{"id":6973,"date":"2020-02-08T23:38:32","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T16:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/?p=6973"},"modified":"2023-12-08T14:44:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T07:44:59","slug":"ielts-reading-5-5-dirty-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/ielts-reading-5-5-dirty-job\/","title":{"rendered":"IELTS Reading LEVEL 5.5 \u2013 Dirty Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dirty Job<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

by Beth Geiger<\/p>\n

Our reporter visits the world's biggest environmental cleanup.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"AP Images<\/em><\/p>\n

I stood on the brink of a vast landfill. Below me, workers piled soil onto sealed containers. Trucks labeled Caution: radioactive material\u201d rumbled by. In the distance, windowless buildings loomed above the bleak landscape.<\/p>\n

It looked like the set for a movie about a nuclear wasteland. But it was real-the Hanford Site in eastern Washington state. It's the largest environmental cleanup operation on Earth. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is now mopping it up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bomb Fuel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hanford was once an enormous industrial complex covering almost 1,550 square kilometers (600 square miles). It included factories, reactor nuclears, and hundreds of other buildings. Its main product was plutonium,<\/em> a silver-white metallic element that's used to fuel nuclear bombs. The nuclear bomb that the United States dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. September 1945, contained plutonium made at Hanford.<\/p>\n

\"\"This is one of Hanford's defunct nuclear reactors. In the reactors, controlled nuclear reactions turned uranium fuel into small amounts of plutonium for use in nuclear bombs. Beth Geiger<\/em><\/p>\n

Hanford stopped making plutonium in the 1980s. By then, the site was a huge mess. Billions of gallons of contaminated water had been spilled on the ground. Contaminated equipment lay buried all over the place. And underground tanks were leaking chemicals and radioactive<\/em> waste into the nearby Columbia River. Radioactive materials contain unstable atoms that emit high-energy rays. Exposure to those rays is extremely hazardous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt's hard to get your mind around how big Hanford is,\u201d Cameron Hardy of the DOE told me as we drove through the site. I saw what he meant. We had already driven past miles of sagebrush, metal fences, and faceless concrete buildings, and some of Hanford's nine nuclear reactors were just coming into view.<\/p>\n

Finally, we made our first stop, at a underground treatment plant. During Hanford's heyday, water used to cool the nuclear reactors and process plutonium was simply dumped on the ground. Some of it seeped into the underground, which flows into the Columbia River. The DOE's goal is to reclaim the water before it reaches the river.<\/p>\n

One contaminant in Hanford's underground is chromium 6, a toxic chemical. Chromium 6 is very mobile<\/em>, or readily available, in underground. Another contaminant is strontium-90, which is radioactive.<\/p>\n

Cleaning up the groundwater involves pumping it to the surface. The chromium 6 is extracted and converted to chromium 3, which is safer and less mobile. The strontium-90 is absorbed by a mineral called apatite, which is injected underground. Within two years, the DOE will be pumping and treating 16,280 liters (4,300 gallons) of underground-the equivalent of 85 bathtubs' worth of water-every minute.<\/p>\n

Hanford also has 200 million liters (53 million gallons) of toxic liquid on its grounds. To immobilize that stew, the DOE is building a vitrification<\/em> plant the size of six shopping malls. Vitrification is the process of making glass. In the Hanford plant, explains DOE glass scientist Albert Kruger, the toxic waste will be heated to 1,150 degrees Celsius (2,100 degrees Fahrenheit). As the hot waste cools, it becomes glass, which will be sealed in steel canisters and buried underground.<\/p>\n

When completed, Hanford's vitrification plant will be the world's largest chemical processing facility.<\/p>\n

The first glass won't roll out until 2018. Even then, it will still take 40 years to treat all the liquid waste.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Solid Mess<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cleanup doesn't stop there. Hanford is also a gargantuan grab bag of solid waste-hundreds of old buildings plus scores of underground burial sites. The burial sites contain tons of contaminated equipment, tools, partly contaminated drums, soil, and train cars.<\/p>\n

The nuclear reactors are now being cocooned. Everything but their radioactive cores are being destroyed. The cores will be sealed for perhaps 75 years, or \u201cuntil sufficiently radioactive decay<\/em> has gone on,\u201d explains DOE environmental scientist Nick Ceto. Decay is the slow breakdown of radioactive substances into more stable elements. Other buildings are being dismantled.<\/p>\n

The burial grounds are a deeper problem. Hundreds are left to excavate and sort through. It's a slow process, says Hardy. At every step, workers must be protected from radiation, chemical contamination, and fire. \u201cSome of the waste will spontaneously catch fire if it's exposed to air,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Where does most of the waste go? In a landfill the size of 35 football fields. The landfill is not just a big hole in the ground. At least 10 layers of material will keep it leak-proof for thousands of years. From the landfill's edge, I cautiously peered down seven stories to the bottom.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"AP Images. Hanford Site workers wear suits to protect themselves against hazardous vapors.<\/em><\/p>\n

Long Haul<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I left the Hanford Site, my head was reeling-and not from radiation. I was thinking about the vast operation, which will take at least 50 more years and consume billions of dollars.<\/p>\n

