Nowadays many people are concerned about the problem of what to do with electronic waste such as old televisions, computers, radios, cellular telephones and other electronic equipment.

Electronic trash, or e-waste, is piling up faster than ever in American homes and businesses. People do not know what to do with old televisions or computers so they throw them in the trash.

National Solid Waste Management Association (NSWMA) state programs director Chaz Miller says the large amount of electronic waste Americans product is not unexpected.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates more than 400 million consumer electronic items are dumped each year, and there is a push by more states to ban the waste from landfills (垃圾填埋场) and create recycling programs. They can be torn apart and sorted for useable parts. Mike Fannon who runs the plant in Baltimore says, “There are lots of valuable metals that can be recovered and reused instead of just putting them in the landfill, and in certain components there are some materials that should not really be in the landfill.”

Fannon says nearly 20 percent of electronic waste is recycled nationwide. Thirteen years ago, it was only about 6 percent. Recycling rates continue to rise as more communities have banned electronics from landfills in order to keep e-waste poisons like lead (铅) and mercury (汞) out of garbage dumps.

This year several states like Vermont imposed a ban on electronic waste in landfills. More than 25 other states have also adopted bans on e-waste in landfills. Chaz Miller says more can be done to boost electronic waste recycling.

“We can do much better,” noted Miller. “I think clearly our goal should be to do as well as we do recycling newspapers.”

1.Which of the following does NOT belong to e-waste?

A. Old televisions. B. Old computers.

C. Old cell phones. D. Old newspapers.

2.Why is e-waste banned from landfills in many states?

A. Because it can not be recycled.

B. Because the landfills are already full.

C. Because it might damage the environment.

D. Because it can be shipped to other countries.

3.According to Mike Fannon, what might be the best way of dealing with e-waste?

A. Recycling it. B. Selling it.

C. Burying it. D. Breaking it.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Chaz Miller works for EPA.

B. Miller is optimistic about the future of e-waste.

C. At present, less than 10 percent of e-waste is recycled.

D. All states in the US have banned e-waste from landfills.

For as long as they can remember Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica. This winter, they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation (NSF).But they didn’t go as scientists. Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist. They went to Antarctica as participants in the NSF’s Artists and Writers program. The NSF is the government agency that funds scientific research in Antarctica. But it also makes it possible for artists, including filmmakers and musicians, to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.

The mixing of science and art in Antarctica isn’t new. Some of the earliest explorers brought along painters and photographers. Edward Wilson was a British painter, doctor, and bird expert who journeyed with Robert Falcon Scott on two separate Antarctic expeditions more than 100 years ago. Herbert Ponting was a photographer who also accompanied Scott on one of those expeditions. In hundreds of photos, Ponting captured the beauty of the continent and recorded the daily lives and heroic struggles of the explorers.

Today’s scientists write articles for scientific journals. Unlike the early explorers’ journals, scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand. Writers in Antarctica work to explain the research to the public. Peter Rejcek is editor, writer, and photographer for the Antarctic Sun, an online magazine devoted to news about the U.S. Antarctic Program. Rejeck began his career in the Antarctic in 2003 by spending a year at the South Pole. He has returned every year since,interviewing, scientists about research at Palmer,McMurdo,and South Pole stations.

There are also scientists in Antarctica who work hard to explain their research to the public. Scientist Diane McKnight wrote The Lost Seal,a children’s book that explains the research she and others are doing in an unusual ice-free area in Antarctica called the Dry Valleys.

Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific, historic and personal. People such as Martin, Surgent, Rejcek, and Diane McKnight are devoted to bringing those stories to as many people as they can. “Some people are going to be scientists,some people are going to be journalists,some people are going to be artists,but we can all work together.” says Surgent, “to celebrate,this extraordinary place.”

1.What do we know about the NSF?

A. It is a government agency.

B. It only funds scientists in Antarctica.

C. It encourages the understanding of human nature.

D. It enables the mixing of science and art for the first time.

2.Why didn’t some earliest explorers bring writers along?

A. Writers were not funded at that time.

B. Writing can’t capture the beauty of the continent.

C. Writers were not interested in popularizing science.

D. Early explorers ’journals can be easily understood by the public.

3.By mentioning Diane McKnight, the author may try to suggest that_____.

A. scientists should explain their research to children

B. writers are not necessary since scientists can tell stories as well

C. telling stories to children is more important than knowing the truth

D. no matter what role we play, we can work together to appreciate Antarctica

4.What would be the best title for this article?

A. Antarctica: A Land for A11

B. The NSF: A Program for All

C. Antarctica: A Land of Beauty and Stories

D. The NSF: A Program for Artists and Scientists

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