A New Threat to the World's Ecology. 10-й класс

Разделы: Иностранные языки

Класс: 10


Цель урока:

  • Учебный аспект:
    • Совершенствование навыков чтения полным пониманием и умения высказываться на основе прочитанного.
    • Активизация и расширение лексического запаса по теме.
  • Развивающий аспект: развитие умения высказывать свою точку зрения, личное отношение к поставленной проблеме; умения аргументировать свое высказывание, определить и сформулировать собственные пути решения проблемы.
  • Воспитательный аспект: воспитание способности толерантно принимать чужую точку зрения.

Пособия: картинки предметов электронного мусора, свалок и полигонов с электронным мусором (могут быть легко найдены в Интернете)

I. Warm-up.

Teacher: During the previous lesson we spoke about protection of the environment. Let us remember the main ecological issues.

Students name the main ecological issues.

  • growth of pollution in its many forms
  • destruction of wildlife
  • acid rains
  • greenhouse effect
  • depletion of the ozone layer
  • deforestation
  • global warming

Teacher: Of course, one of the burning ecological issues is pollution. People are greatly concerned about the ever growing amount of waste in the world. For centuries humanity has been producing household waste. With the development of different industries industrial waste was added to the waste stream. The last two centuries gave the world new kinds of waste. More and more people are now worried about them. What kinds of waste produced by people can you name?

Students: There are different kinds of waste:

1. household waste

2. industrial waste

3. nuclear waste

4. space waste

II. Reading.

1. Look at the pictures and the article’s headline and try to guess what the article is about.

(The teacher draws student’s attention to pictures on the blackboard. They show different items of discarded electronic devices and gadgets and landfills full of e-waste. Then students read the title of the article and speak about their guesses)

The Growing E-Waste Epidemic

2. Read the text and find the meaning of the highlighted words in the dictionary.

Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and even planned obsolescence have resulted in fast-growing surplus оf electrical and electronic equipment. It contributes to the growing amount of electronic waste around the globe.

What is considered to be electronic waste? Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. It includes used electronics which are going to be reused, resold, recycled, or disposed.

Environmentalists all over the world consider electronic waste a "rapidly expanding" issue. About 50 million tons of E-waste is produced each year. The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each year. In Britain each year, people throw away a million tones of electronic waste - enough to fill Wembley Stadium six times over. According to the Environmental Protection Agency only 15-20% of e-waste is recycled, the rest of these electronics go directly into landfills.

While there is agreement that the number of discarded electronic devices is increasing, there is considerable disagreement about the relative risk of e-waste. Should e-waste just be left in landfills or should it be recycled? When e-waste is left in landfills many chemicals come into the groundwater system and damage the environment. It simply makes good sense to recycle e-waste and to keep the environment green.

Today the electronic waste recycling is developing in all areas of the world as a large and rapidly consolidating business. Part of it is conventional recycling where e-waste is reverted to a raw material form. Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials, including rare metals that can be recovered for future uses. But e-waste materials should be managed with caution. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to workers and communities. Great care must be taken in recycling operations to prevent hazardous materials such as heavy metals from polluting land, air and water.

E-waste contains not only dangerous but also precious and scarce materials. Up to 60 elements such precious metals as gold, silver, platinum and such base metals as copper, iron, aluminum can be found in complex electronics. Another form of dealing with e-waste is dismantling obsolete units and providing reuse possibilities. Some computer components can be reused in assembling new computer products. In this way natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by disposal is avoided. The environmental and social benefits of reuse also include smaller demand for new products, less packaging per unit, less use of landfills and availability of technology to more people.

The United States is the world leader in producing electronic waste, throwing away about 3 million tons each year. Nevertheless electronic waste represents only 2% of America's trash in landfills. About 80% of the electronic waste is not recycled there at all, but is put on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_ship  and sent to other countries. There are growing concerns that most of the e-waste produced in developed countries is ending up in developing countries of Asia and Africa.

Nowadays more and more people of the world consider e-waste a “new threat”, a “crisis” or an “epidemic”. It is obvious that it causes adverse socio-economic, public health and environmental impact. E-waste has become an issue of universal concern.

3. True/False. Read the sentences and decide whether they are true or false.

1. E-waste consists of discarded or out-of-date electrical or electronic devices

2. E-waste can be safely stored in landfills.

3. Conventional recycling means burning discarded e-waste

4. It is possible to dismantle and reassemble end-of-life electronics.

5. E-waste contains valuable and rare metals.

6. Most of America’s trash is recycled in the country.

7. E-waste is illegally shipped to developing countries

T/F

T/F

T/F

T/F

T/F

T/F

T/F

Key: 1-T; 2-F; 3-F; 4-T; 5-T; 6-F; 7-T

4. Synonym Match. Match the following synonyms from the text.

dangerous a.scarce
rare b. quick
valuable c. to be turned to
to discard d. hazardous
out-of-date e. precious
to be reverted to f. to take apart
7. rapid g. obsolete
8. to dismantle h. to throw away

Key: 1-d; 2-a; 3-e; 4-h; 5-g; 6-c; 7-b; 8-f

5. Phrase Match. Match the following phrases from the text.

conventional a. reuse possibilities
groundwater b. ground
providing c. obsolescence
dumping d. consolidating business
planned e. for new products
demand f. material form
raw g. system
rapidly h. recycling

Key: 1-h; 2-g; 3-a; 4-b; 5-c; 6-e ; 7-f; 8-d

6. Answer the questions.

What is electronic waste?

  1. Name the reasons for the fast-growing surplus of e-waste?
  2. Why has e-waste become a burning problem nowadays?
  3. What ways of dealing with e-waste can you name?
  4. Why should e-waste be managed with great care?
  5. What countries does the greater part of e-waste end?
  6. Do you agree that e-waste is a new threat to the world’s ecology?

III. Speaking.

Look through the ads from all corners of the world and speak about opportunities for e-waste recycling.

Free Drop Off For Your Electronics - Saturday Nov. 3rd 9-2 Liberty High School in Brentwood

We’re not going to stop making and using high tech equipment but we can stop dumping e-waste on others and harming them and our shared environment. There is a solution!

Take action to avoid your old equipment dumped in landfills

E-waste is increasing very fast in New Zealand and it is much more toxic than normal household waste. Please do not let your old equipment be sitting around your house gathering dust, put it on the streets on inorganic collection days to avoid being dumped in our landfills.

Waste electrical takeback scheme

WeeeCollect will collect all of your unwanted electrical equipment waste from anywhere in the UK for just ?10. All you need to do is contact us and we will do the rest.

Sea World offers free e-waste drop off Saturday

SeaWorld San Diego is hosting a free electronic recycling drop-off event from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday in the theme park’s east parking lot. It is SeaWorld’s ninth recycling event in the past five years, and officials report collecting more than 300,000 pounds of electronic waste and raising more than $30,000 for local and national conservation programs.

Free Electronic Recycling Event January 12th 2013 – Discovery Bay Our First Event in 2013

We encourage everyone to bring and dispose your unwanted computers, electronic gadgets, mobile phones and car batteries on E-waste Collection Days and we will dispose them for you in an environmental-friendly manner that will truly benefit our Mother Earth.

Do you know what happens to e-waste in your country?

VI. Hometask.

  1. Make an advertisement about an e-waste drop off day in your school.
  2. Write a short letter to your friend showing your concern on the problem of e-waste in the world/your country. (75-100 words)

Список литературы.

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste 

2.http://e-stewards.org/the-e-waste-crisis/

3. http://www.eforgood.org/

4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9483000/9483148.stm

5. http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-e-waste