Israel Builds World's Largest Solar Tower

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

solar

Adjective

ˈsoʊlər

relating to energy produced using the sun's rays

The family installed solar panels on the roof.

Solar energy can help save money.

leap

Noun

liːp

a sudden large change or increase in something

There has been a leap in the number of people out of work.

power station

Noun

ˈpaʊər steɪʃn

a building or group of buildings where electricity is produced

He works in a nuclear power station.

surround

Verb

səˈraʊnd

to be all around someone or something

The guards surrounded the man as he tried to leave the bank.

She is surrounded by a group of admirers.

The king is surrounded and has no escape.

Wherever she goes, she's always surrounded by men.

It's a really good feeling walking through the valley surrounded by mountains.

There are beautiful trees on the grounds that surround our building.

concentrate

Verb

ˈkɑːnsntreɪt

to give all of one's attention to a particular thing

This devise will help concentrate the heat in one place.

He is concentrating hard on his work.

He found it difficult to concentrate.

Their loud conversations kept me from concentrating on my work.

I'd like you to concentrate on this project today.

boiler

Noun

ˈbɔɪlər

a device that heats water, especially to provide heating and hot water in a house

Our boiler is broken, which is why we need to call a repairman.

steam

Noun

stiːm

the gas that is produced when water boils

Steam is coming out of the pipe.

This train has a steam engine.

turbine

Noun

ˈtɜːrbaɪn

a machine or an engine that receives its power from a wheel that is turned by the pressure of water, air or gas

A defect was found in the turbine of the ship's engine.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Israel Builds World's Largest Solar Tower

Israel, a sunny country along the Mediterranean Sea, is a perfect place for solar power. Even so, solar power supplies only a small percentage of the country's energy needs.

But that situation is beginning to change.

In 2018, Israel's small solar industry will take a giant leap forward when a new solar tower starts working.

The tower will be 250 meters tall. It will be the tallest solar tower in the world. This information comes from Eran Gartner, the CEO of Megalim Power Limited.

The power station, Gartner says, will be surrounded by 50,000 mirrors spread over 3 square kilometers. The mirrors will concentrate all of the sunlight onto the solar tower.

Here is how it works: Gartner explains that a boiler is at the top of the tower. It will use the heat of the Sun to turn water into steam. The steam will make a turbine turn. The turning will create power.

There are already a dozen similar solar tower fields around the world. Currently, the largest is the Ivanpah plant in California. It has some 170,000 mirrors around three towers which are each 140 meters tall.

Exercise 3

Questions

When will the new solar tower start working in Israel?

Why will this particular tower be special?

What is the largest solar tower field in the world at the moment?

Exercise 4

Discussion

How does your country generate power?

Do you have solar towers in your country?

Do you think that, in the future, we will only rely on renewable energy sources?

Advanced Exercises

The following exercises are for an additional lesson.

Exercise 5

Summary

Please describe the main topic of the article with 1 or 2 sentences. (1-2 minutes) Take your time to organize your thoughts first.

Exercise 6

Discussion

Do you think that switching to renewable energy sources will only have a positive impact on the environment? Why or why not?

What kind of pollution do you think is the most harmful to human health?

Is there an easy way to make people stop polluting the environment once and for all? If so, what is it?

Why do you think that some countries don’t take any action to fight pollution?

"Water and air, the two essentials on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans." Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.