CBSE Class 12 English Practice Passage Assignment Set E. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
1. Nuclear capability gives a status to the country in the community of nations. No nation can afford to make destructive use of the nuclear energy without risking a World War. That is why America did not make use of nuclear weapon in the Vietnam War though it had become a matter of prestige for her. Similarly Russia preferred to pull out her missile bases from Cuba instead of coming in direct conflict with a nuclear power, America. But India, since she started adopting nuclear technology, had decided to make only peaceful use of nuclear energy. The fear expressed by Pakistan and the comments made in the Chinese press are more for the sake of propaganda than for the projection of truth.
2. India needs nuclear energy in order to meet her power shortage. She has been depending upon hydroelectric power which is undependable because of the uncertainty of rainfall. Good quality of coal which is another source of energy cannot be extracted commercially because it lies very deep and the cost of extraction is very high. India is not producing much of oil, rather she has to import nearly 74 per cent of her total consumption. So the only alternative with India is to have a cheaper and more dependable source of energy. The known reserves of thorium in India are sufficient to last many hundred years. That is why India has already commissioned two nuclear power stations, one at Tarapur and the other at Rana Pratap Sagan. Each one has the installed capacity of producing 420 M.W. of electricity. Two other at Kalpakkam, are operational. This energy will be able to meet the power shortage throughout the country. If industries work at their full capacity, production will be higher and so per capita income will increase and inflation will be neutralized.
3. With the help of controlled nuclear explosions, artificial dams can be made. In fact for building a dam there should be two huge mountain walls enclosing a deep valley just near the course of a river. These conditions are not available at all the places. So with the help of controlled nuclear explosions mountains can be blown up. This can also help in laying roads in the mountainous areas. In fact, some of the borders of India have mountainous terrain and the movement of the army is quite difficult. So even for the sake of national security it is necessary to have roads in those areas.
4. With the help of radiation the shelf life of vegetables and fruits can be increased. In the tropical countries like India, it is necessary that the perishable fruit stuffs are preserved for a long time. Radiation can check the sprouting of onions and potatoes which are much in demand in foreign countries. Similarly fruits like bananas and mangoes which have much export potential can be preserved for a very long time. The texture and taste of the fruit do not undergo any change.
5. Nuclear technology can also be harnessed for medical purposes. It is said that radioactive iodine is used for detecting the disease of the thyroid glands. Similarly, India of U.N. experts, radiated vaccine which can immunize sheep from lungworm disease, which used to take a heavy toll of sheep every year.
6. Properly processed nuclear fuel is also used for artificial satellite in space. Weather satellites can predict cyclones and the rainfall with extreme accuracy. Communication satellites can help in conveying the messages to very long distances. In a huge country like India,communication satellites are necessary.
7. Radiation is also used for preparing the mutant seeds. Many varieties of rice and some cereals have been prepared at Tarapur laboratory. This will increase our agricultural production and help India to become economically better off. So for India it is necessary to make peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
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