Name ________________________________________ Class ____________________________

Technical English Level 4

Progress Test 6 (Units 11-12)
Answer all the questions.
SECTION 1: VOCABULARY
1 Complete the sentences with a word from the box. There are some words you do not
need.
physical/leak/reservoir/cracks/blockage/turbine hall/debris/
penstock/buckled/intake/transformers/backup/offline

In the hydroelectric power station, water is held in a (1) _______________ before it is used.

When the (2)_______________ gates are opened, the water flows down the
(3)_______________ to the turbines and generator. Unfortunately, when the accident happened
it seemed as if the company did not have a second safety system in place as (4) _____________.
This is something which they’ve now addressed. The (5)_______________ evidence discovered
in the (6)_______________ during the investigation included many large bolts with (7)
______________ in them due to metal fatigue.

/7
2 Complete the dialogue with a phrasal verb in the correct form from the box. There are
some you do not need.
ran out/hang on/came up/came up with/looks forward/
rolling out/turned out/went about/went ahead/get on with/

A: How did you (8) ______________ that dissatisfied customer?

B: Very well actually. While I was there, a production problem (9) ______________.
Fortunately, I (10) ______________ a solution, which saved him quite a bit of money. So it
(11) ______________ very well.
A: (12) ______________, though. Does that mean it’s going to cost us?
B: Not at all. It means that we’ll get more orders from them. He (13) ______________ with
another order for 10,000 units while I was there.
A: That’s terrific.
B: And he says he (14) ______________to continuing our business relationship long into the
future.
A: You obviously (15) ______________ it the right way. Well done!
/8

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SECTION 2: LANGUAGE
3 In nearly every line there is an error. Underline incorrect words, strike through
unnecessary words, put a slash where a word is missing and write any corrections on the
lines. Put a tick () if there are no errors in a line.

16 Locating near beautiful mountains, the Xenoe Power Plant has become a black spot _____
17 on the landscape after a serious accident killed several of its staff, damaged the _____
18 environment at the same time. Newspaper reports announced that the accident _____
19 could have prevented if the regular inspections required of such plants had been _____
20 carried out. All power plants have obliged to undertake regular maintenance _____
21 and full inspections in accordance with industry rules and regulations. Although _____
22 the company should have replace the pipe work every 15 years at least, they did _____
23 not comply with this regulation. This should not have been done but almost certainly _____
24 wasn’t the cause of the system failure. The company policies had been clearly _____
25 communicated to staff, it is likely that lives were saved. There seems to have _____
26 been a lack of direction within the organisation. It is essential that top management _____
27 have clear policies and strategies for all eventualities. Staff need understand the _____
28 reasons for the rules and regulations which they supposed to follow and they _____
29 ought have regular emergency drills so they know what to do in any emergency. _____
30 The injures which occurred must not have happened. It was all so unnecessary. _____

/15
SECTION 3: READING
4 Read the article and choose the correct option.
31 The plant was opened in
a) 1954 b) 1976 c) 2003
32 At its weakest point, the thickness of the pipe which broke was
a) 55mm b) 4.7 mm c) 0.4 mm
33 When the accident happened the plant had been in operation for
a) 7 years b) 27 years c) 57 years
/3

MIHAMA POWER PLANT ACCIDENT

Since the first ever nuclear power plant was established in Russia 57 years ago in 1954, there
have unfortunately been some serious accidents. Despite being a relatively cheap and clean
energy source, when something goes wrong, the dangers can be enormous.

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In 2004 there was a serious accident, killing five and injuring six people, at Kansai Electric
Power Corporation (KEPCO)’s Mihama Power No 3 Station in Japan. It occurred just as the
reactor was about to undergo routine maintenance and involved the rupture of a pipe carrying
pressurised water in the secondary circuit of the power station. When the pipe ruptured it
released an enormous jet of steam into the turbine hall, killing and injuring several of those in
there. As soon as the fire alarm was activated, an order was announced over the public broadcast
system to evacuate the turbine building, an ambulance was called for and the nuclear safety
inspector's office, which was assigned to supervise the Mihama Power Station, was also
informed.
At full power that steam would have normally been at 195ºC and at pressure of about 180psi.
A 55 mm wide rupture was found in part of the condensate piping. At the time of the accident,
the pipes were carrying approximately 885 tons of water in the form of steam. The thickness of
the walls of the piping was 10 mm when the plant began operating in 1976 and the design had
specified they should be at least 4.7 mm thick. However, where the pipe ruptured, it was only
0.4 mm at the thinnest spot.
The investigation team found that the inner surface of the piping uncovered a shiny scale-shaped
pattern indicative of “erosion corrosion”, a phenomenon whereby the pipe walls are eroded by
the interaction of corrosion due to mechanical and chemical effect. Subsequently is it was found
that, in 27 years of operation, the pipe and never been checked and routine inspections had only
been done visually instead of ultrasonically, which is the only way to check accurately.
Although between 1998 and 2003 many pipes had been replaced in two other power stations,
they had not been replaced at the No 3 plant. The amount of corrosion reflected a major fault,
either in the design or in the inspection routine. If regular inspections had been carried out, they
would have revealed the weakened state of the pipes.
Now seven years on, Kansai Electric has made significant changes. The company immediately
undertook to prevent a reoccurrence of the problem and to restore public trust in the company
by, for example, enhancing the strength of system, ensuring worker safety and re-examining the
management of the pipes for the secondary system.

5 Complete the summary paragraph with words from the box. There are more words than
you need.
serious deficiencies/corroded/activated/relevant authorities/burst/corrective strategy/health and
safety/melted/regular servicing/get out/set off

The accident at the Mihama Power Plant happened not long before it was due for (34)
_______________. A pipe (35) _______________ causing steam to enter the turbine hall.

Once the alarm went off, workers staff were told to (36) _______________ and the

(37) _______________ were advised of the situation. The investigation uncovered

(38) _______________ in the safety procedures. They found that no ultrasonic tests had been
done on the pipe which had in fact (39) _______________ badly over the years. The company
immediately put a (40) _______________ into action.

/7

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SECTION 4: WRITING
6 Write an email to your line manager about a serious injury which occurred in the
warehouse yesterday when an employee fell of a ladder, seriously injuring his back.
You should:
41/42 say who was involved, what and how the injuries were received
43/44 describe what the employee was doing when the accident happened
45/46 outline your actions immediately after the accident
47/48 suggest why you think the accident happened
49/50 propose what action should be taken to prevent this in the future
41/42 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
43/44 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
45/46 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
47/48________________________________________________________________________
_
_____________________________________________________________________________
49/50________________________________________________________________________
_
_____________________________________________________________________________
/10
SECTION 5: LISTENING
Track 7

7 Listen to the recording twice and decide if the statements are True (T), False (F) or Not
Given (NG).
51 The airline representative knew what had caused the crash.
52 The black box had been damaged in the crash.
53 It is thought that the pitot tubes iced up.
54 The plane might have been going too slowly.
55 The high-altitude storm caused the crash.
56 They are certain that the plane stalled.
57 The pilot’s last radio message failed to indicate a problem.
58 It is recommended that the pitot tubes are inspected.
59 The pilot failed to reply to his co-pilot.
60 Staff need to be trained in effective communications. /10

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