II. Translate the following word combinations:

nuclear installations, power engineering, neutron reactors, fast neutron reactors, power capacity, concentration, atomic power station, transmission lines, steam power installations, heat exchanger, low fuel consumption.

III. Answer the following questions:

1. What fuels were exploited for the last 200 years?

2. What is a new fuel and a new source of power put to the service of mankind?

3. What do nuclear power plants offer?

4. What is one of the greatest advantages of atomic power stations?

5. Is the consumption of fuel lower at the atomic power stations compared to that at the ordinary power stations?

6. What is the atomic power plant in general?

7. How is electricity generated at the atomic power plants?

8. How is water converted into steam?

9. What are the principal components of the atomic power plant equipment?

10. What are the two main water circulation circuits?

11. Will atomic power plants meet the ever-increasing demands for power?

IV. Find in the text and put down key words to speak about nuclear power plants.

Text 9.

I. Read the text and be ready to do exercises that follow it.

Vocabulary

fossil ['fɔsəl] окаменелость, ископаемое

to emit [ɪ’mɪt] испускать, излучать

to contribute[kən’trɪbju:t] содействовать, способствовать

to purify[‘pjuərıfaı] очищать(ся)

to pose [pəuz] озадачивать

to explode [ɪk’splɔud] взрывать(ся)

to spew [spju:] выдавливать

fluctuation [‚flʌktʃu:’eɪʃ ən] колебание, неустойчивость

waste [weɪst] отбросы, отходы

to corrode [kə’rəud] разъедать, ржаветь

recent [’ri:sənt] недавний, последний

contamination [kən‚tæmə’neɪʃən] загрязнение

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power Plants

Whether you view nuclear power as the promise for a better tomorrow or a whopping down payment on a mutant-filled apocalypse, there’s a good chance you won’t be easily converted to the other side. After all, nuclear power boasts a number of advantages, as well as its share of downright depressing negatives.

As far as positives go, nuclear power’s biggest advantages are tied to the simple fact that it doesn’t depend on fossil fuel. Coal and natural gas power plants emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. With nuclear power plants, CO₂ emissions are minimal.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the power produced by the world’s nuclear plants would normally produce 2 billion metric tons of CO₂ per year if they depended on fossil fuel. In fact, a properly functioning nuclear power plant actually releases less radioactivity into the atmosphere than a coal-fired power plant. By not depending on fossil fuels, the cost of nuclear power also isn’t affected by fluctuations in oil and gas prices.

As for negatives, nuclear fuel may not produce CO₂, but it does provide its share of problems. Historically, mining and purifying uranium hasn’t been a very clean process. Even transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants poses a contamination risk. And once the fuel is spent, you can’t just throw it in the city dump. It’s still radioactive and potentially deadly.

On average, a nuclear power plant annually generates 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel, classified as high-level radioactive waste. When you take into account every nuclear plant on the Earth, the combined total climbs to roughly 2,000 metric tons early.

All of this waste emits radiation and heat that it will eventually corrode any container and prove lethal to nearby life forms. As if this weren’t bad enough, nuclear power plants produce a great deal of low level radioactive waste in the form of radiate parts and equipment.

Eventually spent nuclear fuel will decay to safe radioactive levels, but it takes tens of thousands of years. Even low-level radioactive waste requires centuries to reach acceptable levels. Currently, the nuclear industry lets waste cool for years before mixing it with glass and storing it in massive cooled, concrete structures. In the future, much of this waste may be transported deep underground. In the meantime, however, this waste has to be maintained, monitored and guarded to prevent the materials from falling into the wrong hands. All of this services and added materials cost money- on top of the high costs required to build a plant.

Nuclear waste can pose a problem, and it’s the result of properly functioning nuclear power plants. When something goes wrong, the situation can turn catastrophic. The Chernobyl disaster is a good recent example. In 1986, The Ukrainian nuclear reactor exploded, spewing 50 tons of radioactive material into the surrounding area, contaminating millions of acres of forest. The disaster forced the evacuation of at least 30,000 people, and eventually caused thousands to die from cancer and other illnesses.