学部・大学院FACULTY TAISHO
CATEGORY
英語表現・コミュニケーションコース
英コミ ２年生 Assignment 2 – Week 1
2011 Tohoku Earthquake
On March 11th, 2011, there was a strong earthquake in the northern region of Japan. It struck at 2:46 in the afternoon. It was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest ones in recent history.
The closest city to the earthquake’s epicenter was Sendai. According to reports, the city center did not receive much damage. However, the coastal areas and the airport were heavily damaged.
The quake was even felt in Tokyo, which was 373 kilometers away from the epicenter. Buildings shook and swayed.
The destruction that the earthquake caused will be felt for a long time to come.
*(For extra practice, try translating the following original news story and watch the video clips)
Sugawara and “Sunflower”
There was an interesting article on the CNN website about a Japanese Fisherman. His name is Susumu Sugawara and he lives on Oshima Island. As the tsunami came towards land, instead of running to the hills Sugawara ran to his boat. He thought that if all the boats on the island were destroyed there would be no way for the people on Oshima to get help.
He was surprised at the size of the tsunami. He told his boat, “…you’ve been with me 42 years. If we live or die, then we’ll be together.”
Even though the tsunami was like a mountain, he made it. Most of the boats on the island were destroyed, but Sugawara and his boat “Sunshine” are helping the people living on Oshima.
You can read the original article here.
The Tsunami Dog
Ban, a dog from Miyagi Prefecture, was alone in the ocean for 3 weeks. She lived on the roof of a house that was floating on the sea. One day she was found by the Japan Coast Guard 1.8 kilometers off the coast of Kesennuma.
Last Friday, the dog’s owner was watching the news on TV. Her dog appeared on a news report. She went to the shelter to reunite with Ban.
“Ban immediately jumped up and wagged her tail when the owner appeared,” said the local media. The video clip of the heartwarming reunion can be seen here.