2020-2021学年度第36-37期总第829期

Releasing radioactive water (P6)

邯郸市第一中学  张蕴

Warm-up

As an alternative energy, nuclear power has many advantages. Discuss with your partner and list some.

 

Advantages of nuclear energy:

1. The generation of electricity through nuclear energy reduces the use of fossil fuels (coal and oil), which means less greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Less fuel offers more energy. It represents a significant save on raw materials and in transport, handling and extraction of nuclear fuel. The cost of nuclear fuel (overall uranium) is 20 percent of the cost of energy generated.

3. The production of electric energy by nuclear energy is continuous.

 

Disadvantages of nuclear energy:

1. Nuclear power plants use the heat generated from nuclear fission (核裂变) in a contained environment to convert water to steam, which powers generators to produce electricity. Although the construction and operation of these facilities are closely monitored and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), accidents are possible. An accident could result in dangerous levels of radiation that could affect the health and safety of the public living near the nuclear power plant.

2. Radioactive waste must be placed in long-term storage systems. Many countries have no permanent facility for high-level nuclear waste, so spent fuel is commonly stored in sites near nuclear power plants.

 

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has stated that it will run out of room to store contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in as soon as three years, so it has decided to release treated water into the Pacific Ocean.

Read for structure

Read the passage and work out a flow chart to illustrate the whole event.

 

Group discussion

The Geomar Helmholtz Centre, a leading Marine research institute in Germany, has run computer simulations of the diffusion of nuclear wastewater (mild radiation is in blue and high dose radiation is in red). As is shown, radioactive materials will spread to most of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days, affecting coastal countries near and far in 10 years. 

 

Work with your partner and discuss what the world should do to reduce the damage of this tragedy and prevent similar things from happening again.

Sentence-focused

•1. But the plant’s operator is running out of space, with these tanks expected to fill up by 2022.

•with 复合结构用以交代背景，原因，细节等信息，让句子更灵活。

 

Exercise:

•他的父亲带我们到了他的房子，那是一个低矮的竹屋，屋顶有草伸出。

His father led us to his house -- a low bamboo hut with grass sticking out of the roof.

 

•救援队到了，我的哥哥随后也到了。

The rescue team came, with my brother arriving shortly afterward.

 

•2. If Japan dumps the wastewater, radioactive materials will spread to most of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days, affecting coastal countries near and far in 10 years.

Radioactive isotopes like strontium-90, which could be released by these discharges, concentrate in the bones of both fish and humans, increasing cancer risks.

•affecting, increasing都是动词-ing短语作结果状语, 交代谓语动词发生而产生的自然而然的结果。

 

•3. Japan’s fishery industry and some local governments strongly oppose the proposal out of concern that consumers would shun seafood caught nearby.

•out of concern 出于担忧，后接同位语从句。

 

•Exercise:

很多人担心战争会长期继续下去，于是逃离了这个城市。

Many people fled the city out of concern that the war could continue for a long time.

Expressions

nuclear power plant

catch up

remaining

the potential to do

dump the wastewater

pose a huge threat to

express serious concern

all possible means

safe disposal

affect the health and interests of the people

strongly oppose the proposal

out of concern that

the nuclear crisis