EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN

VOA - Voice of America

A DREADFUL
DISASTER
IN JAPAN

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

The earthquake that shook Japan with historic strength on Friday created a
tsunami wave ten meters high. The water washed away boats, cars and
houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. It also led to tsunami warnings
across the Pacific.
earthquake: terremoto; shook: estremeció; strength: fuerza; tsunami wave: ola
marina; washed away: arrastró; coastal areas: zonas costeras; north of: al norte
de; led to: llevó a; warnings: advertencias;

Scientists recorded the magnitude of the earthquake at 8.9. The United

States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900.
The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile in 1960.
recorded: registraron;
　
The quake struck near the east coast of Honshu, Japan's main island. It was
centered under the sea about 130 kilometers east of Sendai. The tsunami
washed away whole neighborhoods in Sendai.
quake: terremoto (forma abreviada); main island: la isla principal; east of: al este
de; whole neighborhoods: barrios completos;

President Obama offered whatever assistance Japan needs. He had already

planned to meet with reporters Friday, and began by talking about the
disaster.
whatever assistance: toda la ayuda que; disaster: desastre, catástrofe;

"First and foremost, our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of
Japan. This is a potentially catastrophic disaster and the images of
destruction and flooding coming out of Japan are simply heartbreaking."
first and foremost: primero y principal; prayers: plegarias; flooding: inundación;
heartbreaking: desgarradoras;

"Japan is, of course, one of our strongest and closest allies and this
morning I spoke with Prime Minister [Naoto] Kan. On behalf of the American
people, I conveyed our deepest condolences, especially to the victims and
their families, and I offered our Japanese friends whatever assistance is
needed. We currently have an aircraft carrier in Japan and another is on its
way.”
allies: aliados; on behalf of: en nombre de; conveyed: transmití; deepest
condolences: más profundas condolencias; currently: en estos momentos; on its
way: en camino;

Japanese media said the tsunami carried away a ship carrying one hundred
people. Television images showed a whole community on fire.
media: los medios; carried away: arrastró; on fire: incendiada;

The quake has produced powerful aftershocks. It also raised concerns about
possible effects on the world's third-largest economy. The economy was the
second largest until China recently moved into that position.
aftershocks: réplicas, temblores secundarios; raised concerns: generó
preocupaciones;

Japan was already struggling to rebuild economic growth and reduce its
budget deficit and government debt.
struggling: esforzándose; growth: crecimiento; budget deficit: deficit
presupuestario;

Japan has invested a lot of resources in preparing for earthquakes. Still, the
1995 earthquake in Kobe caused an estimated one hundred billion dollars in
damage.
invested: invertido; resources: recursos; still: a pesar de eso; in damage: en
daños;
　
The value of the yen dropped Friday but then recovered.
dropped: cayó;

Japan is the world's third-largest importer of oil. World prices for oil fell after
the quake. This followed weeks of increases because of unrest in the Middle
East and North Africa. Oil traders said prices fell because of a belief that
quake damage will hurt growth in Japan and reduce demand for energy.
oil: petróleo; fell after the quake: cayeron luego del terremoto; because of
unrest: debido a la intranquilidad; oil traders: los petroleros; belief: creencia; will
hurt growth: afectará el crecimiento;

The quake happened about 370 northeast of Tokyo. It shook buildings in the
capital, halting all train and subway traffic and leaving many people unable
to get home.
halting: paralizando; unable to: sin posibilidad de;

Joruji Shinozaki wrote on the VOA Learning English page on Facebook:

Friday's earthquake was a nightmare. Suddenly the building where I live in
Tokyo shook violently and objects began to fall. I was so scared because
I've never experienced such a strong quake before in my life.
nightmare: pesadilla; so scared: muy asustado;
　
Another Facebook user in Japan, Mitsutoshi Sato, wrote: It was a frightening
experience. The blackout lasted for more than 10 hours around me. Thank
each and every one of you in the world praying for Japan.
frightening experience: experiencia aterradora; blackout: apagón, corte de luz
masivo; lasted for: duró; thank each and every one of you: agradezco a cada uno
de ustedes; praying: que recen.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember