The Death of Karen Silkwood

This is the story of Karen Silkwood. It begins with her death.

Why does her story begin where it should end? Certain people wanted her death to be an ending. Why? What were they afraid of? Karen Silkwood had something to tell us, and she believed that it was important. Why didn’t she live to tell us? Will we ever know what really happened? The questions go on and on, but there are no answers.

This is a true story. It happened in Oklahoma, USA, where Karen Silkwood lived and worked . . . and died.

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Glossary

1. alarm a loud sound (often a bell) which tells people that there is danger
2. bar a room where people can buy and have drinks
3. beer an alkoholic drink
4. belive to think that something is true.
5. brave adj. not showing that you are afraid
6. care v. to feel interest in something or someone
7. check v. to look at something carefully to see if it is right, good, safe, etc.
8. committee a group of people chosen by others to plan and organize for them
9. corridor a long narrow passage with doors into rooms
10. envelope a paper cover for a letter or other papers
11. fridge (refrigerator) a kind of cupboard which keeps food cold
12. fuel rods metal tubes which contain uranium
13. gloves covers for the hands
14. government the group ol people who control a country
15. identity card a card with your photograph on it, which shows who you are
16. journalist a person who writes for newspapers
17. laboratory a building or room where scientists work
18. leader someone who is the most important person in a group, a government, a union, etc.
19. manager someone who controls a business, a factory, a bank, etc.
20. medical connected with medicine, doctors, hospital, etc.
21. negatives pieces of film from which we make photographs
22. nuclear a kind of energy made by breaking the central part of an atom into two pieces
23. official (n) someone who does important work for a union, a government, etc.
24. ordinary not strange or special
25. pretty nice-looking, lovely
26. proof anything which shows, or helps to show, that something is true
27. protect to keep someone or something sale
28. radioactive dust very, very small pieces of broken atoms which come from nuclear materials or explosions
29. sack (v) to make someone leave his/her job
30. safe (adj) not in danger
31. safety being safe
32. scanner a machine which can see very small things on or inside the body, which the human eye cannot see
33. shower a place where you can wash under water that falls from above
34. suppose to think that something is true when you are not sure
35. test (v) looking at something carefully to find out more about it
36. union a group of workers who join together to talk to managers about their pay, hours ol work, ete.
37. uranium |U| a heavy grey metal that sends our radioactive waves, and is used to make nuclear energy’
38. vote (v) to choose someone in an election by marking a piece of paper
39. worried (adj) afraid that something is, or will be, bad or wrong
40. worry (v) to feel afraid and that something is, or will be, bad or wrong