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 threw away is e-waste—electronic items that are broken and not recycled.
Millions of tonnes of televisions, phones, and other electronic equipment are abandoned each year.
As many electrical items contain valuable metals, another solution is e-waste mining. An experiment at the University of New South Wales involves extracting these materials from electronic gadgets.
These projects make total sense, but collections of e-waste for recycling are decreasing.
| A．The demand for waste is on a high level. |
| B．Now two solutions can give them a new life. |
| C．Because it’s cheaper to replace them than fix them. |
| D．It’s impossible that people practice e-waste recycling. |
| E．Doing it could be more profitable than traditional mining. |
| F．And in countries without law on e-waste, much of it just goes to landfill. |
| G．However, there’s a growing trend for repair events to solve such a problem. |
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【推荐1】Do you ever pull your phone out of your pocket, thinking it is vibrating(振动), only to find that it isn’t?
This phenomenon, which scientists call “phantom(幻觉的)phone vibration”, is very common. Around 80% of people surveyed say they have imagined their phones vibrating when they were actually still.
So, what leads to this universal behavior? According to the BBC, the explanation lies in your brain’s ability to discover signals from the outside world.
When your phone is in your pocket, there are two possible states: it is either vibrating or not. Meanwhile, you also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is vibrating, or that it isn’t.
Ideally, you match the four states correctly. However, sometimes your brain decides that the consequences of missing a call are more serious than a “false alarm”. Therefore, you become more sensitive to vibrations so that you don't miss anything.
This is just like the fire alarm in your home-it can be annoying when it goes off in response to just a tiny bit of smoke. But that’s a small price to pay compared to a fire really breaking out because the alarm fails to alert you. Now, you might still ask: why can’t our brains just make every judgment correctly without being too sensitive to false signals? The answer is that your brain bears a heavy burden every day. “You get a large amount of sensory information that’s coming from your eyes, ears and skin, and you can’t deal with all that information all the time,” Michael Rothberg, a researcher at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, US, told Live Science.
For example, the rustling(沙沙声)of clothing or the growling(咕咕声)of your stomach may both lead your brain to believe that they come from the vibration of your phone-it is like trying to hear your name being called in a noisy room.
So, perhaps you should just check your phone whenever you think it’s vibrating. It’s not too much trouble to do that, is it?
1. According to this passage, phantom phone vibration ________.| A．happens when our brains react sensitively to false signals |
| B．helps our brains to make very quick and accurate decisions |
| C．is common among people with mental problems |
| D．can measure people’s ability to collect information |
| A．To convince us it’s important to check our phones like checking a fire alarm. |
| B．To tell us the phone vibration usually happens when a fire breaks out. |
| C．To help us understand the cause of phantom phone vibration better. |
| D．To show us the fire alarm is as sensitive as the phone vibration. |
| A．An overflow of sensory information. | B．A heavy burden every day. |
| C．A lack of much attention. | D．A noisy background. |
| A．We should ignore the vibration bothering when our phones are actually sill. |
| B．We should think of the vibration carefully before we make correct judgments. |
| C．We should always fully believe our own sense of listening. |
| D．We should just check our phones whenever we think they’re vibrating. |
【推荐2】On average ,Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic devices and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors. That is a claim made by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. In his 2017 TED Talk , Strayer explained that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.
Using an electronic device to answer emails, listen to the news and look at Facebook puts a lot of pressure on the front of the brain, which, Strayer explains , is important for critical (有判断力的)thinking , problem-solving and decision-making.
So, it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in naure , Strayer claims , helps get a tired brain away from too much technology. More than 15,000 campers from around the world attended an international camping festival in September. That is when friends and family take time off and escape to nature for several days. They take walks, climb, explore , swim, sleep, eat and play. Camping may be just what a tired brain needs.
Take Carl for example .He lives in West Virginia and enjoys camping . He says that staying outdoors makes him feel at ease. It also prepares him for the work he must do. Kate Somers is another example who also lives in West Virginia. She says she enjoys camping with her husband and two children . She calls it a “regenerative” experience.
At the University of Utah , David Strayer has studied both short-term and long-term exposure to nature. He found that spending short amounts of time in nature without technology does calm the brain and helps it to remember better. However ,he found , it is the long-term contact with nature that does the most good. He and his research team found that spending three days in nature without any technology is enough time for the brain to fully relax and reset itself.
1. What is David Strayer’s opinion ?| A．Americans dislike outdoor activities |
| B．Electronic equipment should be quitted |
| C．New technologies are a double-edged sword |
| D．Electronic equipment brings great convenience |
| A．To try another lifestyle | B．To refresh our brain |
| C．To make better decisions. | D．To play with our family and friends |
| A．Reborn | B．Memorable | C．Remarkable | D．Tiring |
| A．Electronic Equipment Harms the Brain |
| B．Good Rest Develops Good Memory |
| C．Tips on Using New Technologies |
| D．Being in Nature Is Good for the Brain |
【推荐3】World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated annually by consumer organizations worldwide.It honours the historic declaration on March 15,1962 by John F.Kennedy,the former US President,of the basic rights of consumers,which include:”the right to safety”“the right to be informed”“the right to choose”,and “the right to be heard”.
This declaration has led to international recognition by governments and the United Nations that all citizens,regardless of their incomes or social standing,have certain basic rights as consumers.Officially, World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on March 15 ,1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing( 动员) citizen action ,with recognition of consumer rights taking off around the world.On April 9,1985,the United Nations General Assembly(联合国大会) adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection that provide a framework for strengthening national consumer protection policies around the world.
The guidelines include Kennedy’s four basic consumer rights plus another four : the right to satisfaction of basic needs,the right to redress(赔偿),the right to education ,and the right to a healthy environment.Currently,the fundamental consumer rights are recognized globally.
World Consumer Rights Day normally has a theme associated with an activity or development that is relevant to consumers. Whatever its objectives , it shares the same underlying aim of bringing about important and needed benefits to consumers.
In recent years , progress has been made for recognition and protection of consumer rights in developing countries. At least, March 15 is a day when consumers are filled with pride and satisfaction. However , there are many reports on violation of consumer rights by unethical( 不 道 德 的 ) marketing practices.
1. When was World Consumer Rights Day first celebrated?| A．On March 15,1962. | B．On March 15,1983. | C．On March 15,1985. | D．On March 15,1986. |
| A．Four. | B．Six. | C．Eight. | D．Ten. |
| A．becoming popular | B．removing quickly | C．flying away | D．leaving soon |
| A．Consumers in different countries have different basic rights. |
| B．Consumers still have some difficulty in protecting their basic rights. |
| C．On March 15,consumers don’t need to worry about their basic rights. |
| D．It was John F.Kennedy who declared that March 15 was the World Consumer Rights Day. |
