英语听力精选进阶版 14300（在线收听）

BBC Learning English

Video Words in the News 

23 October 2013

UK nuclear station

Transcript:

The site of Britain's first new nuclear power plant in a generation.

Hinkley Point C will be developed by the French firm EDF and backed by Chinese investors.

Ministers say the deal will help Britain produce cheaper energy and become less reliant on fossil fuels.

But critics say it will be more expensive for consumers, while others worry about safety and the environment.

Vocabulary:

plant

a factory that produces power or chemicals

backed

supported

deal

business agreement

fossil fuels

energy sources like coal, gas and oil made from plant and animal remains from

millions of years ago

consumers

people who buy and use goods and services 

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports. 

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

plant / backed / deal / fossil fuels / consumers

1.  Environmentalists in Norway are angry that Statoil is trying to retrieve more ________ when experts say we can safely burn just a third of what we have already found.

2.  The cost of cocoa beans has soared since the start of the year, signalling a rise in the price of chocolate for _________.

3.  A section of the roof at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear ________ has collapsed - but there has been no increase in radiation at the site, authorities say.

4.  The rights to explore Brazil's biggest oilfield have been won at an auction by a consortium led by Brazil's state-run Petrobras, ________ by Total, Shell and Chinese firms.

5.  Microsoft agreed to buy the business for 5.4bn euros ($7.4bn; ￡4.6bn) in a ________ which the companies have said should be finalised by early 2014.

Answers:

1.  Environmentalists in Norway are angry that Statoil is trying to retrieve more fossil fuels when experts say we can safely burn just a third of what we have already found.

Source: Giant gas platform sinks below waves  

2.  The cost of cocoa beans has soared since the start of the year, signalling a rise in the price of chocolate for consumers.

Source: Chocolate prices could increase as cocoa costs soar

3.  A section of the roof at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant has collapsed - but there has been no increase in radiation at the site, authorities say.

Source: Ukraine: Chernobyl nuclear roof collapse 'no danger'

4.  The rights to explore Brazil's biggest oilfield have been won at an auction by a consortium led by Brazil's state-run Petrobras, backed by Total, Shell and Chinese firms.

Source: Brazil oil auction: Lone bid wins exploration rights 

5.  Microsoft agreed to buy the business for 5.4bn euros ($7.4bn; ￡4.6bn) in a deal which the companies have said should be finalised by early 2014.

Source: Nokia World reveals phablets and tablets in Abu Dhabi