2022年吉林省吉林市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)

2022年吉林省吉林市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.听力原文：M：Cigarette?

W：No，thankyou．I'vegivenup，youknow．

M：Oh．

W：It'stendaysago．Haven'thadone．

M：Well．youdon'tmindifIhadone．

W：Well，allright，then…Ohmygoodness!That'saterriblecough．

M：No，no,it'snot．It'sonly…Ionlygetitfirstthinginthemorning．

W：That'sgoingtomakeyouveryunfit，youknow．

M：No，it'sallright．Itgoesinaminute．

W：Whydon'tyoutryandgiveup?

M：Oh，no．Ioughtto，butIcan't．Itrelaxesme，smoking．

W：Really?

M：Itdoes．

W：Well，haveyoueverthoughtofjustcuttingdown?

M：Oh，no，that'sallveywellbut…Iwouldn'tenjoyit．Idependabitonmysmoking．Imustsay．

W：Youshoulddoitgradually．Imean…well，ifyoutried…haveyouthoughtofjustgivinguponeday?

M：Yes，ohwell，yes，thatisquiteagoodidea．

W：Itis．

M：ButIthinkI'dlosecountorsomething．

W：Ohdear!Well，itmightbeallideaifyoustartedeatingsweets．

M：Ohno．Icouldn'tdothat．Icouldn'tpossibly…

W：Why?

M：Well．itmakesyoufat．

W：Well．doyouthinkthatmatters?Don'tyouthinkitisbettertobefatthantobeunhealthy?

M：No，Idon't．I'dratherbefat…Well，I'dratherbethinthanfat，certainly．

W：Ohdear．Well．Hey!I'vegotagoodidea!

M：What'sthat?

W：Whydon'tyougotoahypnotist?Mysisterdid!

M：Oh，look，youdon'tseemtorealizethatIlikesmoking．IfIgaveitup，ifIdidn'tsmokeatall，I'dprobablyendupattackingpeople!

W：Oh,don'tbesosilly!Ofcourseyouwouldn't!

Whendidthewomangiveupsmoking?

A.Tendaysago.

B.Justthismorning.

C.Aweekago.

D.Justyesterday.

2.Accordingtoanotherexplanation，wheredidthisexpressionprobablycomefrom?

A.Australia．B.Japan．C.Netherland．D.England．

3.WangpreferstolivewithanEnglishfamily.

A.RightB.Wrong

4.听力原文：DuringtheChristmasshoppingrushinLondon,theintriguingstorywasreportedofatrampwho,apparentlythroughnofaultofhisown,foundhimselflockedinawell-knownchainstorelateonChristmasEve.Nodoubtthestorewasfilledwithlast-minuteChristmasshoppersandthestaffweredeadbeatingandlongingtogethome.Presumablyallthepropersecuritychecksweremadebeforethestorewaslockedandtheylefttoenjoythethree-dayholidayuntroubledbycustomersdesperatetogetlast-minuteChristmaspresents.

Howeverthatmaybe,ourtrampfoundhimselfaloneinthestoreanddecidedtomakethebestofit.Therewasfood,drink,beddingandcampingequipment,ofwhichhemadegooduse.Theremustalsohavebeentelevisionsetsandradios.Thoughitwasnotreportedifhetookadvantageofthesefacilities,whentheshopre-opened,hewasdiscoveredinbedwithalargenumberofemptybottlesbesidehim.Heseemstohavebeenamanofgoodhumourandphilosophictemperament—asindeedvagrantsverycommonlyare.EveryoneelsewasenjoyingChristmas,sohesawnogoodreasonwhyheshouldnotdothesame.Hesubmitted,cheerfullyenough,tobeingtakenawaybythepolice.PerhapshehadabetterChristmasthanusual.Hewasputintoprisonforsevendays.Thejudgeawardednocompensationtothechainstoreforthefoodanddrinkourtramphadconsumed.Theyhad,inhisopinion,alreadyreceivedvaluablefreepublicityfromthecoveragethestoryreceivedinthenewspapersandontelevision.PerhapsthejudgehadagoodChristmastoo.

Thetrampwaslockedinthestore______

A.forhisownmistakes

B.duetoamisunderstanding

C.byaccident

D.throughanerrorofjudgment

5.WhendidDr.Huberbecomeinterestedinpiano?

6.WhatwerethetwothingsthatinterestedDr.Huber?

7.Sugarincoldsweetdrinksslowstheliquidfromgettingintotheblood-stream.

A.TrueB.Fasle

8.WhyareAmericanstudentsusuallyunderpressureofwork?

A.Becausetheiracademicperformancewillaffecttheirfuturecareerinthefuture.

B.Becausetheyareheavilyinvolvedinstudentaffairs.

C.Becausetheyhavetoobservetheuniversitydiscipline.

D.Becausetheywanttorunforpositionsofauthority.

9.Dr.WilsonsuggeststhatWangshouldextendhisstayattheuniversity.

A.TrueB.Fasle

10.Allchainscanofferstudentsthesametypeofcourseindifferentplaces.

A.RightB.Wrong

11.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Whenyoucloseyoureyesandtrytothinkoftheshapeofyourownbody,whatyouimagine(or,rather,whatyoufeel)isquitedifferentfromwhatyouseewhenyouopenyoureyesandlookinthemirror.Theimageyoufeelismuchvaguerthantheoneyousee.Andifyouliestill,itisquitehardtoimagineyourselfashavinganyparticularsizeorshape.

Whenyoumove,whenyoufeeltheweightofyourarmsandlegsandthenaturalresistanceoftheobjectsaroundyou,the"feltimage"ofyourselfstartstobecomeclearer.Itisalmostasifitwerecreatedbyyourownactionsandthesensationstheycause.Theimageyoumakeforyourselfhasratherstrangeproportions:certainpartsfeelmuchlargerthantheylook.Ifyoupokeyourtongueintoaholeinoneofyourteeth,itfeelsenormous;youareoftensurprisedbyhowsmallitlookswhenyouinspectitinthemirror.

Butalthoughthe"feltimage"maynothavetheexactshapeyouseeinthemirror,itismuchmoreimportant.Itistheimagethroughwhichyourecognizeyourphysicalexistenceintheworld.Inspiteofitsstrangeproportions,itisallonepiece,andsinceithasaconsistentrightandleftandtopandbottom,itallowsyoutolocatenewsensationswhentheyoccur.Itallowsyoutofindyournoseinthedark,scratchitchesandpointtoapain.

Ifthefeltimageisdamagedforanyreason—ifitiscutinhalforlost,asitoftenisaftercertainstrokeswhichwipeoutrecognitionofoneentireside—thesetasksbecomealmostimpossible.Whatismore,itbecomeshardtomakesenseofone'sownvisualappearance.Ifonehalfofthefeltimageiswipedoutorinjured,thepatientstopsrecognizingtheaffectedpartofhisbody.Itishardforhimtofindthelocationofsensationonthatside,and,althoughhefeels:thedoctor'stouch,helocatesitasbeingontheundamagedside.

Heloseshisabilitytoaccepttheaffectedsideaspartofhisbodyevenwhenhecanseeit.Ifyouthrowhimapairofglovesandaskhimtoputthemon,hewillonlygloveonehandandleavetheotherbare.Andyethehadtousethelefthandinordertoglovetheright.Thefactthathecanseetheunglovedhanddoesn'tseemtohelphim,andthereisnoreasonwhyitshould.Hecannolongerreconcilewhatheseeswithwhathefeels:theunglovedobjectlyingontheleftmaylooklikeahand,but,sincethereisnofeltimagecorrespondingtoit,whyshouldheclaimtheobjectasthis?

Mirrorimagesisoftendifferentfromthe"feltimages".

A.TrueB.Fasle

12.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：M:Now,I'dliketosaythatIthinkthatthisgovernmentproposingtobuildmorenuclearpowerstationsinthiscountryisreallybeingstupid.Thepointaboutnuclearpoweristhatwehaven'tlearnttodoawaywiththewaste.Wehaven'tlearnttocopewiththewastefromityet.

