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Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead. The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japans eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings(海啸警报)across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960. In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately(普通的) damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize(使降到最低) the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan. | 
