VOA标准英语2011--Thousands Protest Nuclear Power in Japan

Thousands Protest Nuclear Power in Japan

Thousands of Japanese took to the streets of Tokyo to protest the country's nuclear-power plants. The rally occured as engineers continue to work on bringing the Fukushima Daiichi plant under control, after it was smashed by last month's earthquake and tsunami¹.
Around 3,000 people marched through central Tokyo, a large demonstration² by Japanese standards.
The rally was organized by eight civic³ groups to protest the Hamaoka nuclear-power plant, which is located about 200 kilometers southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka Prefecture. Hamaoka is built in the heart of a region that seismologists believe is well overdue⁴ for a massive undersea earthquake of a magnitude 8 or higher.
The disaster at Fukushima has people worried the same thing could happen again.
Demonstrator Kengo Ohmori said his faith in the safety of nuclear power has changed. He says he has always been told nuclear power was safe, but it was not until now that he realized how dangerous it can be.
Just under a third of Japan's power output in 2005 was derived⁵ from nuclear plants, making it the largest energy source for the country. Japan's Federation⁶ of Electric Power Companies anticipates that rising to almost half the energy output by 2030.
Prior to the Fukushima accident, the country had 54 functioning reactors⁷. Many of those marching want them all closed down. One of the protesters, Yoko Kataoka, says Japan should decommission its nuclear-power plants. She adds the country is frequently hit by earthquakes and should not rely on nuclear power in the first place.
The demonstration passed the Ministry⁸ of Economy, Trade and Industry, which promotes nuclear power and regulates the industry, and past the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power, the utility company that owns the Fukushima plant.
Protesters delivered a noisy message at both locations.
Demonstrations⁹ were also taking place in a Tokyo suburb and two other cities in Japan.
Opposition¹⁰ to nuclear power had slowly been falling in Japan, before the recent disaster. A 2009 government poll found 54 percent of Japan's people were uneasy about it, down from 66 percent in 2005. The risk of accidents and earthquakes were cited as top concerns.
A new poll has not been taken since the earthquake and tsunami struck Fukushima.

1 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。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

4 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

5 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 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。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。