W:Well,Isometimesthinkthat,youknow,they'vegotanimpossiblejob.ImeanalltheimpressionIgetisthatthereisnoalternative...well,that'stheimpressionIget.

M:No,no,noI...Idon'tagreewiththatatall.Thereareplentyofalternatives.There'sthesun...solarpower...thatisasourcethatisalwaysthere,wealwayshaveit.

W:Idon't...Idon'tquiteseewhatyou'regettingatactually,solarpower,what'sthat?

M:Well,theheatfromthesun,itcanbeusedinsolarpanelsonthetopsofhousesforheating,storinguppowertoheatwaterandtoheatthehouses,youknow,somesolarpanelsareinoperationalreadyandtheyaresavingmoney...

W:That'sagoodpointactually,butisitreallyviable,that,ImeanbecauseI'd...

M:SorryitmustbejAndtheonegreatadvantageisthatIcansee,ifthegovernmentsetupsmallunitstobuildsolarpanelsandtoinstallthem,itwouldbecreatingemploymentwhichwouldimprovetheunemploymentsituationandbringterrificadvantages.

W:IhaveheardthatinEngland,Imean,there'snotenoughsun,isthere?For,Imean,solarpanelshere?

M:Yes,well,that'snotquitetrue.I...thereisquiteabitofsun...youmaynotfeeltheactualheatofitonsomeoccasions.

W:No,youarerightthere!

M:Butthelightpowerfromthesunwill.

Whatdoesthemanthinkofthegovernment'spresentproposalaboutbuildingmorepowerstationsinthecountry?

A.It'sadangerousproposal.

B.It'sastupidproposal.

C.It'sanadvantageousproposal.

D.It'saviableproposal.

13.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：Whenaconsumerfindsthatalliternsheorheboughtisbrokenorinsomeotherwaydoesnotreachthestandardofthemanufacturer'sclaimforit,thefirststepistopresentthewarranty.oranyotherrecordswhichmighthelp,atthestoreofpurchase.Inmostcases,thisactionwillproduceresults.However,ifitdoesnot,therearevariousmeanstheconsumersmayusetogainsatisfaction.

Asimpleandcommonmethodusedbymanyconsumersistocomplaindirectlytothestoremanager.Ingeneral,the“higher,up”theconsumertakeshisorhercomplaint,thefasterheorshecanexpectittobetackled.Insuchacase,itisusuallysettledintheconsumer'sfavor,assumingheorshehasajustclaim.

Consumersshouldcomplaininpersonwheneverpossible,butiftheycannotgettotheplaceofpurchase,itisacceptabletophoneorwritethecomplaintinaletter.

Complainingisusuallymosteffectivewhenitisdonepolitelybutfirmly,andespeciallywhentheconsumercandemonstratewhatiswrongwiththeiterninquestion.Ifthiscannotbedone,theconsumerwillsucceedbestbypresentingspecificinformationastowhatiswrong,ratherthanbymakinggeneralstatements.Forexample,“Theleftspeakerdoesnotworkatallandthesoundcomingoutoftherightoneisunclear”isbetterthan“thisstereodoesnotwork”.

Thestoremanagermayadvisetheconsumertowritetothemanufacturer.Ifso,theconsumershoulddothis,statingthecomplaintaspolitelyandasfirmlyaspossible.Butifapolitecomplaintdoesnotachievethedesiredresult,theconsumercangoastempfurther.Sheorhecanthreatentotakethesellertocourtorreportthesellertoaprivateorpublicorganizationresponsibleforprotectingconsumers'rights.

Whenaconsumerfindsthathispurchasehasafaultinit,whatisthefirstthingheshoulddo?

A.Complainpersonallytothemanager.

B.Threatentotakethemattertocourt.

C.Writeafirmletterofcomplainttothestoreofpurchase.

D.Showsomewrittenproofofthepurchasetothestore.

14.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：M:Ireallydon'tknowwhattodothissummer.Ican'taffordtojustsitaround,andtheredon'tseemtobeanyjobsavailable.

W:Whydon'tyoutryhouse-sitting?LastsummermyfriendSallyhouse-satfortheGammonswhentheywentawayonvacation.Mrs.GammonhiredSallytostayintheirhousebecauseshedidn'twantitleftempty.

M:YoumeantheGammonspaidSallyjusttoliveintheirhouse?

W:Itwasn'teasy.Shehadtomowthelawnandwaterthehouseplants.AndwhenJodihouse-satforMr.Johnson,hehadtotakecareofhispets.

M:House-sittingsoundslikeagoodjob.Iguessit'salittlelikebaby-sitting—exceptyou'retakingcareofahouseinsteadofchildren.

W:Thestudentemploymentofficestillhasafewjobsposted.

M:DoIjusthavetofilloutanapplication?

W:SallyandJodihadtointerviewwiththehomeownersandprovidedthreereferenceseach.

M:Thatseemslikealotoftroubleforasummerjob.

W:Well,thehomeownerswantsomeguaranteesothattheycantrustthehouse-sitter.Youknow,theywanttomakesureyou'renotthetypewho'11throwwildpartiesintheirhouse,ormoveagroupoffriendsinwithyou.

M:House-sitterswhodothatsortofthingprobablyaren'tpaidthen.

W:Usuallythey'repaidanywayjustbecausethehomeownersdon'twanttomakeafuss.Butifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Soifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Sowhydon'tyouapply?

M:Yeah,IthinkIwill.

Whichjobdocsthewomansuggesttotheman?

A.Baby-sitting.

B.House-cleaning.

C.House-sitting.

D.Mowingthelawn.

15.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Thereareseveralplacesintheworldthatarefamousforpeoplewholiveforaverylongtime．Thesesplacesareusuallymountainousareas，farawayfrommodemcities．Doctors，scientistsandpublichealthexpertsoftentraveltotheseregionstosolveamysteriouslonghealthylife；theexpertshopetobringtothemodemworldthesecretsoflongevity．

HunzaishighintheHymalayanMountainsofAsia．There，manypeopleoveronehundredyearsofagearestillinphysicalhealth．Menofninetyarenewfathers．andwomenoffiftystillhavebabies．Whatarethereasonsforthisgoodhealth?ScientistsbelievethatthepeopleofHunzahavethesethreebenefits：first，physicalwork，usuallyinthefieldsorwithanimals；second，ahealthenvironmentwithcleanairandwater：andwhat'smore,asimplediethighinvitaminsandnutritionbutlowinfat，cholesterol，sugarandchemicals．

PeopleintheCaucasusMountaininRussiaarealsofamousfortheirlongevity．Inthisarea，thereareamazingexamplesofverylong-livedpeople．Birthrecordsarenotusuallyavailable．butawomancalledTsurbaprobablyliveduntilage160;amancalledShiraliprobablyliveduntil168．Hiswidowwas120yearsold．Ingeneral，peoplenotonlylivealongtime，buttheyalsolivewell．Theyarealmostneversick，andwhentheydie，theyhavenotonlytheirownteethbutalsoafullheadofhairandgoodeyesight．

Vilcabamba，Ecuador，isanotherareafamousforthelongevityofitshabitants．Thisregion—likeHunzaandtheCaucasus—isalsoinhighmountains．farawayfromcities．InVilcabamba．too．thereisverylittledisease．Onereasonforthegoodhealthofthepeoplemightbetheclean，beautifulenvironment：thetemperatureisabout70Fahrenheitallyearlong；thewindalwayscomesfromthesamedirection；andtheregionisrichinflowers，fruits，vegetablesandwildlife．

Insomeways，thedietsofthehabitantsinthethreeregionsarequitedifferent．Hunzukutseatmainlyrawvegetables，fruit(especiallyapricots)，andchapattis—akindofpancake；theyeatmeatonlyafewtimesayear．TheCaucasiandietconsistsmainlyofmilk，cheese，vegetables，fruitandmeat；mostpeopletheredrinkthelocalredwinedaily．InVilcabamba，peopleeatasmallamountofmeateachweek，batthedietconsistslargelyofgrain，corns，beans，potatoesandfruit．

