What is waste and why does it matter?

Waste or rubbish is something that people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. Almost everything we do creates waste and as a society we are currently producing more waste than ever before. We do this at home and at work. The fact that we produce waste, and get rid of it, matters for the following reasons.

When something is thrown away, we lose the natural resources, the energy and the time which have been used to make the product. The vast majority of resources that we use in manufacturing products and providing services cannot be replaced. The use of these resources cannot go on indefinitely—we would run out.

When something is thrown away, we are putting pressure on the environmentˈs ability to cope —in terms of the additional environmental impacts associated with extracting the new resources, manufacturing and distributing the goods, and in terms of the environmental impacts associated with getting rid of our rubbish.

When something is thrown away, we are not able to see it as a resource. It is well understood that what is waste to one person may not be viewed as waste by another. A good example of this is scrap metal which has been recycled for many years. Increasingly people are realizing that it makes economic sense as well as environmental sense to use "waste" rather than just throw it away.

The process of using up the earthˈs natural resources to make products which we then throw away, sometimes a very short time later, is not “sustainable”—in other words, it cannot continue indefinitely.

The way we consume materials will affect whether we have a sustainable society that leaves resources available for future generations to use. As consumers and producers, we are central to the concept of sustainability. We need to think about how we can get more out of less, how we can use less and throw away less and how we can do better things with our so-called "waste" than throw it away. We need to see “waste” as a “resource”.

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Computer addiction can be described as the overuse of the computer which continues despite serious negative consequences for personal, social or occupational functions. However, not all people who spend hours each day on the computer are considered addicted. There are many uses for computers and the Internet and in many cases, an individual may spend ６ or more hours in a day on the computer but still not be considered an addict. Therefore, there is no set number of hours that is considered a potential for computer addiction.

But those who are suffering from anxiety and depression caused by stress at work, relationships or financial problems tend to become computer addicts. Some people become addicted mainly because they feel bored with everything and feel like there is nothing else to do.

If one feels an intense desire to go online, play a computer game, or socialize as soon as he wakes up and before he goes to bed, he may have become an addict. Other symptoms include using the computer as the only source of entertainment, lying to his family and friends about the activities that he performs while on the computer. Some addicts possess anxious feelings when wanting to use the computer or knowing that time on the computer is limited. Others may lose track of time while on the computer and spend more time on it than intended. The computer can also be used as a form of escapism from reality.

Excessive computer use may result in the lack of face-to-face social interaction and an increasing amount of time and money on hardware, software and computer-related activities. Computer addiction makes one neglect his work, school, or family obligations. He often fails at repeated efforts to control computer use. So it’s time to seek help for the sake of health.

Counseling (心理辅导) or therapy can focus on treating underlying mental health conditions that caused the addiction such as anxiety, depression, social trauma or other conditions. Many different options for group or community support are available to assist those addicts. Just getting out and interacting with others can be very rewarding to the computer addict. Another method is to focus on new interests. For instance, a computer user might take part in a new gym membership, spend time at the movies with friends or go out for a walk. If a computer user does feel that he must go onto the computer, consider talking himself out of the computer use unless it is absolutely necessary. If he does go on the computer, he must make a plan for what he will do when on the computer, how long it will take and what time you will be off of the computer.

Once I was sent to attend a seminar（研讨会）. It was pouring outside.   (1)   I was holding an umbrella, my trouser legs as well as my shoes and socks, still got wet. When I entered the hall, suddenly I   (2)   (catch) sight of my chief boss coming in.

At that time, I just got the job. Therefore, I hurriedly went   (3)   (meet) this boss and introduced myself to him as I was   (4)   newcomer, named so-and-so. He said: “Yes, I recognize you. Got your feet wet?” I lowered my head to look at my trouser legs and with a

  (5)   (help) tone, I said, “Yeah. It’s raining cats and dogs, isn’t it?”  (6)   (stare) at me for a moment, the chief boss said nothing with a smile.

Later on, I mentioned the incident to my colleague. And I learnt that I   (7)   (make) a big fool of myself. It turns out that “Get one’s feet wet” is an American slang, with the meaning of “reaching the state of affairs.” But I regarded   (8)   ( I ) as humorous and replied with a slang sentence, which is seldom used now to describe the rain falling   (9)   

 (heavy). This was completely off the point. I am lucky that the chief boss did not point it out   (10)   the spot.