Examples. There are many sources of energy in the world today

There are many sources of energy in the world today. Oil and coal come from under the ground. We burn coal and oil to make heat. We also mine uranium, a radioactive mineral, to produce nuclear energy. Solar energy comes from the heat of the sun. The sun supplies an enormous amount, of energy. Wind also produces energy, and the ocean does too.

• ACTIVITY 3A

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the simple present tense.

Coal is a major source of energy in the United States. A lot of coal mining takes (take) place in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of the country. A coal miner usually ______(work) long, hard hours. He or she ______(go) into the mines when it is still dark, often before 6:00 in the morning. The miner ______(wear) a hat with a bright light on it so he or she can see. The miner______ (carry) heavy tools when he or she______(go) down in the mine. The miner______(use) these tools to break off pieces of coal. Sometimes the miner_____(use) explosives to break up the coal. Then the miner______(load) the coal onto railroad cars. These railroad cars_____ (carry) the coal up out of the mine. When the coal miner_____(finish) work and_____ (come) back out of the mine, he or she is covered with black coal dust.

Coal mining is a dangerous occupation. One of the dangers is the black coal dust that the miners______(breathe). The dust sometimes_______(cause) black lung disease. Coal miners often_______ (have) trouble with their lungs as well as other health problems.

Write a paragraph about someone you know who has an interesting (bring, dangerous, and so on) job.

• ACTIVITY 3B

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the simple present tense.

All power plants produce (produce) heat. The process_______ (start) in different ways. Some plants______ (burn) oil, and others ____(use) coal or uranium.When these fuels______(burn), they ______(give off) a lot of heat. This heat_____(boil) water and (create) steam. The steam then ______(spin) a turbine, and this _______(generate) electricity.

The fuels that__(come) from under the ground-oil, coal, natural gas, uranium – _______ (supply) most of the energy we_____(use) in our daily lives. But there are other sources that ______(provide) energy. Every day, the earth_____(receive) 10,000 times more energy from the sun than we ____(get) from all other kinds of fuel together. Many countries____(use) solar energy. In the United States, for Example, 30,000 homes____(use) solar heat. In Israel, 200,000 homes _____(have) solar water heaters. In Japan more than two million buildings____(get) their heat from solar water heaters, and, in Australia, the law______(require) solar water heaters on all new buildings. A disadvantage of solar energy is that it _____(take) a very large area to collect solar heat for use by a small number of people.