Find out the key words of the text.

Give the main idea of every paragraph.

7. Answer the following questions:

1)What issues will the implications of energy include?

2)What is our joint responsibility?

3)What can alter the global climate system?

4)What policy changes are required?

 

Say whether you agree or not with the following statements. In case you don't agree u say why.

1)The implications of energy over the coming twenty years are wide and varied.

2)We should consider the conditions for access to electricity in terms of economic, social and political development.

3) Energy consumption is bound to increase.

 

9. Speak on the future applications of electricity in modern society. Express your point of view, using the following phrases and word combinations:

- in my opinion, to start with, to my mind, I think, the fact is, as far as I know, I believe, the thing is that...

SOURCES OF POWER

1. Read the text below attentively and translate it:

The industrial progress of mankind is based on power: power for in­dustrial plants, machines, heating and lighting systems, transport, commu­nication. In fact, one can hardly find a sphere where power is not required.

At present most of the power required is obtained mainly from two sources. One is from the burning of fossil fuels, i. e. coal, natural gas and oil. The second way of producing electricity is by means of genera­tors that get their power from steam or water turbines. Electricity so pro­duced then flows through transmission lines to houses, industrial plants, enterprises, etc.

It should be noted, however, that the generation of electricity by these conventional processes is highly uneconomic. Actually, only about 40 per cent of heat in the fuel is converted into electricity. Besides, the world resources of fossil fuels are not ever-lasting. On the other hand², the power produced by hydroelectric plants, even if increased many times, will be able to provide for only a small fraction of the power re­quired in the near future. Therefore much effort and thought is being given to other means of generating electricity.

One is the energy of hot water. Not long ago we began utilizing hot underground water for heating and hot water supply, and in some cases, for the generation of electricity.

Another promising field for the production of electric power is the use of ocean tides. Our engineers are engaged in designing tidal power stations of various capacities. The first station utilizing this principle be­gan operating in Russia on the Barents Sea in 1968.

The energy of the sun which is being used in various ways repre­sents a practically unlimited source.

Using atomic fuel for the production of electricity is highly promis­ing. It is a well-known fact, that one pound of uranium contains as much energy as three million pounds of coal, so cheap power can be provided wherever it is required. However, the efficiency reached in gen­erating power from atomic fuel is not high, namely 40 per cent.

No wonder, therefore, that scientists all over the world are doing their best³ to find more efficient ways of generating electricity directly from the fuel. They already succeeded in developing some processes which are much more efficient, as high as 80 per cent, and in creating a number of devices capable of giving a higher efficiency. Scientists are hard at work⁴ trying to solve these and many other problems.

2. Learn the vocabulary:

on the one hand — с одной стороны

on the other hand — с другой стороны

to do one's best — делать все возможное

hard at work — упорно работают (трудятся)

esides — кроме, кроме того

capable — способный capacity — мощность

case — случай

cheap — дешевый

conventional— стандартный, обычный

convert — превращать

efficiency— производительность, к.п.д.

flow — течь

fuel — топливо

however — однако

means — средство; by

enterprise — предприятие

namely — а именно

oil — нефть

per cent — процент

reach — достигать

represent — представлять

require — требовать

source — источник

succeed (in)— удаваться

tide — морской прилив и отлив

engaged — занятый

effort — усилие

3. Give Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations from the text:

The industrial progress of mankind, to be based on power, power for in­dustrial plants, heating and lighting systems, to obtain from two sources, fossil fuels, the way of producing electricity, steam or water turbines, transmission lines, the generation of electricity, conventional processes, highly uneconomic, to converted into electricity, the world resources of fossil fuels, the power produced by hydroelectric plants, other means of generating electricity.

 

4. Translate into English:

Производство электроэнергии, использование морских приливов и отливов, проектирование электростанций, энергия солнца, неисчерпаемый источник, использование атомного топлива, многообещающий, вырабатывание энергии из атомного топлива, искать более эффективные способы производства элелектричества, создание приборов, решать проблемы.

 

5. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the industrial progress of mankind based on?

