Nuclear power can be generated through 1. , which nevertheless involves high costs and is difficult to control. More commonly, it is produced by 2. , where neutrons strike 3. atoms to release 4. , which is used to produce 5. . This steam pushes 6. that activate a 7. . They also release other neutrons in a 8. reaction, which takes place in fuel 9. , controlled by control rods and a 10. system.
5. Listen to an interview with an environmental scientist about the Fukushima nuclear disaster and complete the sentences.
1. In 2011, one of the most ever recorded hit the western coast of Japan. 2. It caused violent , which were up to 39 metres high. 3. It destroyed reactors of the nuclear power plant located in Fukushima. 4. Many people started suffering from thyroid . 5. Radioactive material was also released into the . 6. Even life was affected by radiation poisoning.
6. Complete the text with the correct phrases, choosing among those indicated below.
first nuclear power plant • liquid uranium dissolved • followed by a series • portable and easier to build. • emit any of the • with natural gas and renewable sources • dependence on a finite resource • showed that neutrons could split atoms.
Past and Future of Nuclear Power The idea of nuclear power began in the 1930s, when physicist Enrico Fermi first 1. Fermi led a team that in 1942 achieved the first nuclear chain reaction under a stadium at the University of Chicago. This was 2. of other achievements in the 1950s: the first electricity produced from atomic energy at Idaho's Experimental Breeder Reactor I in 1951; the 3. in the city of Obninsk in the former Soviet Union in 1954; and the first commercial nuclear power plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, in 1957. Nuclear power is not considered renewable energy, given its 4. but since reactors do not 5. greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, proponents say it should be considered a climate change solution. Some scientists, for example, are working on a reactor which uses 6. in molten salt as fuel. Others are working on small modular reactors that could be 7. Innovations like those are aimed at saving an industry in crisis, as current nuclear plants continue to age and new ones fail to compete on price 8. such as wind and solar.