TEXT A It is often claimed that
nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live in a consumer society
where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of ail kinds.
Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution
to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and
cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an
inexhaustible and economical source of power and that it is therefore essential
for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages
in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is
clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and
maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff. The nuclear
reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever
the anti-nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive
sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear
power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to
civil liberties. Furthermore, it is question able whether ultimately nuclear
power is a cheap source of energy. There have, for example, been very costly
accidents in America, in Britain and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of
increases in the cost of uranium in addition to the cost of greater safety
provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run,
environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable resources and disturbs
the ecology to an ex tent which could bring about the destruction of the human
race. Thus if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spite of
the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programs are
expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production
and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can
continue. Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good
economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear
power. Some people claim that nuclear energy is essential because______.
A．it provides a perfect solution to mass unemployment B．it represents an enormous step forward in our scientific evolution C．it can meet the growing demand of an industrially developing society D．nuclear power stations can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff