VOA慢速英语2013 东京电力公司准备进入福岛核电站清理工作的关键阶段

 

TEPCO Prepares for Critical Periods of Fukushima Clean-up 东京电力公司准备进入福岛核电站清理工作的关键阶段

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan will soon begin one of the most important periods of the clean-up efforts. They will be removing the fuel rods from one of the worst-hit reactors². More than 1500 fuel rods sit in a damaged storage pool 30 meters above ground inside the reactor¹ 4 building.

日本受损的福岛第一核电站的工人们很快将开始进入清理工作最重要的一个阶段。他们将从受损最严重的反应堆中取出燃料棒。超过1500根燃料棒放置在四号反应堆建筑内高出地面30米以上的受损储存槽中。

TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power company owns the nuclear power station. Critics say TEPCO should not be trusted to carry out the operation. However, TEPCO General Manager Masayuki Ono says the operation has been carefully planned.

该核电站为东京电力公司所有。批评人士表示，东京电力公司不应该被信任进行这一操作。然而，东京电力公司总经理小野正幸（Masayuki Ono）表示，这次操作经过了精心的策划。

He explains that because the reactor 4 building was destroyed by a hydrogen explosion, TEPCO had to rebuild the structure. This happened during the first year, the new building he says is stronger than the old one. 

他解释说，因为四号反应堆建筑被氢气爆炸所摧毁，东京电力公司不得不重建这一结构。这件事发生在第一年。他表示新建筑比旧的要更强。

The hydrogen explosion left pieces of wreckage³ all over the inside of the pool. TEPCO's first job is to remove this debris⁴. Then, workers will remove the fuel rods one by one, they will use a crane suspended above the building.

氢气爆炸使得储存槽内部到处是残骸碎片。东京电力公司的第一项工作就是取出这些碎片。然后，工人们将使用建筑上方悬挂的一台起重机挨个取出燃料棒。

The fuel rods must not touch each other or break. Nuclear experts warn that any accidents could cause an explosion many times worse than the one in March 2011.

燃料棒之间不能互相接触，也不能损坏。核专家警告说，任何意外都可能造成比2011年3月严重很多倍的爆炸。

Mitsuhei Murata is Japan's former ambassador to Switzerland and an anti-nuclear activist⁵. He notes the problems over the past 30 months - including radioactive water leaks - have raised questions about TEPCO' s ability to carry out this operation.

村田（Mitsuhei Murata）是日本驻瑞士前大使，也是一名反核活动人士。他指出，过去30个月包括放射性水泄漏在内的一些问题使得人们对东京电力公司执行这项操作的能力提出了质疑。

"The Unit 4 contains 10 times more Cesium-137 than Chernobyl. So in case the worst occurs, a total withdrawal⁶ [from the site] will be imposed, which means this can be considered as the beginning of the ultimate catastrophe⁷ of the world and the planet."

“4号机组里含有的铯-137比切诺贝利核电站多十倍以上。所以在最坏的情况下，该电站将全部撤离，这意味着，它可能是地球上最严重灾难的开始。”

Japan has called on foreign expert to assist in the operation. Hironori Nakanishi is the Director-General for Energy Policy at the government's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.

日本已经呼吁外国专家对此提供协助。仲西博纪(Hironori Nakanishi)是日本政府下属的日本自然资源和能源署的能源政策总干事。

"The sole responsibility in managing the situation safely is still on TEPCO corporation. But still we are in the same boat and we have to support their activity. So in order to achieve that goal we asked the specialists all over the world, from United States, the UK, France, Russia and Ukraine."

他说，“确保安全的唯一责任压在是东京电力公司身上。但我们同坐一条船，必须对他们的行动提供支持。因此，为了实线这一目标，我们邀请了来自美国、英国、法国、俄罗斯和乌克兰的专家。”

Inspectors⁸ from Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority have approved TEPCO's planned operation to remove the fuel from Reactor 4. The process is expected to begin in November and to take up to 18 months to complete.

来自日本核监管局的监察员已经批准了东京电力公司从四号反应堆取出燃料棒的操作计划。这一过程预计从11月开始，历时18个月以上方能完成。

1 reactor   

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。

2 reactors   

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。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 catastrophe   

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。

8 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》