Audio & Video English Course IV

News Review Topic 3News Review Topic 3

Natural Disasters & Environment Protection

Directions

• An overview of World Natural Weather Related Disasters in 2011

• Earth quakes in 2011 (Japan & New Zealand)

• Nuclear Radiation

• Durban Climate Change Conference

Task: take a quick note of what you see on the screen.

2011 Natural Disasters- The Biggest Weather-Related Catastrophes Of The Year

• January: Australia---200,000 people evacuated as deadly floods hit Queensland. More than 30 people killed. $30bn damage.

• January: South Africa---140 dead as La Nina blamed for torrential rain. 20,000 homeless across three countries. Dams opened to relieve flooding.

• February: North America---24 die as Groundhog Day snowstorm sweeps across Mexico, USA and Canada. $1.8bn damage. 100m people affected.

• Year of extreme drought in China, US, Mexico and Eastern Africa. 12m people face food shortages in worst drought fro 60 years.

• May: Colombia---Floods and mudslides kill 500 and make 70,000 homeless. Rainfall five times higher than average.

• April: USA---350 deadly tornadoes rip through 21 states. Alabama worst affected. More than 300 dead. $10bn damage.

• May: New Zealand---Huge tornado devastates parts of Auckland. 200km an hour winds kill two and destroy a shopping mall.

• July-December: Thailand---600 dead as heavy monsoon causes widespread flooding. 4th biggest natural disaster of all time: 58 provinces hit. Bangkok under water. World Bank estimates $45bn damage.

• August: USA---Hurricane Irene tears up Eastern Seaboard causing $10bn damage. First tropical storm to make landfall in New Jersey for 100 years. More than 50 dead in 195km/h winds.

• December: Philippines---around 1000 killed, hundreds missing in flash floods and mudslides. Cyclone Washi dumps a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours. 40,000 evacuated from coastal cities in Mindanao.

Earthquakes

• Feb. 21: the 6.3-magnitude quake struck New Zealand’s South island and its largest city of Christchurch, with a death toll of 147 victims and 50 still missing.

• Mar.11: Earthquake of magnitude 9.0 off the north-east coast of Japan, followed by a 15-20m high tsunami Human cost: More than 10,000 dead; 17,000 missing Economic cost: £189bn

New Zealand Earthquake

Nuclear Meltdown• While the affected areas in Japan brace for more aftershocks, the

country is also being afflicted by another earthquake-engendered crisis - nuclear radiation. A meltdown was feared at its Fukushima nuclear plant after it was rocked by the quake.

• Listen to the report and take notes about the name of the radioactive elements and places affected by nuclear radiation.

Script

• Countries across Asia and beyond are reporting small amounts of radiation from the disabled nuclear reactors in Japan. But officials say these levels are not a threat to public health.

• On Tuesday, Chinese officials reported low levels of radioactive Iodine-131 in areas of southeastern China. These include Guangxi, Guangdong and Shanghai. Earlier tests found the material in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.

• In South Korea, nuclear safety officials say they have found radioactive iodine in Seoul and several other areas.

• Traces from the Fukushima power station have also been found as far away as Britain and the eastern United States.

• Radioactive iodine loses half its strength in a week. But a more dangerous material, Plutonium, has also been found in soil near the power plant.

• Some medicines, like Prussian blue pills, can help expel radioactive elements from the body. But there are not a lot of treatments for radiation exposure.

Related Vocabulary:

• Nuclear meltdown 核心融毁• Radiation/nuclear leak/leakage 核泄漏• Radiation sickness 核辐射造成的疾病• Radiation reactor 核反应堆• Gas mask 防毒面罩• Protecting gear 防护服• Radiation detection gadget 辐射检测仪• Sieverts=mSv. 西弗（核辐射单位）• Exposure rate 辐照剂量率• Potassium iodide tablet 碘化钾片

Answer questions:

1. What is the radiation level of Fukushima? and to what level radiation would cause cancer risk?

2. List the names of radioactive elements reported in the news

Radiation Levels

• Fukushima= up to 400 mSv (160 times higher than the average doze of radiation a person typically receives in one year)

• Average=3mSv / year• CT scan=3mSv/ year• X-ray=0.1 mSv• 100mSv per year would increase the risk of

cancer• A single doze of 1,000mSv of radiation would

cause sickness, but not death.

Cesium 137 .

Radioactive Elements

铯 half year of 30years

Iodine 131

Uranium

Strontium90

Plutonium

碘 half year of 8 days

钚 24,000 years

锶 half years of 29 years

铀 700 million years

Durban Climate Change Conference

Date: Nov.28-Dec. 9, 2011Theme: Working together saving tomorrow today.Place: Durban, South Africa

Key issues:

•whether to adopt a second commitment period of at least five years to the Kyoto Protocol - a pact, enacted in 2007 that legally binds governments to cut emissions.

•setting up the Green Climate Fund, which is supposed to provide financing for environmental projects in developing countries.

Audio & Video English Course IV