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人口
じんこう
population
この市の 人口は、約三十万人だ。
The population of this city is about 300,000.
N2 Day 27
人が減っていく町 A town that keeps shrinking
Learn to say something keeps going in one direction with 〜一方だ and keeps getting worse with 〜ばかりだ, and read an article about a new project in a town whose population keeps falling.
About 25 minutes · 8 words · grammar · reading · quiz
- Words
- Grammar
- Read
- Quiz
- Done
Today's words
減少
げんしょう
decrease, decline
雨が少なく、米の生産が 減少した。
There was little rain, and rice production decreased.
増加
ぞうか
increase
外国からの観光客が、年々 増加している。
Tourists from abroad are increasing year by year.
高齢化
こうれいか
population aging
高齢化が進み、病院で働く人が足りなくなっている。
As the population ages, hospitals are running short of workers.
過疎
かそ
depopulation (of rural areas)
過疎の村では、バスが一日に二本しかない。
In the depopulated village, there are only two buses a day.
悪化する
あっかする
to get worse, to deteriorate
無理をして働いたので、体調が 悪化した。
I pushed myself too hard at work, and my health got worse.
対策
たいさく
countermeasure, measures
夏の暑さに向けて、早めに 対策を考えておこう。
Let's think of ways to deal with the summer heat early.
若者
わかもの
young people
この祭りは、地元の 若者が中心になって準備している。
Local young people take the lead in preparing this festival.
Today's grammar
〜一方だ
Keep ~ing more and more (one direction)
Formation
- V辞書形 + 一方だ
This shows that a change keeps going in only one direction without stopping. It follows the dictionary form of verbs of change, such as 増える, 減る, 上がる and 悪くなる. It is often used for bad situations, but it can also describe good or neutral changes, as in 人気が高まる一方だ.
Examples
駅前にマンションが増えて、家賃は 上がる一方だ。
With more apartment buildings near the station, rents just keep going up.
練習を休んでいたら、体力は 落ちる一方だった。
While I was skipping practice, my stamina just kept dropping.
〜ばかりだ
Keep getting worse and worse
Formation
- V辞書形 + ばかりだ
This shows that a situation keeps changing in a bad direction. It follows the dictionary form of verbs of change, such as 悪くなる, 増える and 減る, and expresses the speaker's worry or frustration. It is close to 一方だ, but ばかりだ is usually not used for good changes.
Examples
話し合いをしても、二人の関係は 悪くなるばかりだ。
Even when they talk it over, their relationship just keeps getting worse.
雨は 強くなるばかりで、試合は中止になった。
The rain kept getting heavier, and the game was canceled.
Read
商店街のみそパン The miso bread of the shopping street
山の中にあるこの町では、四十年前に一万人いた人口が、今は四千人ほどになった。In this town in the mountains, the population, which was 10,000 forty years ago, is now around 4,000.
高校を卒業した若者の多くが都市へ出ていくため、人口は減る一方だ。Because many young people leave for the cities after finishing high school, the population just keeps falling.
高齢化も進み、町の人の半分近くが六十五歳以上である。The population is also aging, and nearly half of the townspeople are 65 or older.
駅前の商店街も、店が一つ、また一つと閉まり、状況は悪化するばかりだった。On the shopping street in front of the station, shops closed one after another, and the situation only kept getting worse.
このまま過疎が進めば、町がなくなってしまうのではないかと心配する声も多い。Many people worry that if depopulation continues like this, the town might disappear.
そこで町は三年前から、新しい対策を始めた。空いている店を安く貸し、町に移り住んで店を開きたい人を募集したのだ。So three years ago, the town started a new measure. It rented out empty shops cheaply and looked for people who wanted to move to the town and open a shop.
最初に応募してきたのは、都市で働いていた二十代の夫婦だった。二人は商店街の古い店でパン屋を始めた。The first to apply was a couple in their twenties who had been working in the city. The two of them opened a bakery in an old shop on the shopping street.
人気になったのは、近所のおばあさんたちに教わって作った、みそ味のパンだ。What became popular was a miso-flavored bread they learned to make from the elderly women in the neighborhood.
今では朝から行列ができ、そのパンを買うために町の外から来る客も増えている。Now there is a line from the morning, and more and more customers come from outside the town to buy that bread.
この三年で移り住んだ人は四十人を超え、子どもの数がわずかに増加した年もあった。In these three years, more than forty people have moved here, and there was even a year when the number of children rose slightly.
人口の減少がすぐに止まるわけではない。それでも、パン屋の前に並ぶ人たちの笑顔を見ると、町の未来は暗いことばかりではないと思えてくる。This doesn't mean the population decline will stop right away. Still, seeing the smiles of the people lined up outside the bakery, you start to feel that the town's future is not all dark.
Tap a line to see the translation.
Check your understanding
R1町が三年前から始めた対策はどれか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 空いている店を安く貸して、店を開く人を募集した
The text says the town rented out empty shops cheaply and looked for people who wanted to move there and open a shop. The other choices are not in the text.
R2本文の内容に合うものはどれか。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 人気のみそパンは、近所のおばあさんたちから教わったものだ
The text says the miso bread was made with what they learned from the elderly women nearby. 2 is wrong because the decline will not stop right away, and 3 is wrong because more than forty people have moved in.
Quiz
1この国では、お年寄りの割合が増える（ ）が進んでいる。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 高齢化
In this country, population aging, the rise in the share of elderly people, is progressing. 高齢化 means exactly this. 過疎 and 減少 are about decreasing, so they don't match 割合が増える.
2雨が何日も続いて、山道の状態が（ ）。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 悪化した
It rained for days, and the condition of the mountain road got worse. 悪化する means to get worse. 減少 and 増加 are for numbers and amounts, and 状態が対策した makes no sense.
3夏休みに海外旅行に行く人が、去年より二割（ ）した。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 増加
The number of people traveling abroad in summer vacation rose 20% from last year. 増加 means increase. 悪化 is about conditions getting worse and 過疎 is about having too few people.
4駅前に大きなスーパーができてから、商店街の客は減る（ ）。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 一方だ
Since a big supermarket opened by the station, customers at the shopping street keep decreasing. V dictionary form + 一方だ shows a change that keeps going one way. つつある and かねない follow the masu-stem, and ばかりか needs another clause.
5薬を飲んでいるのに、熱は上がる（ ）だ。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 1 ばかり
I'm taking medicine, but my fever just keeps going up. V dictionary form + ばかりだ shows something continuing to get worse. 以来 follows the te-form, and つつ and がち follow the masu-stem, so none can follow 上がる.
6インターネットで買い物をする人は ＿＿ ＿＿ ＿★＿ ＿＿。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 3 一方
The correct order is 4→1→3→2: インターネットで買い物をする人は年々増える一方だ (The number of people who shop online keeps rising year after year). 一方 goes in the ★ position.
7過疎の町に、若い家族が引っ越してきた。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 2 かそ
過疎 is read かそ (depopulation). There is no long vowel and no dakuten. The sentence means "A young family moved to the depopulated town."
8町の人たちが集まって、たいさくを話し合った。
Answer and explanation
Answer: 4 対策
たいさく is written 対策 (countermeasure). Be careful: 策 and 作 can both be read さく, and 待 and 体 can also be read たい but have different meanings. The sentence means "The townspeople got together and discussed measures."
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