ExpertsfindonesurprisingfactinthemountainsofEcuador．Mostpeoplethere，eventheveryold，consumealotofcoffee，drinkalargeamountofalcohol，andsmokefortytosixtycigarettesdaily．

However，thedietsaresimilarintwogeneralways：first，thefruitsandvegetablesthattheinhabitantsofthethreeareaseatareallnatural；thatis，theycontainnochemicalsandsecond，thepeopleconsumefewercaloriesthanpeopledointheotherpartsoftheworld．AtypicalNorthAmericantakesinallaverageof3,300calorieseveryday；atypicalinhabitantofthesemountainousareasbetween1,700and2,000calories．

Inhabitantsinthethreeregionshavemoreincommoncalories,naturalfood，theirmountainsandtheirdistancefrommodemcities．becausethesepeopleliveincountrysideandaremostlyfarmers，theirlivesarephysicallyhard．Thus，theydonotneedtogotohealthclubsbecausetheygetalotofexerciseintheirdailywork．Inaddition，although，theirlivesarehard，thepeopledonotseemtohavetheworriesofcitypeople．Theirlivesarequiet．Consequently，someexpertsbelievethatphysicalexerciseandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity．

Somemodemcitiesareusuallyfamousforpeoplewholiveaverylongtime.

A.RightB.Wrong

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.

【C3】

17.(49)

18.(48)

19.(50)

20.

【C6】

21.

【C14】

22.(42)

23.(45)

24.(40)

25.(39)

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.

WhatdidtheUNcallonnationstodoaboutCO2andothergreenhousegasesin1992?

A.TosignanewclimatetreatyatRio．

B.TodraftanagreementamongUNnations．

C.ToforcetheUnitedSatestoreduceitsemissions．

D.TolimitthereleaseofCO2andothergases．

27.

Theauthorimpliesinthesecondparagraphthat______.

A.theproposaloftheDepartmentofJusticeisunjustified

B.surveillanceofanysuspectcommunicationisnecessary

C.civillibertiesgroupsshouldnothaveshownsuchgreatconcern

D.exceptionsshouldbemadeininterceptingcommunications

28.(78)

29.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

A=HydropowerB=NuclearpowerC=SolarpowerD=WindpowerWhichpower(power's)...

wasdevelopedtoprovideelectricityforsatellitesatthebeginning?71.______

canpromotetourismdevelopment?72.______

maygiveoffdangerousradioactivepollutionintotheair?73.______

mayaffectthedownstreamwaterqualityandhaveanimpactonplantlife?74.______

stationscanincreasetofullpowerveryquickly?75.______

producessmallamountsofwaste?76.______

isagoodmethodofsupplyingenergytoremoteareas?77.______

providesaround20%oftheworld'selectricity?78.______

canbeusedtoheatyourwaterathomeinsteadofsomuchgasorelectricity?79.______

isnotrenewable?80.______

A

Hydropower

Introduction

Wehaveusedrunningwaterasanenergysourceforthousandsofyears,mainlytogrindcorn.

ThefirsthouseintheworldtobelitbyhydroelectricitywasCragsideHouse,inNorthumberland,England,in1878.In1882ontheFoxRiver,intheUSA,hydroelectricityproducedenoughpowertolighttwopapermillsandahouse.

Nowadaystherearemanyhydro-electricpowerstations,providingaround20%oftheworld'selectricity.Thenamecomesfrom"hydro",theGreekwordforwater.

Howitworks

Adamisbuilttotrapwater,usuallyinavalleywherethereisanexistinglake.

Waterisallowedtoflowthroughtunnelsinthedam,toturnturbinesandthusdrivegenerators.

Advantages

Oncethedamisbuilt,theenergyisvirtuallyfree.

