К.В. Пиоттух - Английский язык. Базовый курсю. Pre-intermediate. Часть 1 (1254788), страница 8

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Vocabulary

decade – десятилетие; десятидневка

device– электронный прибор

gadget – механическое приспособление/устройство

appliances – электроприборы

casing – корпус

component – компонент, часть электронного устройства

insulation – изоляция

out of date – устаревший, несовременный

turnover – товарооборот

to cover disposal cost – покрывать затраты на устранение/ вывоз мусора

at the time of purchase – с момента покупки

scrap heap – мусорная свалка/куча

uphill struggle – трудная, напряженная борьба

fault – неисправность/дефект/ошибка

faulty equipment – неисправное/поврежденное/бракованное оборудование

to confine to – ограничивать

vast majority – основное большинство

legal – легальный, законный

to charge – 1.обвинять 2. брать плату

to lease – сдавать в наем/ в аренду/ сдавать во временное пользование

leased – выданный напрокат/ во временное пользование

to hire – брать напрокат

to monitor – управлять, контролировать

to govern – управлять, руководить

municipal authorities – городские власти

bromine – бром

to incinerate – сжигать

extremely toxic dioxide – сверх-токсичная двуокись

toxic flame retardant – ингибитор; огнезащитное, вещество препятствующее воспламенению; плохо воспламеняющееся вещество

eco-visionaries – эксперты по решению и предсказанию экологических проблем

opposed to – в противопоставление

to come into force – войти в силу, в действие

1. You are going to read a newspaper article about pollution.

a) Work in groups of three and answer the following questions:

What do you think high tech pollution is?

What are major causes of pollution in general?

b) Suggest six words you would expect to find in the article.

2. Read the text, check your suggestions and choose the most suitable heading from the list A-I for each part of the article. There is one extra heading which you don’t need to use.

A. A slow and expensive process.

B. A very short life time.

C. Longer-lasting technology.

D. All TV parts are recycled.

1. Trying to determine what they’re made of.

2. An idea packed with problem.

3. Hurrying to purchase new technology.

4. Who is responsible?

5. Discarding toxic parts and breaking the rules.

HIGH TECH POLLUTION

The recycling of high-tech garbage is becoming a pressing problem. In the last few decades we‘ve been like children in the toy shop trying to get the latest electronic gadgets. Manufactures bring new toys faster than we can buy. And the more we buy the more we throw them away.

The speed of turnover is very high. Anyone who has ever bought a computer will be sure that a PC is out of date as soon as you buy it. If a computer has a fault it is more economical to throw it away and buy another than mend it.

This trend isn’t confined to computers either. Germany, Europe’s richest nation, discards 1.5 million tons of electrical appliances every year. Only about 100.000 tons of units are recycled. The vast majority are burnt or thrown on the scrap-heap. And this causes serious problems. One of the country’s major recycling firm has been charged with dumping toxic waste containing the substance PCB once widely used in TVs and computer as insulation. Since 1985 its production has been illegal and disposal is governed by strict rules. But these rules aren’t being followed.

Klaus Brodersen of Erlangen University is trying to produce a definite classification what chemicals should and should not be used in production of high-tech equipment. But it is an uphill struggle. It costs up to $ 7.000 to analyze a single component, and so far Brodersen has examined only 200 of the 100.000 most common.

Siemens Nixdorf, which runs a very expensive recycling programme for its old equipment, says there are more than 100 different plastics in its computer casings. No one knows precisely what went into each model. The only certainty is that all the casings contain bromine a kind of toxic flame retardant. It is also impossible to recycle and to incinerate it. If you are able to burn the casing, you’ll produce extremely toxic dioxins.

So what is to be done about electronic waste? Eco-visionaries propose a future in which appliances not bought but leased. This would be a tricky practice. Who would be responsible for faulty and toxic equipment? Who would take back the equipment – the dealer, manufacturer or importer? Who is going to monitor manufactures? And, of course, in the long run it is more expensive to hire a TV or a computer than it is to buy one.

The Swiss have solved the problem by making charge to cover all disposal costs at the time of purchase. There is chaos in Germany where this system has yet to come into force. Some firms make you pay, some collect without charge, some take all goods, others refuse to have anything to do with it. Municipal authorities are disorganized.

The answer to all problems lies in intelligent construction which are aimed at economy, ease of disposal and increasing life expectancy of products. The manufacturer Loewe has developed a green TV which contains only 39 grams of plastic as opposed to the standard 6.7 kilos and 50 grams of toxic materials against 5 kilos. It is expected to last up to 30 years, twice as long as other TVs. Companies like this show the way forward.

1. Families disposing garbage can divide it into two categories:

The waste that can be recycled and burnt	2. The waste that can’t be recycled or incinerated

a) Which of these categories would these items be placed in? Complete the table.

