30. Recycling.

Recycling is the processing of used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials. What are the benefits of recycling? What recyclable materials do you know? Are you eco-friendly? Do you recycle any materials?

Recycling is processing used materials into new products. It prevents waste of po-tentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduces ener­gy usage, reduces air pollution (from burning litter) and water pollution. Recycling is the key component of modem waste reduction and is the third component of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" waste hierarchy.

One recycled tin would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours. One recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 mi­nutes. One recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours. 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

Practically everything can be recycled: glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles

(текстильные изделия), and electronics. Biodegradable (разрушаемый естественным образом)

waste - such as food - is not typically considered recycling. Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or just picked up in the streets, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed (перерабатывать) into new materials.

Some people think that recycling of a material produces a fresh supply of the same material, for example used office paper turns into more office paper. However, it is often difficult or too expensive compared with producing the same product from raw materials, so "recycling" sometimes involves producing different materials or the same materials but of a worse quality. For example, used paper can be recycled into paper-board (картон). Another form of recycling is the extraction of certain materials from complex products, either due to their considerable value (like gold from computer com-ponents), or due to their dangerous nature (like" removal and reuse of mercury from var­ious items). Sometimes it's not possible to expose materials to heat treatment. For ex­ample. Coca-cola plastic bottles and car tyres (шина) can't be melted without damaging the structure of polymers they are made of That's why environmentalists think of other ways of using them. Tyres, for instance, are cut into small pieces and used as an addi­tive in asphalt [ssfaelt] manufacturing. Plastic bottles can be used as containers or bird-feeders (кормушка).I can't say that I'm eco-friendly. I mean I never throw litter in the street, I use spe­cial bins (which are sometimes difficult to find in the city centre). I always clear up after picnics in the forest, that kind of thing. But globally we aren't eco-friendly. I mean in Europe they have different kinds of bins: for glass, paper, metal and food. People sepa­rate rubbish at home before throwing it away. I think it's quite reasonable and teaches kids to be eco-friendly since childhood. I know it would be difficult to organize the same thing in Russia because all our blocks of flats are supplied with a common rubbish chute [ш] (мусоропровод) but perhaps we have to change this system in new buildings. What's more, common people should know more about collecting centres where they can bring old clothes and appliances. This way we can decrease the number of useless and harmful dumping grounds (свалка).

31. TV or not TV

The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially television inform us of what is going on in the world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and shape our views.¶

Television has become an everyday part of our lives. It's omnipresent (вездесущий), always on… but is it a good thing or a bad one? Don't we spend too much of our precious time in front of the 'box'? Haven't we become lazier because of it? Is TV dangerous?¶

1. Some people say that television is dangerous. I don't think so. After all, it keeps you informed about what is happening in the world. The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that's an important advantage. Seeing is believing. Besides, it's much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers. You can also see films and plays, and be entertained… or you can watch documentaries and learn something new.¶

2. In spite of all its defects, television can teach us a lot of things. The trick is to learn to control it and use it intelligently. The idea is to turn on the TV only when there is a programme, which is really amusing, and interesting.¶

3. A lot of rubbish has been written about television. I think it's a wonderfull invention. It's a cheap form of entertainment, which gives pleasure to millions of people, especially those who live alone. It's also a wonderfull way of escaping from our dull reality.¶

4. TV's just part of live really. It involves us in strong emotions: love, hate/loathing, and passion. Even the silliest of 'soaps' help a lot of people to solve their own problems by showing them what might happen if they do certain things. Sometimes they show us what not to do.¶

But on the other hand there are several reason why television is not a thing we should take care about.¶

1. Television is a terrible waste of time. I know a lot of people who just down in front of the 'box' and watch whatever's on. They spend hours watching silly Mexican soap operas and second-rate American films when perhaps they ought to be doing something else.¶

2. In my opinion, television often makes us lazier. We stay at home instead of going out. We read less. We think less. We even talk less. It cuts us off from reality. But isn't real life better than this passive enjoyment?¶

3. At the same time there's too much blood and violence on TV. We begin to believe that world is an unfriendly place, filled with cruel people and risky circumstances, the violent, crime-filled world shown on TV may turn people into criminals.¶

4. Television is like a drug: we get addicted to certain TV series and simply can't switch it off. Most programmes are filled with silly commercials. What I hate most about TV is that it often uses strong language. It has a terrible influence on children and young people. Television kills conversation. Nobody knows how to protect you from the bad influence of television.Of course when people watch TV in foreign language they find a lot of new words and these words, words combinations can be use in every day speech. I agree that watching TV is not a good way to learn foreign language, but you can just practice in understanding the speech of other people, which they can meet in every place of the country.Nowadays television turns in a kind of everyday underground for many people. In this case TV keeps them company and doesn't ask for much in return. It can be dangerous because, watching TV people escape from reality and as an urgent action these people can isolate themselves from others or give up more interesting things. This type of viewer is called the absent-minded. They leave the TV on all day. In the meantime, he or she eats, phones, reads or does his homework. For him or her television is really background noise for all day long.¶

Another kind of viewers is the addict. He won't give up TV for anything in the world. He watches the programmes in silence, with great concentration. Even during commercials, he won't leave the screen for fear pf losing a second of a programme. He usually chooses the programmes he wants to watch very carefully.

And the bored viewers put the TV on when there is nothing better to do. For them TV is the last resort. They only watch it when it's raining or when they are ill. They usually have got an active relationship with TV and a good critical sense.The basis and main pillar of the art of television is the television personality. If you want to become a television personality, you need a personality of some sort. It may be unattractive or simply repulsive (отталкивающая); but a personality is indispensable (необходима).Television is one of the chief architects of prosperity (процветание). Certain television personalities can give away money with great charm on the slightest provocation. Television is also one of the main architects of slumps (кризис). Television has united the family - by keeping family at home, gaping at it round the family hearth. Television causes more friction (сцепление, ссора) in family life than any other single factor by offering unique scope for quarrels as to which programme to watch.¶Television is of great educational value. It teaches you while still really young how to kill, rob, shoot, poison, and generally speaking, how to grow up into a Wild West outlaw or gangster by the time you leave school. Television puts a stop to crime because all the burglars and robbers, instead of going to burgle and rob, sit at home watching soap operas.¶Whether we realize or not, television plays a very important pert part. It has conquered the world since the 40^th and now you cannot imagine your life without this invention