lecture 2
we‘ve talked recently about the importance of sustainable energy。 We’ve also talked about the different theories on how that can be done。 So far， our discussions have all been theoretical。 Now I have a practical question for you all。 Can you run a 140，000 kilogram train on just the steam generated by solar power? Well， one engineer， Tim Casselman， believes it‘s possible。 And his home city of Sacramento， California should see the technology’s first test as part of the upgrading of its rail yard。 Casselman， who is an inventor and self-proclaimed steam visionary， is campaigning for a new steam train that runs without any fire and could run on an existing 10 kilometer line drawing tourists and perhaps offering city commuters a green alternative to their cars。 Casselman wants to build an array of solar magnifying mirrors at one end of the line to collect and focus heat onto water filled tubes。 This would generate steam that could be used to fill tanks on a small steam train without the use of fire。 Supplying power to trains in this way would offer the shortest distance from well to wheels he says with the least amount of energy lost。 According to Harry Valentijn， a Canadian engineer who is researching modern steam technology， a special tank measuring 2 by 10 metres could store over 750 kilowatt hours of energy as high pressure steam enough to pull a two car train for an hour or so。 Energy to drive a steam locomotive can be stored in other materials besides water for example a team at Tohoku University in Japan has studied materials that can store large amounts of heat when heated。 These materials turn from a solid into a liquid absorbing energy as they change phase。 The liquid is maintained above its melting point until steam is required at which point the liquid is allowed to turn back into a solid releasing its stored energy another team at Nagoya University in Japan has tested calcium compound as an energy storage material。 Heating this chemical compound drives off carbon dioxide gas leaving calcium oxide the gas can be stored under pressure and attain to recover the energy the gas is fed back over the calcium oxide。 In theory says Valentijn this can create a high enough temperature to generate superheated steam。
Question 19： What has the speaker previously talked about?
D) The theoretical aspects of sustainable energy。
Question 20： What is Tim Casselman trying to do in Sacramento?
A) Drive trains with solar energy。
Question 21： what has a Japanese research team tried to do?
B) Find a new material for storing energy。
Lecture 3
Today‘s crisis in care for older people in England has two main causes。
First，people are living longer with a lot more complex needs。 Second， they rely on a system that has long been marked by a poor relation between national health and social-care services。
Current services originate in two key measures。 They are the National Health Service and the 1948 National Assistance Act。 This required local government to provide residential accommodation for older people and supervise care homes run by independent organizations。
They also provided home and community services including meals， day centers and home helpers and other subsidized services。 The National Health Service was free and wholly publicly provided。 It delivered the best health-care for all。 No such vision guided residential and community care though。 The care was substantially provided by voluntary services which worked together with local authorities as they long had with eligibility based on income。 Today， life expectancy has risen from 66 for a male at birth in 1948 to around 80 now。 In addition， there is better overall health and improved medical knowledge and care。 This means an unprecedented number of people are surviving longer in conditions requiring expert support。 Families provide at least as much care as they ever did。 Even so， they can rarely without subsidised support address serious personal needs。 Care for older people faced persistent criticism as these trends became apparent。 From the early 1960s， local authorities were required to plan health and welfare services。 The aim was to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible， but this increased concern about the lack of coordination between free health and paid-for social care。 Through the 1970s， a number of measures sought to improve matter。 However at a time of financial crisis， funding diminished and little changed。 In the 1980s， the government cut spending。 Meanwhile， preference for private over public services made management even more difficult。 Simultaneously， the number of sick older people grew。 Governments emphasized the need to improve services。 They did so though while doing little to stop the erosion of available aid。 Services were irregular across authorities。 Unless you were prepared to pay， they were increasingly difficult to obtain for any but the most severely disabled。 Why has 60 years of criticism produced so little change。 Discrimination against older people has a long history。 Additionally， those affected by inadequate health and social care are too vulnerable to launch the protests that have addressed other forms of discrimination。
Question 22 what is one cause of the current crisis in care for the elderly in England?
D) The poor relation between national health and social care services。
Question 23。 What does the speaker say about residential and community care?
A) It was mainly provided by voluntary services。
Question 24。 What made management of care for the elderly more difficult in the 1980s?
C) Their preference for private services。
Question 25。 What does the speaker say about older people in England?
B) They have long been discriminated against。
