是什么导致了切尔诺贝利灾难性的核事故？：英语精读讲义

Chernobyl is a city in the Ukraine,

切尔诺贝利是乌克兰的一座城市，

located about 56 mi northeast of the capital Kiev.

位于首都基辅东北约 56 英里处。

Prior to the disaster and a subsequent evacuation, 用詞

在灾难和随后的疏散之前，

it was home to around 14,000 people. 短語搭配

那里大约有 14,000 人居住。

At that time, it was still part of the Soviet Union.

那时，它仍然是苏联的一部分。

The city was the location of the first ever nuclear power station to be built in the Ukraine, 語法

这座城市是乌克兰建造的第一座核电站所在地，

but on the 26th of April, 1986,

但在 1986 年 4 月 26 日，

disaster struck when reactor number four exploded. 短語搭配

当四号反应堆爆炸时，灾难降临了。

The town is still home to around 690 people,

该镇目前仍有约 690 人居住，

although it's now somewhat of a ghost town 短語搭配

尽管它现在已经有些像一座鬼城，

with animals occupying many abandoned buildings.

动物们占据了许多废弃的建筑。

Most of the residents live about 19 mi from the disaster site

大多数居民住在距离灾难现场约 19 英里外的

in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone,

切尔诺贝利隔离区，

and surprisingly, international tourists flock to the area all the time. 短語搭配

令人惊讶的是，国际游客总是成群结队地来到这个地区。

But what exactly happened in Chernobyl?

但切尔诺贝利到底发生了什么？

That's what we'll find out today 表達脈絡

这就是我们今天要在

in this episode of The Infographics Show,

《The Infographics Show》这一集中弄清楚的内容：

what caused the catastrophic nuclear accident in Chernobyl.

是什么导致了切尔诺贝利灾难性的核事故。

As CNN reported in 2016,

正如 CNN 在 2016 年报道的那样，

if you visit Chernobyl now as a tourist,

如果你现在作为游客去切尔诺贝利，

you'll be taken on a strict guided tour

你将被带上一个严格的导游之旅，

of what was once a busy, if not small, city.

去参观这个曾经即使不算大但也算繁忙的城市。

Photographs show a place that has been frozen and overgrown,

照片显示了一个被冻结并长满杂草的地方，

a kind of spooky remnant of a town

一个带点令人毛骨悚然的城镇遗迹，

where people once lived and worked,

人们曾经在这里生活和工作，

and where kids played on the now unused Ferris Wheel.

孩子们曾经在现在已经停用的摩天轮上玩耍。

The explosion at the nuclear plant

核电站的爆炸

is rated as the worst nuclear disaster

被评为最严重的核灾难，

in the history of the world.

在世界历史上。

Radioactive dust was sent far and wide, 習語

放射性尘埃被吹得非常远，

transported by winds as far as Sweden.

被风输送到了瑞典。

The number of deaths directly related to the initial explosion

与最初的爆炸直接相关的死亡人数

is thought to be about 31, 語法

被认为大约是 31 人，

although the WHO reports

尽管世界卫生组织（WHO）报告称

that a further 50 deaths happened later

后来又发生了 50 起死亡，

as a result of massive exposure to radiation on the day.

原因是在当天受到大量辐射的暴露。

These deaths were mostly workers and rescue workers.

这些死者大多是工人和救援人员。

Two people died as a result of injury suffered

有两人因在爆炸冲击中

because of the blast of the explosion.

受到的伤害而死亡。

The WHO further states that around 4,000 deaths in total

世卫组织进一步指出，大约总共有 4,000 人死亡

can be attributed to radiation exposure 短語搭配

可以归咎于辐射暴露，

because of the event.

因为这一事件。

On the day of the disaster,

在灾难发生的那天，

thousands of people were exposed to high levels of radiation,

成千上万的人暴露在高水平的辐射中，

with the WHO saying these people are at high risk 短語搭配

世卫组织说这些人一生中

of having cancer in their lifetime.

患癌症的风险很高。

Even the millions of people that lived miles away from the site

甚至生活在距离现场数英里之外、

in other parts of the Soviet Union

在苏联其他地区的数百万民众

were exposed to low levels of radionuclides,

也暴露于低水平的放射性核素中，

or atoms that contain excess nuclear energy,

或者含有多余核能的原子中，

and they too are more at risk regarding cancer.

他们在癌症方面面临的风险也更高。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

many of those displaced suffered financially and psychologically,

许多流离失所的人在经济和心理上遭受了折磨，

especially because some were never given sufficient information

特别是因为有些人从未得到足够的信息

regarding the danger they had been exposed to.

