ENERGY - 3
Discussion & Vocabulary – Nuclear Fission: study and think about the scheme below.
Study the nouns and verbs below
the picture.
Describe the nuclear reaction,
use the words below.
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
............................................................................
neutron
split
atom
form
nucleus/nuclei
hit/bomb
fission
release
fission fragment
produce/generate
heat energy
lead (to)/cause
chain reaction
Reading: NUCLEAR ENERGY
Starter: What is your attitude to using nuclear energy for electricity production?
Nuclear (or atomic) energy comes from the energy in the nuclei of atoms. Atoms are the basic building blocks
of all matter. Atoms contain small negative particles (electrons) which move around the central nucleus. The
nucleus contains positive particles (protons) and neutral particles (neutrons), holding them together with
a large amount of energy. In all chemical reactions the arrangement of electrons changes but the nuclei do not
change. In a nuclear reaction, the arrangement of protons and neutrons changes. Most reactions in the world
are chemical reactions; nuclear reactions are rare. Every nuclear reaction produces energy in the form of
radiation.
In a nuclear fission, the nucleus of an atom splits and it releases some protons or neutrons and a large
amount of energy. For example, when an atom of uranium-235 splits, it forms two smaller atoms (“fission
fragments”) and it releases three neutrons. Uranium-235 is the fuel for the nuclear bomb. But it is not easy
when we want to split the nuclei of an atom. There are only few substances in the world, which have unstable
nuclei. These substances undergo a process of natural radioactive decaying. This natural decay is very slow,
sometimes it takes hundreds of years. Being very slow, the process releases only little energy.
In the 19th century, the British scientist Baron Rutherford discovered how to split nuclei more quickly.
He bombarded the nuclei with high-speed neutrons. When you bombard nuclei with high-speed neutrons, the
neutrons split the nuclei, which release another free neutrons. These neutrons bombard other nuclei and the
result is a chain reaction. The chain reaction leads to a fast, explosive release of energy. This is the principle
of nuclear weapons and nuclear power stations, which convert the energy of nuclear fission to electricity.
The most common type of a nuclear power station today is the pressurised water reactor. The fuel in
the core of the reactor is uranium-235. The reactors use special heavy metal or graphite rods, which regulate
the speed of decay of uranium-235, because they absorb free neutrons. The energy from nuclear fission is
used for heating water under pressure and producing steam. This steam turns a turbine, which generates
electricity.
The nuclear energy does not produce greenhouse gases or other air pollution. It is also much cheaper
than energy from combusting fossil fuels. But it also presents some problems. There is a danger of an
accident. Nuclear power stations are also a potential source of harmful radioactive radiation. The radiation
causes cancer and birth effects. The most serious problem is the nuclear waste – the used fuel produced by
operating nuclear reactors. The nuclear waste is highly radioactive and toxic. It loses the radioactivity very
slowly; sometimes it takes hundreds of thousands of years.
And there is always a danger of using a nuclear weapon. Today’s nuclear weapons are thousands of
times more powerful than the nuclear bombs which the US used in 1945.
(according to Environment Today, Greenhalgh Trisha, Longman, 1997)
a.
Vocabulary: study all highlighted words / terms in the text.
Try to guess the meaning of the highlighted words according to their context, if necessary use a
dictionary.
b.
Comprehension: use the highlighted words to explain how a nuclear power station works.
What are advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power? What is your personal opinion about using
nuclear energy? Try to use your own ideas to advocate or protest against nuclear energy.
Grammar review – Verbs followed by gerunds x infinitives:
revise the usage of gerunds
and infinitives in English.
Verbs followed by gerunds (…-ing)
Verbs followed by infinitives (usually + “to”)
Divide the examples of verbs below into the two groups in the table (some of them can go to both groups).
advise
agree
avoid
complete
deny
discuss
involve
quit
start
try
allow
anticipate
consider
continue
encourage
expect
appreciate
arrange
decide
defend
ask
delay
finish
choose
intend
need
offer
permit
plan
prepare
propose
refuse
stop
suggest
support
understand
urge
learn
postpone
manage
tend
resist
threaten
risk
tolerate
want
Fill in the blanks with suitable verb forms, choose from the list above.
Verbs followed by “to + infinitives”:
Most countries _____________ to ban the production of CFCs.
Developing countries ____________ to have serious problems
with overpopulation.
Sustainable development procedures ____________ to reduce
our future environmental impact.
European countries ____________ to increase the share of
renewable sources in energy production.
The Czech government should ____________ to extend mining
limits in the Most region.
Environmental NGO’s ____________ to promote reducing the
share of nuclear-based energy.
Verbs followed by gerunds:
Ireland doesn't ____________ smoking in bars.
Elementary schools should ____________ eating healthy food.
The job ____________ travelling to Japan once a month.
Most European countries do not ____________ hunting wild
animals without a special licence.
The government ____________ implementing new strategies for
using biofuels.
Environmental NGO’s ____________ reducing the share
of nuclear-based energy.
Municipal offices should ____________ recycling plastic bottles
and paper.