Chapter 17 and 18

Question 1

Life as we know it would be very different without the fuels or products formed from _______________ and _______________ that lived alongside the dinosaurs.

Answer 1

plants

animals

Question 2

Most of the energy we use comes from a group of natural resources called _______________ _______________ .

Answer 2

fossil fuels

Question 3

Fossil fuels are the remains of _______________ _______________ that changed into coal, oil, or natural gas.

Answer 3

ancient organisms

Question 4

What are two main problems with fossil fuels?
A) __________________________________________
B) __________________________________________

Answer 4

Supply of fossil fuels is limited

Obtaining and using them causes environmental problems

Question 5

Fuels are used for five main purposes: for _______________ , _______________ , _______________ , _______________ , and _______________ buildings, and _______________ _______________ to run machines and appliances.

Answer 5

cooking
transportation
manufacturing
heating
cooling
generating electricity

Question 6

The suitability of a fuel for each application depends on the fuel’s _______________ _______________ , _______________ , _______________ , and _______________ , and the byproducts of the fuel’s use.

Answer 6

energy content
cost
availability
safety

Question 7

The energy in fuels is often converted into _______________ energy in order to power machines, because electricity is more convenient to use.

Answer 7

electrical

Question 8

Electricity can be transported quickly across great distances, such as an entire state, or across tiny distances, such as inside a _______________ chip.

Answer 8

computer

Question 9

Two disadvantages of electricity are that it is _______________ to _______________ and other energy sources have to be used to _______________ it.

Answer 9

difficult
store
generate

Question 10

An electric generator is a machine that converts _______________ energy, or motion, into _______________ energy.

Answer 10

mechanical

electrical

Question 11

_______________ produce electrical energy by moving an electrically conductive material within a magnetic field. Most commercial electric generators convert the movement of a _______________ into electrical energy. A turbine is a wheel that changes the force of a moving gas or liquid into energy that can do work. In most power plants, _______________ is boiled to produce the steam that turns the turbine.

Answer 11

Generators
turbine
water

Question 12

Energy product requires _______________ to produce.

Answer 12

energy

Question 13

People in _______________ societies use much more energy than people in _______________ countries do. However, energy use in some developing countries is growing rapidly.

Answer 13

developed

developing

Question 14

A person in Canada or the United States uses more than _______________ as much energy as a person in Japan or Switzerland does.

Answer 14

twice

Question 15

The United States uses more energy per person than any other country in the world except _______________ and the _______________ _______________ _______________ .

Answer 15

Canada

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Question 16

The United States uses more than _______________ percent of its energy resources to transport goods and people, mainly by trucks and personal vehicles.

Answer 16

25

Question 17

In contrast, Japan and Switzerland have _______________ _______________ _______________ and they are relatively small, compact countries.

Answer 17

extensive rail systems

Question 18

Residents of the United States and Canada enjoy some of the _______________ gasoline taxes in the world. There is little incentive to conserve gasoline when its cost is so low.

Answer 18

lowest

Question 19

Coal forms from the remains of plants that lived in swamps hundreds of millions of years ago. Much of the coal in the eastern United States formed about 320 million to 300 million years ago, when vast areas of _______________ covered the eastern United States.

Answer 19

swampland

Question 20

Coal deposits in the western United States are formed from ancient swamps, but those deposits are much _______________ . The abundant coal deposits in states such as Wyoming formed between 100 million and 40 million years ago.

Answer 20

younger

Question 21

Oil and natural gas result from the decay of tiny marine organism that accumulated on the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago. After these remains were buried by sediments, they were heated until they became complex energy-rich carbon-based molecules. Over time, the molecules migrated into the _______________ rocks and now contain them.

Answer 21

porous

Question 22

Much of the oil and natural gas in the United States is located in _______________ , _______________ , _______________ , and the _______________ _______________ _______________ .

Answer 22

Alaska
Texas
California
Gulf of Mexico

Question 23

Most of the world’s fossil-fuel reserves are made up of _______________ . Asia and North America are particularly rich in _______________ deposits.

Answer 23

coal

coal

Question 24

Two major advantages of coal are that it is relatively _______________ and that it needs little _______________ after it has been mined.

