八年前，日本福岛发生了大地震，地震引发的海啸摧毁了海边的核电站。这场灾难带来了巨大破坏，全日本都沉浸在悲痛之中。四个月之后，德国世界杯上日本女足的胜利极大地鼓舞了日本民众的士气。
A remarkable win after a major disaster
by George Ramsay & Amanda Davies
On a bitterly cold day in March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the northeastern corner of Japan – the largest earthquake recorded in the country's history. Its shockwaves threw up waves 40 meters in height, sweeping across the Pacific Ocean and onto coastal towns.
bitterly /ˈbɪtəli/ cold 刺骨般寒冷的
magnitude /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/ n. （地震）震级
earthquake /ˈɜːθkweɪk/ n. 地震
rock /rɒk/ v. 剧烈摇动
northeastern /nɔːˈθiːst(ə)n/ adj. 东北的
record /rɪˈkɔːd/ v. 记录
shockwave /ˈʃɒkweɪv/ n. 冲击波（由shock和wave组成）
sweep /swiːp/ v. 横扫
coastal /ˈkəʊst(ə)l/ adj. 海岸边的（由coast加后缀-al变成形容词）
In total, over 20,000 people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands more were forced from their homes. Many residents living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant would never return as water flooding into the plant caused radiation to leak into the surrounding area.
force /fɔːs/ v. 强迫、迫使
resident /ˈrezɪd(ə)nt/ n. 居民
nuclear /ˈnjuːklɪə(r)/ adj. 核能的
plant /plɑːnt/ n. 工厂（nuclear plant指核电站）
cause /kɔːz/ v. 造成
radiation /ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 核辐射
leak /liːk/ v. 泄漏
surrounding /səˈraʊndɪŋ/ adj. 周围的
J-Village, Japan's national football training center based in Fukushima, was used as a place of refuge immediately after the earthquake and tsunami（海啸）. Later, it became a base for the nuclear recovery.
base /beɪs/ v. 以…为基地
Fukushima 福岛
refuge /ˈrefjuːdʒ/ n. 避难所
base /beɪs/ n. 基地
recovery /rɪˈkʌv(ə)ri/ n. 恢复、修复
In July 2011, before their World Cup quarterfinal, Japan's female footballers were given a reminder of home. They may have been thousands of miles away from home in Germany, but the scars from the earthquake and tsunami still lurked in their thoughts.
quarterfinal /ˌkwɔːtəˈfaɪn(ə)l/ n. 四分之一决赛（由quarter和final组成）
footballer /ˈfʊtbɔːlə(r)/ n. 足球运动员（由football加上表示人的后缀-er）
a reminder /rɪˈmaɪndə(r)/ of something 令人想起某事物的东西
scar /skɑː(r)/ n. 伤痕
lurk /lɜːk/ v. 潜伏
"It is certain that it motivated the whole team to win," says defender Aya Sameshima, who is moved to tears by the memory of those events eight years on. "However," she qualifies, "I could not look directly at those pictures."
motivate /ˈməʊtɪveɪt/ v. 激励
defender /dɪˈfendə(r)/ n. 后卫（由defend加上表示人的后缀-er）
move /muːv/ v. 使感动、使情绪激动
qualify /ˈkwɒlɪfaɪ/ v. 修正（言辞）
It's no wonder that those pictures shown to Sameshima and her teammates ahead of the quarterfinal elicited such a powerful response. Nadeshiko – the nickname of the Japanese women's football team – went on to defeat the host nation in extra-time. Then Japan proceeded to topple the USA on penalties in the final, becoming the first ever Asian nation to win an international football tournament.
teammate /ˈtiːmmeɪt/ n. 队友（由team和mate组成）
elicit /ɪˈlɪsɪt/ v. 引起、引发
response /rɪˈspɒns/ n. 响应、回应
nickname /ˈnɪkneɪm/ n. 昵称
defeat /dɪˈfiːt/ v. 击败
host /həʊst/ n. 主人
nation /ˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 国家（host nation指赛事的主办国）
extra-time 加时赛
proceed /prəˈsiːd/ v. 继续做某事
topple /ˈtɒp(ə)l/ v. 推翻、打倒
penalty /ˈpen(ə)lti/ n. 点球（penalties指在足球比赛的最后通过互罚点球来决定胜负）
final /ˈfaɪn(ə)l/ n. 决赛
the first ever 有史以来第一个
tournament /ˈtɔːnəmənt/ n. 锦标赛
Back home, the news was received with delight. "I think almost nobody in the world seriously thought that Japan would win," says Asako Takakura, a coach of the women's national team. "Many people in Japan saw Nadeshiko winning even though we didn't have absolute power and strength, and they told us they got lots of power from us. Watching players who are trying really hard in all sports – football, in our case – can move people's hearts."
back home 在某人的祖国
delight /dɪˈlaɪt/ n. 高兴
seriously /ˈsɪəriəsli/ adv. 严肃认真地（由serious加后缀-ly变成副词）
coach /kəʊtʃ/ n. 教练
absolute /ˈæbsəluːt/ adj. 绝对的
power /ˈpaʊə(r)/ n. 能力、力量
strength /streŋθ/ n. 实力
When the Olympic torch arrives on Japanese shores next year, it will start its procession through the country from the site of the three-fold tragedy – earthquake, tsunami, then nuclear meltdown – that unfurled（展开） eight years ago.
torch /tɔːtʃ/ n. 火炬
procession /prəˈseʃ(ə)n/ n. 游行（这里指奥运火炬传递活动）
three-fold 三重的
tragedy /ˈtrædʒədi/ n. 悲剧、灾难
nuclear meltdown /ˈmeltdaʊn/ 核反应堆熔毁
"The decision to host the Tokyo Olympics was a big reason to regain and rebuild this place and the football facility," says Shunsuke Ono, a former coach of the Japanese team.
host /həʊst/ v. 主办
Tokyo /ˈtəʊkiəʊ/ n. 东京
regain /rɪˈɡeɪn/ v. 重新获得（由gain加上表示再次的前缀re-）
rebuild /riːˈbɪld/ v. 重建（由build加上表示再次的前缀re-）
facility /fəˈsɪləti/ n. 设施
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