Учебно-методическое пособие по чтению специальной литературы для студентов 1 курса физического факультета. Дроздова И.В - 22 стр.

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Radioactive waste remains deadly for life during many centuries, contaminating soil
and water and causing severe damage to the environment. Unfortunately, the problem
of waste disposal has not been solved anywhere in the world.

The nuclear powers (the USA, Britain, France, China, and the former USSR) have
tried various methods of waste disposal.

Here are some of them:

1) Sealed in thick concrete containers it is buried deep in some remote parts of the
ocean. Some scientists consider this method to be delayed action atomic bomb aimed
against future generations, as nobody can tell what might happen to the containers in
the course of time.

2) Nuclear fuel is put into deep shafts of no longer usable coal or salt miners.

3) Used up fuel is buried underground in special damps. The method doesn’t exclude
a danger of bringing the fuel back to the surface by underground water. The nuclear
waste can’t be in this case controlled efficiently.

4) The French have pioneered a process called vitrification that involves mixing
radioactive waste with molten glass. The stable radioactive solid mass сап then be
buried deep underground.

5) The US scientists propose to use underground storage of radioactive waste in deep
bores drilled in granite mountains. The last two methods alongside with a proper
warning system guarding people and animals against access to such areas might be
possible solutions of the problem.

Comprehension check
Read the text again and say whether these statements are true of false.

T/F All nuclear reactors of atomic power plants work by splitting uranium atoms
and releasing energy in the form of explosion.
T/F The fuel rods in the active reactor can melt into uncontrollable mass.

T/F The fuel will be introduced into the reactors in the form of comparatively small
grains encapsulated in metal spheres.

T/F   The advantage of the proposed design is high electrical output.

T/F   Fortunately, the problem of waste disposal has been solved.

T/F   The nuclear powers have tried various methods of waste disposal.