News Review Topic 3

1. News Review Topic 3 Audio & Video English Course IV

2. 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

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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. New Zealand Earthquake

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. Answer questions: • What is the radiation level of Fukushima? and to what level radiation would cause cancer risk? • List the names of radioactive elements reported in the news

11. 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.

12. Radioactive Elements 铯half year of 30years Cesium 137 . Iodine 131 碘half year of 8 days Uranium 钚 24,000 years Strontium90 锶half years of 29 years Plutonium 铀700 million years

13. Durban Climate Change Conference Date: Nov.28-Dec. 9, 2011 Theme: 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.

14. Thank You Audio & Video English Course IV