Obchodní akademie, Náchod, Denisovo nábřeží 673
Projekt CZ.1.07/1.5.00/34.0439 - EU peníze pro Obchodní akademii Náchod
Číslo-název šablony klíčové aktivity
Tematická oblast
DUM
Téma
Autor
Anotace
III/2–Inovace a zkvalitnění výuky prostřednictvím ICT
Technická angličtina
VY_32_INOVACE_CJ_459
Computers must be greener – porozumění textu
Mgr. Pavel Smola
Cvičení na slovní zásobu a porozumění textu
Computers must be greener, obsahuje řešení
Materiál k předmětu Technická angličtina.
Vytvořeno na základě textu z BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/3541623.stm
Druh učebního materiálu
Věková skupina žáků (popř. ročník)
Časový rozsah
Úroveň podle SERRJ
Nutné technické vybavení
Test ve formátu Word
3. ročník
40 minut
B1
Není třeba
Computers 'must be greener'
By Tim Hirsch, BBC environment correspondent
Worldwide efforts are needed to reduce the environmental damage caused by computer
equipment, according to a United Nations research group.
A study says making the average PC requires 10 times the weight of the product in chemicals and
fossil fuels.
Many of the chemicals are toxic, while the use of fossil fuels help contribute to global warming.
And the short lifetime of today's IT equipment leads to mountains of waste, the UN University report
says.
That waste is then dumped in landfill sites or recycled, often in poorly managed facilities in
developing countries, leading to significant health risks.
The authors say that both manufacturers and computer users across the world should be given greater
incentives to upgrade or re-use computer hardware instead of discarding it.
In life and death
As computers become smaller and more energy-efficient, their environmental burden might be
expected to decrease - but the study suggests that the opposite is happening.
It found that manufacturing a 24kg PC with monitor needs at least 240kg of fossil fuels to provide the
energy, and 22kg of chemicals. Add to that, 1.5 tonnes of water, and your desktop system has used up
the weight of a sports utility vehicle in materials before it even leaves the factory.
Compare this with cars or refrigerators, which use only between one and two times their weight in
fossil fuels, and it is clear that making more than 130 million computers worldwide has a significant
impact.
The study says people could be exposed to health risks at both ends of the short lifespan of computer
equipment.
Chemicals such as brominated flame retardants and heavy metals including lead and cadmium pose
potential risks to factory workers and users of water supplies near landfill sites where old computers
are dumped.
Owning the problem
Little research on these impacts has been carried out, and there are several law suits pending from
workers at semiconductor plants who claim their work is linked to birth defects and cancer.
The rector of the UN University in Tokyo, Hans van Ginkel, said: "This study clearly shows that our
current understanding of the health and environmental impacts of computers is inadequate.
"We can no longer ignore the potential for serious long-term problems."
The study welcomes new legislation coming into force this year in the European Union requiring the
electronic industry to take responsibility for safe disposal of used equipment, but it says the
environmental benefits will depend on how it is implemented.
Individuals can do a lot to cut down on computer waste, according to co-editor Eric Williams.
Broken sleep
"Every computer user has a role to play," he said.
"Users should think carefully about whether they really need to buy a new computer; if upgrading the
existing machine could serve the same purpose. Promptly selling old machines to the used-product
market is also important," he added.
And although modern computers use relatively little electricity while they are being operated, a huge
amount of energy is wasted because equipment is left on permanently, often overnight.
Even energy-saving devices which automatically switch devices into standby mode can be deceptive,
says the study, as they are frequently "woken up" by traffic from servers if they are connected to a
network.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/3541623.stm
Published: 2004/03/08 10:02:54 GMT
© BBC MMIV
2
FIND THE MEANING OF THE UNDERLINED WORDS
reduce
health risks
damage
be exposed to
fossil fuels
long-term
global warming
disposal
lifetime
depend on
landfill sites
energy-saving
READING COMPREHENSION
1/ Which of the following is a developing country?
a) Sudan
b) the Czech republic c) Poland
2/ Fossil fuels are e.g. ____ .
a) gold and silver
b) cars and planes
c) coal and oil
d) Japan
d) iron and oxygen
3/ If you discard computer hardware, you ______.
a) buy it
b) borrow it
c) throw it away
d) use it
4/ A computer which is more energy-efficient uses _____ energy.
a) less
b) more
c) a lot of
d) too much
5/ Significant means ____.
a) interesting
b) annoying
d) necessary
c) important
True or false?
6/ If you recycle old IT equipment, you use it again.
7/You need more fossil fuels to make a fridge than to make a PC.
8/ It is sure that workers at factories producing computers will die of cancer.
9/ Hans van Ginkel is the head of the UN University in Toronto.
10/ Even modern energy-saving computers waste a lot of energy.
3
ANSWERS
READING COMPREHENSION
1/ Which of the following is a developing country?
a) Sudan
b) Japan
c) Poland
d) the Czech republic
2/ Fossil fuels are e.g. ____ .
a) gold and silver
b) cars and planes
d) iron and oxygen
c) coal and oil
3/ If you discard computer hardware, you ______.
a) buy it
b) borrow it
c) throw it away
d) use it
4/ A computer which is more energy-efficient uses _____ energy.
a) less
b) more
c) a lot of
d) too much
5/ Significant means ____.
a) interesting
b) annoying
d) necessary
c) important
True or false?
6/ If you recycle old IT equipment, you use it again.
T
7/ You need more fossil fuels to make a fridge than to make a PC.
F
8/ It is sure that workers at factories producing computers will die of cancer.
9/ Hans van Ginkel is the head of the UN University in Toronto.
F
10/ Even modern energy-saving computers waste a lot of energy.
T
F
4