While they are important for storing water and generating power, dams also play a significant role in curbing global warming. This is in spite of all the arguments against dams that are brought up by environmentalists. One such complaint is that hydroelectric dams incur costs to river ecosystems. They are correct to a point. There is damage to these ecosystems, but consider that hydroelectricity is essentially 100% clean, without any emission of carbon dioxide. Because global warming is such a big threat, anything which can be done to curb emissions of CO2 must be done. In this way, the gains of reducing emissions from hydroelectric power must certainly outweigh any cost involving local environmental degradation.
Another issue is emission of methane, which is a major greenhouse gas. Dams can reduce emissions of this harmful gas. According to a 2000 World Commission on Dams report, large dams and natural lakes in temperate and tropical regions emit greenhouse gases including methane. However, studies have shown that when compared to thermal power generation plants, such as those which use fossil fuels, the emission of methane is ten times less in hydroelectric dams. Thus, these dams should be constructed as the risk for increased methane is dramatically reduced by dams.
It is already well established that hydropower is clean; and so clean that it is the perfect alternative to coal, which is the primary fuel used for power generation around the world. For instance, in the United States, 50% of power generated from all sources is with the use of coals. In other countries such as China and India, this number is almost 75%. Thus, coal is a major contributor to global warming and replacing these thermal plants, which incorporate coal into their processes, with hydroelectric dams can be a significant effort in the fight against global warming.
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.
1. Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage.
The reading passage and The Lecture is about the effect of Dam construction. The author in the passage talks about the benefits of hydroelectric dams especially in reducing the global warming effect. The lecturer opposes the author's claim. She says that it is not the same as we are thinking.
First of all, The author mentions that Dams are the best alternative to generate electricity without the emission of CO2. It is 100% clean, and it will help to reduce global warming. However, the lecturer claims that the dam is responsible for damaging the large ecosystem. Further, she says that when dams are constructed in river valleys, they flood nearby ecosystems which affect the biological surrounding and forest. Due to this forests get damaged and filtration of carbon dioxide decreases. This result in an increase in CO2 level, which is just opposite to the claim mentioned in the passage.
Secondly, the author states that hydroelectric dams also help in controlling the emission of greenhouse gas. He says that although large dams and natural lakes release methane, its emission is ten times less than other energy generation power plants such as thermal power plants. Therefore, it can be used as a better alternative. However, the professor in the lecture argues that when natural vegetation decay near the flooded forest then methane emission increase which also increases global warming.
Lastly, The author says that 75% of energy is generated through the burning of coal, which also releases CO2. So, to reduce the consumption of coal, the dam can be a better option. Again, the lecturer claims that although it may be used as a better option in place of energy production through coal. But, the construction of the dam itself releases a huge amount of greenhouse gas by burning fossil fuels in order to transport the construction material to the site. In addition, the professor says that a dam takes more than five years to get complete so we can estimate how much fuel has been burned to generate energy just only for transportation
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 201, Rule ID: ENGLISH_WORD_REPEAT_BEGINNING_RULE
Message: Three successive sentences begin with the same word. Reword the sentence or use a thesaurus to find a synonym.
... in reducing the global warming effect. The lecturer opposes the authors claim. She...
^^^
Line 3, column 430, Rule ID: THIS_NNS[1]
Message: Did you mean 'these'?
Suggestion: these
...ological surrounding and forest. Due to this forests get damaged and filtration of c...
^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, lastly, may, second, secondly, so, then, therefore, in addition, such as, first of all
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 14.0 10.4613686534 134% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 5.0 5.04856512141 99% => OK
Conjunction : 5.0 7.30242825607 68% => OK
Relative clauses : 16.0 12.0772626932 132% => OK
Pronoun: 25.0 22.412803532 112% => OK
Preposition: 39.0 30.3222958057 129% => OK
Nominalization: 10.0 5.01324503311 199% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1716.0 1373.03311258 125% => OK
No of words: 342.0 270.72406181 126% => OK
Chars per words: 5.01754385965 5.08290768461 99% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.30037696126 4.04702891845 106% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.67973483067 2.5805825403 104% => OK
Unique words: 180.0 145.348785872 124% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.526315789474 0.540411800872 97% => OK
syllable_count: 526.5 419.366225166 126% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.5 1.55342163355 97% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 8.0 3.25607064018 246% => Less pronouns wanted as sentence beginning.
Article: 12.0 8.23620309051 146% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 19.0 13.0662251656 145% => OK
Sentence length: 18.0 21.2450331126 85% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 43.5129171766 49.2860985944 88% => OK
Chars per sentence: 90.3157894737 110.228320801 82% => OK
Words per sentence: 18.0 21.698381199 83% => OK
Discourse Markers: 5.94736842105 7.06452816374 84% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 2.0 4.19205298013 48% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 13.0 4.33554083885 300% => Less positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 4.45695364238 45% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.27373068433 94% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.182354575122 0.272083759551 67% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.056112658012 0.0996497079465 56% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0403842559471 0.0662205650399 61% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.114233315411 0.162205337803 70% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0237337483479 0.0443174109184 54% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 11.2 13.3589403974 84% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 61.67 53.8541721854 115% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.1 11.0289183223 83% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 11.54 12.2367328918 94% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.55 8.42419426049 101% => OK
difficult_words: 87.0 63.6247240618 137% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 6.0 10.7273730684 56% => Linsear_write_formula is low.
gunning_fog: 9.2 10.498013245 88% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.2008830022 80% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Write the essay in 20 minutes.
Rates: 71.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 21.5 Out of 30
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.