Nuclear power: yes or no? L'énergie nucléaire (Tle)

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AnglaisFrançais
a nuclear power plantune centrale nucléaire
low-carbon energyune énergie bas carbone
radioactive wasteles déchets radioactifs
a meltdownla fusion d'un cœur de réacteur
If safety rules had been followed, the disaster would have been avoided.Si les règles de sécurité avaient été respectées, la catastrophe aurait été évitée.
energy independencel'indépendance énergétique

Le nucléaire produit une électricité très peu émettrice de CO2, et la France en tire environ deux tiers de son électricité. Mais les accidents de Tchernobyl (1986) et de Fukushima (2011), le coût des nouvelles centrales et les déchets radioactifs, dangereux pendant des milliers d'années, alimentent le débat. Faut-il miser sur le nucléaire, sur les renouvelables, ou sur les deux ? Le troisième conditionnel exprime un regret ou une hypothèse sur le passé : If + past perfect, would have + participe passé ; à l'écrit soutenu : Had they followed the rules, ...

Mise en situation : le débat télévisé

Host : Is nuclear power the answer to climate change?
Le nucléaire est-il la réponse au changement climatique ?
Engineer : It's one of the lowest-carbon sources of electricity. Without it, France would have emitted far more CO2 over the last fifty years.
C'est l'une des sources d'électricité les moins émettrices de carbone. Sans lui, la France aurait émis bien plus de CO2 ces cinquante dernières années.
Activist : But think of Chernobyl and Fukushima. And we still don't know what to do with the waste.
Mais pensez à Tchernobyl et Fukushima. Et on ne sait toujours pas quoi faire des déchets.
Engineer : Had the Chernobyl operators followed the safety rules, the disaster would probably never have happened.
Si les opérateurs de Tchernobyl avaient respecté les règles de sécurité, la catastrophe ne serait probablement jamais arrivée.
Activist : Maybe. But solar and wind are cheaper and faster to build today.
Peut-être. Mais le solaire et l'éolien sont aujourd'hui moins chers et plus rapides à construire.
Host : So perhaps the solution is a mix of both?
Alors peut-être que la solution est un mélange des deux ?

À retenir

  • a nuclear power plant, a reactor, radioactive waste, a meltdown, renewables, wind turbines, solar panels, emissions.
  • 3ᵉ conditionnel : If + had + participe passé, would have + participe passé ; inversion : Had they..., ... ; without it.

Exercice 1 : L'énergie nucléaire : exercice 1 (QCM)

  1. « une centrale nucléaire »
    1. a nuclear plant power
    2. a nuclear power plan
    3. a nuclear power plant
  2. « les déchets radioactifs »
    1. radioactive waste
    2. radioactive waist
    3. radioactive wasting
  3. Tchernobyl :
    1. 2011
    2. 1986
    3. 1966
  4. Fukushima :
    1. 1986
    2. 2011
    3. 2001
  5. If they had followed the rules, the disaster ___ avoided.
    1. will have been
    2. would have been
    3. would be
  6. Inversion de « If they had known » :
    1. Had they known
    2. Did they know
    3. Have they known
  7. Part de l'électricité française d'origine nucléaire :
    1. environ 10 %
    2. environ deux tiers
    3. 100 %
  8. « les énergies renouvelables »
    1. reusables
    2. renewables
    3. renewals
  9. « des éoliennes »
    1. wind turbines
    2. wing turbines
    3. wind turbans
  10. « Sans lui, la France aurait émis plus de CO2. »
    1. Without it, France would have emitted more CO2.
    2. Without it, France would emitted more CO2.
    3. Without it, France will have emitted more CO2.

Exercice 2 : L'énergie nucléaire : exercice 2 (à compléter)

  1. If safety rules had been followed, the disaster would have been .......................... .
  2. .......................... the operators followed the rules, it wouldn't have happened.
  3. Without it, France would have .......................... more CO2.
  4. We still don't know what to do with the .......................... .
  5. It's one of the .......................... -carbon sources of electricity. (low)
  6. Solar and wind are .......................... today. (cheap)
  7. a mix of ..........................
  8. a nuclear power ..........................
  9. If they had built more reactors, emissions would have .......................... . (fall)
  10. energy ..........................

Exercice 3 : L'énergie nucléaire : mise en situation

  1. Le nucléaire est-il la réponse ?
    1. Nuclear power is the answer to climate change?
    2. Is nuclear power the answer to climate change?
    3. Is nuclear power the answer at climate change?
  2. L'une des sources les moins émettrices.
    1. one of the lowest-carbon sources of electricity
    2. one of the lower-carbon source of electricity
    3. one of the most low-carbon source
  3. Sans lui, la France aurait émis plus.
    1. Without it, France would emitted far more CO2.
    2. Without it, France will have emitted far more CO2.
    3. Without it, France would have emitted far more CO2.
  4. On ne sait toujours pas quoi faire des déchets.
    1. We don't still know what to do with the waist.
    2. We still don't know what do with the waste.
    3. We still don't know what to do with the waste.
  5. S'ils avaient respecté les règles... (inversion)
    1. Did the operators follow the safety rules...
    2. Have the operators followed the safety rules...
    3. Had the operators followed the safety rules...
  6. ... la catastrophe ne serait jamais arrivée.
    1. ... the disaster would never have happened.
    2. ... the disaster will never have happened.
    3. ... the disaster would never happen yesterday.
  7. Le solaire et l'éolien sont moins chers.
    1. Solar and wind is cheaper to build.
    2. Solar and wind are more cheap and faster to build.
    3. Solar and wind are cheaper and faster to build.
  8. Un mélange des deux ?
    1. A mixing of both?
    2. A mix of both?
    3. A mix of the twos?
  9. Si on avait investi plus tôt, on aurait évité la crise.
    1. If we would have invested earlier, we would avoid the crisis.
    2. If we invested earlier, we will have avoided the crisis.
    3. If we had invested earlier, we would have avoided the crisis.
  10. Les déchets restent dangereux pendant des milliers d'années.
    1. The waste remains dangerous since thousands of years.
    2. The waste remains dangerous for thousands of years.
    3. The waist remains dangerous for thousand years.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. c) a nuclear power plant · 2. a) radioactive waste · 3. b) 1986 · 4. b) 2011 · 5. b) would have been · 6. a) Had they known · 7. b) environ deux tiers · 8. b) renewables · 9. a) wind turbines · 10. a) Without it, France would have emitted more CO2.

Exercice 2

1. avoided · 2. Had · 3. emitted · 4. waste · 5. lowest · 6. cheaper · 7. both · 8. plant · 9. fallen · 10. independence

Exercice 3

1. b) Is nuclear power the answer to climate change? · 2. a) one of the lowest-carbon sources of electricity · 3. c) Without it, France would have emitted far more CO2. · 4. c) We still don't know what to do with the waste. · 5. c) Had the operators followed the safety rules... · 6. a) ... the disaster would never have happened. · 7. c) Solar and wind are cheaper and faster to build. · 8. b) A mix of both? · 9. c) If we had invested earlier, we would have avoided the crisis. · 10. b) The waste remains dangerous for thousands of years.