Week Three - North Korea nuclear

North Korea nuclear: State claims first hydrogen bomb test

North Korea says it has successfully carried out its first underground test of a hydrogen bomb - a more powerful weapon than an atomic bomb.If true it would be its fourth nuclear test since 2006 and mark a huge advance in its nuclear capabilities.The announcement was swiftly criticised by world leaders with South Korea calling it "a grave provocation to our national security".But there has been no independent confirmation of the North's claim yet.

Suspicion an underground test had been carried out was first raised after the US Geological Survey detected unusual seismic activity at 10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT) - in the north-east of the country,A 5.1 magnitude tremor was detected about 50km (30 miles) from Kilju city, near the Punggye-ri nuclear site, which monitors said was likely not natural.Hours later, in a surprise announcement, a newsreader on North Korean state TV said: "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016."North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had said last month that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb, although many experts were sceptical.It could be days or weeks before independent tests are able to verify or dismiss the recent claim.Hours before the seismic activity, South Korean media reported that Pyongyang had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in late December. It is unclear whether the test was successful or not.North Korea said in May it had conducted a similar successful submarine launch.

(Vocabulary)
1. capability (n.) 才能、能力、容量、性能

2. provocation (n.) 挑釁、激怒、刺激、憤怒

3. seismic (adj.) 地震、由地震引起的、(轉變.變化)突如其來的、巨大的

4. magnitude (n.) 巨大、重大、量級；(地震)級數

5. tremor (n.) 震顫、戰慄；大地的搖動或震動

6. sceptical (adj.) 懷疑的 {亦可寫作”skeptical”}

7. dismiss (v.) 解雇、把...免職、解散(隊伍等)、駁回、拒絕受理

8. test-fired (v.) 試驗發射

9. ballistic (adj.) 彈道學的、飛行物體的

10. submarine (n.) 潛艇 (adj.) 海底的


(5W1H)

Who: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

Why: no mentioned

What: successfully carried out its first underground test of a hydrogen bomb

When: at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016

Where: North Korean

How: nuclear test since 2006 and had test-fired a ballistic missile

(Info source): http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35240012