Nuclear English – Teacher’s Notes

Introduction

The following teacher’s notes are designed to help teachers maximize the learning
potential of the Nuclear English course. They contain ideas for classroom
management and extension activities, supplementary grammar information as well as
background information for teachers not familiar with the nuclear field. In compiling
these notes, I have drawn on contemporary practice of teaching English as a foreign
language to adults as well as my own experience of piloting the course and as a
seasoned English language-teaching practitioner.

When using the notes, please consider the following:

i) The notes are not intended to be prescriptive: each class of students has
its own dynamic and needs and the teacher will have to adapt his/her
lessons accordingly.
ii) The notes are not comprehensive: there are no notes for those activities
considered to be self-explanatory.
iii) The notes are written from the perspective of a native-speaking English
language teacher. Non-native teachers may wish to play to their own
strengths e.g. by emphasizing grammar and translation rather than
speaking tasks in their lessons.

Before referring to the notes for individual units, please read the general guidelines
below for teaching Nuclear English courses.

General guidelines for teaching Nuclear English courses

Note: Ss = Students; BrE = British English; AmE = American English

• Pre- and post-assessment. Giving Ss a short assessment before and after the
course will help monitor progress and provide an incentive mechanism. The
assessment should include the following elements:
i) A short face-to-face interview to assess speaking and comprehension
levels. The first interview can also serve as an opportunity to determine
why the student needs to improve his / her English.
ii) A written task (e.g. Ss write a paragraph about their work)
iii) A grammar task (e.g. 15 questions from the Language Orientation Test)

• Encourage good language-learning habits. Professional and other commitments

often make it difficult for adult learners to study outside the classroom; however,
this type of learning will be crucial to your Ss’ progress during and after the
course. At the start of the course, ask Ss to discuss the issue of “What makes a
good language learner?” in pairs or small groups and get each student to write
down his/her top three ideas. Make a note of these ideas and then try to ensure
Ss practise what they preach during the course.
• Minimize teacher talk time. In English language teaching to adults, the teacher’s
role should be more “facilitator” than “leader”. Try to minimize the amount of
time you spend presenting to your Ss. Most adult learners enjoy and benefit from
talking about their work and they should be given plenty of opportunities to do
so. During discussions and role-plays, note down or make a mental note of any
errors then feed back corrections at the end of the activity.

• Retaining interest is paramount. Be discriminatory about the type of activities you

give to your Ss. For example, the article explaining the rudiments of radiation and
health found in section 3 of the Reactor Management lesson would not be
enormously stimulating for a radiological protection specialist.

• Do not overlook grammar. While a lot of your lesson should be devoted to skills
work (reading, writing, speaking and listening), do not overlook the importance
of grammar. As a general rule, give your Ss a grammar point or function to take
away from each class.

It is our intention to update these notes on a regular basis to reflect the comments of
users – both Ss and teachers. Please feel free to comment by contacting the World
Nuclear University Press at wnu@world-nuclear-university.org.

Serge Gorlin – Nov. 2005

1. Climate Change
The issue of climate change is central to the nuclear debate. While there may not be absolute proof
that the causes of climate change are anthropogenic, there is growing consensus that we are taking a
great risk by continuing to emit large volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The great
advantage of nuclear power is that we can obtain carbon-free energy on a massive scale without
adversely affecting the global economy.

1. Greenhouse Effect
Language focus (mis-, over-, under-)
As a follow-up activity, get pairs of Ss to write down and define five other words beginning with these
prefixes without the aid of a dictionary. This may throw up words such as underwrite (i.e. to insure) or
overtake (i.e. to get in front of) where the prefix has a different meaning to that in the exercise. With
advanced students, a task could be set to find a root word such as represent which can be used with all
three prefixes.

Changes in greenhouse gas levels

Pre-listening discussion
Get Ss to discuss the questions in pairs. Do not provide answers until they have listened to the extract
at least once.

Follow-up task
Possible errors: Thirty-one percents; 20 billions years. Note that in AmE, 420,000 = four hundred
twenty thousand (i.e. “and” is left out). This is also explained below and in the Appendix on p.141.

An additional activity could be to write down some fractions - 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 2/3 - and ask Ss to
read out.

2. Expressing Figures
Point out to Ss the fundamental importance of being to understand and express figures in English. They
will be tested on this area throughout the book.
i) Note that 1°C = one degree centigrade
iv) Note that “hundred”, “thousand”, “million” and “billion” are always singular when referring to
precise numbers. It is possible to use the plural when talking in more general terms e.g. There are
thousands of stars visible in the sky.
v) A dash between numbers is always pronounced “to”. “Percent” can also be written per cent in BrE.
vi) Note that a more logical answer to this question would be “three metres by three metres” as we
are talking about dimensions rather than an area. Three metres squared can mean both three square
metres and three metres by three metres (i.e. 9 square metres) and should therefore be avoided.
vii) When figures are used adjectivally, the “s” is not used.
viii) The 45 tonnes is viewed as a single amount.
ix) Numbers after the decimal point are pronounced individually.
Note also 37/93 = thirty seven over ninety three; 108 = ten to the power of eight

Speedy calculation game

Based on a number game used in the game shows Countdown (UK) and Des Chiffres et des Lettres
(France).

Information box (differences between AmE and BrE in expressing figures)

8,565: BrE uses an “and” before the ten.
In dates, Americans often use a cardinal instead of an ordinal number e.g. March ten, two thousand
three.
British speakers tend to only use “fourteen hundred” when talking about a time in a timetable.

3. Describing Trends
b) Check that Ss have understood the meaning of “four-fold” by asking what the global population was
at the start of the twentieth century.
 “9 out of 10” can also be expressed 9 in 10.
Give extra practice on 15 v 50, 19 v 90 etc. through a dictation exercise if required. Note that fifteen
tends to be stressed on the second syllable whereas “fifty” is always stressed on the first syllable.

Follow-up practice
Monitor discussions and note down any errors.
Select certain Ss to report their ideas to the class.
Give corrections to the class at the end of the activity.

Terminology builder
i) Note: “bottoming out” – levelling off after a steady fall in rates; “recovery” – an improvement after a
downwards trend.

ii) Note that in BrE, the verbs “decrease” and “increase” are usually stressed on the second syllable,
whereas the noun form is usually stressed on the first syllable. The adjective “stable” is stressed on the
first syllable, whereas “stability” is stressed on the second syllable.

Speaking tasks
Note that both graphs are based on figures and forecasts given by Minatom – the former Ministry of
Atomic Energy in Russia – in 2002.
a) “Load factor” (also called capacity factor) is an important indicator of a nuclear power plant’s
performance. It is the ratio of the electricity generated, for a particular time, against the energy that
could have been generated at continuous full-power operation during the same period (see also
Glossary and US NRC glossary).
c) This could be done as a homework task

4. Nuclear Revival
Pre-reading tasks
i) The term “renaissance” also refers to the period in Europe after the Middle Ages when culture and
learning resumed its central role. Note that it can be pronounced both rnesns and rensns –
the former being closer to the original French.
ii) Set a time limit on how long Ss are allowed to choose their points.

Reading
Note that “two orders of magnitude” is 102. In other words, nuclear emits a hundred times less carbon
than fossil fuels.

Final discussion
Appoint a chairman to note down the recommendations of the groups. He/she must encourage the
class to adopt a resolution to be handed to the governments of the world. The resolution will consist
of the three most popular recommendations.
2. Uranium Mining
Preliminary tasks
Discussion
Go to www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf23.htm for more information on the world’s biggest uranium
producers.
Go to www.world-nuclear.org/education/mining.htm for information about the mining process.
Key terms
Note that the noun form of “extract” is pronounced ekstrækt - in other words, the stress moves to
the first syllable and the vowel sound changes. Other verbs behave like extract such as produce,
contract and object.

1. Mining and Milling

There are no notes for this section.

2. High-grade Mines
Language focus: Quantifiers
A few / A little v few / little: Another way of explaining the difference between a few / a little and few /
little is that the former mean some and the latter mean not much / not many.

For more information about McArthur River, read the excellent article from TIME entitled “Nuclear
Rock” available at: www.world-nuclear.org/opinion/time240203.htm

3. Radiological Protection
: (07)
Optional follow-up task
North Americans often pronounce mid-position “t” like a “d” e.g. water – wd (AmE)
Get Ss to listen to the extract again and note down any words where “t” is pronounced in the North
American way.
Suggested answers: “automatically”; “ventilation”; “mitigative”

Language focus: Stating conditions

Ask Ss what word can be used instead of “providing”, “on condition” etc. (if). Note, however, that the
expressions used in the language focus give more emphasis than if.

4. Negotiation
Role-play
Pre-teach vocabulary such as “inflation”, “strike”, “productivity” and “shift”. Practise by asking Ss e.g.
what the level of inflation is in their country.
Set a time limit (e.g. 10 minutes) and stress to Ss that they must reach an agreement within that time.
The activity is designed so that only one student can reach the eleven points. The negotiation will get
quite heated!
Follow-up task
Ss may have a different approach to negotiation depending on their nationality. For example, Swedes
rarely try to get to know the people they are doing business with on a personal level as they think this
is insincere. Americans have a reputation for driving a very “hard bargain”. Russians feel that is
important to talk about non-business subjects before beginning a negotiation. The Japanese believe that
both sides must feel they have gained something from a negotiation.

Language focus: Negotiating language

Ask Ss what tense is used in the “if” clause of first and second conditional sentences (present tense for
1st and simple past for 2nd). Ask Ss what tense is used in the main clause of first and second conditional
sentences (future for 1st and the conditional for 2nd).
3. Fuel Manufacturing
Preliminary tasks
Question-forming
Note that at Sizewell B power station in the UK, a PWR fuel assembly consists of 264 zirconium alloy
tubes, each containing about 300 pellets.
Almost all types of LWR fuel contain uranium with a 3-5% U-235 enrichment level. Suggested answer
in Answer Key for “3%” should be What is a normal level of enrichment for LWR fuel?

1. Conversion, Enrichment and Reconversion

Language focus: Greek prefixes
An additional activity could be to ask Ss to think of words beginning with the prefix bi- / bin- e.g.
bicycle, bilateral, binary, binoculars. Bi - / bin- prefix originates from Latin and means two.

2. Pellet Manufacture
: (10)
b) Before 2nd listening, make sure that Ss understand meaning of:
“sinter” - to make a metal powder bind together into a mass by heating
“green pellet” – a pellet that hasn’t been fired yet in the furnace (it is not actually green in colour!)
“crude” – basic, not yet well-formed

3. Fuel Assembly
Vocabulary builder: Related words
ii) This is a good opportunity for dictionary practice i.e. to make sure that Ss understand dictionary
abbreviations for noun and verb etc. If the Ss have already covered Unit 1, Climate Change, you can
ask whether the verb forms are transitive or intransitive (they are both with the exception of “make
flexible” and “make elastic” which are tr.).
iii) Could be set as homework

4. Giving Instructions
Reading / Writing task
Ask Ss whether they are likely to need a respirator on a fuel manufacturing plant (no because the risk
of contamination is low). The exercise is included because it deals with a process and sequencers.
Pre-teach: “chin”, “temple”, “harness” and “strap”.
b) Suggested
Before donning the respirator, the five straps must be extended to their full length. The next stage is to
pull the harness over the head while the chin is placed in the chin cup. Having ensured that the
respirator is seated on the face and the chin is properly in the chin cup, pulling of the straps can begin.
Simultaneously, hold the mask with one hand and draw the neck strap directly backwards along the
side of the head with the other. Once both neck straps are tightened in this way, begin with the
temple straps. Again, they should be drawn directly along the sides of the head. Next, the single top
strap is drawn. Having drawn all the straps, it may be necessary to tighten the neck straps again. Before
using the mask in an active area, check that you have constant contact between the seal and your skin
around the whole seal and chin cup. Then, try moving the mask sideways to verify that there is no
slippage. Finally, inhale sharply while covering the filter opening to ensure that the respirator is
properly fitted. If the respirator collapses onto your face and holds for 5 seconds, a seal has been
achieved. If you are unable to seal, contact your supervisor immediately.

5. Safety on a Fuel Manufacturing Plant

: (13)
Point out to Ss that when the engineer says: “… but the great danger is to prevent it from entering the
lungs and producing a body burden…”, he means to say that the important thing is to stop radioactive
dust entering the lungs and producing a body burden or that the great danger is from radioactive
material entering the lungs and producing a body burden.
Note that keeping a room or building containing radioactive material under low or negative pressure
ensures that radioactive dust would not escape even if the containment of that room / building were
breached.
4. Reactor Management
Preliminary tasks
Discussion
Note that although nuclear power stations have radiological protection systems in place, coal-fired
power stations emit much more radiation. Reactor operators have to run daily checks when the
reactor is operating to make sure back-up safety systems are working.

1. Control Room
Pre-reading
a) Pre-teach “refresher”.
Note that according to the owners of Sizewell B, British Energy, even the carpet in the simulator is the
same colour as in the main control room.
b) See Glossary for definition of “coolant”.

Follow-up tasks
c) Select Ss to give a presentation about the department where they work, the roles of the various
staff and to whom they report.

: (15)
The “plant overview panel” is an extra back-up system, unique to Sizewell B; it was installed as a result
of the lessons learnt following Three Mile Island. It supplements the information coming through the
distributed computer system and the reports of technicians on the plant.

2. Outage
Discussion
Unless Ss are at a very advanced level of English, it may be a good idea to pre-teach “delegate”,
“contingency”, “prioritize”, “log” and “unproductive”, all of which are Business English terms.
Encourage Ss to think of examples from their working lives.

Reading
This short article is designed to introduce the topic of outages and some of the key terms.

Follow-up tasks
a)
i) This will vary from country to country. In Sweden, outages tend to be carried out in summer when
there is a lot of hydroelectric power thanks to the thawing of ice in the spring. In Japan, outages are
never held in summer, when a large amount of electricity is required for air conditioning.
ii) Will vary from country to country. A consortium led by Framatome has carried out outages in the
UK and Spain.
iii) Varies
iv) Varies
v) In Japan, there is a regulatory requirement to carry out maintenance on a reactor every 13 months.

: (16)
Note that the retirement of many nuclear engineers because of age has led to a shortage of skilled
labour in the industry, particularly in countries like the US. The problem is felt most during outages,
when nuclear plants need a large number of engineers working around the clock. The dialogue is based
on articles featured in Nuclear News, the journal of the American Nuclear Society.

Language practice: Future tenses

Ss may need further practice on this subtle area of grammar. See Hewings: Advanced Grammar in Use
(Cambridge).

3. Effects of Radiation Exposure

Pre-reading tasks
b) Encourage Ss to spend only a couple of minutes on this activity. They will be able to answer once
they have read the text.
5. Transport
Preliminary tasks
Warm-up
Note that mining and milling facilities are sometimes co-located. In the UK, conversion, reconversion
and fuel manufacturing facilities are co-located at the Springfields plant. These days, spent fuel is often
stored at the reactor site.

Key terms
Note that the noun “leaktightness” is also commonly used in the nuclear industry.

1. Transport Terminology
Pre-listening discussion
Get Ss to report back any interesting points after their discussion.
Ask Ss if they know another word for terminology with negative connotations i.e. jargon.

: (18)
The use of the term “packaging” to denote a countable noun is a little confusing. It appears to derive
from the French noun emballage (m), which can be used in French to denote a “cask” or a
“packaging”.

Follow-up task: Confusing terms

Note that in French the verb contrôler means “to check” and that sécurité means both “safety” and
“security”.
You can ask the Ss to think of some other consignor / consignee type pairings e.g. employer /
employee.

Language focus: Relative pronouns

Note that a relative pronoun is not necessary when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause:
The French use the same process (that / which) the Americans used to use.

Note that in defining relative clauses, “that” often replaces “which” / “who”:
Fermi is the man that / who built the first nuclear reactor.

However, in non-defining relative clauses, who / which and not that must be used:
Fermi, who built the first nuclear reactor, was from Italy.

2. Describing Objects
Note that the trunnions in the diagram of the spent fuel cask should stick out more.

Terminology builder: Describing shape

b) Encourage Ss to look around the classroom to obtain ideas.

Pair-work activity: Password

A good activity that can be used in any lesson for practising vocabulary, giving definitions etc.

Group work activity

Based on the games “Call my bluff” and “Balderdash”. Ss will have to be both creative and
grammatically accurate as they write down their definitions.
In the game Balderdash, a point is scored each time you guess the correct definition and each time
another person or team selects your definition.
Prevent Ss looking up the definitions in the Answer Key.

3. Incidents involving the Transport of Radioactive Materials

Reading
Where there are several Ss in the class, the teacher can ask each student to read one article within a
given timeframe, say two-three minutes. Ss then mingle (i.e. go around the class talking to each other),
re-telling the event in the article to as many other Ss as possible within another timeframe, say five
minutes. The categorization and comprehension tasks can then be conducted as a whole class activity.

Note that: Bq, KBq, MBq, GBq, TBq and PBq are abbreviations meaning becquerel(s),
kilobecquerel(s), megabecquerel(s), gigabecquerel(s), terabecquerel(s) and petabecquerel(s)
respectively.
6. Reprocessing
1. Reprocessing Debate
This section introduces the functional language used in the context of a debate i.e. expressions for
agreeing, disagreeing, asking for clarification etc. It also provides opportunities for practice.

: Part 1 (20)
As a follow-up task, get Ss to listen closely to the pronunciation of “What do you” in “What do you
think of reprocessing?” and to write down what they hear phonetically or at least in Latin letters.
Acceptable answers: wd, wdu, wodja or wodju. Explain that this kind of contraction is
common in natural spoken English. You can do the same with Did you (Didja) and Would you (wudja).

: Part 2 (21) & : Part 3 (22)

No notes

Follow-up task
Allow Ss to respond spontaneously to the statements using expressions they learnt during the previous
listening exercise or expressions they already know. Note down any new expressions and read out at
the end of the task; Ss identify the function.

Language focus: Phrasal verbs

Introduces Ss to the concept of language register. Native speakers commonly use phrasal verbs,
especially when they are talking to people in their work or social circle. They are generally not
considered a suitable form of written English.

Note that to “come on line” means to be connected to the electrical grid.

Phrasal verbs: Word order

Task 3
Note that there should be a vertical line between compensate and divide.

2. Molten Salts Reprocessing

Follow-up task
Monitor dialogues, noting down errors, which should be fed back at the end of the activity.

Language focus: Describing purpose

Ss will have used clauses of purpose; however, there is a strong likelihood that they will not have been
using them entirely accurately. This section gives Ss an opportunity to review the rules applying to
clauses of purpose and to rectify habits that may have become fossilized.

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Molten Salts Reprocessing

Speaking
Allow Ss to speculate on what the disadvantages of this technology might be. This will prepare them
for the listening task that follows.
7. Decommissioning
The tasks in this unit should be done in order.
Preliminary tasks
Discussion
What is decommissioning?
See also definition at: www.eu-decom.be/siteentrance/index.htm
To help Ss understand the meaning of the term “decommissioning”, contrast with the idea of
commissioning i.e. the series of actions taken prior to a plant’s entry into service.

Introduction
Let Ss speculate on the size and weight of the heat exchanger. Check the location of Windscale - West
Cumbria in N.W England; the new name for the Windscale site – Sellafield; the name of the sea in the
background - Irish Sea. Point out that the golf-ball shaped WAGR structure is an iconic image of the UK
nuclear industry. Check meaning of “pioneering” – new, innovative, exploratory.

1. Stages of Decommissioning
Matching activity
Ss look at the six images. Point out that the images show a cross-section of the WAGR reactor
pictured on p 76. Get students to read out the five labels. To help them complete the exercise, ask: “In
which images can you see the refuelling machine?”; “In which images can you see the dismantling
machine?”; “In which images can you see the heat exchangers?”

Follow-up task
Encourage Ss to use sequencers such as “then”, “after that”, “next”, “finally” as found in Unit 3.

: (27) What happens next?

Before listening, get Ss to predict what the future stages may be. Ask how long they think it will take to
complete decommissioning.

2. What Lessons have been Learnt?

There are no notes for this section

3. Dealing with the Waste

: (29) This is a challenging listening exercise because of the background noise, the speaker’s accent
and the pace of speech.
Pre-teach the adjective “dense” (ask Ss to give the noun form) and “encapsulation” (see Glossary).
“Magnetite” is a mineral composed of iron oxide.
“Chippings” is another word for chips, in other words, small pieces.

Follow-up task
This link between this task and the previous one is the word “encapsulate”.

Heat Exchanger Removal

Before getting Ss to read through the statistics on the crane and the transporter, ask them to comment
on the images on p 84.
If you feel the pair-work gap-fill task will be too complicated for your Ss, prepare them by doing the
following matching task:

Match the following terms from the reading text with a definition in the box below:

articulated lorry / drainage / sewers / swab / county / outrider / kerb / convoy / weatherproof

• underground pipes or tunnels for removing domestic or industrial waste to a treatment plant • series
of vehicles • to wipe with a piece of material which is then checked for contamination • truck (usually
large) consisting of tractor and trailer • a system of pipes for removing water etc. • able to withstand
any weather without deterioration • edge between road and pavement usually composed of a line of
stones • administrative area of a country or state • people who go in advance of a convoy to check the
route

Role-play
Give Ss time to write down questions and answers then divide class into groups to perform role-play.
Role-play can be recorded (audio or video) and played back. Ask Ss to correct own mistakes.
Alternatively, teacher monitors role-play and feeds back errors to class. Another possibility could be to
invite a public relations expert to observe and comment on the role-plays.
8. Deep Geological Disposal
Preliminary tasks
Discussion
i) Note that we are referring to long-term high-level waste here. Radioactive waste is divided into
categories according to the concentration of radioactive material in the material, how long the material
will remain hazardous and the amount of heat it generates. The three main waste categories are low-
level, intermediate-level and high-level. High-level waste, such as fission products from reprocessing,
will only be disposed of under ground once its radioactive level has decreased to about a thousandth of
its original level; this will take 20-50 years. Go to www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf60.htm for more
information.

1. Describing Materials
Vocabulary builder
Note that:
Cast iron - iron with carbon content (1.7 – 4.5 %) which makes it very hard. Can only be made by
casting, not by hammering.
Clay is a type of soil which is plastic when wet but hardens on heating. Used for bricks, cement,
ceramics etc.
Ceramic – hard and brittle material made by firing clay etc

Elicit other words which can be used with “-resistant” e.g. friction-resistant, water-resistant, fire-
resistant, heat-resistant

Elicit any opposites in the properties column: light / dense, inert / reactive

Point out that the prefix “non-” can be used to negate other words besides “flammable” e.g. non-
reactive, non-insulating (see p 118)

Check the opposite of non-flammable (flammable or the very confusing inflammable) and other words
in the properties column e.g. transparent / opaque.

