From www.handoutsonline.

com Handouts Online

Before you read Work with a partner.

What is alternative energy?

How many different kinds of alternative energy can you name?

Vocabulary #1 Match the phrase with its meaning.

barren could be successful

vast at some time in the past
renewable become popular
viable go somewhere, despite risk
take off unable to produce
venture (v) could always continue
once huge

Reading Quickly read the following text.

Most experts agree that the days of taking fossil fuels for granted 1
are rapidly coming to an end. Oil fields in the United States which
were once plentiful are now barren, forcing oil producers to venture
further in search of new crude reserves. It seems that man has no
choice but to find alternatives to relying on fossil fuels. Progress so 5
far, however, is not encouraging. Alternative energy sources
currently provide approximately 6% of the United States energy
supply. In the United Kingdom, that figure is under 4%.

There are many ideas for renewable energy, yet few have shown
themselves to be viable on a large-scale. Wind farms seem attractive 10
on paper, but the need for vast acres of land, coupled with the
unreliability of nature means that it has never taken off.

Solar power is another source of renewable energy that has had

mixed results. Apart from the obvious disadvantages of relying on
the sun, the high cost of producing solar cells means the technology is not yet economically viable. 15
Similar difficulties have prevented other forms of renewable energy from being implemented on a
large scale.

Perhaps the long-term solution is for the individual to look at ways of reducing electricity
consumption. While it might seem that the actions of one person can have little effect, experts
believe that energy efficiency could cut domestic consumption by up to forty percent. Whether it be 20
lowering the temperature of the central heating, insulating lofts, or installing energy-efficient light
bulbs, the potential savings are significant.

From www.handoutsonline.com Page 1 PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com Handouts Online

Summarizing Write one sentence for each paragraph. Compare your answers with other students.

1)

2)

3)

4)

Vocabulary #2 Change words in these sentences using the vocabulary from exercise two.

The farmer stood at his gate, shaking his head. What had previously been successful farmland was now a large,
unproductive area. The farmer decided to check that his fire insurance policy could continue. He went to the city
insurance office to find out.

Discussion Ask your partner(s) these questions. Ask follow-up questions!

Questions related to the text in Exercise 3

How much energy do you think your country gets from alternative sources?
Are there any projects in your country creating alternative energy?
Describe the best place near your home where a wind farm could be placed.
Are you careful about the amount of electricity you consume? Could you do better?

Questions for everyone

What is the problem with using fossil fuels to generate electricity?

Should we turn to nuclear power as the solution to our power needs?
What are the problems related to nuclear power?
Should the government do more to deal with this issue?

Your questions

From www.handoutsonline.com Page 2 PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com Handouts Online

"Alternative Energy" Vocabulary Quiz

Choose a suitable word/phrase from the list below. Make grammatical changes, where necessary.

1. Jackie is against burning . to make electricity.

2. Sunshine is . in the Sahara. However, regular rainfall is rare.

3. Bob thinks . is better than coal-fired power stations.

4. Some people think wind farms are not . on a large scale.

5. Tom . his loft last week. He hopes his house will be warmer in winter!

6. I hoped it would be a complete success. Instead, I had . .

7. I fell asleep before the movie . .

8. The Prime Minister wants to . the reforms as soon as possible.

9. Mary does all the cooking and cleaning. Her husband just takes her for .!

10. Do you think that 3-D televisions are going to .?

CHOOSE FROM:

From www.handoutsonline.com Page 3 PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com Handouts Online

Target Structure: Reading and Discussion

Vocabulary: Environment, energy production
Level: Advanced
Time: 1 hour, depending on discussion
Preparation: None

Suggested Teaching Method

This worksheet covers vocabulary, reading and discussion practice. Although the main topic is quite serious,
there is the chance for students to personalize the language, talking about energy saving on a individual level.

This worksheet will help your students discuss the issues more confidently.

Give one worksheet to each student. Follow the instructions for exercise one. This should be quite brief: the
main discussion questions are at the end.

Introduce the vocabulary work as a scanning exercise. Tell students to look for the words in the text and
underline them before proceeding further. If necessary, explain the concept of scanning compared to detailed
reading. A good example is a bus timetable you look for a specific time, rather than read the timetable from top
to bottom.

Students should work alone, and then check in pairs.

Before the students read the text, set a gist question or a reading task. This gives the students a purpose to the
reading. For example, you could ask students to make a note of how many different energy sources are
mentioned in the text.

Encourage the students to read quickly. After checking the answer to your reading task, answer any pressing
vocabulary questions.

Put students into new pairs for this exercise and encourage discussion before writing anything down. Ensure
students use natural sentences. The text is quite formal in style students could make it more casual.

Set a time limit for this activity. When the students have finished, let them compare with other students. Monitor
this for a few minutes then select a few students to give their answers and answer any questions.

Follow the instructions for this vocabulary-recycling exercise. Students should work alone, and then check in
pairs.

Leave plenty of time for class discussion. To maximize student talking time, its best to put students in pairs, or
small groups. Students should read all the questions first, before beginning the discussion.

Encourage eye contact and follow up questions. Some discussion phrases might also come in useful. On the
board, write I know what you mean. , Yeah, but on the other hand.. and other such useful phrases, if you think
it would be of benefit to your students.

While the students are speaking, monitor the conversations, but try not to interrupt. When the discussion comes
to a close, ask a few of the questions yourself, and go through any points of English you made a note of while
monitoring.

Answer key on next page

From www.handoutsonline.com Page 4 PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com Handouts Online

QUIZ This vocabulary quiz can be set as homework, or in a subsequent lesson to check that students have learned
the key vocabulary and phrases.

Answer Key (Other answers may be possible.)

Alternative energy could be described as energy from non-standard sources, which is usually environmentally
friendly.

Alternative energy methods include: Hydrogen / Hydroelectric / Solar / Wind / Tidal / (Nuclear?)

barren unable to produce

vast huge
renewable replaceable, constant
viable successful
take off become popular
venture (v) go somewhere, despite risk.
once huge at some time

1 Oil fields are running out of oil but we are doing nothing to find alternative sources of energy.
2 There are many sources of renewable energy but we cant make them work yet.
3 Solar power is unreliable and expensive.
4 Individuals can make a difference by reviewing how much electricity they use.

The farmer stood at his gate, shaking his head. What had once been viable farmland, was now a vast, barren
area.

The farmer decided to check that his fire insurance policy was renewable. He ventured into the city insurance
office to ask.

QUIZ 1. Jackie is against burning fossil fuels to make electricity.

2. Sunshine is plentiful in the Sahara. However, regular rainfall is rare.
3. Bob thinks renewable energy is better than coal-fired power stations.
4. Some people think wind farms are not viable on a large scale.
5. Tom insulated his loft last week. He hopes his house will be warmer in winter!
6. I hoped it would be a complete success. Instead, I had mixed results.
7. I fell asleep before the movie came to an end.
8. The Prime Minister wants to implement the reforms as soon as possible.
9. Mary does all the cooking and cleaning. Her husband just takes her for granted!
10. Do you think that 3-D televisions are going to take off?

How are we doing?

Have you taught this lesson? Wed be pleased to hear some feedback on our worksheets.

Send your comments to editor@handoutsonline.com.

Updated 12/6/2010

From www.handoutsonline.com Page 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE