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Radiation Leaks Are a Cause of Concern in Japan 日核辐射外泄为主要隐忧

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The March 11th earthquake that devastated Japan lasted minutes, but its aftereffects will continue for years to come. Not only must the nation deal with the catastrophic damage caused by the tsunami, but it must also cope with the unprecedented events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

于3月11日摧毁日本的地震虽只持续了几分钟，但它造成的后续效应却将持续多年。该国不只需处理由海啸引起的严重损害，还需对福岛县第一核能发电厂里空前的核灾加以善后。

At Fukushima, three reactors were harmed by the tsunami and thus were made unable to pump the cold water which is needed to cool the fuel rods inside. Since the disaster happened, authorities have tried to bring these reactors into “cold shutdown.” Meanwhile, radiation leaks from these reactors out into the environment and the sea. Officials believe it will be nine months before they can bring the crisis under control.

位于福岛县的三个反应炉因这次海啸而受损，因此不能灌入用来冷却反应炉内燃料棒的所需冰冷海水。自灾害发生以来，官方已试着将这些反应炉「冷停机」；同时，从反应炉外泄的辐射物质已流入周遭环境与大海中。官方相信，将需要九个月的时间才能控制这次的危机。

Thousands of families were evacuated from the Fukushima region. However, experts played down people’s fears about the effects of radiation exposure, claiming that precautionary measures such as evacuation had minimized the risks to human health. The risks of radiation can include radiation sickness, organ failure, and cancer. It’s thought by some that the radiation levels thus far measured in Japan are too low to realistically pose a serious danger to anyone but emergency workers at the plant.

数千户家庭从福岛灾区撤退。然而，专家却淡化人们对于辐射暴露的恐惧，宣称如撤离等预防措施会减低辐射对人体健康的危险。辐射风险可能包括辐射中毒、器官衰竭与癌症。一些人士认为日本至今所测量到的辐射值甚低，低到尚难对任何人──除了核电厂的紧急工作人员──构成实际的危险。

However, as long as the situation remains unsolved, no one in Japan can feel at ease and many are uncertain about the advice and information announced from the government. Let’s hope the short- and long-term effects of the events at Fukushima are minimal, and pray the crisis is soon resolved.

然而只要核灾没有解决，日本境内就没有人能松一口气，且许多人并不相信政府所发布的建议与讯息。就让我们期盼福岛县核灾所造成的长、短期效应能减至最轻，并祈祷核危机能迅速解除。

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Vocabulary

单词发音

devastate [ˋdɛvəs͵tet] v. 破坏；蹂躏

aftereffect [ˋæftərə͵fɛkt] n. 余波

catastrophic [͵kætəˋstrɑfɪk] adj. 灾难的

tsunami [tsuˋnɑmi] n. 海啸

evacuate [ɪˋvækjʊ͵et] v. 撤离

precautionary [prɪˋkɔʃən͵ɛrɪ]  adj. 预先警戒的；小心的

organ [ˋɔrgən] n. 器官

realistically [͵riəˋlɪstɪk!ɪ] adv. 实际地

resolve [rɪˋzɑlv]  v. 解决；消除  to find a solution to; solve

Idiom

片语发音

bring someone or something under control 对…加以控制, 使…受到控制  to achieve dominion over someone or something

play down 贬低; 降低...的重要性 to try to make something seem less serious than it really is

thus far 到此为止 until now

at ease 安心；自在  without worry or anxiety

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