|
English word |
English Definition |
English Example sentence |
| 1 |
a power plant |
a building or group of buildings that produces electricity |
Most power plants use coal or oil to make electricity. |
| 2 |
to generate power |
to create electricity |
The power plant generated power using coal. |
| 3 |
to produce energy |
to create any kind of fuel to be used for making energy |
If we turned all of the old fryer oil into diesel fuel, we
could produce a lot of our own energy. |
| 4 |
to go critical |
of a nuclear power plant, to become dangerous due to a
malfunction |
The nuclear power plant went critical, so all the staff had to
be evacuated. |
| 5 |
to rupture |
to split open or crack |
The dome of the reactor ruptured and lots of radioactive steam
escaped. |
| 6 |
a core |
the center of a nuclear reactor, where the radioactive
materials are kept |
The sensors failed, so it was very hard to determine what was
going on in the core of the reactor |
| 7 |
a fuel rod |
a bar made of radioactive metal that is used to produce heat in
a nuclear power plant |
Fuel rods can produce immense amounts of heat for many
years. |
| 8 |
to be nuclear |
to be somehow connected with radioactivity or energy production
that relies on nuclear reactions |
It was a nuclear power plant, so the residents of the town
opposed it. |
| 9 |
to be radioactive |
of a material, to emit radiation |
Even after fuel rods are spent, they continue to be radioactive
for hundreds of years. |
| 10 |
to irradiate ~ |
to expose something to radiation |
To kill bacteria, meat and herbs are sometimes irradiated. |
| 11 |
radioactivity |
a state in which a material produces invisible waves that
damage living things |
There was a lot of natural radioactivity in the region,
therefore residents were advised not to drink the groundwater. |
| 12 |
radioactive waste |
garbage or by-products produced by a nuclear power plant that
emit radiation |
One of the most important questions of our time is where to put
all of the radioactive waste. |
| 13 |
a half life |
the period of time in which a radioactive material becomes half
as radioactive as it was in the beginning |
Some radioactive materials have a half life of hundreds of
years. |
| 14 |
fission |
power production that relies on joining two atoms together in
order to produce heat |
Nuclear fusion is still a dream, but scientists are studying it
with the hope of making it a reality. |
| 15 |
to have a meltdown |
when the heat reaction at a nuclear power plant runs out of
control and causes a disaster |
The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant had a meltdown following the
tsunami. |
| 16 |
to shut down ~ |
to close or cease operation of a power plant |
After the Fukushima disaster, governments of many countries
shut down their nuclear power plants. |
| 17 |
to contaminate ~ |
to make something dirty or dangerous |
Radioactive water may be leaking out of the holding tanks and
contaminating the groundwater. |
| 18 |
exposure to ~ |
time spent in contact with something |
You should try to limit your exposure to radiation; don't get
unnecessary x-rays. |
| 19 |
plutonium |
a radioactive metal used for fuel in nuclear power plants |
Plutonium is very rare in nature, so mining it is very
difficult. |
| 20 |
a geiger counter |
an instrument used to measure the amount of radiation in an
area |
After the nuclear meltdown, many citizens bought geiger
counters so they could check their food and homes for
radiation. |
| 21 |
a hot spot |
an area featuring unusually high levels of radiation |
Fukushima has become a hot spot for radiation. |