Listen to Radio News: Japan Earthquake

Death Toll Climbs after Japan Earthquake

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

• death toll: the number of recorded deaths caused by a certain accident, crime, or other unfortunate event
• trigger: to cause something to happen
• aftershock: a smaller earthquake (tremor) that happens after an original earthquake
• radiation leak: the accidental emission of a dangerous form of energy
• malfunction: to not work properly
• evacuate: to leave a dangerous area; to find a safe zone

 

Listen to this radio news twice or three times and try to answer

the questions.  Then, look at the text below in order to check

your answers but complete it with the missing words first!

Comprehension Questions

1. What region of Japan was devastated by the disaster? 
2. What are Japanese people worried about besides the risk of further earthquakes and tsunamis?
3. What did Japan’s prime minister say about the natural disaster?

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Death Toll Climbs after Japan Earthquake

An intense earthquake triggered a massive
, and devastated
Japan on March 11th. The official death toll has not been determined, though thousands of bodies have been found in coastal towns and thousands of people are missing. Besides the risk of aftershocks, many
in Japan are fearful of nuclear explosions and radiation leaks. Following the tsunami, three nuclear reactors began malfunctioning, and thousands of people were evacuated to safer
. Japan’s prime minister called the event “the toughest and most difficult crisis” his country has faced since
. Friday’s earthquake, which measured at 8.9 in magnitude, was the strongest to hit Japan in recorded history.

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