Speaking
Look for stainless steel objects like door handles (corrosion-resistant); plastic in lampshades, plug
sockets and furniture (light, non-reactive, durable, insulating); fibreglass objects (strong, fire-resistant);
wool or cloth in carpets, rugs and clothing (insulating, soft, light); bags and coats made from synthetic
materials (strong, light, durable); leather objects (insulating, durable); paper (flammable, light)

: (31)
Check no “s” on thousand in reading of “one hundred thousand”.
Prior to listening, go through the words in the table to check Ss’ understanding.
“Canister” is a type of container, usually made of metal.
“Absorbency” is the ability to hold liquids.
An “engineered” barrier is a man-made barrier. Elicit nouns related to “engineered” i.e. engineer,
engineering

Follow-up discussion
ii) Possibly titanium, which is very corrosion-resistant.

2. Expressing Probability
Task 1
i) Note that temperatures in the tunnels of a repository could be as high as 200°C if the waste
packages are packed close together.

ii) Explain that the degrees of probability are approximate.

Task 2
As a warm-up activity, ask Ss to predict the weather, the outcome of an important sport’s game,
political event etc.
“Another patient of nuclear medicine sets off radiation detector alarm in New York tunnel”. Note that: “A bus
passenger who had been treated with 370 MBq of iodine-131 set off a detector alarm in the Lincoln
Tunnel to New Jersey in March. More such incidents with patients of nuclear medicine are expected as
anti-terrorist radiation surveillance becomes widespread.” - WNA Newsletter July-Aug 2003.
“Ontario extends tax breaks to nuclear power”. Note that: The Ontario government extended tax
concessions from renewables to nuclear power in 2003. The concessions were brought in to
encourage more generation from "clean, alternative or renewable energy sources”. The US
government has also made financial concessions to nuclear power in their latest energy act.

3. Presenting an Argument
: (32) Point out the vowel-consonant linking between words and the use of schwa in unstressed
syllables in “there is a lot of evidence for saying” (see p 115).

4. A Natural Nuclear Reactor

Some of the Ss may already have heard or read about the Oklo reactor. If this is the case, ask them to
explain what they know to the rest of the class.

Reading
Pre-teach “porous” – allowing water or liquid to pass.

Follow-up tasks
There is an omission in the Answer Key. The definition - “The loss of neutrons from the core through
core boundaries” - is referring to “buckling”.

Speaking
Monitor dialogues and feed back errors to Ss.
Note that when talking about deduction, we use must have in affirmative sentences, but can’t
have and can have in negative sentences and questions.
Examples:
He must have left already
He can’t have left already (not He mustn’t have left already)
Can he have left already? (not Must he have left already?)
9. Other Nuclear Applications
1. Radioisotopes in Medicine
Follow-up tasks
c) Arguments that could be used to reassure the patient include:
- The radioactive iodine will only affect the thyroid and not other parts of the body
- The iodine used will have a short half-life
- The iodine used will have a low activity

Language focus: Relative clauses

See also Language focus on p 58 dealing with relative pronouns

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

No notes

2. Silent Crisis
Pre-listening discussion
Health education programmes are useful for prevention.
Traditional medicines and treatments are sometimes not scientifically proven.
Radiotherapy is concerned with treatment (cure and pain relief). There are sometimes side effects.

Language focus: - able

The text has been contrived to allow Ss to practise the structure -able.
“Arguably” and “undeniably” could (arguably!) change places; “detectable” could replace “traceable”
and but not vice-versa.

3. Sterile Insect Technique

: Part 1 (37)
Before listening, ask Ss to define or guess the meaning of “entomologist” i.e. a scientist specialized in
insects.

Language focus: Phrasal verbs with the particle off

As you are doing the exercise, ask Ss whether the phrasal verb is an: a) “kill off” b) “fall off”
c) “fence off” type of verb.
i) c)
ii) a)
iii) none
iv) b)
v) a)
vi) a) / a)
vii) a)
viii) none
ix) a)
x) a)

Language focus: Present perfect

For less advanced Ss, it may be necessary to do a general review of tenses (including the past perfect
and the difference between present perfect and past simple) before attempting this fairly difficult gap-
fill exercise. Good reference books for this area include: Michael Swan - Practical English Usage
(Oxford); Peter Strutt - Longman Business English Usage (Longman); Raymond Murphy – English
Grammar in Use (Cambridge)
10. Safeguards and Security
Preliminary tasks
Key terms
Extension: Ask Ss to think of five other words ending in “-tion”. Where does the stress fall?
(Penultimate syllable)
Get Ss to think of other words ending in “-ance” e.g. France, dance, alliance, advance, performance,
maintenance, surveillance. Where does the stress fall? What happens to the “a” in “-ance” when the
final syllable is not stressed? (Changes to schwa).

