass on传授. Some have wealth which they can spend, helping the economy. And some help society by doing voluntary自愿工 or charity work慈善工作. Of course, solutions are needed to tackle解决 the issue, and these include increasing the retirement age, encouraging people to save for the future, persuading skilled and educated migrants to fill labour shortages, or even convincing people to have more children.
来源：http://language.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202112/20/WS61bfe6f0a310cdd39bc7c628.html
