The Alaska Pipeline

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The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean.

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It stretches southward across the largest and most northern state in

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the United States, ending at a remote ice free seaport village

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nearly 800 miles from where it begins. It is massive in size and

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extremely complicated to operate.

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The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of

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delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through

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crooked canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky

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crags, makes it way through thick forests, and passes over or

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under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter,

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and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can

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be pumped through it daily.

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Resting on H-shaped steel racks called “bents”, long sections of

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the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth.

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Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky

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ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the

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pipeline’s up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh

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demand of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the

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land, and the varied composition of soil, rock, or permafrost

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(permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline

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is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere

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from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and

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the properties of the soil.

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One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately

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$58 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction

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project ever undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single

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business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil pipelines

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formed a construction in order to share the costs. Each company

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controlled all rights to particular shares of land in oil fields and

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paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its

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holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply

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shortages, equipment breakdowns, labour disagreements, treacherous

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terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the

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Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.

edge - край, кромка

windswept - незащищенный от ветра

to weave - (зд.) вьется

crooked - извилистый

sheer - отвесный, крутой

to plunge - круто спускаться

crag - скала, утес

rack - подставка

spongy - пористый

harsh - суровый

tortuous - извилистый

approximately - приблизительно

to undertake - предпринимать

to share - 1. делить 2. участок, часть

holding - участок земли

treacherous - ненадежный

theft - воровство

1.

The passage primarily discusses the pipeline’s

A – operating costs; B – employees; C – consumers; D – construction

2.

The word “it” in line 4 refers to

A – pipeline; B – ocean; C – state; D – village

3.

According to the passage, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through A – day; B – week; C – month; D – year

4.

The phrase “Resting on” in line 13 is closest in meaning to

A – Consisting of; B – Supported by; C – Passing under; D – Protected with

5.

The author mentions all of the following as important in determining the pipeline route. Expect the

A – climate; B – lay of the land itself; C – local vegetation;

D – kind of soil and rock

6.

The word “undertaken” in line 26 is closest in meaning to

A – removed; B – selected; C – transported; D – attempted

7.

How many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline?

A – Three; B – Four; C – Eight; D – Twelve

8.

The word “particular” in line 29 is closest in meaning to

A – peculiar; B – specific; C – exceptional; D – equal

9.

Which of the following determined what percentage of the construction costs each member of the consortium would pay?

A – How much oil field land each company owned

B – How long each company had owned land in the oil fields

C – How many people worked for each company

D – How many oil wells were located on the company’s land

10.

Where in the passage does the author provide a term for an earth covering that always remain frozen?

A – Line 3; B – Line 13; C – Line 19; D – Line 32

MY SPECIALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

OIL. HOW IT AFFECTS US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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HOW DO WE GET IT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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HOW MUCH OIL, AND WHERE IS IT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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HOW DID PETROLEUM FORM? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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HOW IS OIL EXTRACTED? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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HOW IS OIL TRANSPORTED? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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A BLESSING AND A CURSE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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OIL PIPELINES IN RUSSIA: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

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PART I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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TOMORROW’S TECHIOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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SUPPLEMENTARY READING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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The Alaska Pipeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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