This textbook is made up of advanced reading materials that deal with the up-to-the-minute social issues. The essays, running to around 850 words, are written in high-quality English and focus on four fields: economy and work, society and culture, language and learning, and science and technology. In addition to activities designed to improve reading and listening comprehension and vocabulary, there are also discussion topics that will sharpen critical thinking skills. Teacher’s materials include mini-tests for each unit.

Contents

Unit 1    100-Yen Shops: Still going strong

Unit 2    Work-Life Balance: Do it like the Germans

Unit 3    Lasting the Ages: Japan’s 200-year-old companies

Unit 4    Universal Basic Income: An idea whose time has come?

Unit 5    Remote Work: A new way to live and work

Unit 6    Tricks of the Trade: How companies get us to spend

Unit 7    The Secret Life of Gamers: The boy who escaped his body

Unit 8    Social Media: Big tech’s addiction to addiction

Unit 9    Super Solos: Catering to Japan’s singletons

Unit 10   Happiness: What is the secret?

Unit 11   Dialects: How English is spoken across the world

Unit 12   Child Prodigies: Raising a little genius

Unit 13   Mentalism: Mastering the human brain

Unit 14   The Origins of Language: How did humans learn to speak?

Unit 15   Memory Hack: The one study habit every student needs to know

Unit 16   New Solar Power: A breakthrough in clean energy

Unit 17   Vaccines: A history of keeping us safe

Unit 18   International Space Station: Is it worth the money?

Unit 19   Healthspan: Changing the way we age

Unit 20   Helping Hands: The growing role of robots in Japan

（Total 20 Units）