A new dam creates a new lake in the mountains. We lose a lot of beautiful country-trees, rivers, wild animals. But perhaps we have to accept that. The result is energy without pollution. And this energy will last forever.

Wind power

Windmills were first used in Iran 1.300 years ago to produce food. Today there is a new job for windmillsto produce electricity. They are now called 'wind generators'. Only the USA has a big programme of wind power. But there are fantastic possibilities. A recent study showed that in the European Union there are good places for 400.000 wind generators. There is only one problem: some people think they are ugly. What do you think?

Solar power

Have you got a solar-powered calculator? You never have to put in a new battery. Has your house or school got solar panels? In sunny countries they are very common: in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus 90% of houses have solar panel. That means free hot water. And it means no pollution.

But can we produce electricity with the power of the sun? The answer

is yes. With mirrors we can corcentrate the heat of the sun in one place. We can heat water, and make steam. And the steam can drive an electric generator.

Notes on the text

amount - кількість, сума solution - вирішення

efficiency - ефективність, дієвість rapidly – скоро (швидко)

to cause - заподіяти

to contribute to - вносити, сприяти energy consumption - енерговитрати fossil fuels - паливо

Post-text exercises

I. Answer the questions:

Which type of 'clean' energy is best for these places?

C it y A is quite cold, and very windy. There is very little rain.

City B is in the desert. It is very hot and dry. It is sometimes windy. Town C is in the mountains. There is a lot of rain and snow.

City D is near the volcano. There are no other mountains nearby. The weather is very changeable.

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Town E is on a small, flat island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

2.Which of these sentences are true and which are false?

a)Nuclear power causes acid rain.

b)New Zealand leads the world in the use of geothermal power.

c)There are very few places to put wind generators.

d)Almost all the people in Cyprus have calculators.

e)In California they use the wind's power to produce electricity.

3.Give the Ukrainian equivalents to the following word combinations: energy supply

renewable energy sources burning fossil fuels terrible pollution problems

dangerous radioactive waste fantastic possibilities

solar power

4.Complete the following sentences.

concentrations,consequences, radioactive, battery, electricity, energy

l.The environmental ... of today's energy policies are potentially catastrophic.

2.The earth's biggest problem today is ...

3.Nuclear power leaves dangerous ... waste.

4.Toxic heavy metals from fossil fuels are also found in disturbingly high ... in soils.

5.Today New Zealand is the country with the biggest percentage of its ... from geothermal power.

6.You never have to put in a new ... into a solar-powered calculator.

5. In each of the following groups find the words which are out of place

1.To destroy, to eliminate., to harm, to protect, to endanger. 2.Reptiles, mammals, places, insects, vertebrate.

3.Acid rain, precipitation, global warming, greenhouse affect, animal extinction.

4.Ecological power, wind power, solar power, hydro-electric power, geothermal power.

6. Do you agree, disagree or partially agree with the statements below concerning problems of environmental pollution? Give your reasons.

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