Mainland China has 30 nuclear power reactors in operation, 22 under construc

游客2023-11-25  21

问题     Mainland China has 30 nuclear power reactors in operation, 22 under construction, and more about to start construction. However, whether to develop nuclear power is a heated debate among the public.
    The following are opinions from different sides. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should:
    1. summarize briefly the different opinions;
    2. give your comment.
    Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
The authority
    Nuclear power plays an important role, especially in the coastal areas remote from the coalfields and where the economy is developing rapidly. Generally, nuclear plants can be built close to centres of demand, whereas suitable wind and hydro sites are remote from demand. Moves to build nuclear power commenced in 1970 and in about 2005 the industry moved into a rapid development phase. Technology has been drawn from France, Canada and Russia, with local development based largely on the French element. The latest technology acquisition has been from the US (via Westinghouse, owned by Japan’s Toshiba) and France. The State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) has made the Westinghouse AP1000 the main basis of technology development in the immediate future, particularly evident in the local development of CAP1400 based on it.
    This has led to a determined policy of exporting nuclear technology, based on China’s development of the CAP1400 reactor with Chinese intellectual property rights and backed by full fuel cycle capability.
The general public
    Eric: A nuclear facility, from construction through operation, is a tremendous economic engine. The construction of only one new plant will initially create 1,700 jobs with the promise of additional highly paid, skilled employment, and eventually will generate $ 400 million to $ 600 million in revenue for the community.
    Michael: When three nuclear reactors in Japan literally exploded across our TV screens in March 2011, it forever put to rest the lie that nuclear power is safe. No government had ever contemplated such a scenario. But unlike the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which the US nuclear industry successfully laid at the feet of an inept Soviet nuclear program, there was no such alibi at Fukushima. There are 23 reactors in the US virtually identical to those that exploded at Fukushima. While new reactor designs are purportedly better (although none yet has been tested in real-life situations), the reality is that these new designs are better in the same way that a 2012 Ford is safer than a 1972 Ford. Car accidents still happen. So will nuclear accidents. It is not possible to make an inherently dangerous technology inherently safe.
    Antonio: In the coming decades, we will be challenged to simultaneously meet the rising electricity demand and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. To meet this challenge, the United States must establish a comprehensive and sustainable national energy policy that supports the development of technology-based, low-carbon solutions. Nuclear energy has an important role to play in helping us meet that challenge.
    Bruce: The waste produced by nuclear reactors needs to be disposed off at a safe place since they are extremely hazardous and can leak radiations if not stored properly. Such kind of waste emits radiations from tens to hundreds of years. The storage of radioactive waste has been a major bottleneck for the expansion of nuclear programs. The nuclear wastes contain radio isotopes with long half-lives. This means that the radio isotopes stay in the atmosphere in some form or the other. These reactive radicals make sand or water contaminated. It is known as mixed waste. The mixed wastes cause hazardous chemical reactions and lead to dangerous complications. The radioactive wastes are usually buried under sand and are known as vitrification. But these wastes can be used to make nuclear weapons.
    Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.

选项

答案                 My Views on Developing Nuclear Power
    Proponents of developing nuclear power argue that it is clean, convenient, environmentally friendly, and effective. On top of that, the opportunity for job hunters is also a factor considered. It is also the important role that nuclear power plays that helps explain why China is dedicated to the development of nuclear power plants. However, opponents to this issue hold the opinion that developing nuclear power may cause contamination or accelerate the development of nuclear weapons, not to mention the unsecured disasters caused by the unfortunate explosions.
    As we know, economic and social development is closely tied to the utilization of electric power. Nuclear power, as a way to supply electric power, is just meeting the standard of being reliable, efficient, safe, clean, and economical. For example, nuclear power plants normally operate without environmentally harmful emissions; they can be built and operated for roughly the same cost as fossil-fueled plants and nuclear plants have been run with the reliability comparable to fossil-fueled plants.
    Today, the technical and management infrastructure required to support a massive and sophisticated nuclear power venture is no longer a problem. Sadly, the happening of some disasters like the notorious 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the US and the following 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan seems to oppose this judgment or fact. Actually we can reason that the cause of these disasters mainly lies in the poor management or even corruption. Furthermore, China’s population is costing too much energy, which urges the government to find substitutes for coal or other fossil fuels. At the same time, the smog problem also forces the government to accelerate the development of clean energy.
    Therefore, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that although the potential hazards are still in sight, the sustainable development, full perspective and comprehensive safety checks, in the long run, will advance China’s nuclear energy in a healthy and rapid way.

解析 本题讨论的是是否应该大力发展核能的问题,属于社会生活类话题。题目要求简要概括所给材料中的各方观点,并发表自己的评论。在具体行文方面,考生可以在简要概括材料后提出自己的观点,或支持或反对;然后通过具体论证,阐明支持或反对的理由;最后在结尾时可以总结全文,呼应主题。行文时应充分考虑文章的起承转合。
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