2006年VOA标准英语-Growing Problem of E-Waste a Global Concer

By Crystal Park
Washington, DC
28 February 2006
 
watch eWaste report
 
  
  
Constant innovations and breakthroughs in technology are helping¹ the world. But there's a downside. The amount of electronic waste, or products that have outlived their useful life, is growing so rapidly that environmentalists say countries must take action now in order to contain the situation. 

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Old televisions add to the e-waste 
  
Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to electronic products that are no longer usable. This can include TVs, cell phones and computers. Today, the average turnover² rate for a computer in the United States is every two years, according to the environmental group, Greenpeace. 

Dai Yun  
  
The group's Dai Yun says e-waste is a global problem.

"The electronic industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The high speed of growth in this industry means more and more electronic products are being wasted and thrown away. If no one takes the responsibility to retrieve³ the old products and process them properly, the electronic waste will sweep over the earth like the huge wave behind me and pollute the Earth seriously."

Greenpeace estimates that 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are generated globally each year. The components⁴ in many electronic products contain harmful chemicals that can leech⁵ down into the ground and contaminate ground water and pollute the environment.

Currently, the U.S. has no federal regulation for the disposal of e-waste. A few states have e-waste recycling programs in place, but there is no uniform law, like in technology-rich Japan, which requires retailers⁶ to collect used electronics. The European Union also has a comprehensive recycling program for electronic retailers, manufacturers and importers. 

 
Alex Fidis 
  
Alex Fidis, from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a public interest advocacy group, says E.U. regulations may affect U.S. policies regarding e-waste.

"It'll be interesting to see how that plays in the American market because American manufacturers and computer companies or electronic companies will have to meet those European standards if they intend to sell in those markets. So the European standards could drive down the presence of hazardous⁷ materials in products that are manufactured in the U.S."

Right now, the U.S. exports much of its e-waste to third world countries, such as India and China, where workers strip computers for valuable parts, hoping to sell them for money. But hazardous wastes expert, Dr. Bakul Rao, says that's a dangerous practice.

 
Dr. Bakul Rao 
  
"As of now, the recyclers who are there, they are not very educated, they don't know. All they know is they can retrieve copper⁸ or gold out of it. So, the easiest way to do that is leach⁹ it out in an acid or burn it off to retrieve it. So, that's where they don't know how to handle it, neither do they have any health systems in place. So, their exposure is more."

There are only a handful of legitimate¹⁰ e-waste recycling centers in the U.S., and a few manufacturing companies have take-back programs. But Mr. Fidis says consumers can reduce e-waste with some simple steps. "First, buy from a company that has a program established that would allow them to give the computer or the MP3 player back to the companies so the company can dismantle¹¹ it and reuse those parts and then safely dispose of the parts they don't reuse. And second, I would say people should buy, especially computers, with an eye towards keeping it for a long time and not just buying the cheapest system and throwing it away a year or two later.

He also suggests buying computers with interchangeable parts that can be upgraded easily.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

3 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

4 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

5 leech   

n.水蛭，吸血鬼，榨取他人利益的人；vt.以水蛭吸血；vi.依附于别人

参考例句：

• A leech is a small blood-sucking worm and usually lives in water.水蛭是一种小型吸血虫，通常生活在水中。
• One-side love like a greedy leech absorbed my time and my mirth.单相思如同一只贪婪的水蛭，吸走了我的时间和欢笑。

6 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

7 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

8 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

9 leach   

v.分离，过滤掉；n.过滤；过滤器

参考例句：

• Liquid water can leach soluble materials from the interface.液态水能够从界面溶解出可溶性物质。
• They believe that the humic materials are leached from decaying plant materials.他们认为腐植物料是从腐烂的植物体浸沥而来。

10 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

11 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。