Answer 24

inexpensive

refining

Question 25

About _______________ of the electricity generated in the United States comes from coal-fired power plants.

Answer 25

half

Question 26

The _______________ effects of coal mining vary.

Answer 26

environmental

Question 27

Surface coal-mining operations sometimes remove the top of an entire _______________ .

Answer 27

mountain

Question 28

Much research focuses on developing better methods of locating the most productive, clean-burning coal deposits and developing less _______________ methods of mining coal.

Answer 28

damaging

Question 29

Higher-grade coals, such as _______________ coal, produce more heat and less pollution than a lower-grade coal, such as _______________ .

Answer 29

bituminous

lignite

Question 30

Sulfur, which is found in all grades of coal, can be a major source of pollution when coal is burned. When high-sulfur, low-grade coal is burned, it releases much more _______________ than a low-sulfur bituminous coal does.

Answer 30

pollution

Question 31

The air pollution and acid precipitation that result from burning high-sulfur coal without adequate pollution controls are serious problems in countries such as _______________ .

Answer 31

China

Question 32

_______________ - _______________ coal technology has dramatically reduced air pollution in countries such as the United States.

Answer 32

Clean-building

Question 33

Oil that is pumped from the ground is also known as _______________ oil, or petroleum. Anything that is made from crude oil, such as fuels, chemicals, and plastics, is called a _______________ product.

Answer 33

crude

petroleum

Question 34

Petroleum accounts for _______________ percent of the world’s commercial energy use.

Answer 34

45

Question 35

Oil is found in and around major _______________ features, such as folds, faults, and salt domes, that tend to trap oil as it moves in the Earth’s crust.

Answer 35

geologic

Question 36

Most of the world’s oil reserves are in the Middle East. Large oil deposits also exist in the _______________ _______________ , _______________ , the _______________ _______________ , _______________ , and _______________ .

Answer 36

United States
Venezuela
North Sea
Siberia
Nigeria

Question 37

When petroleum fuels are burned, they release _______________ . Internal combustion engines in vehicles that burn gasoline pollute the air in many cities.

Answer 37

pollutants

Question 38

These pollutants contribute to the formation of _______________ and cause health problems.

Answer 38

smog

Question 39

In recent years, new measures have been taken to prevent oil spills from tankers. These measures include requiring that new tankers be _______________ - hulled so that puncturing the outer hull does not allow the oil to leak out.

Answer 39

double

Question 40

About 20 percent of the world’s nonrenewable energy comes from natural gas. Natural gas, or _______________ (CH4), is a good example of how advances in technology can make a fuel more common.

Answer 40

methane

Question 41

Today, fossil fuels supply about _______________ percent of the energy used in developed countries. Some projections suggest that by 2050 world energy demand will have doubled, mainly as a result of increased population and industry in developing country.

Answer 41

90

Question 42

Oil production is still increasing, but it is increasing much more slowly than it has in the past. Many different facts must be considered when _______________ oil production.

Answer 42

predicting

Question 43

_______________ _______________ are oil deposits that can be extracted profitably at current prices using current technology.

Answer 43

Oil reserves

Question 44

Nuclear power plants get their power from nuclear energy, the energy _______________ the _______________ of an atom. The forces that hold together the nucleus of an atom are more than _______________ times stronger than the chemical bonds between atoms.

Answer 44

within
nucleus
1 million

Question 45

Nuclear power states are designed so that the _______________ _______________ produces a controllable level of energy.

Answer 45

chain reaction

Question 46

Nuclear power stations do not produce greenhouse gases. When operated properly, nuclear plants release _______________ _______________ than coal-fired power plants do.

Answer 46

less radioactivity

Question 47

Building and maintain a safe reactor is very _______________ . The last 20 nuclear reactors built reactors built in the United states cost more than $3,000 per kilowatt of electrical capacity. In contrast, wind power is being installed at less than $1,000 per kilowatt. This cost will decrease as construction costs decrease. Natural gas power plants are also less expensive to build than nuclear power plants, costing less than $600 per kilowatt.

Answer 47

expensive

Question 48

The fuel cell of uranium produces _______________ products that remain dangerously radioactive for thousands of years.

Answer 48

fission

Question 49

The United States has spent over two decades studying a site called _______________ _______________ in southern Nevada as a place to store nuclear waste. Scientists are also researching a process called _______________ , which would recycle the radioactive elements in nuclear fuel.

