Name Class Date. Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Transcription

1 Skills Worksheet Active Reading Section: Energy Resources and Fossil Fuels Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. When petroleum fuels are burned, they release pollutants. Internal combustion engines in vehicles that burn gasoline pollute the air in many cities. These pollutants contribute to the formation of smog and cause health problems. Emissions regulations and technology such as catalytic converters have reduced air pollution in many areas. However, in developing countries, cars are generally older, and the gasoline that they burn contains significantly more sulfur, a pollutant that contributes to acid precipitation. Many scientists also think that the carbon dioxide released from burning petroleum fuels contributes to global warming. Oil spills are another potential environmental problem of oil use. In recent years, new measures have been taken to prevent oil spills from tankers. These measures include requiring that new tankers be double-hulled so that puncturing the outer hull does not allow the oil to leak out. Also, response times to clean up oil spills have improved. While oil spills are dramatic, much more oil pollution comes from everyday sources, such as leaking cars. However, measures to reduce everyday contamination of our waterways from oil lag far behind the efforts made to prevent large spills. IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS One reading skill is the ability to identify the main idea of a passage. The main idea is the main focus or key idea. Frequently, a main idea is accompanied by supporting information that offers detailed facts about the main idea. Read each question and write the answer in the space provided. 1. What are two potential hazards associated with oil use? 2. What is one reason the air in cities is often polluted? 3. What factor might be contributing to global warming? 4. What measures have been taken to prevent oil spills from tankers? 5. What does the author note about oil spill cleanup? Holt Environmental Science 7 Nonrenewable Energy

2 Active Reading continued RECOGNIZING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES One reading skill is the ability to recognize similarities and differences between two phrases, ideas, or things. This is sometimes known as comparing and contrasting. Read each question and write the answer in the space provided. 6. What is the difference between cars in developed countries and cars in developing countries? 7. Which spills more oil: oil spills from tankers or oil leaks from cars? Why? RECOGNIZING CAUSE AND EFFECT One reading skill is the ability to recognize cause and effect. Read each question and write the answer in the space provided. 8. What negative effects do pollutants from vehicles cause in cities? 9. What problem does the burning of gasoline with sulfur contribute to? 10. Name two things that have reduced air pollution in many areas. 11. How is a double-hulled oil tanker safer than one that is not double-hulled? 12. What does the author suggest will reduce the negative effects of using oil? Holt Environmental Science 8 Nonrenewable Energy

3 Skills Worksheet Active Reading Section: Renewable Energy Today Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Solar cells, also called photovoltaic cells, convert the sun s energy into electricity. Solar cells were invented more than 120 years ago, and now they are used to power everything from calculators to space stations. Solar cells have no moving parts, and they run on nonpolluting power from the sun. So why don t solar cells meet all of our energy needs? A solar cell produces a very small electrical current. So meeting the needs of a small city would require covering hundreds of acres with solar panels. Solar cells also require extended periods of sunshine to produce energy. This energy is stored in batteries, which supply electricity when the sun is not shining. Despite these limitations, energy production from solar cells has doubled every four years since Solar cells have become increasingly efficient and less expensive. Solar cells have great potential for use in developing countries, where energy consumption is minimal and electricity networks are limited. Currently, solar cells provide energy for more than 1 million households in the developing world. IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS One reading skill is the ability to identify the main idea of a passage. The main idea is the main focus or key idea. Frequently, a main idea is accompanied by supporting information that offers detailed facts about main ideas. In the space provided, write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes each statement or best answers each question. 1. Solar cells convert the sun s energy into a. light. b. heat. c. electricity. d. pollution. 2. What factor regarding solar cells has doubled every four years since 1985? a. the number of solar cells produced b. the amount of energy produced by solar cells c. the number of people who use solar cells d. the price of solar cells 3. Solar cells have great potential for use in a. cities. c. factories. b. private homes. d. developing countries. Holt Environmental Science 7 Renewable Energy

4 Active Reading continued RECOGNIZING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES One reading skill is the ability to recognize similarities and differences between two phrases, ideas, or things. This is sometimes known as comparing and contrasting. Read the following questions and write the answers in the space provided. 4. How are solar cells different from most other power sources? 5. How are solar cells of today superior to solar cells of the 1980s? VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT In the space provided, write the letter of the definition that best matches the term or phrase. 6. photovoltaic cells 7. solar panels 8. energy consumption 9. batteries a. power usage b. store energy collected by solar cells c. convert the sun s energy into electricity d. collections of solar cells RECOGNIZING CAUSE AND EFFECT One reading skill is the ability to recognize cause and effect. Read the following questions and write the answers in the space provided. 10. How are solar cells used today? 11. Why are solar cells particularly suitable for developing countries? 12. Why aren t solar cells used to meet all of our energy needs? Holt Environmental Science 8 Renewable Energy

5 Critical Thinking continued INTERPRETING OBSERVATIONS Read the following passage, then answer the questions below. When energy is cheap and plentiful, the average consumer doesn t have to think much about efficiency or cost. But the oil crisis of 1973 gave many people in the United States a new appreciation for the law of supply and demand. The oil crisis was not a natural occurrence but an artificial shortage caused for political reasons. In October 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began an oil embargo in which member countries acted to limit the sale of crude oil to the United States. Prices for petroleum products, notably gasoline, rose sharply because of this drastic cut in supply. Many Americans still remember the long lines at gas pumps that year, as well as gas prices that rose to record levels. The embargo ended in March 1974, but Americans continued to react to its economic effects. Car makers began to produce more fuelefficient cars, and consumers bought them. Congress approved the development of the Trans Alaska oil pipeline, which boosted domestic oil production when it was completed in In the decades since the embargo, oil prices have gone through other periods of change, as well as times of relative stability. The price of oil continues to affect both individual choices and government policy. Sources: Energy Information Administration: 25th Anniversary of the Oil Embargo; WTRG Economics: Oil Prices History and Analysis 9. This embargo created an artificial drop in the supply of oil. How would a natural shortage differ from an embargo situation? 10. After 1973, American scientists began to make serious efforts to develop technologies that create electricity from renewable resources. Do you think this step was necessary? Explain your answer. Holt Environmental Science 4 Nonrenewable Energy

6 Critical Thinking continued INTERPRETING OBSERVATIONS Read the following passage, and then answer the questions below. Imagine that you are a civil engineer who was just hired by the government of Iceland to plan a city. On the airplane you read about the land of fire and ice, and learn that it was formed from tectonic activity. As a result, there are many volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs on the island. Also, because Iceland is located in northern latitudes, it receives a lot of snowfall in winter. As your plane zooms in for a landing, you notice that the annual springtime snowmelt has formed large lakes and colossal waterfalls two of which are very impressive! The sky is overcast, and some volcanoes are still capped with snow. There aren t very many trees around, only grass and shrubs in a rocky landscape. 9. What are two sources of energy you would use for your city? Explain your answer. 10. What might be a cost-effective way to provide hot water? 11. Would it be effective to use rooftop solar collectors to provide electricity or hot water? Explain your answer. Holt Environmental Science 4 Renewable Energy