Nowasteorpollutionproduced.

Muchmorereliablethanwind,solarorwavepower.

Watercanbestoredabovethedamreadytocopewithpeaksindemand.

Hydro-electricpowerstationscanincreasetofullpowerveryquickly,unlikeotherpowerstations.

Disadvantages

Thedamsareveryexpensivetobuild.

Buildingalargedamwillfloodaverylargeareaupstream,causingproblemsforanimalsthatusedtolivethere.

Findingasuitablesitecanbedifficult—theimpactonresidentsandtheenvironmentmaybeunacceptable.

Waterqualityandquantitydownstreamcanbeaffected,whichcanhaveanimpactonplantlife.

Isitrenewable?

Hydro-electricpowerisrenewable.

TheSunprovidesthewaterbyevaporationfromthesea,andwillkeepondoingso.

B

Nuclearpower

Introduction

NuclearpowerisgeneratedusingUranium,whichisametalminedinvariouspartsoftheworld.

Thefirstlarge-scalenuclearpowerstationopenedatCalderHallinCambria,England,in1956.

Somemilitaryshipsandsubmarineshavenuclearpowerplantsforengines.

Howitworks

Nuclearpowerstationsworkinprettymuchthesamewayasfossilfuel-burningstations,exceptthata"chainreaction"insideanuclearreactormakestheheatinstead.

ThereactorusesUraniumrodsasfuel,andtheheatisgeneratedbynuclearfission.Neutronssmashintothenucleus

30.(74)

31.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

Answerquestions71～80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note：AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,B,CorD.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

A=HydropowerB=NuclearpowerC=SolarpowerD=Windpower

Whichpower(power's)…

A

Hydropower

Introduction

Wehaveusedrunningwaterasanenergysourceforthousandsofyears,mainlytogrindcom.

ThefirsthouseintheworldtobelitbyhydroelectricitywasCragsideHouse,inNorthumberland,England,in1878.In1882ontheFoxRiver,intheUSA,hydroelectricityproducedenoughpowertolighttwopapermillsandahouse.

Nowadaystherearemanyhydro-electricpowerstations,providingaround20%oftheworld'selectricity.Thenamecomesfrom“hydro”,theGreekwordforwater.

Howitworks

Adamisbuilttotrapwater,usuallyinavalleywherethereisanexistinglake.

Waterisallowedtoflowthroughtunnelsinthedam,toturnturbinesandthusdrivegenerators.

Advantages

Oncethedamisbuilt,theenergyisvirtuallyfree.

Nowasteorpollutionproduced.

Muchmorereliablethanwind,solarorwavepower.

Watercanbestoredabovethedamreadytocopewithpeaksindemand.

Hydro-electricpowerstationscanincreasetofullpowerveryquickly,unlikeotherpowerstations.

Disadvantages

Thedamsareveryexpensivetobuild.

Buildingalargedamwillfloodaverylargeareaupstream,causingproblemsforanimalsthatusedtolivethere.

Findingasuitablesitecanbedifficult--theimpactonresidentsandtheenvironmentmaybeunacceptable.

Waterqualityandquantitydownstreamcanbeaffected,whichcanhaveanimpactonplantlife.

Isitrenewable?

Hydro-electricpowerisrenewable.

TheSunprovidesthewaterbyevaporationfromthesea,andwillkeepondoingso.

B

Nuclearpower

Introduction

NuclearpowerisgeneratedusingUranium,whichisametalminedinvariouspartsoftheworld.

Thefirstlarge-scalenuclearpowerstationopenedatCalderHallinCambria,England,in1956.

Somemilitaryshipsandsubmarineshavenuclearpowerplantsforengines.

Howitworks

Nuclearpowerstationsworkinprettymuchthesamewayasfossilfuel-burningstations,exceptthata“chainreaction”insideanuclearreactormakestheheatinstead.

ThereactorusesUraniumrodsasfuel,andtheheatisgeneratedbynuclearfission.Neutronssmashintothenucleusoftheuraniumatoms,whichsplitroughlyinhalfandreleaseenergyintheform.ofheat.

