growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants. The electronic waste stream is

increasing three times faster than traditional garbage as a whole.

        Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver. A Swiss study reported that while the 

weight of electronic goods represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste, the 

concentration (含量) of gold and other precious metals was higher in            So-called e-waste than in naturally 

occurring minerals.

         Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals. Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful 

metals removed, the recycling process often is carried out in poor countries, in practically uncontrolled ways which 

allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment.

         Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material, up to 100 times more, than the 

material contained in the finished products. Consider again the cell-phone, and imagine the mines that produced 

those metals, the factories needed to make the box and packaging(包装) it came in. Many wastes produced in the

producing process are harmful as well.

        The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that “the production, 

distribution, and use of products — as well as management of the resulting waste — all result in greenhouse gas 

release.” Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start — for instance, buying 

reusable products and recycling.

        In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place 

as an incentive (动机) for reducing waste. If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their 

products, would they reduce the packaging in the first place?

Governments' incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually

based on money. Why, they ask, should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap (气

泡垫) that encased your television?

From the governments' point of view, a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to

transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers 

back to the producers.

    We do not know when man first began to use salt, but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. Historical evidence shows, for example, that people who lived over 3,000 years ago ate salted fish. Thousands of years ago in Egypt, salt was used to preserve (保存) the dead.

    Stealing salt was considered a major crime (罪行) during some periods of history. In the eighteenth century, for example, if a person was caught stealing salt, he could be put in prison and his ears could be cut off.

    In the Roman Empire, one of the most important roads was the one that carried salt from the salt mines to Rome. Guards were stationed(安置) along the route to protect against salt thieves, and they received their pay in salt, thus bringing the English word, salary. Any guard who fell asleep while on duty was thought to be “not worth his salt”, and as a result he would get a little less salt on his next payday. The expression, “not worth his salt”, is still used today in English.

    In the modern world salt has many uses beyond the dining table. It is used in making glass and airplane parts, in the growing of crops, and in the killing of weeds (杂草). It is also used to make water soft, to melt (融化) ice on roads and highways, to make soap, and to fix colors in cloth.

    Salt can be got in various ways besides being taken from mines underground. Salt water from the ocean, salt water lakes or small seas can be used to make salt. Yet, no matter where it comes from, salt will continue to play an important role in the lives of people everywhere.

    Kids would love to have more money in their pockets. With the money that {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(make) by themselves they can buy the things they want. Actually, making money when you are a kid is much{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(easy) than you think. Here is a great method of making money for you, if you are a kid. It's dog walking.

    Don't try to do dog walking as a business if you are not{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(comfort) with dogs. However, if you love dogs, this can be a good {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(choose).

    Usually your customers are in the neighborhood. Ask dog owner {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(tell) you as much as possible{#blank#}6{#/blank#} their dogs and their habits. It's very important that you keep friendly with the dogs{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(bring) a treat to the dogs can help develop a friendship with them.

    You can charge 5 dollars {#blank#}8{#/blank#}a walk lasts 30 minutes. If a dog's owner wants you to walk{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(he) dog for an hour, you can charge 10 dollars or even 15 dollars.

    The only disadvantage of this method is that you have to deal with dog waste. Be sure to take{#blank#}10{#/blank#} bag and clean up after those dogs.

    Athens, the capital of Greece{#blank#}11{#/blank#}(know)as the birthplace of{#blank#}12{#/blank#}(west) civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world's most {#blank#}13{#/blank#}(power)city{#blank#}14{#/blank#} (build) such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece's best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever {#blank#}15{#/blank#}

    In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources (资源), the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decades has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.

    Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decades. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.

    The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.

    I was raised in a house where my sisters and I weren't trusted by our mother to manage our own appearance. As a result, there were rules, and trends were largely ignored. A few years ago, I was home for a visit when my mom, now in her early 70s, called me into her bedroom. We were about ready to leave for dinner. “I don't know what to wear” she complained “You girls always look so good. ”

    I paused in the doorway and looked at her, wondering if I'd misheard. “What do you mean?” I asked her. “You know what to wear" No. ”she answered. “I don't. Can you pick something?” I was so surprised.

    This was the same woman who, in 1989, told my younger sister she wasn't allowed to leave the house wearing a pair of ripped(有破洞的)jeans；the same woman who, in high school, called me while l was out at a party to ask if my hair was up. “You look better with it down, ”she told me, before I could answer I realized, suddenly, that my mother—always so strong—not only wanted my opinion, but needed it. I pulled a pair of blue jeans from the closet and a light blue sweater from her drawer “Wear this with your black shoes, ”I told her. She did My mother certainly doesn't need anyone to take care of her. In fact, she still cares for my grandmother who lives with her. But with that one question, my mother and I started the role reversal(转变)that happens with all parents and all children, from caregiver to receiver.

    Now, if I'm visiting or we're together, it's rare for her to wear anything without checking with me first. But every so often, it seems like she asks me just to be able to disagree with my answer and pick out something on her own. And when she does, I just tell her what I think of the way she looks. Sometimes it's “great”. And sometimes it's "awful."

A Japanese start-up called Ashirase is stepping into the global market with a new navigation (导航) assistance product intended to help people with low vision.

Its new product will feature flexible vibrating (震动) bases around each foot and are put into each shoe, and a small pack that can be removed for charging (充电). Once fitted, the vibrating parts are set along the sensitive nerves on the foot and can send coded walking instructions to the user.

Its present form navigates a route that comes from a smartphone app. It can help clear up distractions by freeing up the attention that is normally needed to either listen to voice directions or check the phone. Visual-damaged users can use their hearing to listen to traffic sounds and signals, like warning beeps at crossings or sidewalks, and use their hands to carry walking sticks or other belongings.

The device is paired with an app through a Bluetooth connection. The app uses information from Google Maps or similar vendors to draw up a walking route to the destination. Based on the destination and how the user is walking, it will send signals to the device that will cause a vibration on the foot.

The device will vibrate at a regular frequency at the front of the foot to let the users know they're on the right track and should keep going straight. It will speed up the vibrations once the user is approaching a turn and needs to stop, and it will vibrate in either the left or right shoe to signal the direction the user needs to turn.

Ashirase's new tech is waterproof and washable. It can be charged at the end of the week to power through seven days of walking, accounting for three active hours each day. And it can be fitted in two types of shoes: sneakers and leather lace-up shoes.