1. Role of the Inspector

Pre-listening task
Note that the definition of “in the field” should be in the area where operations are taking place.
Use photos at bottom of page to illustrate “seal”. In a different context, a seal is a leaktight connection
preventing the escape of gas or liquid.

: Part 1 (40)
Before listening, check meaning of “destructive” i.e. causing destruction (elicit noun and verb form i.e.
destruction / destroy) and “sampling” i.e. taking a small quantity of something for analysis.
After listening, bring Ss’ attention to the photographs and ask them to speculate on what is happening:
in the bottom right-hand picture, an inspector is performing non-destructive analysis on a fuel assembly
using a hand-held gamma spectrometry device to check the level of enrichment; in the top picture, an
inspector is performing maintenance on a surveillance camera in a reactor hall. A photo essay entitled
“Training the Nuclear Watchdogs” showing these and similar images can be viewed at
www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia.

Inspectors’ system of work

Pre-listening task
“Accounting” can be a “system” but also the practice of keeping a quantitative record of resources.

2. Weakness in the NPT

: (42)
Jasani uses the present tense as he is looking at the situation from the perspective of the IAEA in the
early to mid-1990s - this was the period the Agency discovered that Iraq and N. Korea had not been
complying with their NPT obligations. He argues in this extract that member states may turn a blind
eye to another member state’s illegal nuclear weapons’ programme if it is in their interests to do so
and that the Agency should therefore not rely on its members (e.g. through providing images from
military satellites) for information.
Ask Ss whether they agree with Prof. Jasani that the only way undeclared nuclear facilities can be
revealed is if another State informs the Agency. You could mention that opponents within the State
revealed the undeclared Iranian nuclear facilities and the Israeli nuclear weapons programme.

3. Satellite Imagery
Language focus: Verb + preposition + -ing; verb + ing
Note that a “rogue state” is usually seen as one that does not comply with international treaties and
sponsors terrorism.
“Iraq war” - 2003 war to depose Saddam Hussein

Language focus: Enough

Watch out for errors such as enough well-informed. Well-informed enough is not as commonly used as
“well-enough informed”.

Types of sensor used in satellites

Language focus: For + noun + infinitive

See p 73 for a description of when to use “for + ing”.
4. Disused Radioactive Sources
Pre-listening
Allow a class discussion to develop if the Ss seem motivated and have interesting points to make.

: Part 1 (45)
a) Note that Ss may have problems distinguishing “fifty” from fifteen in iii) (they may also think that it is
“fifty” rather than “fifty thousand”) and “sixty” from sixteen in v).

Pronunciation: Stress and linking

Point out the reduction of “and” in “ladies and gentlemen” to “n”

Task 1
Examples of expressions containing linking between words: “with an overview of”; “focus on”;
“particular issue”; “of abandoned or orphan sources”.
Point out the insertion of “w” between “go” and “along”.
Key syllables emphasized by the voice-over artist: “today”; “disused”; “begin”; “overview”; “orphan”;
“abandoned”; “measures”; “by”; “IAEA” (note that IAEA is usually stressed on the final letter).
11. Safety
1. Warning Signs
Ss work individually or in pairs to find the correct words for each sign.

Language focus: Prefix non-

Besides its use in written English, the “non” prefix is useful for creating unambiguous spoken negative
forms (the second “n” can be extended for emphasis).
The “non” is often separated from the word it prefixes by a hyphen. There is no real consistency in
this area: the NPT is officially written “Non-proliferation Treaty by the UN; however
“nonproliferation” appears in the Collins English Dictionary.
Ask Ss to practise the “non-” prefixed words in pairs.
Initiate by asking a student: Are these protective gloves? Do you think that the contents of this bottle
are non-flammable?

Vocabulary practice
j) Note sodium chloride can be considered toxic in high concentrations

Pronunciation
Encourage Ss to use an English-English dictionary if they have doubts about where the stress goes.
Highlight how stress is normally indicated in English dictionaries (See How to use book and
Pronunciation Key).

2. Duties of a Nuclear Employer

Discussion
This discussion activity would work best with Ss from different workplaces. Encourage Ss who work
together to talk about previous workplaces.
Ask Ss to report back interesting points to the rest of the class.

Language focus: Making comparisons

As…as
This exercise tests Ss’ knowledge of when to use adjectives and adverbs as well as countable and
uncountable nouns. Possible mistakes: twice as many data; We’re working as quick as possible; should
have a health check as regular as possible. Ss may need to be reminded that “fast” can be used both as
an adjective and an adverb. Ask for other examples of adjectives which behave like fast e.g. hard,
straight, late, high and low.

