Paragraph 4:
①One obvious solution is immigration. ②Only 2% of the workforce is foreign-born, compared with 17% in America. ③But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees. ④The plan before the Diet aims to attract blue-collar workers in 14 industries, including construction, shipbuilding and caring for the elderly. ⑤They will receive visas of no more than five years, at least initially, and will not be able to bring their families. ⑥All must have some proficiency in Japanese.
段落解析：
前文提出了日本的生育率降低、人口老龄化带来的劳动力急剧短缺的问题，从本段开始讨论应对的举措。本段主要提到的是，通过移民的举措解决劳动力短缺。相对于美国这样的移民大国来说，日本劳动力市场上的外国人占比还是很低的。政府其实已经打着学生和实习生的幌子，私下准入了更多的外国打工者，主要还是吸引建筑、造船、夕阳产业等蓝领工人，这样的劳动力也是有一定条件的，首次签发的签证有效期在5年之内，还不能携家带口，并且对日语水平也有要求。
词句精读：
③But the government has been surreptitiously admitting more foreign workers, mostly in the guise of students and trainees.
surreptitiously，副词，形容词是surreptitious，秘密的，偷偷摸摸的，鬼鬼祟祟的，done secretly or quickly because you do not want other people to notice. 同义词secret，反义词barefaced(不隐瞒的)/aboveboard(光明正大的)。单词很长，但我们可以这么记忆：sur-rept-itious，sur下面, rept = creep爬（reptile爬行动物）itious表示形容词，在下面爬来爬去，偷偷摸摸的。比如我们想表达，商人私下付的报酬补充了低工资，就可以说：Low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen.
guise，名词，意思是“伪装，外表，幌子”，是比较正式的表达，the way someone or something appears to be, which hides the truth or is only temporary，常用表达“in / under the guise of sth”，本文是指日本政府打着学生和实习生的幌子，私下准入了更多的外国工作者。
比如我们想表达，他们挂着职业介绍所的牌子从事毒品走私活动，就可以说：They operated a drug-smuggling business under the guise of an employment agency.
再比如说我们想表达，一样的观点只是形式不同，就可以说：It’s the same idea in a different guise.
背景补充：
Diet，名词，常用释义“饮食”，这里是指“议会”，a legislative assembly in certain countries (e.g., Japan). 日本议会是Diet，英国/加拿大议会是Parliament，美国国会是Congress。比如说，日本的议会相当于美国的国会，就可以说：The Diet in Japan corresponds to the American Congress.应用最近“每日一词”学习的equivalent，可以说“The Diet is the Japanese equivalent of the American Congress”。
从词源角度来看，Diet(议会)源自中世纪拉丁语的dieta，其有两个意思，“parliamentary assembly 议会”和“daily food allowance 每天的食物津贴”，最初源自古希腊语的diaita，意思是“way of living 生活方式”，也即“diet 日常饮食”,"regular (daily) work 定期(每日)工作"。Diet这个词之所以表示“会议”这个意思，是因为会议是在每日的基础上进行的。日本议会Diet也是沿用德国的传统，明治宪法（Meiji Constitution）深受德意志(普鲁士)的影响(the heavy Prussian influence)。
Paragraph 5:
①Mr Abe plays down the idea that he is doing anything momentous. ②In debates he is at pains to stress that the new arrivals are not permanent immigrants, but guest workers. ③Moreover, he portrays foreign workers as a last resort, to fill gaps while the government tries to get more Japanese to work. ④During his six-year tenure, 2m more women have joined the workforce, lifting the female participation rate above America’s. ⑤He has increased the number of nurseries and made big companies document their efforts to promote female workers. ⑥From next year nurseries will be free. ⑦Over half of women return to work after having a child, compared with 38% in 2010. ⑧“We have tried to make a society that enables more women to be active, advanced and empowered,” he says.
段落解析：
本段承接上一段，安倍对议会轻描淡写移民举措的重要性，强调外来务工者只是来“客座”工作的，可不是永久移民，而且这是迫不得已而为之的最后举措了。除了“引进外援”，安倍在任期内大力鼓励女性工作，日本女性的工作参与率已超过了美国（这已颠覆了我的认知），安倍通过增建托儿所和给职业女性晋升空间解决女性职工的后顾之忧，并且从明年起托儿所都免费啦！免费啦！免费啦！（重要事情说三遍）怪不得日本有一半以上生完孩子的女性都重返职场。安倍希望打造一个社会，让更多的女性积极、先进、赋有权力。
词句精读：
①Mr Abe plays down the idea that he is doing anything momentous.
play down，表示“减低…的重要性，轻视”，give less emphasis or make something seem less important，可以说是对某事的轻描淡写，同义词downplay。比如我们想表达，这个政客对民意测验显示出的他的影响力下降不予重视，就可以说：The politician played down the polls that showed that he was becoming less popular.（请脑补川普大爷傲娇地噘着小嘴表示“I don't care”）
momentous，表示“重大的”，程度要重于important，very important because it will have a great influence on the future. 本文是说安倍首相想表示出在移民方面他并没有做什么重大举措。如果我们想表达，现在我们在经历东西方关系发生重大转变的时期，就可以说：Now we are experiencing a period of momentous changes in East–West relations.
②In debates he is at pains to stress that the new arrivals are not permanent immigrants, but guest workers.
at pains，表示“小心翼翼地做某事(以免别人误解)”，be especially careful to make sure people understand what you are saying or what you plan to do. 本段通过一个“at pains”（小心翼翼）和前句的一个“play down”（轻描淡写），很形象的把安倍首相对移民问题谨小慎微的处理方式表现出来，也与上一段的surreptitiously有暗合之处。比如我们想表达，翠花特地说明英语是她唯一曾经考试不及格的科目，就可以说：Tracy was at pains to point out that English was the only exam she’d ever failed.
③Moreover, he portrays foreign workers as a last resort, to fill gaps while the government tries to get more Japanese to work.
resort，名词，常用释义“度假胜地”，在本文“last / final resort”是指（其他办法都失败后采用的）最后的办法，what you will do if everything else fails，常用搭配为“as a last resort”，“of last resort”和“in the last resort”。比如我们想表达，药物治疗只能作为最后的办法，就可以说：Drug treatment should only be used as a last resort. 再比如说我们想表达，最后使出的武器，就可以说：a weapon of last resort. 还比如说我们想表达，实在没有别的办法时，才会采取经济制裁，就可以说：Economic sanctions will be used only in the last resort.
除了“last resort”的表达方式，英文中还有“first resort”的表达，表示“最先采取的手段”，what you will do first before you try other things. 比如我们想表达，过去找工作总是先找家人帮忙，就可以说：In the past, your family was the first resort when looking for a job.
④During his six-year tenure, 2m more women have joined the workforce, lifting the female participation rate above America’s.
lift，常用义“抬起，提起，举起”，这里的意思是“增加，提高(价格﹑利润等)”，to make prices, profit etc increase，同义词increase，本文是指提升女性的参与率。比如我们想表达，美国可能会用减税的方法来提振经济，就可以说：The U.S. may use tax cuts to lift the economy.
⑤He has increased the number of nurseries and made big companies document their efforts to promote female workers.
document，动词，常见义是做名词的“文件，文档”，这里是“记录”的意思，make a detailed record of it in writing or on film or tape. 比如我们想表达，他写了一本书，记录他的海外经历，就可以说：He wrote a book documenting his overseas experiences.