When clouds of radiation began streaming into the air around the Fukushima nuclear plant, 160,000 residents were told to simply cut and run. However, it seems only 159,998 residents listened. The other two, Naoto Matsumura and Sakae Kato, remained. Evidently, the city possessed not one, but two men whose love of animals cracked through their inborn sense of self-preservation.
Living within the 12.5-mile exclusion zone (禁区) around the damaged reactor, the two men, unrelated to one another, both live alone while taking care of dozens of animals that were left behind when the evacuation (撤离) order was given.
57-year-old Kato has 41 cats in his home in the mountains along with a dog. Kato says he will stay with his cats and ensure they are comfortable all through their lives. Kato's generosity isn't restricted to his own animals, and he feeds local wild animals as well.
Matsumura left the city at first, but returned shortly after for his own animals. Once returned, the now 55-year-old realized that everyone else's pets and livestock were still there, so he began taking care of a broad community of animals including pigs, cats, dogs and cows. After it became clear no one was coming back to the neighborhood, he went around unchaining dogs from trees, letting cows out of their barns, and feeding anything that needed it, earning him the moniker the “Guardian of Fukushima’s Animals”.
According to scientists from JAXA, the Japanese national space agency, Matsumura is also the “champion”— the most irradiated man in the country. Despite this, they've advised him it will likely be 30-40 years before radiation begins to wreck his biology, a timeline which will see him “likely dead by then”.
Everything both Kato and Matsumura are doing is technically illegal, and police have ordered them both to leave the area. Yet they seemingly couldn’t be less bothered by the government’s demands, and both plan to stay there with their animals come what may.
4. What made the two men decide to live in the exclusion zone?
A.The possession left in the city. |
B.Being left behind by other residents. |
C.Their love for animals from inner heart. |
D.Their inborn sense of self-preservation. |
5. Which of the following words best describes Matsumura?
A.Kind-hearted. | B.Strong-minded. | C.Generous. | D.Optimistic. |
6. What does the underlined word “wreck” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Save. | B.Damage. | C.Remove. | D.Scan. |
7. What will happen to the two men next?
A.They will leave the exclusion zone. |
B.They will be arrested by the police. |
C.They will obey the government’s demands. |
D.They will remain there to take care of the animals. |