关于他们所暴露的危险。

According to recent reports,

根据最近的报告，

areas at least 19 mi away from the accident site

距离事故现场至少 19 英里的地区

are mostly radiation free,

基本上是没有辐射的，

although some lakes and forest land are no-go areas 用詞

尽管一些湖泊和林地是禁区

or at least restricted to the public.

或者至少是对公众限制进入的。

In most areas,

在大多数地区，

the problems are economic and psychological,

问题是经济和心理方面的，

not health or environmental,

而不是健康或环境方面的，

said Dr. Mikhail Balanov,

辐射专家兼切尔诺贝利论坛科学秘书

a radiation expert and the scientific secretary of the Chernobyl Forum.

米哈伊尔·巴拉诺夫博士（Dr. Mikhail Balanov）说。

So yes, this is now a tourist spot

所以是的，这现在是一个旅游景点，

for those who want to see what a ghost town looks like.

适合那些想看看鬼城长什么样的人。

We looked at blogs written by travelers

我们看了一些由访问过隔离区的游客

who have visited the Exclusion Zone.

所写的博客。

One of them wrote that when she was invited,

其中一人写道，当她受邀时，

she thought it was a joke,

她以为这是一个笑话，

thinking like many people

像很多人一样认为

that visiting such a place was too dangerous.

参观这样一个地方太危险了。

She wrote that in the absence of people, 短語搭配

她写道，在没有人烟的情况下，

the area has once again become home to wandering bears,

这个地区再次成为了游荡的熊、

wild horse, deer, foxes, wolves, and dogs,

野马、鹿、狐狸、狼和狗的家园，

lots of stray dogs.

有很多流浪狗。

While you are told not to touch things

虽然在游览时你被告知不要触摸东西

or eat or drink while on the tour,

或者不要吃喝，

the radiation levels are checked by your guide throughout the visit.

但你的导游会在整个参观过程中检查辐射水平。

I felt like I was walking through a horror themed park, 語法

我觉得我好像在走过一个恐怖主题公园，

she said of an abandoned kindergarten,

她在谈到一个废弃的幼儿园时说道，

saying dolls were still hanging around.

说那里还留着洋娃娃。

Anyway, you get the picture. 習語

总之，你懂的。

Now let's talk about what happened on that fateful day.

现在让我们谈谈那个命运注定的日子发生了什么。

Okay, so according to the World Nuclear Association,

好的，根据世界核能协会的说法，

this is how it went down. 短語動詞

事情是这样的。

We will try and explain it as clearly as we can 講解

我们将尽我们所能地解释清楚，

because it's not all that simple 短語搭配

因为这不是那么简单，

if you don't work as a nuclear power engineer.

如果你不是核电工程师的话。

The workers at Chernobyl reactor four

切尔诺贝利四号反应堆的工人

were performing a test to see 語法

当时正在进行一项测试，看看

if the turbines could provide enough energy

涡轮机是否能提供足够的能量

to keep the coolant pumps running 語法

来保持冷却泵的运行，

if there was a loss of power,

如果发生断电的话，

and if they could keep them running

以及他们是否能保持它们的运行

until the emergency diesel generator kicked in. 短語動詞

直到应急柴油发电机启动。

They'd done this test before,

他们以前做过这个测试，

but the tests had been unsuccessful.

但测试没有成功。

They turned down the reactor to 25% of its capacity, 短語動詞

他们将反应堆降至其容量的 25%，

but a problem arose when the power plummeted to 1%.

但当功率骤降至 1% 时出现了问题。

They then tried to increase the power,

然后他们试图提高功率，

but what ensued was a massive power surge. 表達脈絡

但随之而来的是巨大的功率激增。

The reactor's emergency shutdown failed.

反应堆的紧急停机失败了。

One engineer had wanted to abort the test,

一位工程师曾想中止测试，

but was told by a senior to carry on. 短語動詞

但被上级告知继续进行。

The reactor then became even more unstable.

反应堆随后变得更加不稳定。

This caused considerable pressure,

这造成了相当大的压力，

and according to one step-by-step report one engineer witnessed,

而据一份分步骤的报告，一位工程师目击到，

the 1 and 1/2 ton blocks atop the fuel channels

上部生物防护罩燃料通道上方

of the upper biological shield

重达一吨半的砖块

began jumping up and down,

开始上下跳动，

and you could feel the shock waves through the building structure.

你可以感觉到冲击波穿过建筑结构。

What did he do then?

他那会儿做了什么？

Of course, he ran for it, 習語

当然，他赶紧跑了，

down a series of steps

跑下一系列的台阶

to report what he had seen to others.

去向其他人报告他所看到的情况。

The pumps failed.

水泵失效了。

There was no water flow,

没有水流，

and the reactor started to make loud noises.

反应堆开始发出巨大的声响。

As another website tells us about the sudden increase in power,

正如另一个网站告诉我们的关于功率突然增加的原因，

a peculiarity of the design of the control rods

控制棒设计上的一个特殊之处

caused a dramatic power surge as they were inserted into the reactor.

在它们被插入反应堆时引发了急剧的功率激增。

Hot fuel combined with cool water created a massive steam

热燃料与冷水结合产生了大量的蒸汽，

that couldn't escape and caused lots of pressure.

这些蒸汽无法逃逸并造成了巨大的压力。

This lifted a 1,000 ton lid,

这掀起了一个 1,000 吨重的盖子，

and here we have the start of the radiation leak.

于是辐射泄漏就这样开始了。

Air got into the reactor and caused a graphite fire.

空气进入了反应堆并引起了石墨火灾。

A second explosion happened when hydrogen was formed

当热水蒸汽接触锆形成氢气时，

by hot water steam contacting zirconium.

发生了第二次爆炸。

This was a much bigger explosion than the first,

这是一次比第一次大得多的爆炸，

and it threw debris everywhere.

它将碎片抛向了各处。

Power went out, 短語動詞

电源断了，

except for battery powered lighting.

除了电池供电的照明。

The air was filled with dust.

空气中充满了灰尘。

One man died,

一名男子死亡，

and his body was encased in all the debris.

他的身体被掩埋在所有的瓦砾中。

Burning fuel started fires everywhere,

燃烧的燃料在各处引发了火灾，

and radiation was cast into the atmosphere.

辐射被释放到了大气中。

All the internal phone lines went down,

所有内部电话线路中断，

and workers fled from the scene. 短語搭配

工人们从现场逃离。

Firefighters arrived,

消防员赶到了，

apparently unaware of the danger they were in 短語搭配

显然没有意识到由于辐射泄漏

due to the radiation leak.

他们正处于危险之中。

One even joked about it,

有人甚至拿这个开玩笑，

saying,

说，

"There must be an incredible amount of radiation here. 語法

“这里一定有难以置信的辐射量。

We'll be lucky if we're still alive in the morning." 語氣意圖

如果我们在早上还能活着就算幸运了。”

He was kidding,

他是在开玩笑，

but he wasn't far off. 習語

但他没说错。

As one woman explained,

正如一位女士解释的那样，

the next day she found out there had been a fire,

第二天她得知发生了火灾，

but the kids still played,

但孩子们仍在玩耍，

they went to school,

他们去上学，

people still milled around in the street, 短語動詞

人们还在街上转悠，

even though, she said,

即使，她说，

all the roads were covered in water

所有的道路都被水

and some white liquid.

和一些白色液体覆盖。

Everything was white and foamy.

所有东西都是白色且多泡的。

She added that she wasn't told about the danger of radiation,

她补充说，没有人告诉她辐射的危险，

stating,

她说，

"About radiation, that radioactivity was escaping,

“关于辐射，放射性物质正在泄漏，

there was not a word." 習語

只字未提。”

The reactor was filled with water,

反应堆里充满了水，

but then flooding was a problem.

但随后积水又成了问题。

After that, for days,

在那之后的几天里，

thousands of tons of clay, sand, boron, and dolomite

数以千吨计的粘土、沙子、硼和白云石

were dropped by helicopter into the burning reactor to quell the fire, 用詞

被直升机投入燃烧的反应堆中以扑灭火灾，

but also to try and prevent the spread of radiation. 短語搭配

同时也试图阻止辐射的蔓延。

For 10 days,

在十天的时间里，

a larger amount of radioactive substances pervaded the air,

大量的放射性物质弥漫在空气中，

most of it falling as dust into nearby areas, 語法

其中大部分作为灰尘落在附近的区域，

but smaller particles spread far and wide, carried by the wind.

但较小的颗粒在风的带动下传播得很远很广。

We all know what happened next.

我们都知道接下来发生了什么。

We should add that there are numerous scientific theories 表達脈絡

我们应该补充一点，有无数的科学理论

as to exactly what happened that day,

关于那天到底发生了什么，

and this is just a basic summary

这只是一个基本总结，

of the most widely held belief. 短語搭配

基于最广泛持有的信念。

Hopefully, something like this never happens again.

希望这样的事情再也不会发生。

So, would you ever consider visiting Chernobyl?

那么，你会考虑去切尔诺贝利参观吗？

Tell us why or why not in the comments.

在评论区告诉我们为什么或者为什么不。

Also, be sure to check out our other video

另外，一定要看看我们的另一部视频，

called Russia versus the European Union,

名叫《俄罗斯对抗欧盟，

who would win?

谁会赢？》

Thanks for watching,

感谢观看，

and as always,

一如既往，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

别忘了点赞、分享和订阅。

See you next time.

下次见。