Answer 49

Yucca Mountain

transmutation

Question 50

In a poorly designed nuclear plant, the fission process can potentially get out of control. This is what happened during the world’s worst nuclear reactor accident, which occurred at _______________ in the Ukraine in 1986. Engineers turned off most of the reactor’s safety devices to conduct an unauthorized test. This test caused explosions that destroyed the reactor and released large amounts of radioactive materials into the air. Areas of northern Europe and the Ukraine are still contaminated.

Answer 50

Chernobyl

Question 51

In the United States, the most serious nuclear accident occurred in 1979 at the _______________ _______________ _______________ nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Human error, along with blocked valves and broken pumps, caused the accident.

Answer 51

Three Mile Island

Question 52

One possible future energy source is nuclear _______________ . Nuclear _______________ occurs when lightweight atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus and release tremendous amounts of energy.

Answer 52

fusion

fusion

Question 53

Nuclear fusion powers all of the stars, including our sun. Fusion is potentially a safer energy source than nuclear fission is because it creates less _______________ _______________ _______________ .

Answer 53

dangerous radioactive byproducts

Question 54

Renewable energy is energy from sources that are constantly being formed. In addition to solar energy, renewable energy sources include _______________ _______________ , the _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ , and _______________ _______________ .

Answer 54

wind energy
power of moving water
Earth’s heat

Question 55

All sources of _______________ , including renewable sources, affect the environmental.

Answer 55

energy

Question 56

Only a small fraction of the sun’s energy reaches the _______________ . However, this energy is enough to power the wind, plant growth, and the water cycle.

Answer 56

Earth

Question 57

Nearly all renewable energy comes directly or indirectly from the _______________ . You use direct solar energy every day. When the sun shines on a window and heats a room, the room is being heated by solar power. Solar energy can also be used indirectly to generate electricity in solar cells.

Answer 57

sun

Question 58

_______________ solar heating uses the sun’s energy to heat something directly.

Answer 58

Passive

Question 59

_______________ solar heating energy from the sun can be gathered by collectors and used to heat water or to that heat a building.

Answer 59

Active

Question 60

More than _______________ homes in the United States use active solar energy to heat water.

Answer 60

1 million

Question 61

Solar cells, also called _______________ cells, convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

Answer 61

photovoltaic

Question 62

A solar cell produces a very small electrical current. So meeting the electricity needs of a small _______________ would require covering hundreds of acres with solar panels. Solar cells also require covering hundreds of acres with solar panels. Solar cells also require extended periods of sunshine to produce electricity. This energy is stored in batteries, which supply electricity when the sun is not shining.

Answer 62

city

Question 63

Currently, solar cells provide energy for more than _______________ households in the developing world.

Answer 63

1 million

Question 64

Wind power, which converts the movement of wind into electric energy, is the _______________ -_______________ energy source in the world.

Answer 64

fastest-growing

Question 65

Large arrays of wind turbines are called _______________ _______________ . In California, large _______________ _______________ supply electricity to 280,000 homes.

Answer 65

wind farms

wind farms

Question 66

Because wind turbines take up little space, some farmers can add wind turbines to their land and still use the land for other _______________ . Farmers can then sell the electricity they generate to the local utility.

Answer 66

purposes

Question 67

One of the problems of wind energy is transporting _______________ from rural areas where it is generated to urban centers where it is needed.

Answer 67

electricity

Question 68

Plant material, manure, and any other organic matter that is used as an energy source is called a _______________ fuel. While fossil fuels are organic and can be thought of as biomass energy sources, fossil fuels are nonrenewable. Renewable biomass fuels, such as wood and dung, are major sources of energy in developing countries.

Answer 68

biomass

Question 69

More than half of all _______________ cut in the world is used as fuel for heating and cooking. Although wood is a renewable resource, if trees are cut own faster than they grow, the resulting habitat loss, deforestation, and soil erosion can be severe.

Answer 69

wood

Question 70

When bacteria decompose organic waters, one by-product is _______________ gas. Methane can be burned to generate heat or electricity.

