福岛核电站辐射太强 又一机器人报废

 　　A second robot from Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) sent into Fukushima's unit 2 reactor¹ collapsed² in less than a month's time due to high radiation levels.

　　由于辐射程度过高，东京电力公司向福岛2号反应堆派出的机器人在不足一个月的时间内再次宣告报废。

　　Less than two weeks ago, a robot that ventured into the reactor malfunctioned³ as the camera on it had been fried by record high levels of radiation just two hours after it started scrapping⁴ in the area.

　　不到两周前，一台机器人冒险进入反应堆，因该地区辐射浓度过高，机器人开始失灵，两小时后其装载的摄像头起火，随后该台机器人宣告报废。

　　The extremely high radiation levels inside the reactor have now left the second robot, Scorpio, malfunctioning⁵ so much so that Tepco decided⁶ to cut off its tether and leave it inside.

　　如今第二台机器人“天蝎座”因相同原因再次报废，东京电力公司遂切断与其联系，将“天蝎座”留在反应堆内。

　　Fukushima's nuclear site which witnessed a major nuclear accident caused by the devastating⁷ 2011 earthquake and tsunami⁸ is largely contained but the unit 2 reactor is among the areas where radiation levels are at unimaginable levels.

　　2011年发生的地震和海啸导致福岛核电站爆发重大核事故，如今其大部分区域已经得到了控制，但是2号反应堆的辐射浓度高得超出想象。

　　In early February, the radiation levels inside the reactor reached an astonishing 530 sieverts per hour, a level high enough to kill a human within seconds.

　　2月初，反应堆内的辐射浓度达到了每小时530希沃特，足以让人在几秒内丧命。

　　The latest robot victim of the radiation was manufactured by Toshiba and was on a mission to investigate the pedestal underneath⁹ the reactor, where melted nuclear fuel is suspected to have fallen.

　　最近报废的机器人是由东芝公司制造的，正在执行调查反应堆基座的任务，溶化的核燃料疑似落至基座区域。

　　Engineers now suspect as the robot was approaching the core of the explosion almost 10 feet away from its target its tank-like treads got stuck.

　　工程师怀疑机器人在接近爆炸中心时其坦克式的踏板陷入停滞，而爆炸中心距其调查目标有10英尺远。

　　Although Tepco has not confirmed whether it was the debris¹⁰ or the radiation that stopped the robot, it is currently under investigation¹¹.

　　东京电力公司尚未确认导致机器人失灵的究竟是残骸还是辐射，事故原因正处在调查之中。

　　Tepco has an enormous task of removing the molten radioactive fuel from three of the four reactors¹² but this is the seventh robot to be affected¹³ by the radiation and the first to go as close as it went to the core of the explosion.

　　东京电力公司仍面临着艰巨的任务，必须将共计四座反应堆中三座的脱落核燃料移除，然而这台机器人已经是第七台受到辐射影响的机器人，同时也是距爆炸核心最近的机器人。

　　"Even though the robot could not reach the pedestal area, which we had initially¹⁴ planned to investigate, valuable information was obtained which will help us determine the methods to eventually remove fuel debris," Tepco said.

　　东京电力公司对此表示：“尽管机器人无法到达计划调查的基座区域，但是仍然获得了宝贵的信息，这有助于我们决定最终采取何种方式移除燃料残骸”。

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 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 malfunctioned   

发生故障(malfunction的过去式与过去分词)

参考例句：

• Is there any way the dye pack malfunctioned back at the bank? 什么能使爆色板在银行内就失效？ 来自电影对白
• The malfunctioned roller of his mouse is under repair. 他鼠标的滚轴失灵了，正在修呢。 来自互联网

4 scrapping   

刮，切除坯体余泥

参考例句：

• He was always scrapping at school. 他在学校总打架。
• These two dogs are always scrapping. 这两条狗总是打架。

5 malfunctioning   

出故障

参考例句：

• But something was malfunctioning in the equipment due to human error. 但由于人为的错误，设备发生故障了。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• Choke coils are useful for prevention of malfunctioning electronic equipment. 扼流圈对于防止电器设备的故障很有帮助。 来自互联网

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 devastating   

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。

8 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。

9 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

10 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。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 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。

13 affected   

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。

14 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。