…old newspapers … aluminum beer cans … acids and chemicals … broken plates, cups … glass bottles … electric appliances: irons, kettles, hair dryers, blenders …an old color TV … a faulty computer …electronic components … outdated cassette-recorders and telephones …torn woolen sweater …metal tin opener …plastic casings …PCB containing insulators

b) Which from the above mentioned discarded items could be referred to high-tech garbage or electronic waste ?

c) What is the average life span or expectancy for: a mobile phone, a washing machine, color TV set?

4. Match the words in bold from the text with the corresponding definitions.

1. turnover a. to dump

2. discard b. to repair

3. incinerate c. period ending in ten years

4. intelligent d. old-fashioned

5. flame retardant e. clever

6. decade f. small machine or device

7. common g. to burn

8. scrap heap h. pile of garbage

9. out of date i. ordinary

10. mend j. value of goods or services sold during a particular

period of time

11. electronic gadget k. substance which makes something burn slower

12. leased l. hired

5. Skim through the texts «Pollution no Easy Answers» and «High-Tech Technology».

Match a verb and a noun to make word combinations.

VERB NOUN

to follow the programme to take harm to cover strict rules to do its toll to run into force to make disposal cost to come charge from

6. Complete the table with the words from the text.

Speaking

7. What do these numbers from the text refer to?

1 500 000, 100 000, 7 000, 200

8. Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1. Why is recycling of high-tech garbage becoming a pressing problem? Look for several reasons in the text.

2. How is the problem of disposing electronic gadgets and electric appliances being solved?

3. What «green» or environmentally-friendly materials are being developed by scientists?

4. What are new intelligent technologies aimed at?

1. What do municipal authorities monitor?

9. Match types of pollution with their effects.

1.acid rain 2. traffic congestion 3. water contamination 4. destruction of the ozone layer 5. high-tech garbage 6. air pollution

turns the planet into causes

a. skin cancer b. respiratory problems c. a scrap-heap d. carbon monoxide given off e. stomach related diseases f. forests dying

10 Companies need to be aware of the effect they have on the environment.

What actions are taken by manufacturers and local authorities to solve high-tech pollution problem?

Complete the table:

Actions taken by municipal authorities	Actions taken by manufacturers

11. Study high-tech pollution problems and add more items to the diagram in task 11 in the Text A

UNIT 6 ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF BIG CITIES AND THEIR SOLUTION

Focus: Ecological problems of cities and their solution.

Grammar focus: Present perfect simple, clauses of purpose

Skills focus: Reading for specific information; learn to analyze the problem of pollution and look for the ways of its solution; writing for suggesting ways to improve the situation and explaining the results of each suggestion.

Vocabulary:

soil – почва

lifespan – жизненный отрезок, длительность существования

urgent need – острая необходимость

highway – большая дорога, магистраль, шоссе

to ban – запрещать

exhaust – выпуск, выхлоп

unleaded petrol – неэтилированный бензин

greenhouse effect – тепличный эффект

congested road – перегруженные дороги

biodegradable materials – разлагаемые микроорганизмами материалы

environmentally friendly materials – экологически чистые/ приемлемые материалы

drinking water – питьевая вода

1 Do you know that:

• The most common form of drinking water pollution: soil, sand and minerals washed from the land into the water.

• The biggest cause of air pollution in cities (85%): cars, trucks and buses.

• Amount of garbage produced in the US per year: 144 million tons.

• Amount of garbage thrown away by the average North American per day: 3 kilograms.

• Expected lifespan of a plastic container buried in the ground: 50, 000 years.

Discussion: In pairs try to find an answer to the following questions:

What are the main sources of pollution in your city?

How is garbage disposal controlled in your city?

What are two reasons for and two against using plastic containers?

2. Match information in columns A and B to make sentences then compare them with your partner:

A B

1) Paying for their children’s education a) is a good way to protect

people’s health

2) An urgent need in many industrial cities b) is a problem for people living

near highways

3) Reducing traffic noise c) is a problem for many parents

4) Banning smoking in public places d) reducing air pollution

3. Fill in correct words from the box and discuss the way to solve pollution problem in cities:

Pollution is getting worse and we must solve this pressing problem. You can start by taking your unwanted 1)…….. to a 2)………, instead of throwing it away. You also need to properly 3) ……….. of any garbage that can’t be recycled. A good way to 4)…….. big companies is to 5) …….. any products which are harmful to the environment. This forces the companies to change their methods of production. If you buy an 6)……. spray, for example, always make sure it is an 7)……… one. If you drive a car, try to get one which takes 8) ……..petrol because 9) ……… fumes given off are less harmful to the environment. If you are traveling in the city, don’t use the car, but take 10)……… instead. It’s much more environmentally friendly, and often faster as well.

TEXT C

Vocabulary

Характеристики

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