背景閱讀：

　　據(jù)日本氣象廳表示，地震于當(dāng)?shù)貢r(shí)間周二凌晨6點(diǎn)(中央時(shí)區(qū)周一21點(diǎn))發(fā)生。

　　震源深度估計(jì)約為11公里(約合7英里)。

　　2011年，地震引發(fā)的大型海嘯摧毀了福島核電站。

　　東京電力公司一直在檢查該核電站在上一次地震中的受損情況。

　　日本內(nèi)閣官房長(zhǎng)官菅義偉在一場(chǎng)電視直播新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上表示說，福島核電站第三號(hào)反應(yīng)堆的水冷卻系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)停止工作了，但是并沒有出現(xiàn)溫度升高的跡象、其他核電設(shè)施也沒有出現(xiàn)異常情況。

　　據(jù)他表示，日本政府已經(jīng)成立了一個(gè)特別小組來監(jiān)察情況。

　　此次地震造成的破壞目前尚不清楚，但是有一些輕微受傷的報(bào)告。此次地震在東京有震感，一些居民也被要求從沿海地區(qū)撤離。

　　船只也從福島地區(qū)港口撤離。

　　據(jù)日本NHK電視臺(tái)報(bào)道，目前為止一道波高60厘米(約合2英尺)的海浪已經(jīng)抵達(dá)了福島小名濱港，另一道90厘米高的海浪襲擊了索瑪。但是更大海嘯的警告仍然有效。

　　美國(guó)地質(zhì)調(diào)查局最開始講地質(zhì)級(jí)別定位7.3級(jí)，但是后來將其下調(diào)為6.9級(jí)。

　　日本位于地震異�；钴S地區(qū)，全球6級(jí)及以上的地震有20%都是發(fā)生在日本。

　　在今年四月南部熊本縣發(fā)生的2起地震中，至少50人死亡。

　　2011年福島大地震之后，日本超過18000人死亡或失蹤。

　　An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit northern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, issuing tsunami advisories for much of the nation's northern Pacific coast.

　　preliminary

　　adj. 初步的，初級(jí)的; 預(yù)備的; 開端的; 序言的;

　　n.預(yù)賽; 準(zhǔn)備工作; 初步措施; (對(duì)學(xué)生等的) 預(yù)考;

　　例句：

　　Preliminary results show the Republican party with 11 percent of the vote.

　　初步結(jié)果顯示共和黨獲得了11%的選票。

　　其他：

　　復(fù)數(shù)：preliminaries

　　magnitude

　　n.量級(jí); 巨大，廣大; 重大，重要; (地震) 級(jí)數(shù);

　　例句：

　　An operation of this magnitude is going to be difficultAn operation of this magnitude is going to be difficult.

　　這么大的手術(shù)實(shí)施起來十分困難。

　　其他：

　　復(fù)數(shù)：magnitudes

　　The epicenter of the earthquake, which was felt in Tokyo, was off the coast of Fukushima prefecture at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), the agency said.

　　There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, which struck at 5:59 a.m. (3.59 p.m. ET).

　　Tokyo Electric Power Co was checking its nuclear plants in Fukushima for damage, public broadcaster NHK said. The utility could not immediately be reached by Reuters.

　　Tohoku Electric Power Co said there was no damage to its Onagawa nuclear plant.

　　Television footage showed ships moving out to sea from Fukushima harbors, as the meteorological agency warned of a tsunami of 3 meters (10 feet) for Fukushima, where Tepco's Daiichi nuclear plant was devastated in a March 2011 quake and tsunami.

　　tsunami

　　n.海嘯;

　　例句：

　　The government encourages the growth of enterprises through tax cut in this financial tsunami.　　面對(duì)金融海嘯，國(guó)家減稅以扶持企業(yè)發(fā)展。

　　其他：

　　復(fù)數(shù)：tsunamis

　　Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world's most seismically active areas. Japan accounts for about 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

　　The March 11, 2011, quake was magnitude 9, the strongest quake in Japan on record. The massive tsunami it triggered caused world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.

　　The U.S. Geological Survey initially put Tuesday's quake at a magnitude of 7.3 but down graded it to 6.9.

　　All nuclear plants on the coast threatened by the tsunami are shutdown in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Only two reactors are operating in Japan, both in the southwest of the country. Even when in shutdown nuclear plants need cooling systems operating to keep spent fuel cool.