Page 47 - PDF_Oxford Grammar for Schools 5_Neat 1

Look at the sentences below about wind power. Read the text to decide if the sentences are true or false.
ÿ Wind farmers don't work with plants and animals. ( true / false
1 Wind machines need winds of 40kph or more, true /false
2 The blades of a wind machine usually measure six metres across, true / false
3 People have been using wind machines on farms for morethan 5,500 years, true / false
4 When engineers inventedwindmills in Europe,farmers in other countries
were already using them, true / false
5 InJuly 1887, many people were producing electricity from wind machines, true / false
6 Before the 1970s, oil wasn't expensive for countries outside the Middle East, true / false
7 Countries didn't look for alternative sources of energy until the 1990s. true / false
8 In the 1990s, scientists understoodthat the use of oil and gas had already
damaged the environment, true / false
9 Countries haven't built wind farms since the 1990s, true /false
10 Argentina will be using electricity from wind power in the future, true / false

The power of the wind The early history of wind power

A clean energy source that will never end People havebeen usingthe wind as an energy source for

thousands of years. Sailors first used the wind for sailing
boats more than 5,500 years ago.

Around 1,300 years ago, in an area of Iranand
Afghanistan, engineers built the first wind machines.
Farmers used some of these early machines to pump
water and others as 'windmills to make flour. Windmills
then became popular across the Middle East and China.
European engineers didn't invent windmills until later,
inthe i 2th century.

Fromwind power to electricity

A Scottish engineer first turned wind power into
electricity inJuly 1887,and inthe early 20th century
people started to heat and light individualbuildingswith
electricity from wind machines.

However,the construction of large-scale wind farms
didn't start until the late 20th century.

The development of wind farms

Inthe 1970s,oil becamevery expensive. Countries
Wind farms aren't agricultural outside the Middle East started looking for different
farms with plants and animals. forms of energy.
They're large collections of modern Then in the 1990s, people started to care more about the

wind machines. They produce power environment. Scientists and governments recognized the
damage to the environment that the use of oil and had
for nationalelectricity systems. already done.

Energycompanies buildwind farms Since the 1990s,more and more countries have built

on bigopen spaces where the wind wind farms for a clean, green energy source.
regularlyblows at 20kph or more. Plans for Argentina
Eachwind machine is very big,with At the moment, Argentina is planning to build the

blades that are about 60 metres biggest wind farm inSouth America. It will bebuying
wind machinesfrom China and installing them inthe
across. south of the country.

Exam preparation Units 4-7 47