ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/11-15
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/11-15
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/11(月)福島第一原発 処理水の海洋放出
TREATED WATER RELEASE FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI BEGINS
Treated water release from Fukushima Daiichi begins
2023年8月24日のニュース
Tokyo Electric Power Company has started to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. Japan’s government says it’s a necessary step to decommission the plant more than 12 years after it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami.
Before the release, the plant’s operator confirmed the water’s dilution had been carried out as planned.
TEPCO analyzed the concentration of tritium, which is measured in units called “becquerel.” It found the diluted water contained between 43 and 63 becquerels per liter. That’s far below Japan’s environmental release standards of 60,000 becquerels per liter.
Members of local industries have voiced concern over how the release will impact their business. The government has promised to work hard to prevent any reputational damage.
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/12(火)脱石油由来のペットボトル 商用化へ
JAPANESE FIRMS PLAN TO PRODUCE BIO-BASED PLASTIC BOTTLES
Japanese firms plan to produce bio-based plastic bottles
2023年8月28日のニュース
A group of Japanese companies is working on developing plastic bottles that are not made from any petroleum-based materials. They say the commercialization of these bottles produced only from bio-based substances would be a world first.
A substance called “para-xylene” accounts for about 70 percent of plastic bottles. Oil wholesaler Eneos says the new technology relies on used cooking oil and other bio-based materials to produce para-xylene.
Eneos says it will begin producing the material at its refinery in western Japan by the end of this year. Mass production of these bottles is scheduled for 2024. About 35 million would be shipped annually.
The new process would raise production costs. But Eneos says it hopes the effort will help spread the use of clean resources.
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/13(水)インド無人探査機が月面着陸成功
INDIA SUCCESSFULLY LANDS PROBE ON MOON
India successfully lands probe on moon
2023年8月23日のニュース
India has successfully landed an unmanned probe on the surface of the moon. It’s the world’s first-ever landing near the moon’s south pole.
The Indian Space Research Organization says the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched down just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, India time. The probe is set to examine resources in the area.
(Narendra Modi / Indian Prime Minister)
“This success belongs to all of humanity. I’m confident that all countries in the world, including those from the Global South, are capable of achieving such feats.”
An earlier effort in 2019 crashed into the lunar surface because of a software glitch. India is now the fourth country to land on the moon, after the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China.
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/7(木)ワグネル代表プリゴジン氏死亡
RUSSIA OFFICIALS CONFIRM PRIGOZHIN DIED IN PLANE CRASH
Russia officials confirms Prigozhin died in plane crash
2023年8月28日のニュース
Russian investigators have confirmed that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was among the 10 people who died in a plane crash last Wednesday.
The investigative committee said genetic evidence corroborated the identities of the victims. They were aboard the private jet that crashed two months after Prigozhin staged a short-lived mutiny.
U.S. media outlets have reported an explosive may have been planted on the aircraft. There have also been reports that it’s highly likely Russia’s security service was involved. But the Kremlin has labeled such claims “an absolute lie.”
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin ordered volunteer soldiers and other personnel involved in the fighting in Ukraine to sign an oath of allegiance to the state. Analysts suggest the decree is part of Putin’s attempts to reassert his authority following Wagner’s mutiny.
ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/9/15(金)余った不織布 型紙用に販売
COVID PROTECTIVE MATERIAL FINDS NEW USE
Covid protective material finds new use
2023年8月21日のニュース
Since Japan downgraded the legal status of COVID-19, materials used to make protective gear have been piling up. But a company based in the central prefecture of Gifu has been buying surplus nonwoven fabric and is using it in a surprising new way.
The company has an online shop offering fabric and other products for people who make clothing and bags by hand. The company bought enough nonwoven fabric to make about 15,000 protective suits. That is because the material is ideal for making sewing patterns.
(Miyajima Daisuke / Chief Executive Officer, Bisits)
“All of this material would have definitely been thrown away. We want to make good use of it by turning it into useful products.”
Sewing patterns are often made from copier paper. But nonwoven fabric is much more durable, making it possible to use the same pattern many times.
