Exercise 1
Radioactive Waste
核废料
One of the major problems of nuclear energy is the inability of scientists to discover a safe way to dispose of the radioactive wastes which occur throughout the nuclear process. Many of these wastes remain dangerously active for tens of thousands of years, while others have a life span closer to a quarter of a million years. Various methods have been used to date, but all have revealed weaknesses, forcing scientists to continue their research.
科学家暂时未能找到一种能够安全处理核废料的方法，是核能源使用过程中的最大问题。

这些随时可能带来危险的废弃物会活跃上万年，有的甚至能延续接近几十万年。

处理方法不断地被提出，又不断地在实践中遭到失败，科学家们不得不继续他们的探索。

The nuclear fuel rods are installed in the reactors, where they remain until the accumulation of wastes becomes such that the fuel is no longer usable. The “used”fuel is then sent to a reprocessing plant, where the radioactive wastes are removed: the remaining uranium is sent to a chemical plant to start the fuel cycle over again. The radioactive wastes are sent to be stored or buried. The nature of these wastes together with their lengthy life span has made it extremely difficult for scientists to find a way of disposing of them safely and permanently.
核燃料棒安放于反应装置上，这些废弃物不断聚集，直到燃料失去效用。

“用过”的燃料将被送往再处理车间中进行转移：剩余的铀被送往化学车间进行能源再利用。

核废料被运走储存或者销毁。

由于这些废料的生存期很长，所以科学家很难将它们安全、永久地处理掉。

The United States attempted to bury much of its radioactive waste material in containers made of steel covered in concrete and capable of holding a million gallons. For a long time it was believed that the nuclear waste problem had been solved, until some of these tanks leaked, allowing the radioactive wastes to seep into the environment. Canada presently stores its nuclear waste in underwater tanks, with the long-term effects largely unknown. However, plans are under consideration for above-ground storage of spent fuel from reactors. These plans include the building of three vast concrete containers, which would be two stories high and approximately the length and width of two football fields. Other suggestions include enclosing the waste in glass blocks and storing them in underground caverns, or placing hot containers in the Antarctic region, where they would melt the ice, thereby sinking down about a mile. This idea has since been abandoned because of the possible adverse effect on the ice sheets.
美国曾经尝试过将核废料置于容积达上千加仑的铁质容器中，再用混泥土教官，埋进地下。

长时间以来，人们误以为核废料问题已得到成功解决，直到部分容器泄露导致环境遭受危害。

加拿大最近将核废料埋藏于置于海底的密封罐中，但长期效果还不得而知。

无论如何，核废料的地底储存计划一直在人们的考虑范围内。

其中包括了制作三个高达两层楼、长宽都约有两个足球场大的混泥土容器。

其他建议还包括将废料置于密封玻璃罐中，并储存于底下洞穴；或者将高温的容器置于南极地区，当一部分冰溶化后，容器就会下沉大概一英里。

由于可能会对冰盖产生负面影响，这个主意已经被否决了。