Text for reading about the energy

Read the passage to review the vocabulary you have learned.

Most of the electricity in the United States is produced in steam turbines. There are many discrete steps in this process. In a steam turbine, combustionof coal,petroleum,or natural gas heats water to make steam. The steam rotates a shaft that is connected to a generator that produces electricity. Finally, that electricity is converted by a transformer and conveyed from the turbine to its place of use.Many sources can provide energy to heat the water in a steam turbine.Coal is primary,producing 51 percent of the country’s electricity.Another common way to heat water for steam turbines is through nuclear power. In nuclear fission, atoms of uranium fuel are hit by neutrons,triggering a continuous chain of fission that releases heat. In 2001, nuclear power generated 21 percent of the electricity in the United States.Solar power produces less than 1 percent of the United States’ electricity needs, because it is not regularly available and harnessing it is more expensive than using fossil fuels. Dependence on electricity permeates daily life in the United States. Still, few people are aware of the many components of electricity production.