Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. renewable (adj.) [ri-noo, -nyoo] – able to be used again
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. renewable (adj.) [ri-noo, -nyoo] – able to be used again
Example: The business contract is renewable
after it ends.
2. fluctuation (n.) [fluhk-choo-ey-shuhn] – constant
change
Example: Fluctuations in the
price of oil may lead to unstable prices of products.
3. back (v.) [bak] – to support with
influence, authority, money, etc.
Example: The leading candidate in
the elections is backed by businessmen.
4. skyrocket (v.) [skahy-rok-it] – to unexpectedly and suddenly increase
Example: Prices of goods will skyrocket if the tax increase is approved.
5. formality (n.) [fawr-mal-i-tee] – something done
to keep with rules or accepted ways of doing things
Example: Board members have already
approved the plan, so the meeting will just be a formality.
Article
Read the text below.
Denmark recently announced that the
country aims to completely run on renewable sources of energy by 2050.
With the increase of demand for oil in growing
economies such as China and India, Danish policymakers are aware that oil
prices will continually increase. They
say Denmark’s economy will suffer from fluctuations in world energy prices
if the country keeps depending on fuel from other countries.
According to the suggested plan, by
2020, at least a third (1/3) of the country’s energy should come from solar
and wind power. Additionally, the proposal is backed by most Danish politicians which is a somewhat unusual scenario.
However, Denmark’s goal will be
challenging. Power supply stations need to be rebuilt and redesigned to store
energy for times when the sun is not shining and winds are not strong. A very
big investment is also needed for
building infrastructures and cables that will distribute energy from wind
farms out at sea to the cities.
But Denmark's energy minister, Martin
Lidegaard, still believes the plan will have good results. He says that it is
better to have cheap and clean sources of energy than to deal with the threat
of skyrocketing fuel prices.
Denmark's proposed energy policy still
needs to be debated in the Parliament, but the talks may just be for formality since many politicians already
support the plan. However, once the proposal is agreed on, the government’s
problem will be to find ways to make the idea a reality.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
●
Is it possible for a country to run completely on renewable
energy? Why or why not?
●
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable
energy?
Discussion B
●
What do you think will happen if the price of oil continues to
increase?
●
How can the use of energy be lessened?
