English Test

ENGLISH TEST 2º BACHILLER UNIT 1
NAME: ……………………………………………………………
new uses for old mobile phones |
Imagine that you are lucky enough to get a new mobile phone. You may be thrilled, but whatdo you do with that old, bulky model you used to use? Although many people just throw their old phones into a drawer, there are good reasons, both social and environmental, for finding moreconstructive uses for outdated ones. |
Like many other products, used mobile phones can be recycled. Some companies will accept old models as part of a deal to exchange for a new phone, or they may offer anominal payment for each phone that is retrieved. In order to benefit those in need, some private firms collect these outdated phones and sell them back to the providers, and then donate the fees tocharity. |
Mobile phone companies have got various uses for these outdated phones. Even those that hardly work can be fixed up well enough to help someone in dire need. Some phones may be programmed tocall one emergency number and given to people at risk of domestic violence. Others may be only programmed to receive incoming calls, which is all that is necessary for patients awaiting news of theavailability of an organ for transplant. And phones that no longer work well in developed countries may be distributed in developing nations, where telecommunication networks are less sophisticated.Finally, old phones can be taken apart, so that the various components, including plastic and metal, can be recycled separately. |
Environmentally, it is important that old phone batteries, many ofwhich contain poisonous metals, be recycled responsibly. In some US states, it is illegal to throw away phone batteries containing nickel cadmium. Even if disposal is allowed by law, batteries shouldend up in a properly designated landfill. One way of getting them there is to participate in the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship, established in Finland in 1999. This event allows “athletes”...