Disposing
of the garbage we produce every day is a major problem in cities around the
world. In the United States, over 160 million tons of garbage is produced every
year. Ten percent is recycled, ten percent is burned, and the rest is put in
landfills. But finding land for new landfills is becoming more difficult.
A
city that has solved this problem in an unusual way is Machida in Tokyo. They
have developed a totally new way of dealing with garbage. The key to the
operation is that people should work together. Families must divide their
garbage into six groups:
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1. garbage that can be easily burned, such as kitchen and
garden trash
2. garbage that doesn’t burn easily,
such as plastic tools and plastic toys
3. products that are poisonous or that cause pollution, such
as batteries
4. bottles and glass containers that can be recycled
5. metal containers that can be recycled
6. large items, such as furniture and bicycles
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The items in Groups 1 to 5 are collected on different days. Large items are
only collected upon request. Then the garbage is taken to a centre that looks
like a clean new office building or hospital. Inside the centre, special
equipment is used to sort and deal with garbage. Almost everything can be
reused: garden or kitchen trash becomes fertilizer; garbage that can burn is
burned to produce electricity; metal containers and bottles are recycled; and
old furniture, clothing, and other useful items are cleaned, repaired, and
resold cheaply or given away. The work provides employment for the disabled and
gives them a chance to learn new skills.
Nowadays,
officials from cities around the world visit Machida to see whether they can
use some of these ideas and techniques to solve their own garbage problems.
1. Each year people in the U.S.A. have
to find places to put in _______ million tons of garbage.
A.160 B.128 C.16 D.32
2.George’s
family has the following garbage: wooden chairs, empty tins and branches. Into
which group should he put the garbage?
A.
Group 6, Group 5, Group 1. B.
Group 1, Group 3, Group 2.
C.
Group 6, Group 5, Group 2. D.
Group 6, Group 4, Group 1.
3. From the text we know that
________ .
A.
those who are working at the garbage disposal centre are disabled persons.
B.
without people’s cooperation, the garbage
disposal project would be a failure.
C.
the items in Group1 and Group6 are not collected on the same day.
D.
the garage is taken to a clean new office building for disposal.