Carbondioxidegasispumpedthroughthereactortotaketheheataway,andthehotgasthenheatswatertomakesteam.

Advantages

Nuclearpowercostsaboutthesameascoal,soit'snotexpensivetomake.

Doesnotproducesmokeorcarbondioxide,soitdoesnotcontributetothegreenhouseeffect.

Produceshugeamountsofenergyfromsmallamountsoffuel.

Producessmallamountsofwaste.

Disadvantages

Althoughnotmuchwasteisproduced,itisvery,verydangerous.

Itmustbesealedupandburiedformanyyearstoallowtheradioactivitytodieaway.

Nuclearpowerisreliable,butalotofmoneyhastobespentonsafety.

Isitrenewable?

Nuclearenergyfrom

32.TheVillageGreeninNewMilford,Connecticut,isasnapshotofNewEnglandcharm：acarefullymanicuredlawnflandedbyscrupulouslymaintainedcolonialhomes.Babysittersdandlekidsinthewoodengazebo,waitingforcommuterparentstoreturnfromNewYork.OnalazyafternoonlastweekCarolineNicholas,16,hadnothingmorepressingtodothandrinkintheearly-summersunshineanddiscusstherecenteventsintown.“Idon'tthinkalotofolderpeopleknewtherewereunhappykidsinNewMilford,”shesaid,“Icouldseeitcoming.”

Inafive-dayperiodinearlyJuneeightgirlswerebroughttoNewMilfordHospitalafterwhathospitalofficialscallsuicidalgestures.Thegirls,allbetween12and17,triedavarietyofmeasures,includingheavydosesofalcohol.over-the-countermedicinesandcutsorscratchestotheirwrists.Nonewassuccessful,andmostdidn'trequirehospitalization；butatleasttwoattempts,accordingtothehospital,couldhavebeenvital.Theirreasonsseemedasmundaneastheotherhappen-stancesofsuburbanlife.“Iwasjustsickofitall,”onetoldareporter,“Everythinginlife.”Mostalarming,emergency-roomdoctorFrederickLohsetoldalocalreporterthatseveralgirlssaidtheywerepartofasuicidepact.Thehospitallaterbackedawayfromthisremark.Butcominginthewakeofatleastsixteensuicideattemptsoverthepreviousfewmonths．thissuddencluster—alongwiththeinfluxofmedia—hassetthiswell-groomedsuburbof23,000onedge.AtatownmeetinglastWednesdaynight,DrSimonSobo,chiefofpsychiatryatthehospital,toldmorethan200parentsandkids,“We'retalkingaboutacrisisthathasreallygottenoutofhand.”Laterheadded,“TherehavebeenmoresuicideattemptsthisspringthanIhaveseeninthe13yearsIhavebeenhere.”

Sobosaidthatthegirlshetreateddidn'thaveseriousproblemsathomeorschool.“Manyofthesewerepopularkids,”hesaid,“Theygotplentyoflove,butbeneaththereassuringsigns,aswathofteensherearenotmakingit.”Somesaythatdrugs,bothpotand‘realdrugs’,arecommonplace.KidshaveshownupwithLIFESUCKSandLONGLIVEDEATHpennedontheirarms.Afewgirlscasuallydisplayscarsontheirarmswheretheycutthemselves.“You'dbesurprisedhowmanykidstrysuicide,”saidonegirl,17.“Youdon'twanttoputpainonotherpeople;youputitonyourself.”Shesaidsheusedtocutherself“justtoreleasethepain”.

Emily,15,afriendofthreeofthegirlstreatedin,June,saidonewashavingfamilyproblems,onewas“upsetthatday”andthethirdwas“justupsetwitheverythingelsegoingon”.Shesaidtheyweren'treallytryingtokillthemselves—theyjustneededconcern.AsSobonoted,“What'sgoingoninNewMilfordisnotuniquetoNewMilford.”Thesameunderlyingcultureofdespaircouldbefoundinanytown.Butteensuicide,headded,