【時事英文】猜猜看！全台「最孤獨」的縣市是哪裡？台灣單身戶首破 4 成，打破「養兒防老」迷思，銀髮海嘯英文怎麼說？

當「養兒防老」的觀念逐漸瓦解，今天就讓我們透過《台北時報》，帶孩子看懂社會趨勢並學會高階英文！

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　　猜猜看全台「最孤獨」的縣市在哪裡？本週《台北時報》的深度報導為您揭露，帶著孩子一起學會描述社會變遷的必備高階英文，不僅提升你的職場溝通力，更能為孩子的大考作文超前部署！

原文標題
Single-person households surpass 40% for first time
By Kao Chia-ho and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters
單人家戶首次突破40% （記者高嘉和、Esme Yeh／報導）

　　以下為英文報導全文：

One-person households accounted for more than 40 percent of all registered households for the first time last year, while three-generation family households fell below 10 percent, Ministry of the Interior data showed, suggesting that Taiwanese society appears to be growing increasingly “lonely” as the nation’s birthrate continues to decline amid the “silver tsunami.”

Of the 9.85 million registered households in Taiwan last year, 3.99 million were one-person residences, surpassing 40 percent for the first time, the data showed.

That means at least four in every 10 households are made up of only one person, becoming the core unit of Taiwanese society, it showed.

Meanwhile, three-generation households with at least five members — which used to be a symbol of thriving families capable of caring for older family members — unprecedentedly dipped below 10 percent, or about 910,000 households, the data showed.

 

① 探討高齡化與家庭結構變遷 (Aging Society & Family Structure) 

面對社會結構的劇烈改變，當我們想和孩子討論未來的「高齡化社會」，或是你需要在職場簡報分析「人口趨勢」時，這三個單字絕對是拿高分的秘密武器！

silver tsunami｜(n. phr.) 銀髮海嘯（高齡化狂潮）

▷　老師畫重點：聞用 "silver tsunami" 來形容隨著出生率下降而來的高齡化社會衝擊 silver（銀色）借代為長者的白髮，tsunami（海嘯）點出其無法抵擋的強大趨勢。比起單調的 aging population，這個字眼絕對能讓大考閱卷老師與外國客戶眼睛一亮！
• The healthcare and insurance industries must prepare for the business opportunities brought by the silver tsunami.（醫療保健與保險產業必須為銀髮海嘯帶來的商機做好準備。）
• We should teach our kids how to adapt to a society facing a silver tsunami.（我們應該教導孩子如何適應一個面臨銀髮海嘯的社會。）

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unprecedentedly｜(adv.) 史無前例地、空前地

▷　老師畫重點：原文強調三代同堂的家庭「史無前例地」跌破一成這個字由字首 un- (不) + precedent (先例) 組成。無論是教導孩子描述極端氣候，還是在職場上形容破紀錄的銷售額，這個高級副詞都能大幅提升語句的力道！
• The demand for digital learning tools grew unprecedentedly during the pandemic.（疫情期間，對數位學習工具的需求史無前例地增長。）
• Taiwan is experiencing an unprecedentedly fast shift toward a super-aged society.（台灣正經歷史無前例快速向超高齡社會轉型的過程。）

必考文法重點：

 1  非限定關係子句（which 引導的補充說明）

原句："...three-generation households with at least five members — which used to be a symbol of thriving families capable of caring for older family members — unprecedentedly dipped below 10 percent..."
 （......至少有五名成員的三代同堂家庭——這曾經是繁榮且有能力照顧長者的家庭象徵——史無前例地跌破了 10%......）

▷　老師畫重點：這招能讓你在寫作時，順暢地向讀者補充說明某個名詞的背景故事（例如向外國人解釋台灣的三代同堂傳統），同時又不打斷句子的主要架構，是高分寫作必備武器！

▷　文法解析：
• 原句邏輯： 三代同堂的家庭史無前例地跌破一成。(順帶一提，這曾經是家庭繁榮的象徵)。
• 變化技巧：用破折號（或逗號）將要補充說明的子句安插在主詞之後，並由關係代名詞 "which" 引導，針對前方的「三代同堂家庭 (three-generation households)」進行額外的歷史資訊補充。

▷　考試怎麼考？
• 關鍵判斷：當空格出現在逗號或破折號之後，且用來補充說明前面的特定事物時，關係代名詞只能選 "which" (指物) 或 "who" (指人)，絕對不能選 "that"！

 

The decline of three-generation families not only reflected the nation’s declining birthrate and rural youth flight, but was also a warning that there might eventually be a lack of family support for the life and health of elderly people, a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The loneliest administrative area in Taiwan is not the metropolis with the fastest living pace, but an outlying island and traditional port towns, the data showed.

Penghu County’s one-person households account for 44.41 percent of all households in the county, the highest nationwide, followed by Keelung at 44.31 percent and Yilan County at 43.52 percent, it showed.

Most elderly people in these areas were living alone due to severe population outflows, the data showed.

 

New Taipei City has the most number of single-person households among the administrative areas, totaling 758,000, or 42.43 percent of all households in the city, it showed.

Although it is lower than Penghu County’s percentage, those households still represent a tough challenge for social welfare and lonely aging in New Taipei City, the data showed.

The official said the trend of loneliness is consistently developing nationwide.

Traditional social contracts such as “rearing children as an aging insurance” and family support are breaking down, which are urgent challenges posed by a super-aged society that the government has to address, they said.

The data also showed that there are no more “young cities” in Taiwan.

