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 3 (April 25th)
Aftershocks
Since the earthquake last month, there have been lots of aftershocks around eastern Japan. Some aftershocks have been quite strong, while others were so weak they were probably unnoticed. People are wondering how long these aftershocks will last, but experts aren’t sure. The March 11th earthquake was much stronger than other earthquakes Japan has had, so experts say we shouldn’t rely on past experiences.
Aftershocks are usually not as strong as the original earthquake. The strength of the March 11th quake was 9.0. The strongest aftershock was 7.7. Since the big quake, there have been over 400 aftershocks. It may take a while for the tectonic plates to calm down. When that happens, the people of Northeastern Japan will look to rebuild their homes and their lives.
PechaKucha Day for Japan
PechaKucha is an event that started in 2003 by two architects living in Tokyo. They wanted to give artists and designers a chance to present their ideas. PechaKucha has become popular worldwide. PechaKucha events are held in over 230 cities.
Starting on April 16th and continuing through May, there is a special event called PechaKucha Inspire Japan. Artists and architects are gathering to share ideas about how to raise money for helping with the March 11th disaster. People who attend the events can donate money at the entrance. A group of architects at the April 16th event had some interesting ideas for rebuilding the areas hit by the tsunami.
On the PechaKucha website, co-founder Astrid Klein wrote, “With creativity and passion, anything is possible.”
PechaKucha website: http://www.pecha-kucha.org/
A Developing Story
One of the main problems at the nuclear plant in Fukushima is highly radioactive water. Workers can’t get close to the reactors because the water is too dangerous. Until the radiation goes down, repairs at the plant will be difficult.
Tomihisa Ota is a professor at Kanzawa University. Recently, he teamed up with Kumaken Kougyou Co. and created a powder that may help the trouble at the Fukushima nuclear reactors. This powder can remove radioactive substances from water. In an experiment, the powder removed almost 100% of cesium in a sample of water. It also had the same effect with iodine and strontium.
This powder could be used to make the dangerously radioactive water at the Fukushima nuclear plant safe for workers. Hopefully, workers will be able to make necessary repairs once the tainted water is removed.