Text B. Reasons for recycling

Rare materials, such as gold and silver, are recycled because acquiring new supplies is expensive. Other materials may not be as expensive to replace, but they are recycled to conserve energy, reduce pollution, conserve land, and to save money.

Resource Conservation. Recycling conserves natural resources by reducing the need for new material. Some natural resources are renewable, meaning they can be replaced, and some are not. Paper, corrugated board, and other paper products come from renewable timber sources. Trees harvested to make those products can be replaced by growing more trees. Iron and aluminum come from nonrenewable ore deposits. Once a deposit is mined, it cannot be replaced.

Energy Conservation. Recycling saves energy by reducing the need to process new material, which usually requires more energy than the recycling process. The amount of energy saved in recycling one aluminum can is equivalent to the energy in the gasoline that would fill half of that same can.

Pollution Reduction. Recycling reduces pollution because recycling a product creates less pollution than producing a new one. Recycling can also reduce pollution by recycling safer products to replace those that pollute. Some countries still use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to manufacture foam products such as cups and plates. Many scientists suspect that CFCs harm the atmosphere’s protective layer of ozone. Using recycled plastic instead for those products eliminates the creation of harmful CFCs.

Land Conservation. Recycling saves valuable landfill space, land that must be set aside for dumping trash, construction debris, and yard waste. Landfills fill up quickly and acceptable sites for new ones are difficult to find because of objections by neighbors to noise and smells, and the hazard of leaks into underground water supplies. The two major ways to reduce the need for new landfills are to generate less initial waste and to recycle products that would normally be considered waste.

Economic Savings. Recycling in the short term is not always economically profitable or a break-even financial operation. Most experts contend, however, that the economic consequences of recycling are positive in the long term. Recycling will save money if potential landfill sites are used for more productive purposes and by reducing the number of pollution-related illnesses.

Answer the questions on Text B.

1) What nonrenewable and renewable resources do you know?

2) How can recycling save energy?

3) Is it harmful to use chlorofluorocarbons to manufacture foam products?

4) What are the two major ways to reduce the need for new landfills?

5) Is recycling economically profitable?

Work in small groups and discuss the issues.

1) What environmental problems are there in your city (country)?

2) Which of them are the most important? Why?

3) How can they be solved?

Report the general idea of the group to the class.

In pairs, think of prospects of recycling business.

1) Is recycling a profitable business?

2) Would you like to set up in business like that?

3) What stages are essential to start your own recycling business?

4) What equipment do you need?

5) What do you have to know?

Work out a business-plan of starting your own recycling business and present it to your group.

 

UNIT VII. TRANSPORTATION

Work in pairs. Make a list of all the means of transport you know. Discuss the questions.

1) What means of transport refer to air, seа, road, rail?

2) What kind of transport do you prefer?

3) Which is the most dangerous one?

4) Which is the quickest one?

5) Do you have your own car?

6) Does it help you to get everywhere on time?

7) Do you have any problems because of the car?