Scientists and engineers throughout the world agree that high-level radioactive waste can be safely disposed of without harming people or the environment. They favor placing the sealed-up waste in deep underground repositories (储藏地), within natural geologic formations that have been stable for millions of years. Only one category of waste from nuclear-electric power plants is highly radioactive. After three to four years of use, the uranium fuel pellets used to generate energy contain a small percentage of radioactive byproducts. These byproducts must be carefully isolated from our environment. The volume of this waste is very small, compared to the waste from other industrial processes. Therefore, it is much easier to control, contain, and dispose of. A solid majority of scientists have concluded that the best disposal method is sealing the waste in long-lasting canisters (罐) and placing them in mined cavities (穴) deep underground. Scientists say disposal is practical and safe. America’s respected National Academy of Sciences has reaffirmed that high-level nuclear waste can be disposed of thousands of feet underground. A 1979 study by the Academy concluded that there are “adequate technical solutions to radioactive waste disposal” but that “misunderstanding by the public” is a major problem. Other scientific bodies that have reached similar conclusions about the safety and feasibility of mined geologic disposal include the American Physical Society, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Ford Foundation’s Nuclear Energy Policy Study Group, and the American Association of Engineering Societies. (238 words) Short Answer Questions: 1. What kind of waste from nuclear power plants is harmful? _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______. 2. Why is the waste from nuclear power plants easy to dispose of? _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______. 3. A major problem concerning high-level nuclear waste disposal is _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______. 4. How many scientific bodies have reached similar conclusions about safe disposal? _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______. 5. The solution put forward by scientists and engineers is to _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______