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2006年VOA标准英语-Debate Over Chernobyl's True Toll Continue

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By Lisa McAdams
Kiev, Ukraine
20 April 2006


VOA Correspondent Lisa McAdams at the prohibiton zone near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant  
  
A recent United Nations report about the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl 20 years ago says the consequences of the disaster were overblown and that scientists now believe the radioactive nuclear fallout was not as harmful to human health as previously1 reported. But for those living in what was long believed to be one of the worst affected2 countries, Ukraine, the message does not ring true.

------------------------------------------

Chernobyl is like a tale of two cities. For some, it is a poisoned place of death and fear, forgotten and abandoned.  For others, it is a phoenix3 rising, a city struggling to come back to life, after surviving the unthinkable, the explosion of a nuclear reactor4 and the release of nearly nine tons of radioactive material.

After 20 years have passed, debate still rages over basic questions such as, how many people died as a result of the explosion? And, how should the nations affected by nuclear fallout provide for their population's health and safety, as well as their energy needs.  During this month, the 20th anniversary of the explosion, there are still many views of the legacy5 of Chernobyl.

Hundreds of leading experts recently concluded, in a report released ahead of the anniversary, that fewer than 50 deaths could be directly attributed to radiation from the disaster, almost all of them exposed rescue workers, or so-called liquidators.  However, the U.N. report went on to say that radiation from the explosion could still cause up to 4,000 deaths in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - not tens of thousands, as was once widely thought.

These latest figures provide a much less dire6 assessment7 of the long-term consequences of the Chernobyl disaster than ever before.  


Ivan Zharavich  
  
But former liquidator Ivan Zharavich, who now serves as the local administrator8 of a Ukrainian region that includes Chernobyl, says the report is just not true.  He says the exact number of victims from Chernobyl may never be known.  But, he says, the toll9 is nothing short of devastating10, especially for those who were children at the time of the blast.

Zharavich says, before the accident, the region had a child illness rate of two percent.  Now, he says, it is 88 percent.  And, he adds, nearly every day, there is a funeral, with more than half the people dying, not from natural causes, but from what he and others believe to be radiation-induced illnesses.  

More alarming, he says, is that long-term monitoring and studies of Chernobyl's effect on children have essentially11 stopped, though many believe that the offspring of this next generation and beyond could provide more clues.  As one scientist put it, there are undoubtedly12 more unpleasant surprises on the way. 


Doctor Igor Komisarenko  
  
Doctor Igor Komisarenko who heads Kiev's Institute for Endocrinology and Metabolism13, is a bit more optimistic.  His clinic is the lead organization in Ukraine offering treatment for nuclear radiation cancer, especially in children.  To date, he has performed more than 500 surgeries on Chernobyl children, many of whom, he says, have gone on to live healthy, productive lives. 

The doctor says the number of surgeries he performs on children with nuclear thyroid cancer is now very low, approaching the level of what was experienced before the explosion at Chernobyl. 

But he acknowledges that could be due, in part, to the fact that the children who got radiation at the time of the accident have now grown up. And these days, he says, he sees more adults coming in with the same kind of radiation cancer.

Scientists and engineers still work at the now-closed Chernobyl plant, monitoring the de-commissioning of the three reactors14 that were operational after the explosion, and more importantly, some say monitoring the second sarcophagus, or shell, that is being prepared to protectively surround the damaged reactor by 2012.

The $800 million project is considered vital, as there are leaks and cracks in the current shell that many experts fear could collapse15, creating a second catastrophe16 at Chernobyl.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is reportedly considering using the polluted territory as a burial ground for spent nuclear waste from other countries.

Leading nuclear energy analyst17 Vladimir Osatenko, a former liquidator who, also served eight years in Ukraine's parliament, says he disapproves18 of the plan.  In his view, nuclear waste is even more dangerous than power plants like Chernobyl.

Osatenko says nuclear waste "remains19 poisonous thousands of years, far longer than any politician."  And yet, he says, our leaders create this huge waste by agreeing to build more and more plants.  He likens the process to a Pandora's Box, which, once open, he says, is nearly impossible to close.

According to Osatenko, Ukraine has 130 million cubic meters of nuclear waste that, to this day, is unmanaged.  He says the time of studies and research is long over.  As he put it, "somebody needs to pick up a shovel20 and figure out where to put it."

Meanwhile, villagers have begun toiling21 in Ukraine's pollution-ridden soil, planting potatoes, tomatoes and other food to feed their families. 

Analyst Osatenko says the risk is still too great and much stronger controls are needed.

He says it takes two hours to conduct one radioactive sample on a single food source.  That is why, he says, it is simply not possible for everything to be tested.  He says that if sellers checked to the degree necessary, they would never have time to serve any customers.  As a result, he says, he has no faith in the safety of the food supply from affected regions.

As Osatenko sees it, the lessons of Chernobyl have still not been learned.  Perhaps in time, he says, history will record that humanity prevailed.  But he says, in his view, in the case of Chernobyl, nobody wins. 

Still, seemingly against all odds22, there are small signs of renewal23

Hundreds of people have moved back to the zone to try and re-start their lives.  They do so in what is now listed as one of Europe's largest wildlife habitats, thanks largely to the lack of human intrusion.  But that too could change, as Chernobyl itself has become somewhat of an emerging tourist destination for so-called extreme tourists, who come to visit the disaster site, one of the most feared places on the planet.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
2 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
3 phoenix 7Njxf     
n.凤凰,长生(不死)鸟;引申为重生
参考例句:
  • The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
  • The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。
4 reactor jTnxL     
n.反应器;反应堆
参考例句:
  • The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
  • Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里,大分子裂变为小分子。
5 legacy 59YzD     
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西
参考例句:
  • They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
  • He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
6 dire llUz9     
adj.可怕的,悲惨的,阴惨的,极端的
参考例句:
  • There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
  • We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了,但是我们渡过了困难。
7 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
8 administrator SJeyZ     
n.经营管理者,行政官员
参考例句:
  • The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
  • He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。
9 toll LJpzo     
n.过路(桥)费;损失,伤亡人数;v.敲(钟)
参考例句:
  • The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
  • The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。
10 devastating muOzlG     
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
参考例句:
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
11 essentially nntxw     
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
参考例句:
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
12 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
13 metabolism 171zC     
n.新陈代谢
参考例句:
  • After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食,卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
  • All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。
14 reactors 774794d45796c1ac60b7fda5e55a878b     
起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 ); 反应装置; 原子炉; 核反应堆
参考例句:
  • The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
  • The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆,必须使用普通铀作为燃料。
15 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
16 catastrophe WXHzr     
n.大灾难,大祸
参考例句:
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
17 analyst gw7zn     
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
参考例句:
  • What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
  • The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
18 disapproves 2409ec34a905c5a568c1e2e81c7efcdc     
v.不赞成( disapprove的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • She disapproves of unmarried couples living together. 她反对未婚男女同居。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her mother disapproves of her wearing transparent underwear. 她母亲不赞成她穿透明的内衣。 来自辞典例句
19 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
20 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
21 toiling 9e6f5a89c05478ce0b1205d063d361e5     
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉
参考例句:
  • The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
  • She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎,心中涌满愤恨。
22 odds n5czT     
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别
参考例句:
  • The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
  • Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗?
23 renewal UtZyW     
adj.(契约)延期,续订,更新,复活,重来
参考例句:
  • Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
  • Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

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