Chernobyl Accident.
The accident, which was of global concern was the accident in Ukraine in the Chernobyl power plant located in Polesye on the River Pripyat.
On 26 April, 1986, Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear plant suffered a major accident. The Chernobyl 4 reactor was a graphite-moderated, light-water-cooled system. The installed electrical generating capacity was 1 GW. The accident follower some engineering tests of a generator.
During the tests, basic operating safely rules were being violated. Most control rods were withdrawn from the core and the safely systems were switched off. Two explosions and a fire that followed them damaged the reactor and the containment building. The graphite started to burn. Explosive energy was released, which resulted in the 1000 ton cover plate of the reactor being lifted up.
A prolonged release of large quantities of radioactive products transported by the cloud from Chernobyl was detected not only in northern and southern Europe but also in Canada, Japan, and the US.
The major part of release took place over the period of about ten days. There were two peaks in release rate (26th April and 5th May). Later on, the release continued for many weeks at a lower rate before the destroyed reactor was finally sealed, which took place some five months later.
Initially the cloud of radioactive materials was carried over the Baltic Sea into Scandinavia. After a few days the wind direction rotated clockwise and the cloud travelled eastwards across the USSR and southwards to Turkey.
The total mass of the radioactive particles released in the accident was about 6000-8000 Kg. More than half of it was deposited near the plant but the rest travelled thousands of kilometres (see Fig. 26).
There is no doubt that the nuclear plant accidents offer a number of lessons to be learnt.
At present, over 200 nuclear power reactors for commercial electricity production operate in Europe.
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant has shown that largescale accidents in nuclear power plants can lead to contamination of the entire continent.
Vocabulary
to release- высвобождать
instead of- вместо
boiler- котел
to cause- вызывать, быть причиной
additional-дополнительный
proper- соответствующий
to provide- обеспечивать
steady- постоянный
to maintain- поддерживать
chain- цепь
liquid- жидкость
to remove- удалять
core- ядро, центр
environment- окружающая среда
facility-средство
civil- гражданский
to locate- располагать
to contaminate- удалять, устранять
emission-излучение
2. Выполните упражнения:
1) Ответьте на вопросы:
а) How long did the emission from the Windscale reactor last?
б) What did the emission result in?
в) What was the cause of the Chernobyl accident?
г) Were does the energy for operating a nuclear plant come from?
д) What are the differences between various of nuclear reactors?
е) How is a chain reaction maintained?
ж) Why do accidents occur?
з) How many atoms are there in uranium?
2) найдите все формы причастия, укажите их и переведите предложения:
1. The energy lost in the capacitor appears in the from of heat being generated in the dielectric.
2. The problem being discussed is of no great importance for practice.
3. The generators constructed at the plant have no commutators.
4. The code widely used is called Morse code.
5. While passing through the conductor, resistance results in the production of heat.
6. Having been insulated with polythene, the line was tested under unfavorable conditions.
7. Having made a number of tests, the researched got some useful results.
8. Having been tested under different conditions, the motors were put to use.
9. When being rubbed, some substances produce electric charges.
10. Decelerating trains and descending elevators use negative, or braking, torque.
11. In what way is the transmitter controlled in an amplitude-modulated system?
3) Найдите в тексте предложения в Passive Voice и переведите их в Active Voice (где возможно).
4) Замените подчёркнутые слова синонимами из текста:
а) The work of nuclear power plant is connected with fission of uranium.
б) The vapour which is produced in generator drives a turbine generator
в) The contstant measure of heat is necessary for power plant the which
г) Heat is emitted is used in operating energy
д) Many plants are situated in big cities
е) The Chernobyl Accident is very great
ж) Many nuclear facilities were built for civil purposes
5) Поставьте инфинитив во временные формы, укажите рядом
to heat- Past Indef._________________________________________
to discharge- Pres. Contin._________________________________
to remove- Pres. Perf.______________________________________
to burn- Pres. Perf. Contin._______________________________
to waste- Future Ind.____________________________________
to demand- Past. Perf.________________________________________
to move- Future Perf.____________________________________
3. Control text
Переведите текст и ответьте на вопросы: