Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script Unit 8

Unit 8: Environmental Studies Yuna: It sounds good to say, “Use solar energy,”
but I think we still need fossil fuels. The whole
The Q Classroom
world is set up for them.
Activity B., Page 201
Teacher: Well, we have lots of different
Teacher: Today we’re going to discuss the Unit
opinions! We’ll see if any of you change your
Question, “Where should the world’s energy
minds as we go through the unit.
come from?” Maybe we should look at the
different kinds of energy one by one. Sophy,
NOTE-TAKING SKILL Organizing notes to
what do you think about solar energy?
prepare for a debate
Sophy: I think they should use as much of it as
Activity A., Page 204
possible, and that the more it is used, the
Jack Chen: Although I agree with Emily that we
cheaper it will be. Of course, in some places it
need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels,
may not be practical because the sun doesn’t
many scientists disagree that nuclear energy is
shine enough. But not only will it get cheaper if
the answer. Emily, you mentioned that nuclear
we use it more, but the technology for storing
energy is cleaner. That’s true if we’re only
the energy will improve. I think it has to be
talking about the consumption of energy, but
combined with other forms of energy, though.
we have to look at how the energy is produced
Teacher: How about nuclear energy? What are
and how waste is dealt with. To quote Dr. Arjun
the advantages of nuclear energy?
Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy
Marcus: The good thing about nuclear energy is
and Environmental Research and author of
that you can make it anywhere—you don’t
Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free, “I don’t see how
need any special resources like oil or lots of
you can call nuclear power the safest of energy
sunshine. You can make a lot of energy with
sources when there are so many risks.” Data
one nuclear power plant. And it doesn’t emit
shows that the typical nuclear power plant
greenhouse gases.
could produce 20 metric tons per year of used
Felix: Of course, there’s the huge problem of
nuclear fuel, which is highly reactive. And as we
nuclear waste.
saw with, uh, Chernobyl, in 1986, nuclear
Marcus: That’s true; they haven’t solved that
accidents can happen.
yet. So, as Sophy said about solar energy, it
Activity C., Page 204
needs to be combined with other kinds of
Regan: You raise an important point, but many
energy.
scientists disagree with the notion that nuclear
Teacher: Felix, it sounds like you don’t approve
energy is somehow dangerous or that it
of nuclear energy. Where do you think the
produces carbon emissions. In a podcast debate
world’s energy should come from?
I listened to, Dr. Patrick Moore, chair of the
Felix: First of all, I think we should use less of it.
Canadian firm Green Spirit Strategies, disagreed
We need to drive more efficient cars and run
with Dr. Makhijani. He pointed out that the fact
more efficient factories so we don’t need to use
of the matter is that not one single person in
so much energy. And then we should use a lot
North America has been injured at a nuclear
of renewable energy sources like solar and wind
power plant or died because of a radiation-
power.
related accident. My research confirmed that
Teacher: Yuna, what do you think?
this is a very well-regulated industry. Right now,
nuclear power plants supply 70 percent of the

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 1 of 7

Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script
emission-free electricity in the United States. It
has a proven safety record.
LISTENING 1 Energy: What’s the Least Worst
Option?
Activity A., C., Page 206, 207
David Shukman: Protests about power. How we
get it, where it comes from. Why is everyone so
angry about energy? I’ve come to Yorkshire, a
land where the rocks hold rich seams of coal
and where the winds race over the hills offering
a very different sort of power.
No single kind of energy can answer all of our
needs. We have a mix and the question is how
that should change. The challenge with energy
is that each type of it has pros and cons.
Burning coal gives us 40% of our electricity, it is
cheap and also very polluting. Burning gas gives
us 30%. It’s much cleaner but we either import
the stuff or frack it out of the ground here in
Britain. Nuclear offers a nice, steady 20%, but it
is expensive. Which leaves renewables like
wind, it’s intermittent, there’s no pollution but
who would actually want one of these right on
their doorstep?
So, those are the choices. What do we want?
So how to decide what’s right? Gary Smith is
the conservation director of the Yorkshire Dales
National Park. His top priority is climate change.
So he likes wind power, but just doesn't want it
here. So, why do you keep objecting to wind
farms?
Smith: Well, I think the answer to that question
really is what we can see all around us here.
Shukman: You wouldn't like a lovely big 200-
turbine farm over here, but generating a lot of
power?
Smith: Yeah, I think as a society, you know, we
need energy. That's a given.
Shukman: But not here. But not right in this
particular location. I think, uh . . . does that
make you a NIMBY?
© Copyright Oxford University Press
Unit 8
Smith: Possibly, possibly.
Shukman: How conflicted do you feel
personally as someone who says they are really
interested in tackling climate change, but as the
man who not only doesn't allow wind turbines
in the park, but also stops many others around
the edge of the park.
Smith: Climate change is happening, we think. It
certainly seems like it is. Scientists tell us it is
and we’re seeing some signs of how that’s
changing the park, but it is a slow and gradual
process.
Shukman: It doesn't merit in your view
plastering this place in wind turbines.
Smith: We would say it doesn't merit plastering
this place in wind turbines right now.
Shukman: Even though were both a bit chilly
because there is a very stiff cold breeze coming
off the hills, Isn’t there?
Smith: If you were a wind farm developer, you
would think this is a cracking place to put
something potentially.
Shukman: So if not wind turbines then what
about something more traditional? The stuff
that fueled the industrial revolution. Coal lies in
a great mountain down the road at Drax in
South Yorkshire. This is Britain's largest power
station and because coal is polluting, it is
another target for protest. Coal is a dirty word
for environmental campaigners. Phil Garner
represents the British coal industry. It’s a great
day for wind isn’t it?
Garner: It is. Because there is a nice breeze, the
turbines are spinning, mostly.
Shukman: Why do you think wind isn't the
answer and that coal belching away behind us
is?
Garner: Wind’s not the answer in itself. It's got
a part to play, but it’s a minor contributor when
in comparison with a station like Drax. This wind
farm over its last 12 months generated less than
1% of what Drax is capable of doing.
Page 2 of 7
Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script
Shukman: And you think that’s a reason for not
only keeping our coal stations, but actually
building more of them?
Garner: Building more super-efficient ones with
the ability to reduce their carbon emissions in
comparison with Drax, by having more efficient
boilers and more efficient turbines, gives you
the opportunity then to retrofit carbon capture
storage later.
Shukman: That's down the track. You accept
that coal right now is the most polluting form of
energy, isn't it?
Garner: Yes.
Shukman: And you can't argue with that?
Garner: No.
Shukman: Do you also then accept that carbon
emissions do have a role in climate change or
could do?
Garner: And I think the answer to that is I don't
know. I am not totally convinced.
Shukman: You don't accept the science on that?
Garner: I’m not sure that the science is entirely
proven, but equally, I’m not sure that we can
afford to ignore it.
Shukman: As it goes now, that power station is
chucking out a lot of carbon dioxide.
Garner: It is chucking out a lot of carbon dioxide
at the moment but equally, it is also producing
a lot affordable electricity.
Shukman: So, if we don't want coal because it is
too polluting or wind because we think the
turbines are an eyesore, how about nuclear? To
explore the nuclear option, I've come to
Hardwell in Oxfordshire, the birthplace of
British nuclear power. This is the old reactor
hall.
Linus: It is amazing, isn't it?
Shukman: I am with Mark Linus, an
environmentalist who now sees nuclear energy
as essential.
© Copyright Oxford University Press
Unit 8
Linus: Civil nuclear power is the bright new
thing that was meant to generate all our
energy. I think this was commissioned in 1956.
Shukman: It’s freezing in here isn’t it?
Linus: Absolutely, bone chillingly cold.
Shukman: And now were right on top of the
reactor . . .
Linus: . . . or was a reactor.
Shukman: What was it exactly, that, is it what
flipped you into being a green, pro-nuclear
convert? I mean, you’ve been talking about
how you have been reading into the science of
climate change, for example.
Linus: Because if you want to deal with climate
change and you want to keep global
temperatures from rising to catastrophic levels,
we have to generate very large amounts of
zero-carbon power.
Shukman: What about wind? What about
solar?
Linus: Well, wind and solar are going to be a
major part of the solution and I would like to
see them up-scaled by 10, 100, 1000 times but
even if you do that, if you take nuclear out of
the mix, you can't run the world.
Shukman: Would you be happy to have a
nuclear power station on your own doorstep?
Because one of the key problems with energy at
the moment is that nobody seems to want any
particular type right where they are living.
Linus: No, the only acceptable form of energy
for people is magic! People are nimby,
nimbyistic, if that’s a word, about everything
these days aren’t they. It could be high-speed
rail or wind turbines, people are against
everything. If I had to have a power generating
source near me, I would rather it was nuclear
rather than coal or gas, let’s put it that way.
Shukman: This is one of the Government's great
hopes, home-grown gas, produced by fracturing
shale rock deep underground. But this has faced
objections too. I was in Downing Street as an
Page 3 of 7
Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script
anti-fracking petition was delivered to the
Prime Minister. A dairy farmer Andrew
Pemberton is worried that drilling could pollute
the milk from his herd. Katherine Mcwertar led
protest in Sussex. But, they don’t agree on the
alternatives.
Woman: We in Bolcom have said that we be we
would welcome wind turbines, you know.
Actually, I think they’re quite attractive.
I have nothing against wind turbines.
Shukman: You would be happy with wind?
Woman: I am happy with wind. I am happy with
solar. I’m not a great fan of wind farms. I think
...
Shukman: What about a big nuclear power
station?
Man: No one wants nuclear, as such.
Shukman: How about a coal-fired power
station? One of those great monster ones like
Drax.
Man: No one wants anything as ugly as that.
Shukman: Back in the Yorkshire Dales, it strikes
me that we are going to need some very big
energy projects very soon and they’ve just got
to go somewhere. Whichever type of power
you choose, it is going to make someone angry.
LISTENING SKILL Listening for cause and effect
Activity B., Page 210
1. Reporter: Ethanol is a fuel produced from
corn. However, corn production requires a lot
of water and fertilizer. For this reason, scientists
and farmers are working to develop new crops
called “energy crops” that produce energy on a
large scale with less impact on the
environment.
2. Reporter: Everyone is worried about the high
price of gasoline, so a company in Japan has
come up with the new idea of using water as
fuel. If hydrogen can be separated from the
water, then a generator can use the hydrogen
electrons to produce electric power.
© Copyright Oxford University Press
Unit 8
3. Reporter: The tremendous amount of
garbage produced by restaurants in the San
Francisco Bay area has given rise to a research
project at the University of California at Davis.
One of the professors there explains that gas
production begins when the food leftovers are
placed in a large tank. This chemical reaction in
the lab’s tanks can result in enough electricity
to power about 80 homes a day. Not only will
this project produce energy, but it will also help
decrease the amount of garbage in the city.
LISTENING 2: Tapping the Energy of the Tides
Activity A., C., Pages 210, 211–212
Speaker: Concerns over global warming have
scientists and engineers looking for cleaner
alternative sources of energy. One of those
alternatives gaining momentum involves
harnessing the energy of the ocean. Renewable
energy experts say in theory, energy from tides,
currents, and waves could double the
hydropower output in the U.S., producing 20
percent of the nation’s electricity. But the
technology to capture this renewable energy is
in its infancy. NHPR’s Amy Quinton reports on
the effort in New Hampshire’s seacoast to tap
the power of the tides.
Jack Pare: Coming in, it hits this shore pretty
heavy; going out, it hits the Newington shore
pretty heavy. Uh, it is a dramatic roar. It really
is.
Amy Quinton: Jack Pare, a retired aerospace
systems engineer, points to the water under the
General Sullivan and Little Bay Bridge in Dover.
He says the tides here in the Piscataqua River
move quickly, almost nine feet per second at its
maximum. [nature sounds, water] Pare says
engineers know how to capture that free-
flowing energy, and it would be a completely
renewable source of power for the state.
Pare: It’s just one of many things that you have
to do, uh, if you want to, quote, “save the
Page 4 of 7
Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script
planet” or otherwise cut down our carbon
emissions. There’s no single magic bullet; this is,
if you will . . . there’s no rifle shot, it’s a shotgun
effect. So this is one pellet of that shotgun
effect to be able to take the top off the global
warming.
Quinton: Some state representatives believe
it’s an idea worth pursuing. State legislators
passed a bill that establishes a commission to
study tidal power generation here under the
bridge. Representative Tom Fargo of Dover, the
bill’s sponsor, says unlike wind power, the
benefit of tidal power is its reliability.
Tom Fargo: The tide will flow until the earth
rotates no more. It’s, it’s, it’s available; we
know when it’s coming; we know from, from
day to day and even hour to hour how much
energy you’re going to be able to get from it;
it’s very predictable.
Quinton: And water is more than 800 times
denser than air, making it much more powerful.
But almost all the various technologies used to
capture tidal power are expensive and
experimental. Only one company so far is
producing it in the United States. A little-known
startup called Verdant Power has six
underwater turbines, resembling windmills, in
the East River in New York. So far, Verdant
Power founder Trey Taylor says the turbines
power the lights in a supermarket and a parking
garage on Roosevelt Island.
Trey Taylor: But also, uh, inside that garage
there are electric vehicles. There’s, there’s
hybrid electric buses, but also there’s little
electric vehicles that go up and down Roosevelt
Island, something a little bit bigger than golf
carts, and those are all being plugged into our
tidal power, which I think is a pretty cool story
in and of itself.
Quinton: But Taylor has much bigger hopes. He
foresees a time when 300 of these underwater
turbines will power about 8,000 homes in New
© Copyright Oxford University Press
Unit 8
York. But Jack Pare points out the turbine
technology that works well in New York’s East
River may not be appropriate for the
Piscataqua.
Pare: Uh, we have deep-water shipping, we
have harbor seals, and we have stripers and we
have lobsters, none of which are present on
that other site. And so there’s a little bit more
to be careful of.
Quinton: Two companies currently hold federal
preliminary permits to study the feasibility of
tidal power in the Piscataqua. Philippe Vauthier
is president of one of them, the Underwater
Electric Kite company, based in Annapolis,
Maryland. He says his turbine technology won’t
turn fish into fillets.
Philippe Vauthier: And, uh, we put a screen in
front of the turbine to protect the fish to reach
that point. Absolutely no problem. Anything
bigger than three-quarters of an inch is safe; it
will be deflected.
Quinton: Vauthier says smaller fish would be
able to glide through unharmed. He predicts his
$2.4 million project could produce 40
megawatts, or enough to power about 36,000
New Hampshire homes. The other company
that holds a permit—New Hampshire Tidal
Energy Company, owned by Oceana Energy—is
predicting a much larger power output along
three stretches of the river. Charles Cooper is a
technical advisor for the project.
Charles Cooper: I’d be surprised if it reached,
uh, more than 100 megawatts at the most, and
that would be very optimistic. And that’s not
trivial in the sense that it certainly can supply,
um, a number of end uses, but it’s not going to
be the base load for the region.
Quinton: Cooper says Oceana’s prototype looks
like a large wheel about the size of a Ferris
wheel, with an open center that allows large
marine animals to swim through. But he adds
their technology won’t work everywhere.
Page 5 of 7
Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script
Cooper: This is not really deep water. We’re not
dealing with water over 100 feet deep in the
Piscataqua. So if Oceana’s technology turned
out to work best in very large-sized units that
might be, oh, I don’t know, 60, 80 feet in
diameter, they wouldn’t be appropriate for the
Piscataqua site.
Quinton: In that case, Oceana would likely use
another company’s technology at its sites. Both
companies say there are a lot of challenges and
unknowns surrounding tidal energy in the
Piscataqua. But the permits give them three
years to study the sites. What they learn will
also help the state decide if tidal power is worth
pursuing.
For NHPR News, I’m Amy Quinton.
GRAMMAR Adverb clauses
Activity A., Page 220
1. They applied for a research grant as they
wanted to study alternative energy.