Answer 70

methane

Question 71

In the United states, _______________ is a major source of ethanol. Cars and trucks can run on ethanol or gasohol, a blend of gasoline and ethanol.

Answer 71

corn

Question 72

Gasohol produces less air pollution than fossil fuels do. For this reason, some U.S. states require the use of gasohol in vehicles as a way to reduce _______________ pollution.

Answer 72

air

Question 73

Energy from the sun causes water to evaporate, condense in the atmosphere, and fall back to the Earth’s surface as rain. As water flows across the land, the energy in its movement can be used to generate electricity. Hydroelectric energy, which is energy produced from moving water, is a renewable resource that accounts for about _______________ percent of the world’s electricity.

Answer 73

20

Question 74

Although hydroelectric dams are expensive to build, they are relatively inexpensive to _______________ . Unlike fossil fuel plants, hydroelectric dams do not release air pollutants that cause acid precipitation. In addition, hydroelectric dams tend to _______________ much longer than fossil fuel-powered plants. Dams also provide other benefits such as flood control and water for drinking, agriculture, industry.

Answer 74

operate

late

Question 75

A dam changes a river’s flow, which can have far-reaching consequences. A reservoir floods large areas of habitat above the dam. The water flow below the dam is reduced, which disrupts ecosystems down-stream. For example, many of the _______________ fisheries of the northwestern United States have been destroyed by dams that prevent the salmon from swimming upriver to spawn.

Answer 75

salmon

Question 76

Recent research has also shown that the decay of plant matter trapped in reservoirs can release large amounts of _______________ gases—sometimes more than a fossil fuel-powered plants.

Answer 76

greenhouses

Question 77

A modern trend is _______________ - _______________ , which is electricity produced in a small stream without having to build a big dam. The turbine may even float in the water, not blocking the river at all. _______________ - _______________ is much cheaper than large hydroelectric dam projects, and it permits energy to be garneted from small streams in remote areas.

Answer 77

micro-hydropower

Micro-hydropower

Question 78

_______________ power plants pump heated water or steam from rock formations and use the water or steam to power a turbine that generates electricity. Usually the water is returned to the Earth’s crust where it can be heated and used again. The United States is the world’s largest producer of _______________ energy.

Answer 78

Geothermal

geothermal

Question 79

Although geothermal energy is considered a renewable resource, the water in geothermal formations must be managed carefully so that it is not _______________ .

Answer 79

depleted

Question 80

More than _______________ homes in the United States are heated and cooled using geothermal heat pumps.

Answer 80

600,000

Question 81

The energy of the tides was used nearly a thousand years ago to power _______________ in France and Britain. Today, tidal power is used to generate electricity in countries such as France and Britain. Today, tidal power is used to generate electricity in countries such as France, Russia, and Canada.

Answer 81

mills

Question 82

In the tropics, the temperature difference between the surface of the ocean, which is warmed by solar energy, and deep ocean water can be as much as 24ᵒC (43ᵒF). An experimental power station off the shores of _______________ uses this temperature difference to generate electricity.

Answer 82

Hawaii

Question 83

Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, can be burned as a fuel. When hydrogen is burned, it combines with _______________ to produce water vapor, a harmless byproduct.

Answer 83

oxygen

Question 84

_______________ _______________ may be the engines of the future. Like a battery, a fuel cell produces electricity chemically, by combining hydrogen fuel with oxygen from the air. When hydrogen and oxygen are combined, electrical energy is produced and water is the only byproduct.

Answer 84

Fuel cells

Question 85

_______________ _______________ is the percentage of energy put into a system that does useful work.

Answer 85

Energy efficiency

Question 86

Nothing would increase the energy efficiency of American life more than developing efficient engines to power vehicles and increasing the use of _______________ _______________ systems.

Answer 86

public transportation

Question 87

Hybrid cars are examples of energy-efficient vehicles. Hybrid cars use of small, efficient gasoline engine most of the time, but they also use an _______________ motor when extra power is needed.

Answer 87

electric

Question 88

The average household in the United States spends more than _______________ on energy bills each year. Unfortunately, much of that energy is wasted. Most of the energy lost from homes is lost through poorly insulated windows, doors, walls, and the roof.

Answer 88

1500

Question 89

A good way to increase energy efficiency is to add to the _______________ of a home.

Answer 89

insulation