---

1. What is the name of the oldest person you know? How old are they?
2. Tell me about them; what they did in the past, and what they do now.
3. What is the life expectancy of men and what is the life expectancy of women in your country?
4. Do you think you will live long? Why?
5. Many people in life have a 'bucket list', a list of things they would like to have seen, done or achieved before they leave this earth. Tell me one thing that would be high on your 'bucket list'?
6. Do you fear death? Why?

---

Question 1

The oldest person I know is my father. He turned seventy-one in January of this year. My mother is a close second. She is also seventy-one this year but her birthday is in May.

Question 2

My father has done a lot in his life. He has been a nurse in the army, a police officer and most recently a security guard. He was employed with the Adelaide Hilton for most of his working life.

Question 3

I'm from Australia. According to Wikipedia, Australians rank fourth highest in the world when it comes to life expectancy. I was surprised to learn that Australian men rank third highest in the world! Men live to be about eighty years old while women live to be about eighty-four.

Question 4

I really hope not! I have a lot left I want to do with my life before I am ready to pass on. That said, I don't want to live to a point that I am unable to do anything for myself anymore. I worry about becoming bedridden in my old age and living for another ten or fifteen years beyond that.

Question 5

Climbing Mt Fuji was high on my bucket list. I crossed that off in 2005. I didn't make it all the way to the top – my wife developed altitude sickness so we had to stop – but I did get to experience the climb. It was pretty disappointing actually. Mt Fuji is really beautiful from a distance but it's not much to look at when you are climbing it.

Question 6

To be honest, I don't think about death all that often. I worry more about the death of others than I do about my own death. My biggest fear is spiders. I can't stand those things!

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
a close second	僅差二位
to pass on	死ぬ
bedridden	寝たきり
altitude sickness	高山病
not much to look at	見ることはあまりない
I can't stand it	我慢できない