TOEFL integrated writing: fuel-cell engines

In these set of materials, the reading passage is about the differences of the two car engines; hydrogen- based –fuel- cell engine and the internal –combustion engine, and also the advantages of the hydrogen-based –fuel- cell engine and the listening passage discusses on the disadvantages of the hydrogen-based –fuel- cell engine.

According to the reading passage, the hydrogen- based-fuel-cell engine has more advantages rather than the internal-combustion engine because of using hydrogen instead of the petroleum used in the internal-combustion engine. Three most important advantages of this engine are mentioned. First, hydrogen can be derived from various forms of sources like water and gas. Second, this kind of engine has less pollution because it doesn’t produce the carbon dioxide and the third, it is economically competitive because the car with hydrogen- based –fuel- cell engine consumes less amount of energy for the same instant in comparison with the car having internal –combustion engine.

The listening passage describes disadvantages of the hydrogen- based-fuel-cell engine. It explains that this kind of engine cannot solve the problems mentioned in the reading because hydrogen is not available and has a difficult process for creating. In addition, it causes pollution because the process of the creating hydrogen by water or gas needs burning coal. Last but not least, the process of creating hydrogen is expensive due to needing of platinum which is rare and has no any substation.