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.

阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项.

    Whether rich or poor, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans.

    For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, the study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as the difference between having parents who are barely literate (有文化的) and having parents who have a university education.

    Being a sociologist, Evans was particularly interested to find that children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. What kinds of investments should we make to help these kids get ahead? The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed. Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on motivating a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater benefit the children get.”

    The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as education level of the parents, the father's occupation or the economic level of the country.

    Having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education level, and more important than whether a child was brought up in a developing country or a developed country. Surprisingly, the difference in educational attainment for children born in developed country and children born in developing country was just 2 years, less than two-thirds of the effect that having 500 or more books in the home had on children.

    Imagine you went to a restaurant with a date, had a burger, paid with a credit card, and left. The next time you go there, the waiter or waitress, armed with your profile data, greets you with, "Hey Joe, how are you? Mary is over there in the seat you sat in last time. Would you like to join her for dinner again?" Then you find out that your burger has been cooked and your drink is on the table. Forget the fact that you are with another date and are on a diet that doesn't include burgers. Sound a little odd? To some, it is the same with the Internet. The Nets ability to profile you through your visits to and interactions at websites provides marketers with an enormous amount of data on you--some of which you may not want them to have.

    Are you aware that almost every time you access a website you get a "cookie"? Unfortunately, it's not the Mrs.

    Reid's type. A cookie on the Internet is a computer code sent by the site to your computer--usually without your knowledge. During the entire period of time that you are at the site, the cookie is collecting information about your interaction, including where you visit, how long you stay there. How frequently you return to certain pages, and even your electronic address. Fill out a survey to collect free information or samples, and marketers know even more about you--like your name, address, and any other information you provide. While this may sound scary enough, cookies aren't even the latest in technology. A new system called I-librarian Alexa--named for the legendary third century.

    B. C. library in Alexandria, Egypt--does even more. While cookies track what you are doing at one site, Alexa collects data on all your Web activity, such as which sites you visit next, how long you stay there, whether you click on ads, etc. All this information is available to marketers, who use it to market more effectively to you. Not only do you not get paid for providing the information, you probably don't even know that you are giving it.

Yuan Longping, known as the "father of hybrid rice", was born in 1930 in Beijing. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(learn) that farmers often had poor harvests and sometimes even had a serious {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(short) of food to eat, he chose to study agriculture and graduated from Southwest Agricultureal College in 1953.

After his graduation, Yuan {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(devote) his life to finding ways to produce more rice. He realized that larger fields were not the solution {#blank#}4{#/blank#} food crisis. Instead, farmers needed to boost yields in the fields they had. Through intense effort, Yuan got over enormous technical {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(difficulty) and developed the first hybrid rice in 1974, which enabled farmers to expand their output {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(great). Yuan's rice has helped feed not just China, {#blank#}7{#/blank#} many other countries that depend on rice as well. Yuan Longping cares little for wealth or fame. Instead, he {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(make) large donations to support agricultural research.

{#blank#}9{#/blank#} impresses people most about Yuan Longping is his ongoing ability {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(fulfill) his dreams. Despite his advanced years, Yuan Longping is still young at heart and full of vision, and everyone is waiting to see what he will dream up next.

Not only is second-hand shopping good for the planet and your wallet, but new research finds that the more conscious(关注的) of style you are, the more likely you are to shop for second-hand clothes.

It is often assumed that those who shop for second-hand clothes do so to save money or reduce their impact on the environment. In fact, according to the research. style-consciousness is a bigger predictor of second-hand shopping than frugality or eco-consciousness.

Style-consciousness is very different from fashion-consciousness. Fashion is all about the "new" , and is constantly evolving. Style, on the other hand, is about expressing long-term individual identity.

Fashion shoppers are used to a continuous supply of new trends and fast fashion products. Fast fashion works quickly to replicate ( 复制) an ever-moving stream of fashion trends, generating large volumes of low-quality clothes. The impact of fast fashion on the environment is significant and well-documented. Globally ,the fast fashion industry creates 92 million tons of waste per year. Less than 15 percent of clothes are recycled or reused.

A style-conscious person expresses themselves through their clothes. These shoppers want second-hand clothes that show their personal style and values. They look for authentic and original pieces and avoid mainstream trends and fast fashion. They buy clothes that are timeless, well-made and all ow them to express their individual identity.

Going against the fast fashion trend, growing numbers of people are shopping for second-hand clothing. And the number of second-hand stores is also increasing. The research suggests much of this growth is due to shoppers considering themselves to be style-conscious.

We hope with increasing numbers of second-hand stores, markets and online platforms selling a range of quality, pre-loved clothes at different price points for different budgets—coupled with the growing acceptance of second-hand shopping—shoppers will consider buying second-hand more often. Not only are you helping the planet, you are also likely to be doing it with style.