 

② 描述城鄉差距與社會現象 (Urban-Rural Gap & Social Shifts)

孩子長大後可能也會面臨離鄉背井打拼的選擇。面對「人口外流」或「空前」的時代變動，學會這兩個字，能讓你們在探討嚴肅社會議題時展現深度！

outflow / flight｜(n.) 外流、逃離

▷　老師畫重點：新聞提到許多長輩獨居，是因為嚴重的「人口外流 (population outflows)」與「鄉村青年逃離 (rural youth flight)」這兩個字經常用來描述年輕人口、專業人才或是企業資金大量離開某個地方，是商業與新聞英文的極高頻單字。
• We must offer better benefits to prevent the outflow of top engineering talents.（我們必須提供更好的福利，以防止頂尖工程人才外流。）
• The rural youth flight has left many traditional villages with only elderly residents.（鄉村青年外流導致許多傳統村莊只剩下年長居民。）

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account for｜(v. phr.) 佔...比例；對...做出解釋

▷　老師畫重點：報導提到單身戶首次「佔」登記家戶的 40% 以上在多益考試、商業圖表分析，或是大考英文的「圖表題作文」中，只要碰到「描述數據佔比」，用 account for 就絕對不會錯！
• Online sales now account for more than half of our company's total revenue.（線上銷售目前佔了我們公司總營收的一半以上。）
• Educational expenses account for a large portion of our family's monthly budget.（教育費用佔了我們家庭每月預算的一大部分。）

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rearing children as an aging insurance｜(n. phr.) 養兒防老

▷　老師畫重點：這是一個充滿台灣文化共鳴的詞！報導直指這種傳統的社會契約（social contracts）正在瓦解 rearing 是「撫養」，aging insurance 則是「養老保險」。學會這個片語，以後和外國友人介紹亞洲文化，或是孩子在寫文化差異的英文作文時都超級實用！
• The government's new pension plan aims to replace the traditional concept of rearing children as an aging insurance.（政府的新年金計畫旨在取代傳統養兒防老的觀念。）
• I told my kids that they don't need to worry about me; the idea of rearing children as an aging insurance is outdated.（我告訴孩子們不需要擔心我；養兒防老的觀念已經過時了。）

必考文法重點：

 2  對等連接詞的強烈對比句型：not A but B（不是 A 而是 B）

原句："The loneliest administrative area in Taiwan is not the metropolis with the fastest living pace, but an outlying island and traditional port towns..."
 （台灣最孤獨的行政區，不是生活步調最快的大都會，而是離島和傳統港口城鎮......）

▷　老師畫重點：當你想打破別人的刻板印象，強調你真正想說的重點時，這是一個能讓語氣瞬間變得非常有說服力與層次感的句型！

▷　文法解析：
• 原句邏輯：大家可能以為最孤獨的地方是都市，但其實台灣最孤獨的行政區，並不是大都會，反而是離島和港鎮。
• 變化技巧：利用 "not... but..." 的句型，先將大家預期或普遍認知的答案 (the metropolis) 否定掉，緊接著帶出令人意外的真實數據 (an outlying island and traditional port towns)，達成強烈的對比效果。

▷　考試怎麼考？
• 關鍵判斷：除了考語意邏輯外，大考與多益最愛考「對等連接詞」的特性！"not" 和 "but" 後面接的詞性必須「完全對稱」。如果 not 後面接的是名詞片語 (the metropolis)，but 後面也必須對稱地接名詞片語 (an outlying island)；若前方是介系詞片語，後方也必須照跟介系詞片語。

 

 3  過去分詞作後位修飾 (V-p.p. 修飾前方名詞)

原句："Traditional social contracts... are breaking down, which are urgent challenges posed by a super-aged society that the government has to address..."
 （傳統的社會契約......正在瓦解，這些是政府必須解決的、由超高齡社會所帶來的迫切挑戰......）

▷　老師畫重點：想讓句子看起來像母語人士寫的，就一定要學會「省略關係代名詞與 be 動詞」的進階修飾法！這能讓你的句子更精煉，是升學大考與多益閱讀的超級愛考題。

▷　文法解析：
• 原句邏輯： 這些是迫切的挑戰。(這些挑戰是) 被超高齡社會所造成的 (...urgent challenges which are posed by a super-aged society)。
• 變化技巧：將關係代名詞 (which) 與 be 動詞 (are) 直接省略，留下表示被動的「過去分詞 (posed)」，緊接在名詞 (challenges) 後方作為形容詞使用，表示「被...帶來的」。

▷　考試怎麼考？
• 關鍵判斷：當名詞後方出現挖空，且後方有 "by..." (由...引起/帶來) 時，先判斷主被動邏輯！因為「挑戰」是「被」社會趨勢所引起的，所以動詞一定要選過去分詞 (V-p.p.)，絕對不能選 V-ing。

 

Hsinchu county and city, known as the technological hub of Taiwan, in 2024 had more children than elderly people, with an aging index below 100 percent, the data showed.

However, the situation changed last year due to population aging and low birthrates, with the county’s aging index reaching 101.88 percent and the city’s surging to 106.59 percent, it showed.

The oldest city among the six special municipalities is Taipei, with an aging index of 202.06 percent last year, followed by Kaohsiung at 192.1 percent, New Taipei City at 185.54 percent and Tainan at 184.96 percent, the data showed.

Taoyuan and Taichung — which were “young cities” four years ago, with aging indices lower than 100 percent — saw their indices rise to 127.33 percent and 136.45 percent respectively, the data showed.

Chiayi County remained on top of the list with an aging index of 291.69 percent, followed by Kinmen County’s 255.57 percent and Keelung’s 240.21 percent, it showed.

The aging indices of nine administrative areas, or nearly 25 percent, surpassed 200 percent last year, the data showed.

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