The Case For and Against Nuclear Power
Terms and Allusions
Three Mile Island
On March 28, 1979, at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, there was a cooling system malfunction that caused a partial melt-down of the reactor core. This loss-of-coolant accident resulted in the release of a significant amount of radioactive gases into the surrounding environment. It was the most significant accident in the history of the USA commercial nuclear power generating industry.
Suggested Further Reading:
DONALD JANSON: Radiation Is Released in Accident At Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania: Details Remain Unclear Radiation Released in Accident at Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania Radiation Estimates Increased Congressmen Express Shock. Special to The New York Times. New York Times 29 Mar 1979: A1. (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0328.html#article)
Chernobyl
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western USSR and Europe. It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history,
Suggested Further Reading:
- News Summary: SATURDAY, MAY 3, 1986 New York Times 03 May 1986: 29. (http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/03/nyregion/news-summary-saturday-may-3-1986.html)
- Disaster in Ukraine Is Called Worst Ever By U.S. Task Force: U.S. Group Monitoring the Soviet Nuclear Accident Calls It the Worst Ever By PHILIP M. BOFFEY. Special to The New York Times. New York Times 04 May 1986: 1.(http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/04/world/disaster-in-ukraine-is-called-worst-ever-by-us-task-force.html?pagewanted=all)
The China Syndrome
A 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and cameraman who discover safety cover-ups at a nuclear power plant. The title is a fanciful term—not intended to be taken literally—that describes one possible worst-case result of a nuclear meltdown, where reactor components melt through their containment structures and into the underlying earth, "all the way to China". The film was released on 16 March 1979, 12 days before the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
Suggested Further Reading:
- 'Syndrome': Political Power; 'Syndrome': Nuclear Plant as Bogeyman in a Doomsday Thriller. The Washington Post, March 16, 1979, Friday, Final Edition, Style; Film; B1, 1280 words, By Gary Arnold.
- BEYOND 'THE CHINA SYNDROME' Newsweek, April 16, 1979, UNITED STATES EDITION, NATIONAL AFFAIRS; pg. 31, 888 words, DENNIS A. WILLIAMS with MARTIN KASINDORF in Los Angeles, GERALD C. LUBENOW in San Francisco and RON LaBRECQUE in Middletown, Pa. (http://homepage.mac.com/oldtownman/filmnotes/chinasyndrome.html)
Vocabulary
maligned – adj. harmful, malicious, evil
proliferation – n. a rapid and often excessive spread or increase
scrutiny – n. a searching examination or investigation
subsidy – n. a grant or contribution of money
intermittent – adj. alternately functioning and not functioning
warped – adj. twisted; distorted
wrangling – n. argument; dispute; quarrel
interim – n. temporary
rogue – n. a dishonest person; scoundrel
rationale – n. a statement of reasons
wean – v. to withdraw (a person, the affections, one's dependency, etc.) from some object, habit, form of enjoyment, or the like
renaissance – n. a renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth; revival
surreptitious – adj. acting in a stealthy way
magnitude – n. greatness of size or amount
Vocabulary Exercise
Choose the lettered word or phrase that is most nearly similar in meaning to the word in capital letters.
1. SURREPTITIOUS
(A) indifferent (B) obvious (C) neutral (D) secret (E) restrained
2. RENAISSANCE
(A) revival (B) fortune (C) pretense (D) combination (E) agreement
3. MAGNITUDE
(A) decrease (B) blame (C) solemnity (D) praise (E) greatness
4. ROGUE
(A) fashion (B) farmer (C) scoundrel (D) famous (E) wealthy person
5. RATIONALE
(A) length (B) liability (C) drawback (D) reason (E) evidence
6. SCRUTINY
(A) examine carefully (B) disregard (C) overcome (D) abolish (E) abandon
7. WARPED
(A) wrapped (B) distorted (C) regular (D) childish (E) contrary
8. INTERMITTENT
(A) unsteady (B) constant (C) intimate (D) merry (E) good-natured
9. MALIGNED
(A) beneficial (B) opposite (C) harmful (D) weak (E) stylish
10. INTERIM
(A) proper (B) temporary (C) talkative (D) violent (E) stubborn
Answers:
1. D 2. A 3. E 4. C 5. D 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. C 10. B
