台灣的借鏡
“Maybe, God gives the elderly some last moments of happiness, by giving them dementia… so they have nothing to worry about?” This dark yet humorous thought was written by the famous manga artist Kenshi Hirokane in his masterpiece “Like Shooting Stars in the Twilight.”
「說不定，神賜與老年人最後一點幸福，就是讓老年人患癡呆症？這樣就不再煩惱什麼了？」這句讓人哭笑不得的台詞，就是出自名漫畫家弘兼憲史的大作《黃昏流星群》，
the elderly老人家;年長只=elderly peopledementia(n.)(老年)癡呆、失智症masterpiece(n.)傑作、(個人)傑出的作品
Serialized since 1995, the comic explores the joys and sorrows of its elderly characters, as their lives begin to wind down and come to an end.
這部從1995年就開始連載的漫畫，以銀髮族為主角，探討當人生倒數時光的悲歡離合。
serialize(v.)連載;連播comic series連載漫畫wind down 放鬆
Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is also the most aged country in East Asia. It is estimated that 40 million people will turn 65 by 2040, meaning one in every three people will be elderly.
身為世界第三大經濟體的日本，目前是東亞國家中高齡化最嚴重的國家，預估在2040年將有4000萬人邁入65歲，到那時每三個人就有一個是老人，
aged(adj.)高齡的It is estimated that…據估計…
The aging of the population has not only reduced the nation’s competitive edge, but also brought financial burden to the government.
人口老化不但削減了國家競爭力，也為政府帶來財政負擔，
age(ing)(n.)老化(adj.)老化中的not only…but (also)... 不僅…而且…competitive(adj.)競爭的;有競爭力的edge(n.)優勢、優越之處
In recent years, there have been cases of elderly people, who, because they had been abandoned by their families, deliberately committed crimes in order to be housed and fed in a jailhouse.
近年來被家人棄養的老人，甚至還故意犯罪，進監獄靠吃牢飯養老。
abandon(v.)拋棄;放棄deliberately(adv.)故意地;刻意地=on purpose=purposelycommit (a) crime 犯罪
What’s more, there is increasing demand for services that clean out and dispose of the belongings left behind by elderly people who died alone. The emergence of the “lonely-death-cleanup industry” is a warning sign that the number of lonely and poor elderly people is increasing in the country.
而因應獨居身亡大發「死亡商機」的遺物整理公司，更也警示著下流老人日益增多的窘境。
furthermore(adv.)此外;更甚者=moreoverdispose of~丟棄;處理warning sign警告標誌;警示
“Like Shooting Stars in the Twilight” is a series of short love stories with middle-aged and elderly people as lead characters. Many, who have struggled for a lifetime, are hoping to find love in their twilight years. Like shooting stars in the twilight, they just seek that final glow before fading into the darkness.
《黃昏流星群》是以中老年的戀愛為主軸所發展出的一系列短篇故事，這些拚搏一生的老人們，在人生結束之前，希望能再好好談一段感情，就像劃過黃昏的流星一樣，迸發出最後一道光芒，
lead characters主角人物
We often say that Taiwan is just a few years away from Japan’s current state of affairs. If we cannot avoid a similar fate, then let’s brightly streak across the sky like shooting stars.
我們常說日本的處境常是數年後台灣的借鏡，變老既然是一種宿命，那麼將來你我都會如此劃天而過。
current state of affairs現況fate(n.)宿命;運命;命中註定的事streak(v.)(通常指沿直線)飛奔;疾馳