V. Read the following sentences and fill in the words listed below.
a) nuclear f) no k) turbines
b) burn g) reactor l) uranium
c) chain h) robot m) waste
d) dangerous i) rods n) water
e) energy j) shielding
1) Is nuclear power renewable? – 1)____
2) Nuclear power stations use 2)____ as fuel. They need very little fuel, compared to a “fossil” power station because there is much more 3)____ in nuclear fuel.
3) The 4)____reaction inside the 5)____ creates heat, which turns 6)____ into steam to drive 7)_____ , which drive generators to make electricity.
4) The fuel 8)_____ are safe to handle before they go into the reactor, it’s only when they come out that you need to handle them with 9)_____ arms and heavy 10)____.
5) 11)____ power stations do not create atmospheric pollution, because they do not 12)____ anything. However, the small amount of 13)_____ that they do produce is very 14)____.
VI. Answer the following questions and give examples:
1) Does nuclear power have a number of drawbacks? Why? Why not?
2) Are CO2 emissions minimal or maximal from nuclear power plants? Why? Why?
3) What isn’t the cost of nuclear power affected by?
4) What problems does nuclear fuel produce?
5) Why can’t we throw nuclear fuel after it has been spent?
6) What do radioactive wastes emit?
7) How many years low-level radioactive waste require to reach acceptable levels?
8) How are nuclear wastes stored?
9) What has to be done to radioactive wastes?
UNIT III. ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY
Text 1.
I. Choose the right option.
Renewable Energy Sources
| 1) I am the energy in things that used to be alive. My energy is stored in trees, plants and garbage. You can burn me to make heat and electricity. I can pollute the air when I am burned. | a) Petroleum b) Biomass c) Wind |
| 2) I am heat energy from inside the Earth. I heat underground rocks and water. Sometimes I am buried too deep to use. I am clean energy. | a) Biomass b) Wind c) Geothermal |
| 3) I am the energy in moving water. Dams can harness my energy. My power can make electricity. I am clean, cheap energy. | a) Natural Gas b) Hydropower c) Wind |
| 4) I make plants grow and I give you light. I make the wind blow and the rain fall. Today, it costs a lot to harness my energy. Photovoltaic cells can turn my energy into electricity. | a) Solar Energy b) Water c) Geothermal |
| 5) I am the energy in moving air. Some places have a lot of me, others only a little. Machines with blades capture my energy, turning it into electricity. I don’t pollute the air, but cause noise pollution | a) Nuclear Power b) Wind c) Solar Energy |
Non-renewable Energy Sources
|
|
|
| 1) I look like a shiny black rock. I am fossil fuel that is buried underground. I am often transported by river barges. I can pollute the air when I am burned to make electricity. | a) Coal b) Solar Energy c) Biomass |
| 2) I am gas with no color, no taste and no smell. Companies give me a funny smell so that you can tell if I escape. Companies drill wells to pump me from the ground. I am the cleanest burning of fossil fuel. | a) Petroleum b) Oxygen c) Natural Gas |
| 3) My energy is used to make electricity. I am used to make nuclear power. My energy does not pollute the air. My waste is radioactive and can be dangerous. | a) Uranium b) Wind c) Solar Energy |
| 4) People drill wells to pump me from the ground and under the ocean. I am made into los of things like gasoline and plastics. I make more energy than any other energy source. I am fossil fuel that pollutes the air when I am burned. | a) Petroleum b) Geothermal c) Coal |
| 5) I am used on farms and in backyards grills. I am portable and can be shipped in tanks and bottles. I am fossil fuel that is buried underground. I am clean burning. | a) Biomass b) Coal c) Propane |
II. Read the text and be ready to do exercises that follow it.
The Pros and Cons of Alternative Energy
We all know that the earth has limited supply of non-renewable energy sources such as coal and oil. On the other hand, renewable sources of energy like solar, wind and wave power available in unlimited quantities can help us solve the energy crisis that might arise in the future.
|
|
|
Some types of alternative energy sources have been already developed. They include:
Solar energy. If solar power were properly developed, it could easily become our primary energy source. The use of solar power is especially attractive in areas that have long days and not much cloud cover. It is therefore ideal for less developed areas which may be far from the more traditional power sources.
The problem is that capitalizing on this powerful resource is not as simple as it seems. Locations with limited daylight hours or consistently overcast skies do not receive the amount of light required to store energy. In addition, locations that do not have wide expanses of land available will not be able to tap this resource, since the photocells necessary to collect and store the sunlight require large tracts of land.
Wind energy. The power of the wind was harnessed hundreds of years ago to run windmills, which directly ran mills on farmlands. The same principle can now be used, with the addition of storage capacity, to supply as 20 % of our energy needs. In locations with strong winds, such as along the seashore, or in the mountains, wind can easily be harnessed to run generations to create electricity. This energy alternative is safe and clean: no harmful carbon dioxide or other gases are produced in the creation of electricity through wind power. However, there are many areas that do not receive enough wind to make it a reliable source.
Hydroelectric energy. A powerful surge of water sluicing over a cliff creates a tremendous source of energy. This is the concept behind the construction of many dams in the world today. Hydroelectric energy is another clean alternative to oil, since it does not produce waste or pollution. Energy produced by a dam is cheap and adaptable, but the cost of building a dam is very high and, without destroying entire potentially habitable areas, it is difficult to find locations for dams.
Biomass. Biomass can be considered a nice way of speaking of waste. Animal waste, rotten crops and grains, residues from wood mills and aquatic waste can all be fermented to form alcohol that is comparable to coal in its energy producing power. It also produces greenhouse gases, making it one of the less attractive alternative energy sources.
|
|
|
In addition to these more «natural» sources of energy production, fuel cells, fusion, nuclear, geothermal and hydrogen energies can be used for our future needs for power. These have negative environmental effects and so are questioned as alternative sources, but does not oil or coal have as many, if not more negative effects?
III. Match the English and Russian equivalents:
a) limited supply 1) пасмурное небо
b) primary energy source 2) мощная волна
c) overcast skies 3) запускать генераторы
d) large tracts of land 4) переливаясь через утес
e) storage capacity 5) акватические отходы
f) to run generators 6) ограниченное количество
g) a powerful surge 7) основной источник энергии
h) sluicing over a cliff 8) большие участки земли
i) aquatic waste 9) аккумулирующая способность
IV. Answer the following questions:
1) What types of alternative energy sources have been developed?
2) Where is solar power especially attractive?
3) What is the main problem with capitalizing on solar power?
4) Where was the power of wind harnessed for the first time?
5) What types of landscape have strong winds?
6) Wind energy is clean and safe, isn’t it? Prove it.
7) Why isn’t wind power reliable in some areas?
8) What is the concept behind the construction of many dams in the world today?
9) What are the pros and cons of hydroelectric energy?
10) What waste can be fermented to form alcohol?
11) What is the main disadvantage of biomass?
|
|
|
12) What other energies can be used for our needs in power?
V. Agree or disagree with the following statements:
1) There are few types of alternative energy sources which have been already developed.
2) The use of solar power is especially attractive in areas with limited daylight hours or consistently overcast skies.
3) The power of the wind has been developed recently.
4) Carbon dioxide or other gases can be produced in the creation of electricity through wind power.
5) Hydroelectric energy doesn’t generate waste or pollution.
6) Energy produced by a dam is expensive and adaptable, but the cost of dam construction is very cheap.
7) Because of greenhouse gases, biomass is one of the less attractive alternative energy sources.
Дата добавления: 2021-01-21; просмотров: 296; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!