Read the texts and find the best word for each gap. Compare with your partner.
A There's no doubt that electronic and electric goods 1) form/do/help/make our lives much easier, but unfortunately there's a(n) 2) money/price/expense/cost to pay for this! As technology advances at a faster pace each year, appliances and gadgets quickly become outdated. No one wants to be left behind in the technology race, so they go out and buy the latest models. The old devices just get thrown 3) away/over/off/down.
B Electronic equipment has now become more available and less costly. That means that people often replace their old computers and TVs instead of getting them repaired. Very often it is more expensive to repair an item than to buy a new one. But this practice 4) designs/creates/develops/brings tons of electronic waste, or 'e-waste'. In the USA alone, people get rid of about 250 million computers a year and only 10% are recycled.
C E-waste 5) holds/carries/contains/includes over a thousand chemicals, many of which are very toxic. Most e-waste currently 6) backs up/concludes/finishes/ends up in landfills where chemicals and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium and mercury gradually leak into the soil. So what's the big deal? Many of these chemicals are highly toxic and can eventually cause great harm to people. E-waste that is burnt rather than dumped in a landfill also 7) puts/releases/lets/causes toxic gases into the air.
D E-waste is a problem but fortunately all is not 8) gone/lost/ended/finished! Manufacturers are starting to 9) push/convince/persuade/encourage more recycling and reduce the number of toxic chemicals they use. In fact, making their products more environmentally friendly has become a good selling point. Also, many countries that used to export their e-waste to poorer countries have now signed treaties to stop this practice.
E It is not just up to the governments and businesses to tackle e-waste. We can all do something. Looking after your equipment means you won't need to replace it so often. A little 10) easy/simple/plain/straight maintenance, like buying a new part or getting an expert to service a device can make all the difference to the environment. It will save you money, too!
F A helpful idea for dealing 11) with/in/out/for e-waste is to sell or donate old appliances and electronic items to someone who can still use them. For example, instead of throwing our old computer out, we could take it to a technician. As technicians are often involved in computer maintenance, they would find the components useful in their repair work.
G The main way to get rid of e-waste efficiently is to recycle it. Old mobile phones, batteries and many other objects can all be taken to recycling banks. If a household object, like a fridge or washing machine, is too big for us to take ourselves, our local council can arrange to come round and 12) transport/carry/collect/bring it. Many private recycling companies are also willing to do this.
- Make our lives easier — устойчивое сочетание «делать жизнь проще».
- A price to pay — устойчивое выражение «цена, которую приходится платить»; речь о последствиях удобства.
- Throw away — «выбрасывать» старые приборы.
- Creates tons of waste — «создаёт тонны отходов»; подлежащее practice требует -s.
- Contains — «содержит» более тысячи веществ.
- Ends up in landfills — «оказывается на свалках»; это устойчивое сочетание.
- Releases gases — «выделяет газы» при сжигании.
- All is not lost — «не всё потеряно», устойчивое выражение перед описанием решений.
- Encourage more recycling — «поощрять дальнейшую переработку»; после encourage может стоять существительное.
- Simple maintenance — «несложное обслуживание», например замена детали.
- Deal with — «справляться с проблемой»; предлог входит в сочетание.
- Collect it — «забрать его»; речь о вывозе крупной вещи из дома.
A There's no doubt that electronic and electric goods make our lives much easier, but unfortunately there's a price to pay for this! As technology advances at a faster pace each year, appliances and gadgets quickly become outdated. No one wants to be left behind in the technology race, so they go out and buy the latest models. The old devices just get thrown away.
B Electronic equipment has now become more available and less costly. That means that people often replace their old computers and TVs instead of getting them repaired. Very often it is more expensive to repair an item than to buy a new one. But this practice creates tons of electronic waste, or 'e-waste'. In the USA alone, people get rid of about
C E-waste contains over a thousand chemicals, many of which are very toxic. Most e-waste currently ends up in landfills where chemicals and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium and mercury gradually leak into the soil. So what's the big deal? Many of these chemicals are highly toxic and can eventually cause great harm to people. E-waste that is burnt rather than dumped in a landfill also releases toxic gases into the air.
D E-waste is a problem but fortunately all is not lost! Manufacturers are starting to encourage more recycling and reduce the number of toxic chemicals they use. In fact, making their products more environmentally friendly has become a good selling point. Also, many countries that used to export their e-waste to poorer countries have now signed treaties to stop this practice.
E It is not just up to the governments and businesses to tackle e-waste. We can all do something. Looking after your equipment means you won't need to replace it so often. A little simple maintenance, like buying a new part or getting an expert to service a device can make all the difference to the environment. It will save you money, too!
F A helpful idea for dealing with e-waste is to sell or donate old appliances and electronic items to someone who can still use them. For example, instead of throwing our old computer out, we could take it to a technician. As technicians are often involved in computer maintenance, they would find the components useful in their repair work.
G The main way to get rid of e-waste efficiently is to recycle it. Old mobile phones, batteries and many other objects can all be taken to recycling banks. If a household object, like a fridge or washing machine, is too big for us to take ourselves, our local council can arrange to come round and collect it. Many private recycling companies are also willing to do this.
