МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ ДОНЕЦКОЙ НАРОДНОЙ РЕСПУБЛИКИ
ДОНЕЦКИЙ РЕСПУБЛИКАНСКИЙ ИНСТИТУТ ДОПОЛНИТЕЛЬНОГО ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
ОТДЕЛ ИНОСТРАННЫХ ЯЗЫКОВ
РЕСПУБЛИКАНСКАЯ ОЛИМПИАДА ШКОЛЬНИКОВ
ПО ИНОСТРАННЫМ ЯЗЫКАМ
Учебный год
АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК
КЛАСС
АУДИРОВАНИЕ (20 Points)
Geothermal energy
Electricity is lifeblood of modern society. It lights our homes and it keeps the businesses running. In many countries the majority of electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The drastic climate change, however, has prompted the need to reduce the carbon emission into the air. That is one reason why mankind is now focused on harnessing renewable resources such as wind, solar energy and geothermal to create electricity.
Present day challenge is to generate energy from renewable resources without reducing reliability of electric supply. Unlike solar or wind, the geothermal energy is unique among renewable energy resources in helping to meet this challenge because it is available every minute of every day.
The word “geothermal” comes from the Greek word “geo” meaning “from the earth” and “therme” meaning “heat”. Ancient civilizations first used geothermal energy to heat water for bathing and cooking. It is simply power derived from the Earth's internal heat. This thermal energy is contained in the rock and fluids beneath Earth's crust. It can be found from shallow ground to several miles below the surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma. These underground reservoirs of steam and hot water can be tapped to generate electricity or to heat and cool buildings directly.
A geothermal heat pump system can take advantage of the constant temperature of the upper three meters of the Earth's surface to heat a home in the winter, while extracting heat from the building and transferring it back to the relatively cooler ground in the summer. Geothermal water from deeper in the Earth can be used directly for heating homes and offices, or for growing plants in greenhouses. Some U.S. cities pipe geothermal hot water under roads and sidewalks to melt snow.
To produce geothermal-generated electricity, wells, sometimes more than one and a half kilometers deep, are drilled into underground reservoirs to tap steam and very hot water that drive turbines linked to electricity generators. The first geothermal generated electricity was produced in Italy, in 1904.
Geothermal energy is generated in over 50 countries. The United States is the world's largest producer, and the largest geothermal development in the world is The Geysers north of San Francisco in California. In Iceland, many of the buildings and even swimming pools are heated with geothermal hot water. Iceland has at least 25 active volcanoes and many hot springs and geysers.
There are several environmental benefits to geothermal energy. First, it can be extracted without burning fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces. Binary plants release essentially no emissions. Secondly, there’s minimum waste-by product in the process compared to coal or nuclear energy. Third, unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal energy is always available, 365 days a year. That is why there is no need to rely on fossil fuel plants to fill the gaps as there is with intermittent renewable resources. It's also relatively inexpensive; savings from direct use can be as much as 80 percent over fossil fuels. And finally geothermal is a sustainable and reliable resource.
But it has some environmental problems. The main concern is the release of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that smells like rotten egg at low concentrations. Another concern is the disposal of some geothermal fluids, which may contain low levels of toxic materials. Although geothermal sites are capable of providing heat for many decades, eventually specific locations may cool down.
Geothermal energy is a hot renewable resource helping to create a cooler planet and a sustainable future for all.
Directions:
You are going to listen to the text. The text is followed by 1-10 tasks. You should do the tasks on the basis of what is stated or implied in the text. For each task you will choose the best answer from four possible answers (A, B, C, or D), or two symbols (T or F) as specified prior to each task. Choose the best answer and mark the letter or symbol of your choice on the Answer Sheet.
Answer Sheet
Listen to the text twice and do the tasks.
Task 1. Questions 1 through 5: write T if the statement is true, F if it is false
(10 Points)
1. Geothermal energy comes directly from the Earth surface.
2. Geothermal energy can both heat and cool buildings.
3. Iceland is the world’s leader in production of the geothermal energy.
4. Most common sources of geothermal energy are volcanoes and geysers.
5. Geothermal power plants emit stinky gas into the air.
Task 2. Questions 6 through 10: circle the correct letter A, B or C
(10 Points)
1. To get to the thermal sources of energy people have to
A) reach the underground containers of steam and hot water.
B) go down the volcano crater to reach magma.
C) drill geysers in shallow grounds.
2. Geothermal energy has been used
A) since the beginning of the 20th century.
B) since middle ages.
C) for thousands of years.
3. Geothermal energy is NOT used for
A) reducing the layer of snow on the roads.
B) producing artificial ice for indoor ice rinks.
C) growing vegetables and flowers.
4. Northern California is known for
A) being a major geothermal power plant system.
B) a number of active volcanoes.
C) hot outdoor swimming pools.
5. According to the text geothermal energy is
A) clean, green, renewable energy for homes and businesses.
B) equals in reliability to fossil fuel power.
C) cannot compete with solar and wind energy in efficiency.