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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky. This will just take a minute.

"The type of accident that is occurring in Japan is known as the station blackout: loss of off-site AC power—power lines are down—and then a subsequent failure of emergency power on-site, the diesel¹ generators². The station blackout has been one of the great concerns for decades."

Physicist³ Ken⁴ Bergeron, speaking on March 12 during a press briefing. He worked on nuclear reactor⁵ accident analysis at Sandia National Laboratories.

"The probability is hard to calculate primarily because of the possibility of what are called common-cause accidents, where the loss of off-site power and of on-site power are caused by the same thing. In this case the earthquake and tsunami⁶. We're hoping that all of the barriers to release of radioactivity will not fail. So far the first barrier, which is the fuel cladding, has apparently⁷ failed, because they are detecting cesium. We now have to hope that the subsequent layers, including primarily the containment⁸ building, will succeed in preventing release of major amounts of radioactivity."

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky.

For more from Bergeron, see my article on the SciAm Web site "Nuclear Experts Explain Worst-Case Scenario at Fukushima Power Plant"

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收听单词发音

1 diesel
n.柴油发动机，内燃机
参考例句：
We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。 My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

2 generators
n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司
参考例句：
The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。 Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。来自《简明英汉词典》

3 physicist
n.物理学家，研究物理学的人
参考例句：
He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。 The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

4 ken
n.视野，知识领域
参考例句：
Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。 Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

5 reactor
n.反应器；反应堆
参考例句：
The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。 Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

6 tsunami
n.海啸
参考例句：
Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。 Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 containment
n.阻止，遏制；容量
参考例句：
Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。 Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。