What do you do when your phone, camera or kettle stops working? Do you throw it away and buy a new one?
Many of us don't know how to fix things so it's easier and sometimes cheaper just to replace them. Now an international movement called Restart are trying to make us think again. 'Restart parties' are now held to teach people how to do basic repairs to everyday objects.
In 6 Minute English Rob and Jen find out more about these parties.
This week's question:
Approximately how many phones are thrown away in Europe every year? Is it:
a) 1 million
b) 10 million
c) 100 million
Listen
Restart parties
End of Section
Vocabulary
- gadgets
small electronic items
- repairing
fixing
- disposable society
lifestyle where we throw away things when they are broken and buy a new one
- the forgotten art
the skills that people once had
- restart
start something again/ make it work again
- manuals
book of instructions on how to make something work
- spare parts
small bits or parts contained inside a gadget or machine
- upgrade
change to an improved or newer gadget
- geeks
people believed to be boring and only interested in technology