WHY BURN WASTE?
Waste-to-energy plants generate (产生) enough electricity to supply 2.4 million households in the US. But,
provrding electricity is not the major advantage of waste-to-energy plants. In fact, it costs more to generate
electrlcity at a waste-to-energy plant than it does at a coal, nuclear, or hydropower plant.
The maior advantage of burning waste is that it considerably reduces the amount of trash going to landfills.
The average American produces more than l,600 pounds of waste a year. If all this waste were landfilled, it
would take more than two cubic yards of landfill space. That"s the volume of a box three feet long, three feet
wide, and six feet high. If that waste were burned, the ashes would fit into a box three feet long, three feet
wide, but only nine inches high!
Some communities in the Northeast may be running out of land for new landfills. And, since most people
don"t want landfills in their backyards, it has become more difficult to obtain permits to build new landfms.
Taking the country as a whole, the United States has plenty of open space, of course, but it is expensive to
transport garbage a long distance to put it mto a landfill.
TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN?
Some people are concerned that burning garbage may harm the environment. Like coal plants, waste-to-
energy plants produce air pollution when the fuel is bumed to produce steam or electricity. Burning garbage
releases the chemicals and substances found in the waste. Some chemicals can be a threat to people, the
environment, or both, if they are not properly controlled.
Some critics of waste-to-energy plants are afraid that burning waste will hamper (妨碍, 阻碍) recycling
programs. If everyone sends their trash to a waste-to-energy plant, they say, there will be little motive to
recycle. Several states have considered or are cons idering banning waste-to-energy plants unless recycling
programs are in place. Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York City have delayed new waste-to-energy
plants, hoping to increase the level of recycling first.
So, what"s the real story? Can recycling and burning waste coexist? At first glance, recycling and waste-
to-energy seem to be at odds (不一致), but they can actually complement (弥补) each other. That"s because
it makes good sense to recycle some materials, and better sense to burn others.
Let"s look at aluminum, for example. Aluminum mineral is so expensive to mine that recycling aluminum
more than pays for itself. Burning it produces no energy. So clearly, aluminum is valuable to recycle and not
useful to burn.
Paper, on the other hand, can either be burned or recycled-it all depends on the price the used paper will
bring. Plastics are another matter. Because plastics are made from petroleum and natural gas, they are excellent
sources of energy for waste-to-energy plants. This is especially true since plastics are not as easy to recycle
as steel, aluminum, or paper.
Plastics almost always have to be hand sorted and making a product from recycled plastics may cost more
than making it from new materials.
To burn or not to burn is not really the question. We should use both recycling and waste-to-energy as
alternatives to landfilling.
6. Concerns/Worries 7. harmful/dangerous 8. burn 9. Conclusion 10. replace
As AH1N1 flu continues to spread, experts from the World Health Organization are calling for everyone to practice smart flu prevention techniques. Besides washing your hands and getting enough sleep, here are the other 7 ways to keep your body strong and your immune (免疫) system ready to fight infection. Avoid Contact with Sick People Flu virus is spread when particles (微粒) blown into the air through a cough or sneeze reach someone else"s nose. So if you"re coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and then wash your | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Canadians love the great outdoor-20% of the Canadians go camping each year-and consider the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. What makes the Canadians satisfied according to the passage? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A. That most of their country remains wilderness. B. That there is little grassy land and few trees. C. That they can go hiking every year. D. That all of the rubbish can be dealt with. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2. How many tons of the household waste in Edmonton can not be processed in North America"s biggest composter a day? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A. over 700 tons B. over 1000 tons C. over 1428 tons D. over 428 tons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3. All of the following statements are right Except _____. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A. It is logical that the majority of Canadians want to look after their natural space B. In Halifax, throwing an apple core into a garbage can"is against the law C. Not all the Canadians have ever visited the-Rockies and want them to be well cared for D. The $100 million plant can recycle most of the household waste in Edmonton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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War, money and power are a few things that countries and people are concerned about. 1 I agree that those things are important, I believe that everyone should start to 2 more on a growing problem-global warming. Global warming will not only 3 our country and our generation, but also-the entire 4 and future generations. It is 5 because the weather has been a lot warmer over the past few years, which 6 the melting (融化) of the ice in the Antarctic. This will soon cause water levels to 7 and flood parts of the world. Many people ignore this problem because they feel 8 they can"t do anything about it and have more 9 things to worry about. If we all 10 so, then our ozone layer (臭氧层) will be 11 and the planet will no longer be able to make life continue to exist. We should do our best to limit the use of our planet"s 12 resources (资源) and keep our air clean 13 , future generations will suffer from our 14 . Some might feel that they can"t stop global warming from 15 . But if every single person does his or her part in keeping the air clean, then it will become a 16 effort. Sure, there are some things that cause pollution and that we won"t be able to 17 change. This may include cars burning oil, but we can 18 adjust some of these things. People can start carpooling, taking the bus, riding their bikes, or 19 just walking. If everyone takes 20 now, I believe we can start seeing remarkable results within a few years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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