▶ Your Answer :According to the reading, there is ample support for the author's claim that coal can be used as future fuel thanks to its advantages. However, the professor in the lecture gives several reasons as a rebuttal to the author's point.
First, the professor contends that coal mining is very complicated process. To explain, coal that located near the surface of earth is almost depleted. Therefore, minor need to dig out more than hundred meter to get hold of coal, and this means that well trained workers are required. This counts doubt on the reading passage's assertion that since coal is positioned in shallow surface, mining is not difficult.
Second, the professor insists that the transportation cost of coal is expensive. Since coal is bulky and heavy, it is not easy to transport. Moreover, moving coal from mine to power plant is quite distant so a lot of trains and trucks are used. This refutes the reading passage's suggestion that unlike other fuels, the cost of transportation of coal is cheap.
Finally, the professor argues that it is not true that coal industry makes more job opportunities. Since employers save their labor money, they try to build a labor saving technology. As a result, fewer workers are required compared to the past. This counters the reading passage's claim that coal industry have positive effect on increasing the number of workers. |