Even + comparative
This exercise tests Ss’ knowledge of irregular comparative forms (better, worse, further/farther, less).
Ss may need to be reminded that “less” is used with uncountable nouns and “fewer” with countable
nouns.

3. Safety Culture
Pre-listening discussion
The purpose of this discussion is to prepare Ss for the listening activity.
Encourage Ss to use examples from their own experience to support their opinions.

Questionnaire
This is based on a questionnaire compiled by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
in the UK.

Optional pre-reading task

Put the 5 phrases in the box on the board. Ask Ss to discuss in pairs if:
a) They already know the words
b) They can guess the meaning from the context
c) They need to check the meaning with the teacher
I always report near misses
unsecured bits of flooring are sometimes a hazard
the development of health and safety procedures
The well-being of all is more important than productivity
Management only respond to health and safety issues

Near miss – event where an accident is narrowly avoided

Unsecured - not fixed down firmly
Hazard - a danger or risk
Procedure - an officially established way of doing something
Well-being - the state of being healthy and safe
Productivity - the rate at which a company produces goods
Respond - to say or do something in reaction to something that has been done

Speaking
Make sure Ss note down their partners’ answers and not their own - this is to ensure that the
discussion works as a speaking activity rather than a silent reading task.
If Ss work at a nuclear facility, their score should be close to 24. Encourage Ss to compare answers and
free practice amongst the class on the issue of safety culture. This discussion will work best if the class
is multinational.

4. Describing an incident
Remind Ss that, when summarizing, you don’t have to include every detail.
Before the summarizing activity, the teacher may like to present the INES scale below to the class
(although this may cause some confusion as this section of the unit is called “Describing an Incident”
and story iii) is technically not an “incident” according to the scale.)

Pre-teach the following for the reading passages:

i) “Pickering” is in Canada.
“CANDU” stands for Canadian deuterium uranium reactor, a Canadian-designed reactor that is
moderated and (usually) cooled by heavy water (deuterium oxide).
“Outage” - period when the reactor is shut down, usually for the purposes of carrying out planned
maintenance work.

ii) “Resuscitate” – bring back to life or consciousness

“Fatality” – death

iii) “Shielded cell” – a sealed room which shields those outside against radiation
“To swab” – to wipe using absorbent material

Do not overcorrect Ss as they are giving their summaries. There will be an opportunity for controlled
practice at the end of this section of the lesson.
Language focus: Cause and result
Write down sentences used by the Ss to describe the cause and result of the 4 incidents in 4 a) and b).
Ask Ss to identify the part of the sentence that describes the cause and that which describes the result.
Use this as a lead-in to the language tables showing ways of expressing cause and result. Ask Ss to
identify which connecting words and phrases are followed by a verb and which ones by a noun.

Language focus: Describing near misses

Focus on the two examples and ask some concept questions to focus first on meaning then on form
e.g. Was he wearing a helmet?; Was the diver killed?; When did this incident happen?; What tense is
“had not been”?; Can we say If it had not been for his helmet?
Get Ss to work in pairs to complete the sentence formation task. Note: “stack” - vertical pipe;
“asphyxiate” - prevent from breathing. The third conditional is a complicated structure: give Ss time to
formulate their answers.

5. Nuclear Installation Safety

Pre-listening task
Encourage Ss to work together to produce oral or written definitions of the five terms. Get Ss to
check in an English dictionary or with a teacher to see how accurate their definitions are.

Terminology builder
Pre-teach the term “Design basis accident” i.e. accident conditions against which a nuclear power plant
is designed.
12. Research and Development
Preliminary discussion
According to Edison, good R&D would seem to be the fruit of hard work. Einstein seems to be
emphasizing the importance of creative thinking in scientific R&D.
Other potential topics of discussion are: funding for nuclear R&D, which, outside Japan, has been
severely cut back in recent years; the importance of blue-sky research i.e. research which is not allied
to a concrete goal. The lack of willingness of governments and institutes to invest in this type of
research will lead to stagnation in scientific development, according to some.

1. Pioneers
Gap-fill task
Another way of managing this activity is to get Ss to do a gap-fill task each and then to select four Ss to
retell their story to the rest of the class.
Speaking
b) This could be set as a homework activity to give Ss time to prepare an interesting tale.

2. Cushion Transfer Technology

Pre-listening
Ss may have noticed how an object moves across a washing machine in a certain direction when it is in
spin mode.

3. Pebble Bed Reactors

Language focus: -proof
Point out to Ss that -proof words are sometimes hyphenated e.g. meltdown-proof, sometimes not e.g.
waterproof. Ss can check this in a dictionary.

Pre-listening task
Note prefix “mis-” suggests an error. (See p 7)
: (54)
Follow-up discussion
Go to: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf08.htm for more information about advanced nuclear
power reactors.