Pre-reading questions:
- What Guinness World Record interests you the most and why?
- How do you celebrate your birthday?
Vocabulary:
- rest home /RES-t hohm/
- previous /PREE-vee-uhs/
- retire /ri-TAHYUHR/
- expand /ik-SPAND/
- avoid /uh-VOID/
[noun] a place where old people live and are cared for
The number of elderly people living in a resting home has increased.
[adjective] happening or existing before the one mentioned
The previous owner of a famous coffee shop is an actress.
[verb] to leave your job or stop working because of having reached a particular age
He is planning to retire at the age of 50.
[verb] o increase something in size, number, or importance
The very well-known cosmetic company has been planning to expand worldwide next year.
[verb] to stay away from someone or something, or prevent something from happening, or not allow yourself to do something
Tennis players try to avoid eating meat before their competition.
Kane Tanaka, the oldest person in the Guinness world records, turned 117 in a rest home in Fukuoka, southern Japan, last January 2. In the previous year, she was listed as the oldest living person in the world. Tanaka had four children and an adopted child. She and her husband Hideo worked in a shop selling shiruko and udon noodles. She retired from work at the age of 63, while her husband and son died in the war.
Tanaka’s age is a sign of the fast-growing population of Japan. Based on Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of Japanese people over the age of 90 increased to two million for the first time in 2017 and expanded from 1.02 million to 2.06 million in 2004. The Japanese population over 65 years of age increased by 35.14 million or 27.7% in 2017, while the number of births decreased by one million for the first time in 2016. According to the report, young Japanese people are focusing on their jobs and avoiding marriage. On the other hand, the elderly have been living longer than before.
Tanaka’s age is a sign of the fast-growing population of Japan. Based on Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of Japanese people over the age of 90 increased to two million for the first time in 2017 and expanded from 1.02 million to 2.06 million in 2004. The Japanese population over 65 years of age increased by 35.14 million or 27.7% in 2017, while the number of births decreased by one million for the first time in 2016. According to the report, young Japanese people are focusing on their jobs and avoiding marriage. On the other hand, the elderly have been living longer than before.
Comprehension Questions:
- Based on the article, who is the oldest person in the world?
- How many children did Tanaka have?
- According to the article, what is the sign of the fast-growing population of Japan?
- Based on the article above, what population increased in 2017?
- According to the article, what do young Japanese people focus on?
Discussion Questions:
- What can you say about the World’s oldest person? Explain your answer.
- Why do you think Japanese people aged above 90 increased in 2017?
- In your opinion, why do young Japanese people focus on their jobs and avoid marriage?
- In your opinion, what is the best age to get married? Explain your answer.
- If you were to celebrate Kane Tanaka’s birthday, in what way would it be and why?