You will hear a lecture about wind energy.

Lecturer: With the rising cost of fossil fuels , there’s a great deal of interest these days in developing alternative sources of energy. Today, I’d like to talk about one of these wind power. In the past couple of decades , there’s been an upsurge of interest in using the wind as a source of energy, but the idea isn’t new at all. People have been harnessing the power of the wind for centuries, ever since ancient peoples first used sailboats . In ancient China, farmers used a rudimentary sort of windmill to pump water. Wind power was used in other parts of the ancient world, as well. In Persia, for example, farmers used wind powered mills to grind their grain. During the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, people went back to the ancient idea of using the power of the wind to move water. They used windmills to drain lakes, thereby creating more land for farming.

Lecturer: At present, people around the world are using the wind to generate electricity, some old methods, some new. Is this the solution to our modern energy problems? Well, as with anything, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using wind power. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons to use wind power. One of the biggest problems with using fuels such as oil and coal is pollution. Wind power, on the other hand, is clean. It causes no pollution and therefore doesn’t contribute to global warming . Another great advantage of wind power is that it’s a renewable resource . Oil and coal reserves are limited, but we'll never run out of wind. Economics is another reason to use wind power. Using the wind to generate electricity costs less, much less, than running other types of generators. In addition, since wind turbines don’t take up much land, the land around them can be used for other purposes, such as farming.

There are disadvantages, however. Even though generating electricity with wind is relatively inexpensive , the technology isn’t cheap. The initial costs of setting up wind turbines can be quite high. Another issue is reliability . Wind doesn’t blow at a constant of strength. Therefore, at times, a lot of electricity can be produced while at others there may be little or none. Wind turbines usually have to be located in rural areas where the land is open. Their distance from cities, where the most electricity is needed, is another issue. Although wind is considered to be a clean source of energy, wind turbines cause their own sort of pollution. Wind turbines are usually placed in high, open areas, where they’re easy to be seen. rural residents often feel that the beautiful local scenery is spoiled by the sight of the wind turbines. In addition, wind turbines aren’t quiet. In fact, one wind turbine can produce as much noise as a car traveling at highway speeds.