题目

阅读理解Making electricity out of fossil fuels releases lots of greenhouse gases, which accumulate in the atmosphere and heat up the planet. Nuclear power, on the other hand, has the potential to be an almost unlimited and more climate-friendly energy source. That is because in contrast to fossil fuels, no greenhouse gases are released directly during the immediate use of the fuel.However, there are also several major problems. First, the mining of nuclear fuel is costly and energy intensive and causes many environmental problems. Second, nuclear energy production generates significant amounts of radioactive waste, which is extremely dangerous if not handled safely. Finally, the entire process requires very complex and energy intensive infrastructure(基建), which contributes to indirect greenhouse gas emissions.We use computer and mathematical models to understand if it might be possible to redesign nuclear power stations in a way that they run on nuclear waste. This would reduce the negative impacts of current and future nuclear power generation immensely. Our model show that it is feasible(可行的) to redesign nuclear power stations in a way they can run on spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Plus, the SNF does not have to be further modified before it is used. Even better, our advanced nuclear power stations do not produce any additional waste. While these innovative power stations do not yet exist, our research indicates that they are a real possibility for the future.In our research, so-called molten salt reactors seem a promising candidate for the new type of nuclear power station as they could be redesigned to run on SNF. Molten salt reactors operate on fuel melt in liquid salt. Over a lifetime of 60 years, one of these reactors would "eat up" roughly 70 tons of SNF. This amount accumulates in 3 to 4 years of operation in a traditional nuclear power station of comparable size. Our suggested redesign would make nuclear energy generation much more efficient and sustainable, as it could "squeeze out" up to 20 times more energy from already spent nuclear fuel. It would also eliminate any SNF as a source of highly problematic waste.Creating nuclear power stations that can run on existing nuclear waste is a worthy endeavor, and our feasibility analysis shows that it can likely be done. However, we need a lot of innovative and multidisciplinary research to put this vision into reality. "Eating up" radioactive waste as fuel would eliminate the long-term storage problem of current nuclear waste. Also, it would relieve us from the costs and environmental damages done by mining current nuclear fuel and the complicated processes required for long term operation. The new operational model would only consist of melting the SNF, operating the reactor, and cleaning the fuel salt. All in all, it would reduce many environmental, social and political issues of current nuclear power production. Using our current nuclear waste as fuel would allow us to take full advantage of the climate-friendly aspect of nuclear power generation. Even in science and technology, it's important to realize when we have to rethink our current approaches and what our options are for improvement. Current nuclear power stations have been created with past technologies and goals in mind. Nowadays, some people claim, they might create often more problems than they solve. We need innovative alternatives to provide sustainable, safe and clean energy for generations to come. (1) When talking about the major problems of nuclear power production, the author tries to say ____. A . nuclear energy is not environmental-friendly B . nuclear power plants deserve to be remodeled C . nuclear energy is dangerous and difficult to handle D . nuclear power plants are complex and hard to build (2) What does the word "endeavor" underlined in Paragraph 6 most probably mean? A . attempt B . business C . candidate D . design (3) What can we learn from the passage? A . The proposed reactor is feasible and likely to be put into use. B . The proposed reactor is economical and operationally effective. C . The proposed reactor can solve the major problems previously mentioned in the passage. D . The proposed reactor can use up SNF from many traditional reactors of comparable size. (4) Which would be the best title of the passage? A . Nuclear waste = fuel of the future? B . Nuclear problems = efforts to solve them C . Nuclear power = clean energy for the future! D . Nuclear plants = innovation and multidisciplinary research 答案: B A B A
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