2 . There is growing interest in East Japan Railway Co. ltd, one of the six companies, created out of the privatized national railway system. In an industry lacking exciting growth ________, its plan to use real-estate assets in and around train stations ________ is drawing interest.

In a plan called “Station Renaissance” that it ________ in November, JR East said that it would ________ using its commercial spaces for shops and restaurants, extending them to ________ more suitable for the information age. It wants train stations as pick-up ________ for such goods as books, flowers and groceries ________ over the Inter. In a country where city ________ depend heavily on trains ________ commuting, about 16 million people a day go to its train stations anyway, the company ________. So, picking up commodities at train stations ________ consumers extra travel and missed home deliveries. JR East already has been using its station ________ stores for this purpose, but it plans to create ________ spaces for the delivery of Inter goods.

The company also plans to introduce ________ cards—known in Japan as IC cards because they use integrated circuit for ________ information ________ train tickets and muter passes ________ the magic ones used today, integrating them into a/an ________ pass. This will save the company money, because ________ for IC cards are much less expensive than magic systems. Increased use of IC cards should also ________ the space needed for ticket vending.

4 . TikTok is the birthplace of the entertainment stars of the new generation Z (born after1996). Ambitious young people have been able to attract huge audiences on the social media platform by dancing, singing, pulling pranks, performing skits and whatever else they can think of in short videos, most of which last between 15 seconds and a minute. Obviously, it’s a place for kids and most social media is youth-oriented. However, it maybe not just kids anymore. Austin, for instance, is 82 years old and is known to his 1.4 million TikTok fans as “Old Man Steve”.

Austin and several other older social media stars have developed big TikTok followings over the last few years, with fan bases well into seven or even eight figures. Most of them uploaded videos just for fun, but were lucky enough to go viral. Some have become full-time TikTok bloggers, making use of their fame on TikTok to appear on other platforms, and TV as well as ads and endorsement (代言). While they are just as energetic as the young people, they bring their own interest to TikTok. “I think that it’s a great thing for seniors to be able to be on the internet and communicate,” Old Man Steve say “I don’t think it’s just for the young people.”

The folk listed below is one of the biggest older TikTok stars—Jenny Krupa. J-Dog @its-j-dog. 2M followers and 83. 6M likes Jenny Krupa, 88, of Alberta, Canada, has become the TikTok star “J-dog” with the help of her grandson, Skylar Krupa. They have been making videos together since August 2019.J-dog is a fashionable old woman. On Valentine’s Day, for instance, she told viewers not to worry about not getting a card.“It’s not because no one likes you,” she said. “It’s probably because you’re a loser.” Skylar Krupa says.“When we started, she really didn’t like it, but once the   J-dog personality became a viral hit，there was no turning back.” “She liked the attention from it.” Skylar says, and now “she’s definitely turning into J-dog.” The person hasn’t overwhelmed the person, however, Skylar says his grandmother was very touched by the online love and support she got from her followers following her husband’s death in July.

6 . Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each.

Children in the US will leave their parents’ home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday.

Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves.

Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use.

9 . Samuel Baron, a student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, has traded his 55.7㎡Edmonton apartment for a 23㎡micro-flat downtown. He was determined to live closer to Vancouver’s city center and cut out his transport expenses. He achieved both, but the trade-off was space. “Between work and school, I am rarely home,”said Baron. “My suite functions as a place to simply store my possessions, and for sleeping, because I live in a neighborhood that has plenty of coffee shops, restaurants and pubs. My neighborhood functions as my living room , blurring the lines between public space and private space.”

The tiny house movement has been on the rise. Driven by housing shortage and an affordability crisis in cities across the globe, these micro-suites are being planned and promoted by developers. These living spaces of less than 46.5㎡are becoming popular with entry-level income groups and young people who want to be close to urban conveniences, job opportunities and city life in places like New York, Paris and Vancouver. A report from Neilsen, a consumer research company, showed 40% of Americans between the age of 18 and 36 prefer to live in urban areas instead of the suburbs. However, the trend doesn’t just apply to young people. Many empty nesters have been selling their houses in the suburbs to buy a place in the city.

Rising house prices in big cities have squeezed many homebuyers out of the market. The average price of a new home in Toronto is $733,578; in London it’s $794,549. However, the demand for affordable accommodation near work is endless in cities where land is limited. Thus the micro-flat offers an affordable alternative.

New York City opened a pioneer project called My Micro NY at the end of 2015. “We have built to optimize every inch of space inside, so there is no unused room,” said Tobias Oriwol, the building’s project manger. Similar projects are being developed in the UK and Canada, too.