Task 3. Choose one of the questions below to discuss it with your group-mates. Give your reasons.



UNIT VII

ENERGY SECURITY

LEAD-IN

Task 1. Study the information on Energy Resources and Types of energy and fill in the table given below.

"Energy Resources" is NOT the same thing as "Types of energy".

"Types of energy" means "kinetic energy", "chemical energy" and so forth.

"Energy Resources" is about ways of getting energy so we can generate electrical power.

Renewable Energy Resources are those that won't run out.

Non-renewable resources will eventually run out.

Fossil fuels: have been formed from the organic remains of prehistoric plants and animals.

Geothermal power is a way of generating heat and electricity from hot underground rocks.

Names of Energy Resources:  

animal wastes, tide, coal, hot underground rocks, crude oil (or “petroleum”), wood, natural gas, waste products, oil shale, uranium, sun, water, ocean waves, plants, wind

Advantages of different types of energy:

  1. A good method of supplying energy to remote areas.
  2. Can produce a great deal of energy.
  3. Electricity can be generated constantly.
  4. Less demand on the fossil fuels.
  5. Not expensive to operate and maintain.
  6. Once the dam is built, the energy is virtually free.
  7. Power stations are very efficient.
  8. Produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel.
  9. This resource is free - energy production needs no fuel
  10. Produces no waste or pollution (greenhouse gases).
  11. The land beneath can usually still be used for farming.
  12. The fuel tends to be cheap.
  13. Transporting resources to power stations is easy.

Disadvantages of different types of energy:

a. Affects a very wide area - the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream.

b. Although not much waste is produced, it is very, very dangerous.

c. Can be unreliable unless you're in a very sunny climate.

d. Wind farms can be noisy as generators make a constant, low noise day and night.

e. Collecting or growing the fuel in sufficient quantities can be difficult.

f. Currents of air are not always predictable - some days may be still.

g. Depends on the surfs - sometimes you'll get loads of energy, sometimes almost nothing.

h. Doesn't work at night.

i. Large dams flood a very large area upstream, causing problems for animals that used to live there.

j. Needs a suitable site, where surfs are consistently strong.

k. Only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the current is actually moving in or out.

l. Power stations contribute to pollution and the "greenhouse effect", warming the Earth.

m. Sometimes the site may "run out of steam", perhaps for decades.

n. Suitable areas for wind farms are often near the coast, where land is expensive.

o. There are not many places to build a power station (hot rocks should be of a suitable type to be drilled down).

p. This power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety.

q. Very expensive to build power stations.

r. Water quality and quantity downstream can be affected, which can have an impact on plant life.

s. We burn the biofuel, so it makes greenhouse gases just like fossil fuels do.

Names of Energy Resources

Types of energy

Advantages

Disadvantages

Non-Renewable Renewable
    Generated by Fossil fuels      
    Nuclear Power    
    Solar Power    
    Wind Power    
    Tidal Power    
    Hydro-electric Power    
    Wave Power    
    Geothermal Power    
    Biomass    

 

Task 2. Fill in the gaps with suitable wordsand word combinations . Make use of the vocabulary from task 1.

What is Alternative Energy?

Alternative energy is power that comes from ___________ (1) which are not going to run out, do not ___________ (2) environment as much as ___________ (3) (oil, coal, natural gas), or do not create leftover materials that are harmful to people and the ___________ (4).

The term, "alternative," in a sense, is meant to contrast environment friendly energy against forms of energy that hurt the environment (___________ (5) power , natural ___________ (6), and ___________ (7) power). Other names for alternative energy include clean energy, green energy and ___________ (8) energy.

Alternative Energy Vs. Renewable Energy

Renewable energy and alternative energy are often interchangeable , but they do have ___________ (9)meanings. Renewable energy comes from a replenishable energy ___________ (10) (it can never deplete). Electric energy that is generated from the sun (___________ (11)), the wind, the ___________ (12) (waves, currents or tides), the ___________   (13) (geothermal), ___________ (14) (biomass), landfill gas, or ___________ (15) (hydro power) is considered to be ___________ (16) energy. Renewable energy falls under the ___________ (17) energy umbrella because renewable fuel sources like wind and solar don't hurt the environment.

 

Task 3. Choose one of the questions below to discuss it with your group-mates. Give your reasons.

1. Which type of energy is the safest for the environment?

2. Which type of energy is the most dangerous for the environment?

3. Which type of energy is the most efficient?

4. Do you think alternative energy can effectively replace fossil fuels?

TEXT FOCUS


Дата добавления: 2019-01-14; просмотров: 453; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы!

Поделиться с друзьями:






Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!