2. Since water moves through the turbine when
the tide is coming in, hydroelectric power is
created.
3. Although fuel from crops like corn can be
turned into biofuel, the crops take up a lot of
land and use a lot of water.
4. While the wind can indeed create power, the
winds are too intermittent, and wind power will
not solve our problem.
5. Due to the fact that gas is produced when
garbage decays, garbage can in fact be
converted into energy.
6. Many scientists support nuclear energy even
though there are risks involved.
PRONUNCIAITON Sentence rhythm
Example 1
BUY GAS NOW.
It’s too exPENsive to buy the GAS at this STAtion
toDAY.
Example 2
© Copyright Oxford University Press
Unit 8
If we WANT to prevent GLObal WARming, we
have to CHANGE our conSUMPtion of FOssil
FUELS.
Example 3
The BIKE-to-WORK PROgram was deSIGNED to
help us SAVE Energy and SHOW that we can all
aFFECT the PACE of CLImate CHANGE.
Activity A., Page 222
1. CARS CAUSE SMOG.
The CARS in Los ANgeles cause SMOG.
The OLD cars on the FREEways in Los ANgeles
cause TOO much SMOG.
2. WE can TRY.
We can TRY to SOLVE it.
We can TRY to SOLVE the PROblem.
We can TRY to SOLVE the ENergy problem with
TIdal POwer.
Activity B., Page 222
A: Did you see the energy debate on TV last
night?
B: No, I should have watched it, but I had to
study for a math test. Give me the highlights.
A: Well, it was the big oil companies versus the
environmentalists.
B: Which side had the best arguments?
A: Both sides presented good cases. The oil
companies had more research, but the
environmentalists made more compelling
arguments. They convinced me that some of
the oil companies’ efforts are really misguided
and that our reliance on fossil fuels has to end.
B: Was it possible to tell who won the debate?
A: Not really. Because the issues are so
controversial, I think it’s hard to come to any
real resolution. I recorded it, so I’m going to
watch it again.
B: There aren’t any easy answers; that’s for
sure. Well, I’d like to watch that recording of
the debate with you. It sounds thought-
provoking.
A: Sure. And I think it’ll be useful for our class
discussion next week.
Page 6 of 7
Q2e Listening & Speaking 5: Audio Script Unit 8

sources are safe and clean. However, many

SPEAKING SKILL Debating opinions would argue that we’re working at capacity in
Activity A., Page 223 terms of hydroelectric power. More
Moderator: Thank you. I’m sure we’ll get back importantly, according to Dr. David Scott, a
to some of those points later in the discussion. professor at the University of Victoria, quote,
So, on the other side, now, Jack Chen, would “We’ve gotta be very careful about what
you please present the case against nuclear renewables can provide.”
energy?
Chen: I’d be happy to. Although I agree with
Emily that we need to reduce our consumption
of fossil fuels, many scientists disagree that
nuclear energy is the answer. Emily, you
mentioned that nuclear energy is cleaner.
That’s true if we’re only talking about the
consumption of energy, but we have to look at
how the energy is produced and how waste is
dealt with.
Regan: You raise an important point, but many
scientists disagree with the notion that nuclear
energy is somehow dangerous. The fact of the
matter is that not one single person in North
America has been injured at a nuclear power
plant or died because of a radiation-related
accident. My research confirmed that this is a
very well-regulated industry. Right now, nuclear
power plants supply 70 percent of the emission-
free electricity in the United States. It has a
proven safety record.
Chen: While I also found that at the moment,
nuclear energy is providing more power than
other non-fossil fuel sources, most experts
argue that we need to develop our renewable
options, energy that can be replaced naturally.
Hydroelectric energy, or the energy provided by
moving water, provides 25 percent of non-fossil
fuel energy at the moment. Environmentalists
believe that we should also continue to invest in
wind and solar energy.
Moderator: Emily, what did you find out about
the benefits of these other sources?
Regan: I’d certainly agree, and scientists and
environmentalists confirm, that renewable

© Copyright Oxford University Press Page 7 of 7