E-waste is fast becoming a serious problem around the world. This report will examine this problem and provide some possible ways to solve it.

We live in a society that is producing and using electronics(电子产品) all the time. It is often cheaper to buy new products than to repair old ones. Also, through clever advertising, companies always encourage people to change their old TVs, mobile phones and computers for the latest models. E-waste is created when we throw away old ones. In the EU alone, about 8,700,000 tons of e-waste is produced each year. Sadly, just over 1,000,000 tons is recycled.

    Burying(填埋) e-waste or burning it cause serious problems for the environment. Electronics have dangerous things in them. These things can then get into the ground or pollute the air when they are burnt.

    In recent years,   ▲  . However, their plans are not always managed properly. Sometimes electronics are just sent to poor countries such as Ghana. Here they are often burnt in public areas, which is very bad for people's health. Setting up recycling centers is a good way to solve this problem. E-cycling centers could recycle the parts that can be reused and deal with the rest properly.

    Another way is to make producers responsible(负责任) for their used products. This means that producers must take back old products which are no longer wanted. They should then make sure they are properly recycled or reused.

    As for us, we should try to cut down on e-waste. Change electronics only when we have to. And don't buy a product just to have the latest model.

    E-waste is a serious problem in the modern world. Both producers and users must take actions and try to keep it to the smallest amount.

    Pollution inside homes and other buildings kills more than 4 million people each year．Many people die as a result of breathing smoke or from cooking over wood﹣powered of coal﹣powered stoves．

    One way to reduce the number of deaths is through cooking equipment powered by the sun．Crosby Menzies，a solar power expert in a South African company，described his latest solar cooker called the“Sol.4”，”It is four square meters of mirrors，six to eight meters in length．It is quite a large cooler．”

    The“Sol.4”works by reflecting （反射）light from the sun off large mirrors．The mirrors direct （把…对准）the light at a cooking pan．Then the light heats the pan with solar energy．Within two minutes，the pan is hot enough to cook sausages and onions．In just four minutes，water can be boiled．That is as fast as cooking with natural gas or electricity．

    The cooker is also much“friendlier”than other models because people do not have to stand in the sun to use it．And people can prepare meals without having to collect firewood or spend money on coal．Suchindividualswould be less likely to have breathing illnesses from harmful smoke．

    At present，the cooker only works when the sun is shining．But engineers are working on a way to make it work without sunlight．

    Each cooker costs about $2000，which is a large amount of money for most Africans．To solve that problem，Crosby Menzies has crated a non﹣governmental organization called solar Cookers for Africa．It plans to raise money through donations to provide poor people with solar cooking equipment．

    Have you ever heard of e-waste, which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they're broken or you want a new one?

    Most people just throw them away. With the development of electric industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons.

    It's important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine. The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals can get into the earth or air, effecting the environment and people's health.

    Apple, for example, now recycle people's used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.

    How much sleep do we need? We are all different. Some people need only three hours of sleep a night. Others need ten hours of sleep a night. Most Americans sleep an average(平均) of seven to eight hours a night. After the age of fifty, the average sleeping time goes down to 6.5 hours a night.

    Most people have a bad night when they cannot fall asleep(睡着). The name of this problem is called insomnia.

    This isn't a new problem .Many famous people in history had insomnia .Some of these people had special ideas to make them sleep .Benjamin Franklin, the famous inventor had four beds. He moved from one to another to fall asleep .King Louis XIV(国王路易十四)of France had four hundred and thirteen beds and hoped to fall asleep in one of them .Mark Twain, the famous American writer, had a different way. He lay on his side across the end of his bed.

New Science and Technology

Look carefully before you cross

    The city of Daye in Hubei Province is using new technology to stop people from crossing against red lights. The city has set up special posts (杆) on its sidewalks. The posts can recognize (识别) human faces. If they catch a person crossing at a red light, they will send water drops at him or her.

High-tech building

    China not only builds things quickly, but also tries to use new and high technology. About twelve years has passed since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. About 550 kilometers of the railroad runs over ice-covered earth. When the ice-covered earth gets warm during summer, it can make the railway move. Chinese scientists built special structures to solve this problem.

Musical road in Holland (荷兰)

    In a village of Holland, there is a musical road. With the help of something special, the road can play a song. But if a car drives at a speed of over 60 km/h, the sound will become noisy. The local government thinks it will encourage drivers to control the speed. They will have to slow down in order to hear the song instead of the noise.