阅读理解
One of the problems damaging
our planet is the number of things we throw away. Rubbish of all kinds is piling
up in landfill and polluting our rivers and oceans. A more recent addition to the
list of things we throw away is e-waste—electronic items that are broken and not
recycled. Now solutions are being found to give this stuff a new life.
Many millions of tons of televisions,
phones, and other electronic equipment are discarded
each year, partly because it's cheaper to replace them than fix them, but also because
we lack the skills to repair them. A UN report claims the 50 million tons of e-waste
produced every year will more than double to 110 million tons by 2050, making it
the fastest growing waste stream in the world.
However, there's a growing trend
for repair events and clubs which could be part of a solution to the growing amount
of electrical and electronic junk. The BBC visited a Restart Project in London,
which is one of many found around the world. One of its volunteers, Francesco Calo,
said that "this project allows you to reduce waste, make the life of objects
longer, and it helps people who cannot afford to get rid of items that have developed
a fault. ''
As many electrical items contain
valuable metals, another idea is e-waste mining. An experiment at the University
of New South Wales involves extracting (提取) these materials from electrical items. It's thought that doing this
could be more profitable than traditional mining. With phones typically containing
as many as 60 elements, this could be part of the solution to our appetite for new
technology.
These projects make total sense
— collection of e-waste for recycling are ''stagnating'' (停滞不前的) or even ''decreasing'' according to Ruediger Kuehr of the United
Nations University. And in countries where there is no legislation (立法), much of it is just thrown away. However, the European Union, for
example, is trying to deal with the problem by insisting that manufacturers have
to make appliances longer-lasting and will have to supply spare parts for machines
for up to 10 years.
(1)
What does the underlined word ''discarded'' in Paragraph 2 mean?
A . recycled
B . thrown away
C . dealt with
D . produced
(2)
What do we know about the Restart Project in London according to the text?
A . It helps people to use their electronics longer in order to reduce waste.
B . It collects all kinds of electronic items that are broken.
C . It encourages people to get rid of items that have developed a fault.
D . It is one of the famous clubs in the world.
(3)
What is the author's attitude towards these projects?
A . Negative.
B . Positive.
C . Neutral.
D . Critical.
(4)
What is the best title for the passage?
A . Giving the rubbish a new life
B . The fastest growing waste stream
C . Solving the problem of e-waste
D . The importance of recycling
答案: B
A
B
A