reading; reading (of a kanji, esp. kun reading); reading (e.g. of a situation); insight
century; era; of the century (e.g. fight of the century)
(social) standing; status; identity; birth; one's circumstances; one's means
author; writer; novelist; artist
millennium; one thousand years; (fig.) long time
to die (of a person); to have one's life come to a close
emergency; extraordinary; unusual
pronoun; synonym; classic example; pattern
folk tale; folktale; folk story; folklore
work (e.g. of art); production; harvest; cultivation; technique
to pile up and up; to pile up more and more; to mount (e.g. debts, concerns)
compilation (of a text); editing; volume (of a text); completed literary work
to ascend; to go up; to ascend (as a natural process, e.g. the Sun); to rise; to go to (the capital); to be promoted; to add up to
piece (e.g. poetry); poem; essay; book; story
price; cost; value; worth; value
work; labor; achievement; performance; salary; income
difficult to imagine; quite unlikely to; very doubtful; would not expect
neck; bottleneck; obstruction; neckline
to make a cynical remark (about); to make a sarcastic remark (about); to satirize; to mock
creation; production; creative work (novel, film, etc.); fabrication; fiction; invention
doubt; skepticism; scepticism; disbelief
assertion; declaration; affirmation
I fear that it's likely that; with all due respect