1. Answer the following questions about the article.

1. Why do some environmentalists now support nuclear energy?

2. What improvements are being made within the nuclear industry?

3. What problems does the nuclear industry face?

4. What are the comparative costs of coal and nuclear power stations?

5. Give examples of countries committed to lessening their reliance on nuclear energy and those that favour using nuclear energy.

2. Arguments for and against using nuclear power

a. Re-read the text to find and highlight the arguments for and against using nuclear power.

b. In note format, put the arguments you found in step (a) in the appropriate column in the following chart.

For	Against

LANGUAGE WORK

1. Explain or paraphrase the word(s) in italics in the following sentences.

a. Nuclear power, once the target of protests and demonstrations, has been transformed into the unexpected darling of some sections of the green lobby. (para 1)

b. The reason is simple: nuclear energy offers the hope of producing power on a large scale without burning fossil fuel. (para 1)

c. … some experts depict the once-maligned nuclear industry as the best solution. (para 2)

d. Safety concerns have also been heightened by the escalation in terrorist threats. (para 3)

e. Another question is whether nuclear energy would be economically viable. (para 4)

f. 'You have to make sure you have enough safeguards and that you don't have nuclear proliferation. (para 6)

g. By contrast, Sweden's neighbour Finland has heartily embraced nuclear power. (para 7)

h. Perhaps the most important government in the debate is China, whose appetite for energy requires sweeping solutions. (para 8)

2. Match the collocations from paragraphs 4 and 5.

upfront a) plant

nuclear b) purse

gas-fired c) lobbyists

the public d) operations

clear-up e) power station

green f) costs

/From Market Leader. Advanced. Teacher’s Book. Iwonna Dubicka, Margaret O’Keeffe/

3. Complete the following sentences using one of the collocations from Exercise 2.

a. If money is provided by the government, it is said to come from _____________.

b. A factory that generates energy using nuclear material is called a ____________.

c. An activity or activities which are planned to deal with a problem are _________.

d. People who try to persuade the government to act on environmental issues are _________________.

e. When money is paid as soon as a project starts or a deal is signed, this is known as _________________.

f. A factory that generates energy using gas is described as a _________________.

/From Market Leader. Advanced. Teacher’s Book. Iwonna Dubicka, Margaret O’Keeffe/

4. Find words in the text that match the definitions below.

a. try to achieve (para 2) _______________

b. the amount of energy used (para 2) _______________

c. throwing away the unwanted substances produced (para 2) _______________

d. a person who supports an idea or course of action (para 4) _______________

e. a person who tries to make somebody/something seem less good or valuable by criticizing it (para 5) _______________

f. to reply to somebody by trying to prove that what they said is not true (para 5) _______________

g. to stop a factory, shop/store, etc. from opening for business (para 6) _______________

h. the process of keeping something in a particular place until it is needed (para 7) _______________

Speaking