2. Which is the first widely applied method of producing electricity at present?

3. Which is the second way of generating power?

4. What (how high) is the efficiency of these two methods?

5. What do we use the energy of hot water for?

6. When and where did the first power station using ocean tides be­gin operating in Russia?

7. What can you say about the energy of the sun?

8. What fuel is the most promising for the production of electric­ity?

9. Is the efficiency of generating power from atomic fuel high or not?

10. What problem do scientists pay great attention to?

 

 

PEACEFUL ATOMS

1. Read the text below attentively and translate it:

Achievements in studying atom structure have opened up new, practi­cally unlimited possibilities to humanity for further mastering nature's forces. The discovery of atomic energy provides as profound effect for the benefit of civilization as the discovery of fire and electricity.

After having recovered from the shock of unimaginable horror of the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima people asked scientists how soon they would be able to apply the immense power of fissioned nucleus to peaceful purposes. Many problems had to be solved: the main one was that of "braking" the released neutrons efficiently so that the chain reaction could be controlled.

The "classical" solution to this problem is conducting the heat gener­ated by the fission process out of the reactor, making it boil water and forcing the resulting steam to drive turbines which, in their turn, drive electric generators. It is a way which works well although it is still rather expensive.

It is to be noted that the first power station fed by atomic fuels which was also the world's first atomic power station started working in Obninsk, near Moscow, in 1954. Its capacity was 5,000 kilowatts. Thirty years later in the Soviet Union there were already 13 atomic power stations with the total capacity of over 21 million kilowatts.

At the same time with large atomic stations smaller mobile electricity producing units have been created based on the discovery of radioactive sources — isotopes. Mobile nuclear installations may be carried by rail and then by transporters to the out-of-the-way regions even in areas having no roads. Such a station according to estimates can operate with­out being recharged for two years.

Today scieiitists are looking for new more efficient nuclear processes of producing energy. But it was only lately that the physicists understood that the process of producing tremendous energy by stars, including our Sun, was the very process they were looking for. Now we know that this thermonuclear process is called fusion and it takes place at fantasti­cally high temperatures. It can be done only by imitating on the Earth the process that makes the Sun shine.

There are many difficult problems to overcome before thermonuclear power stations based on this process can become a reality, but the prob­lem of fuel supply is the least of them: the oceans of the Earth are practically an inexhaustible source of deuterium which plays the decisive part in the fusion process and its extraction from sea water is neither complicated nor expensive.

In short, peaceful uses of atomic energy are vast — but we must stop using it on weapons of mass annihilation.

2. Learn the vocabulary:

provides as profound effect for the benefit of civilization — оказывает такое же глубокое влияние на развитие цивилизации

in their turn — в свою очередь

out-of-the-way regions — отдаленные районы

in short — короче говоря

according (to)— согласно

although — хотя lately— недавно

brake — тормозить, обуздывать

purpose — цель

decisive— решающий

explosion— взрыв

feed (fed) — питать

fusion—синтез

humanity— человечество

(the) very— тот самый

inexhaustible— неистощимый

recover — приходить в себя

release— освобождать

shine (shone) — светить

 

3. Give Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations from the text:

The discovery of atomic energy, atom structure, to master nature's forces, unimaginable horror, the explosion of the atomic bomb, the immense power of fissioned nucleus, peaceful purposes, the chain reaction could be controlled, the heat gener­ated by the fission process, to drive electric generators, the discovery of radioactive sources, nuclear processes of producing energy, thermonuclear process, thermonuclear power stations, the prob­lem of fuel supply, peaceful uses of atomic energy.

4. Translate into English:

Атомные станции, ядерная установка, высокие температуры, неиссякаемый источник, производство энергии, решение проблем, в мирных целях, электрогенераторы, открытие энергии атома, согласно оценкам специалистов, открытие радиоктивных источников, термоядерный процесс, структура атома.

5. Answer the following questions:

1. What possibilities have the achievements in the study of atom structure opened up?

2. What question did people ask scientists after the explosion of the first atomic bomb?

3. What was the main problem in applying the immense power of fissioned nucleus to peaceful purposes?

4. When and where did the first atomic power station start working?

5. What was its capacity?

6. Why are mobile nuclear installations convenient?

7. How long can they operate without being recharged?

8. What thermonuclear process takes place at fantastically high tem­peratures?

9. What element plays the decisive part in fusion process?

10. What can this element be extracted from?

NUCLEAR POWER

1. Read the text below attentively and translate it:

Nuclear Station Performance Fuels Industry Renaissance

The US is producing not only more electricity than ever, but also more favorable consideration as a viable part of the nation's energy mix. Consider that, for the first time in decade, political leaders are proposing nuclear power as an important, long-term energy solution. And utility companies that canceled nuclear projects in the wake of the 1979 Three Mile Ireland accident are studying the feasibility of resurrecting these projects, while other power producers are investi­gating new nuclear plants orders. Even the mainstream media — known for its harsh treatment of the industry — has begun talking in terms of a nuclear industry "renaissance".

The near-term impetus for this turn-around stems from recent events — regional power shortages, increased natural gas costs, and premium mar­ket prices for electricity. However, the fact that nuclear power is in the position to be favorably considered is a result of the substantial perfor­mance improvements achieved at US plants during the past decade.

Most important, these performance gains came with equally im­pressive improvements in safety indicators. For instance, the number of unusual events reported to the U S N RC dropped from 151 in 1990 to just 18 in 2002. The challenge for individual nuclear stations is to con­tinue this momentum by solidifying competitive gains already achieved and squeezing further improvements from each unit.

US nuclear plants have done an excellent job of maintaining and improving plant design margins and operating reliability. Extensive monitoring and surveillance testing of plant systems, structures and components such as containment building, reactor vessel, reactor cool­ing system pressure boundary, steam generators, pressurizer, piping, pump casings, and valve bodies are performed yearly to verify the plant is maintained in excellent condition. Few if any nuclear plant compo­nents will require replacement specifically to achieve extended opera­tion for an additional 20 years.

TMI, Chernobyl, Now Tokaimura

Japan, which ranks second only to France in the size of its nuclear power plant fleet, has suffered an accident that could become Asia's version of the US's Three Mile Island and Europe's Chernobyl. In terms of severity, however, the accident is nothing like Chernobyl but more serious than TMI, according to observers.

At the fuel reprocessing plant in Tokaimura, about one hour from Tokyo, workers apparently mixed nuclear fuel with nitric acid in viola­tion of government and company procedures. The fuel was for Japan's experimental breeder reactor.

As crucial to the scenario as the mishap were the lack of proper safety and emergency expertise and equipment at the site and little familiari­ty with such situations in the community. At least three workers were seriously injured, and firefighters were contaminated with radiation because they weren't told that a nuclear accident had taken place, notes an account in Newsweek.

According to a detailed report in the Wall Street Journal, cost-cut­ting pressures were at least partially responsible for the lapse in judge­ment. Procedures, which were considered secret, were tampered with­in essence simplified so that the plant could compete more effectively with overseas reprocessors.

A far less serious mishap also occurred in the Republic of South Korea a few days later. Twelve gallons of irradiated water were spilled. One account notes that more than 20 workers were contaminated.

 

2. Learn the vocabulary:

favorable consideration - благоприят­ное мнение

in the wake of - на поводу у кого-либо, под влиянием чего-либо

accident - авария

to resurrect - воскрешать, возрождать

harsh treatment - жесткое отношение

renaissance - Ренессанс, возрождение

impetus - стимул, толчок

performance improvements - улучшение рабочих характеристик

unusual events - чрезвычайные проис­шествия

challenge - сложная задача, проблема

surveillance testing - проверка наблю­дением, надзор

to verily - проверять, контролировать

severity - серьезность

in violation of - в нарушение

mishap - несчастный случай

lapse in judgement - ошибка в суждении

to spill - разливать

 

3. Give Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations from the text:

Energy mix, long-term, to cancel, mainstream media, to stem from, premium, gains, safety indicators, to drop, to solidify, to squeeze, design margins, in excellent condition, to rank second, nitric acid, to injure, firefighter, long-term energy solution, utility companies, further improvements, nuclear plant compo­nents, proper safety.

 

4. Translate into English: Происходить от, падать, в отличном состоянии, прибыли, основные средства массовой информации, структура энергетики, азотная кислота, более высокая цена, предельное значение, пожарник, показатели безопасности, атомная индустрия, ядерное топливо.