Yet everybody I talked to agree that cleaning up Hanford must be done. Otherwise, more contaminants will reach the Columbia River, says Ceto. People might stumble across dangerous radioactive waste. Wildlife could spread the contamination. \u201cWe're trying to protect the whole food chain,\u201d he says. Clearly, we're in this mess for the long haul.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

Vocabulary<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

breakdown<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 break down<\/span><\/p>\n

Definition\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

noun<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a failure to operate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The breakdown of the bus makes the children late for school.<\/em><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. a serious failure of a person's mind or body.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      After her breakdown, she was in the hospital for three weeks.<\/em><\/p>\n

      Advanced Definition\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      noun<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. a malfunction, as of a machine.<\/li>\n
      2. a physical, emotional, or mental collapse.<\/li>\n
      3. an analysis or reduction into smaller units.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Give me the breakdown of our sales this year.<\/em><\/p>\n

        These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. The process of weathering (the breakdown<\/strong> of rocks by chemical, mechanical, and organic processes) has worn down softer rock, exposing the harder metals, such as gold, tin, and coltan.<\/li>\n
        2. Decay is slow breakdown<\/strong> of radioactive substances into more stable elements.<\/li>\n
        3. Weathering is the gradual breakdown<\/strong> of rocks.<\/li>\n
        4. Stuttering is thought to be a neurological disorder\u2013a breakdown<\/strong> in the brain's ability to coordinate speech.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          excavate<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ex \u00b7ca \u00b7vate<\/span><\/p>\n

          Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n

          verb<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. to dig up and remove material from.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            The bulldozer excavated an area for the foundation of the new house.<\/em><\/p>\n

            Advanced Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n

            transitive verb<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. to make a hole or cavity in by digging or scooping out the interior portion.<\/li>\n
            2. to form (a hole, tunnel, or the like) by digging out material.<\/li>\n
            3. to expose by digging away overlying material; unearth.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              intransitive verb<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. to expose an archaeological site.<\/li>\n
              2. to engage in digging out material or hollowing out something.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Spanish cognate<\/strong><\/p>\n

                excavator<\/em>: The Spanish word excavator <\/em>means excavate.<\/p>\n

                These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Scientists will return with large shovels excavate<\/strong> the mammoth bones.<\/li>\n
                2. The burial grounds are a deeper problem. Hundreds are left to excavate<\/strong> and sort through.<\/li>\n
                3. Many archaeologists do excavate<\/strong> in such locations. The one characteristic that unifies all archeology, however, is the study of human development through artifacts-material remains.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                  \n

                  Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________<\/p>\n

                  Comprehension Questions<\/p>\n

                  1. This passage explains why the cleanup of nuclear waste in Hanford, Washington, is<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. only of interest to people living near the plant<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. so complicated and so important<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. going to be finished in the next ten years<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. famous around the world<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  2. How does \u201cDirty Job\u201d explain what makes the cleanup so difficult?<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. It tells the history of the site.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. It lists the different kinds of waste that exist at Hanford today.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. It presents information about the cost of the cleanup.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. It describes the dangers of nuclear waste.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  3. Which of the following conclusions is supported by the passage?<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. If Hanford is not cleaned up, millions of people will die.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. If Hanford is not cleaned up, it will eventually not be a problem.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. If Hanford is not cleaned up, it will be harmful to the environment.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. If Hanford is not cleaned up soon, it will never be cleaned up.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  4. Read the following sentence:<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \u201cHanford is also a gargantuan grab bag of solid waste-hundreds of old buildings plus scores of underground burial sites.\u201d<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  In this sentence, the word gargantuan means:<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. ordinary<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. gigantic<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. smelly<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. old<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \n
                  5. The primary purpose of this passage is to<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. present both sides of the argument for cleaning up, or not cleaning up, Hanford<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. describe the dangerous situation that exists at Hanford today<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. present a list, in order, of events that happened at Hanford<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. compare and contrast Hanford with other polluted sites in the world<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  6. Name three kinds of dangerous, contaminated materials found at Hanford.<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  7. According to the passage, \u201cthe DOE's goal is to reclaim the water before it reaches the river.\u201d Why do you think the DOE picked that as its goal? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \n
                  8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  The scientists are working hard to pump Hanford's water to the surface, bury some of its waste in a landfill, and, turn some of its poison liquids into glass, but ___________<\/div>\n
                  they want to ensure that none of these dangerous materials hurts any more human beings.<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  A. around<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  B. sometimes<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  C. most importantly<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  D. maybe<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  9. Vocabulary Word: cocooned: wrapped up, sealed, like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence:<\/strong><\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n
                  ___________________________________________________________________________________<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \n

                  ReadWorks.org<\/em><\/p>\n

                  Copyright \u00a9 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  <\/div>\n
                  Parents and students can view the answer key and download the PDF file here.<\/div>\n
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                  \n Rate this article<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Dirty Job by Beth Geiger Our reporter visits the world’s biggest environmental cleanup. AP Images I stood on the brink of a vast landfill. Below me, workers piled soil onto sealed containers. Trucks labeled Caution: radioactive material” rumbled by. In the distance, windowless buildings loomed above the bleak landscape. It looked like the set for […]","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[253],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading-online"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6973"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22765,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6973\/revisions\/22765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etest.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}