VOA慢速英语--福岛核电厂废弃水源处理方案或在东京奥运会前公布

Japanese officials say a decision on how to deal with radioactive¹ water from the Fukushima nuclear plant could come before the Tokyo Olympics begin in July.

The Tokyo Electric Company, or TEPCO, operates Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. Three reactors³ there suffered meltdowns after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami⁴ shut the plant's cooling systems. The accident forced 160,000 people to flee contaminated⁵ areas around the plant.

TEPCO officials recently guided a Reuters reporter around the plant, which covers about 3.5 million square meters in northeast Japan. The reporter described large cranes being used to break up major parts of the plant's structure. The reporter also described operations aimed at removing spent fuel from a reactor².

Overall, about 4,000 people are taking part in the cleanup effort, Reuters reported. Some Olympic events are set to take place within 60 kilometers of the destroyed plant, Reuters said.

One major part of the cleanup has involved treating and storing contaminated water from the area. TEPCO has predicted that Fukushima will run out of all its storage space for water by 2022.

A government group studying future storage solutions said last month that it had decided⁶ on two main possible solutions. One solution is to treat the water and then control its release into the Pacific Ocean. The other would be to let the water evaporate⁷.

Japanese experts say the government may decide on a solution within the next few months. Either process is expected to take years to complete.

Joji Hara is a Tokyo-based spokesman⁹ for the power company. He told Reuters that TEPCO has already been making preparations to inform the public about any developments related to Fukushima.

"The Olympics are coming, so we have to prepare for that, and TEPCO has to disclose¹⁰ all the information - not only to local communities but also to foreign countries and especially to those people coming from abroad," Hara said.

He added that TEPCO had already opened English-language Twitter and Facebook accounts for that purpose. TEPCO is also preparing to put out emergency information in Korean and Chinese, Hara said.

Reuters reported that athletes from at least one country -- South Korea -- have said they plan to bring their own radiation detectors¹² and food during the Olympics.

Olympic baseball and softball games will be played in Fukushima City, about 60 kilometers from the nuclear plant.

The Olympic torch will be carried through a sports center called J-Village. The center served as an operations base for the Fukushima nuclear plant during the first years after the disaster. The torch will then pass through areas near the destroyed power station on its way to Tokyo.

Last month, the environmental group Greenpeace said it found radiation "hotspots" at J-Village, about 18 kilometers south of the plant.

When Tokyo was chosen for the 2020 Summer Olympics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared that Fukushima was "under control" and would not affect activities related to the Games.

Words in This Story

contaminated – adj. having been made impure¹³ by a poisonous or polluting substance

crane – n. a large machine used for lifting and moving heavy things

evaporate – v. turn from a liquid into a vapor⁸

disclose – v. to provide information about something

account – n. an arrangement in which a person uses internet or service of a particular company

abroad – n. in or to a foreign country

athlete – n. a person who is trained in or is good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength

detector¹¹ – n. piece of equipment used to discover something

torch – n. a long stick with material at the top that burns

1 radioactive   

adj.放射性的

参考例句：

• People should keep away from the radioactive waste.人们应远离放射性废物。
• The radioactive material is stored in a special radiation-proof container.放射性材料储存在防辐射的特殊容器里。

2 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。

3 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。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 contaminated   

把…弄脏，污染( contaminate的过去式 )； 玷污，毒害，腐蚀（人的思想或品德）

参考例句：

• The drinking water has become contaminated with lead. 饮用水被铅污染了。
• The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity. 发现此地受放射线污染。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 evaporate   

vi.蒸发，挥发，消失；vt.使蒸发，使挥发

参考例句：

• Clearly,the star wars problem was not going to evaporate.显然，星球大战问题并没有不了了之。
• It will evaporate like a spirit.它将来总要像幽灵一样化成云烟。

8 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

9 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

10 disclose   

vt.揭露，泄露，透露

参考例句：

• Science can disclose the mysteries of nature.科学能解开自然界的奥秘。
• Neither side would disclose details of the transaction.双方均不肯披露交易细节。

11 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

12 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

13 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。