2 . When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read a(an) ________ article in the newspaper, which said that people were ________ old computers in backyards, throwing TVs into streams, and dumping(丢弃) cell phones in the garbage. This was dangerous because e waste contains harmful ________ that can leak into the environment, getting into crops, animals, water supplies—and people.

Alex was really worried and decided to make it next project for WIN—the Westerly Innovations Network. Alex and six of his friends had ________ this organization to help solve community problems two years before.

But what could they do about this project with e-waste? The team spent several weeks gathering information about the harmful chemicals in e waste and their ________ on humans. They learned how to dispose (处置) of e-waste ________ and how it could be recycled. Then, they sent out a survey and found only one in eight knew what e-waste was, let alone how to dispose of it.

Alex and his friends went into ________. They advertised in the local newspaper and ________ notices to students, asking residents to bring their ________ electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they ________ over 9,500 kilograms of e waste.

The next step was to set up a long-term e-waste drop-off center for the town. After some research, they’d learned that reusing is the best way to ________ electronic devices and it is seven times more ________ than recycling. So, they began learning to refurbish(翻新) computers themselves and distributed them to students who didn’t have their own. In this way, they could help students in the area and protect the environment at the same time.

For a________ solution to e waste, the drop off center wasn’t enough. Laws would have to be passed. In 2016,WIN helped ________ for an e waste bill in their town, which required companies that manufactured or sold electronics to take back e waste. The bill clearly ________ the dumping of e waste.

Because of the work of WIN, more and more people, like Alex and his team, are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste. As Alex says, “Today’s technology should not become tomorrow’s harmful garbage.