full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Kim Preshoff: What's a smartphone made of?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Rare earths are a selection of 17 eetlmens that are actually coommn in Earth’s crust and are found in many areas across the world in low concentrations. These elements have a huge range of magnetic, phosphorescent, and conductive prtoeierps that make them crucial to modern technologies. In fact, of the 17 types of rare earth malets, phones and other electronics may contain up to 16. In smartphones, these create the screen and color display, aid codivttnicuy, and produce the signature vibrations, amongst other things.

And yet, curical as they are, extracting these elements from the earth is linked to some disturbing environmental impacts. Rare earth elements can often be found, but in many aears, it’s not economically feasible to exratct them due to low citnocranetons. Much of the time, extracting them requires a method called open pit mining that exposes vast areas of land. This form of mining destroys huge swhtas of natural habitats, and causes air and water pollution, tatrinheneg the health of nearby communities.

Open Cloze


Rare earths are a selection of 17 ________ that are actually ______ in Earth’s crust and are found in many areas across the world in low concentrations. These elements have a huge range of magnetic, phosphorescent, and conductive __________ that make them crucial to modern technologies. In fact, of the 17 types of rare earth ______, phones and other electronics may contain up to 16. In smartphones, these create the screen and color display, aid ____________, and produce the signature vibrations, amongst other things.

And yet, _______ as they are, extracting these elements from the earth is linked to some disturbing environmental impacts. Rare earth elements can often be found, but in many _____, it’s not economically feasible to _______ them due to low ______________. Much of the time, extracting them requires a method called open pit mining that exposes vast areas of land. This form of mining destroys huge ______ of natural habitats, and causes air and water pollution, ___________ the health of nearby communities.

Solution


  1. crucial
  2. common
  3. threatening
  4. extract
  5. areas
  6. properties
  7. swaths
  8. elements
  9. conductivity
  10. concentrations
  11. metals

Original Text


Rare earths are a selection of 17 elements that are actually common in Earth’s crust and are found in many areas across the world in low concentrations. These elements have a huge range of magnetic, phosphorescent, and conductive properties that make them crucial to modern technologies. In fact, of the 17 types of rare earth metals, phones and other electronics may contain up to 16. In smartphones, these create the screen and color display, aid conductivity, and produce the signature vibrations, amongst other things.

And yet, crucial as they are, extracting these elements from the earth is linked to some disturbing environmental impacts. Rare earth elements can often be found, but in many areas, it’s not economically feasible to extract them due to low concentrations. Much of the time, extracting them requires a method called open pit mining that exposes vast areas of land. This form of mining destroys huge swaths of natural habitats, and causes air and water pollution, threatening the health of nearby communities.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
rare earth 3
earth elements 2
working conditions 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
rare earth elements 2

Important Words


  1. aid
  2. air
  3. areas
  4. called
  5. color
  6. common
  7. communities
  8. concentrations
  9. conductive
  10. conductivity
  11. create
  12. crucial
  13. crust
  14. destroys
  15. display
  16. disturbing
  17. due
  18. earth
  19. earths
  20. economically
  21. electronics
  22. elements
  23. environmental
  24. exposes
  25. extract
  26. extracting
  27. fact
  28. feasible
  29. form
  30. habitats
  31. health
  32. huge
  33. impacts
  34. land
  35. linked
  36. magnetic
  37. metals
  38. method
  39. mining
  40. modern
  41. natural
  42. nearby
  43. open
  44. phones
  45. phosphorescent
  46. pit
  47. pollution
  48. produce
  49. properties
  50. range
  51. rare
  52. requires
  53. screen
  54. selection
  55. signature
  56. smartphones
  57. swaths
  58. technologies
  59. threatening
  60. time
  61. types
  62. vast
  63. vibrations
  64. water
  65. world