1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. absence	B. double	C. extended	D. functions	E. fund	F. outpaced
G. prospects	H. record	I. shifted	J. steady	K. upward

Japan births fall to record low as population crisis deepens

Japan saw 799,728 births in 2022, the lowest number on record. That number has nearly halved in the past 40 years; by contrast, Japan recorded more than 1.5 million births in 1982. Japan also reported a (n)    1    high for post-war deaths last year, at more than 1.58 million. Deaths have    2    births in Japan for more than a decade, posing a growing problem for leaders of the world’s third-largest economy. They now face a ballooning elderly population, along with a shrinking workforce to    3    pensions and health care as demand from the aging population increased.

Japan’ population has been in    4    decline since its economic boom of the 1980s and stood at 125.5 million in 2021. Its death rate of 1.3 is far below the rate of 2.1 required to maintain a stable population, in the    5    of immigration.

The country also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world ; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan were aged 100 or older. These concerning trends resulted in a warning from Prime minister that Japan is “on the edge of not being able to maintain social    6    ” and Japan “simply cannot wait any longer” in solving the problem of its low birth rate. A new government agency will be set up to focus on the issue, with Prime Minister saying that he wants the government to     7     its spending on child-related programs.

But money alone might not be able to solve the complex problem, with various social factors contributing to the low birth rate. Japan’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Urban couples are also often far from     8    family in other regions, who could help provide support. In 2022, Japan was ranked one of the world’s most expensive places to raise a child. And yet, the country’s economy has slowed down since the early 1990s, meaning frustratingly low ages and little    9    mobility.

The average real annual household income declined from $50,600 in 1995 to $43, 300 in 2020. Attitude toward marriage and starting families have also     10     in recent years, with more couples putting off both during the pandemic.