BTS  Informatique industrielle (Regroupement 9)

ANGLAIS Session 2004

Durée 2 heures

Spécialités :

- Domotique - Coefficient 1

- Fluides-Energies-Environnements - Coefficient 1

- Informatique et Réseaux pour l'Industrie et les Services techniques - Coefficient 1

Are you environmentally friendly? Do you reuse and recycle at home? Chances are that, in these information-rich days where we all understand the impact our actions might have on the planet in the future, you do. But what about the computers you replace every two to three years? How do they get disposed of?

Whether in a corporate or domestic setting, the chances are they'll end up in landfill, where numerous toxins can be released. Thankfully, help is at hand, from the unlikely hero of the day, the European Union. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, together with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) proposal, is at the heart of the response by the European Union to the environmental problems that the rapid growth in the technology sector has produced in the last few years.

[**] The problem is double-headed. First, there's the sheer amount of equipment being produced to sate the market demand for electrical equipment - everything from televisions, fridges and microwave ovens to computer equipment. And it's the latter that's proving the most problematical in that R&D (1) happens at such a pace the replacement process has become highly accelerated. In other words, we want more kit and we want newer kit, but we don't have the processes in place to sensibly manage he disposal of the old stuff. [**]

The computer industry is almost producing products that become obsolete faster than their replacements reach the market. According to research quoted in the hefty Commission of he European Community WEEE proposal document, in the 1960s a computer had an expected life cycle often years or more. That has shrunk to an average of four years now, and at the cutting edge of computing, to less than two years. The same document quotes electrical and electronic equipment waste levels as growing at three times the rate of municipal waste. Indeed, it's the fastest-growing waste stream in the EU, responsible for an average of 14kg per person across Europe.

Now throw into the mix the fact that in the manufacturing processes, not to mention during use and at the disposal stage, electronic equipment introduces potentially environmentally harmful effects, thanks to the development of new chemicals and materials. Lead from electronic equipment, for example, accounts for around 40 per cent of all lead in landfills and 50 per cent in incinerators. Due to the hazardous content of IT (2) kit, more than 90 per cent of WEEE is land-filled, incinerated or recovered without any pre-treatment. Indeed, according to the European Commission, a large proportion of various pollutants found in the municipal waste stream comes from WEEE.

From PC Pro, October 2003

(1) - R&D : Research and Development (2) - IT : Information Technology.

BTS IRIS:

I - Comprehension
( 8 points)

1. Fill in the blanks with words taken from the text
( 4 points:1/2 pt par réponse)

a) Household computers are opposed to ...................... computers.
b) To throw away is to ......................
c) A dumpsite is also called a ......................
d) Something dangerous is also ......................
e) To satiate is a synonym of......................
f) Something that can damage health is ......................
g) ...................... is a heavy metal.
h) Something that pollutes is a ......................

2. Does electrical and electronic equipment get recycled ? Tick the right answer.
Justify your answer with 3 sentences from the text.
( 6 points: 2 points par phrase)

Yes   No
a/
b/
c/

3. Fill in the blanks with words taken from the text.
(3 points:1/2 pt par mot)

Today everybody owns household appliances such as ............................. and ..............................The problem is the .............................of electronic equipment.
Not only do people have more equipment, they ............................. it more and more often. They want a new computer as soon as their old one has become ............................. that is within ............................years.

4. Right or Wrong. Justify with a quotation from the text.
(10 points:0 pour une case cochée sans justification et 2 pts par réponse correcte)


Electronic waste is growing faster than other waste.
R - W .................................................................................................
Using a computer can be harmful for the environment.
R - W ..................................................................................................
Lead can be found in electronic equipment.
R - W .................................................................................................
New chemicals are harmless.
R - W ..................................................................................................
Few pollutants come from electronic waste.
R - W ..................................................................................................

5. Choose the best title
(1 point)

- Electronic waste : the European Union strikes back
- Green electronics
- Let polluters pay
- Electrical equipment on sale

II - Traduction
(5 points)

Translate from "The problem is double-headed ... " to "... the old stuff

III - Expression
(7 points)

Answer these questions and give examples. (150 words )

Are you environmentally friendly ? Do you reuse and recycle at home ? Do you have a solution to the problem evoked in the text ?

BTS DOMOTIQUE:
BTS FLUIDES - ENERGIES - ENVIRONNEMENTS:

I - Rédiger un compte rendu du texte en francais en 150 mots (+ ou - 10%)
[8 points]

II - Traduire en francais depuis "The problem is double-headed...' à"...the disposal of the old stuff."
[5 points]

III - Répondez en anglais à la question suivante (150 mots)
[7 points]

Are you environmentally friendly ? Do you reuse and recycle at home ? Do you have a solution to the problem evoked in the text ?