(全文共292个词)
His nuclear odyssey yields some hideous examples of the industry’s secrecy, particularly a visit to the Russian village of Metlino, on the Techa river in the Urals.In the 1950s this was the world’s most radioactive river; Mr Pearce reckons it may have been responsible for more sickness than all of the other nuclear incidents in history combined.Upstream sat the Mayak power plant, which “poured into it an average of one Olympic swimming pool’s worth of highly radioactive liquids every two hours.”Villagers received “staggering” doses of radiation; scientists quietly monitored the rates of illness and death.
Such callous episodes, and better-known calamities such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, dominate the nuclear debate.As Mr Pearce observes, similar attention is rarely given to various studies demonstrating that no link exists between nuclear plants and local cancer rates, nor the painstaking schemes, such as those in Germany, to safely dispose of nuclear waste.His deepest worry is about Britain’s Sellafield plant, home to a massive stockpile of plutonium.In 1995 its fence was easily scaled by Greenpeace activists, who sprayed “bollocks” on the walls.A bomb sent across the fence could result in “a terrorist Chernobyl”, yet Mr Pearce saw little being done to reinforce the site.
He asks how long the beleaguered nuclear-power industry can survive―hobbled as it is by the association with nuclear weapons (“the Achilles’ heel of civil nuclear power”), a litany of disasters and the doomsday hyperbole of anti-nuclear activists.Mr Pearce recognises that “most civilian nuclear activities are safe”, but notes that in democracies, at least, the public has the power of veto, however sensibly they wield it.
(红色标注词为考研重点词汇)
译文：
他的核版《奥德赛》描述了一些揭露行业秘密的丑恶的例子，特别是俄罗斯位于捷恰河边的Metlino村的例子。（注：《奥德赛》是源自希腊的一部史诗,相传为荷马所作,描述了奥德修斯在特洛伊战争后,辗转十年返回家园的种种经历。）在20世纪50年代，这是世界上放射性最强的河流； 皮尔斯先生认为，与历史上所有其他核事故相比，它可能导致了更多的疾病。玛雅克核电厂坐落在河的上游，该发电厂平均每两小时向河中注入一个奥林匹克游泳池大小的高放射性液体。村民受到了“惊人”的辐射剂量的辐射；科学家们悄悄地监测着疾病和死亡的比率。
这种冷酷无情的事件以及诸如切尔诺贝利和福岛等众所周知的核灾难主导着关于核的争议。正如皮尔斯所观察到的那样，很少有研究关注于核电厂与当地癌症发病率之间是否有联系，也没有像德国那样为了安全处置核废料而做细致的计划。他最担心的是英国的塞拉菲尔德工厂，这里有大量的钚。1995年，绿色和平组织活动者们轻易的扩大了围栏的范围，他们在墙上喷洒了“笨蛋”。一颗穿过围栏的炸弹可能就会导致“恐怖主义的切尔诺贝利”，但皮尔斯认为人们没有采取任何措施来加强该地点的防护。
他问这个陷入困境的核电工业可以生存多久——由于与核武器的联系（“民用核能的致命弱点”），问题的答案在反核活动家的口中是一连串的灾难和世界末日的到来。皮尔斯认为“大多数民用核活动都是安全的”，但他指出（至少在民主国家）公众至少应该拥有否决权，无论他们如何去使用它。
考研重点词汇：
hideous ['hɪdɪəs] adj. 可怕的；丑恶的
painstaking ['peɪnzteɪkɪŋ] n. 辛苦；勤勉 adj. 艰苦的；勤勉的；小心的
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