stash away: 藏匿 stash：存放；储藏
Rumors of corruption and scandal gathered pace: 关于腐败和丑闻的谣言愈演愈烈。
flush：富有的
unrelenting：持续的；不缓和的；势头不减的
shred：撕碎；切碎
incompatible：不一致；不相符
uptick：小幅增加
divert：改变（资金、材料等）的用途
maltreatment：虐待
reckon with：面对；对付；认真处理
rummage through：翻找
take office：就职
balance budget：平衡预算
prior to：在……之前
curb：控制；抑制
under way：已经开始；在进行中
fathom：理解；了解
gather dust：积累尘土——束之高阁
take sb/sth to court：把……告上法庭
haunt sb：（不快的事情）萦绕于脑海，难以忘却；长期不断地缠扰（某人）
be confined to：离不开；受困于
hold sb/sth dear：非常关心；十分看重
1. As a Tech-hungery nation flush with cash gets ready to upgrade to the next generation of lightning-fast 5G devices, there is a surprising environmental cost to be reckoned with: a fresh mountain of obsolete gadgets.
当对技术极度渴望的国民手握充裕的现金，准备迎接下一代高速5G设备的升级时，随之而来的是因堆积如山的废弃设备而导致的惊人的环境保护费用，这是一个需要被严肃对待的问题。
富裕的高科技国家迫不及待升级到速度如闪电般的5G时代的时候，它们需要考虑一个未曾预料到的环境成本问题：该如何处理堆积如山的废弃设备？
2. But experts say it will also result in a dramatic increase in e-waste, as millions of smartphones, modems and other gadgets incompatible with 5G networks are made obsolete.
但专家表示，这同样也会造成电子废品数量的急剧上升，正如因为成千上万的智能手机、调制解调器和其他那些与5G网络不兼容的设备等装置因为不适配于5G网络而被废弃一样都已过时。
3. The scene is like a twisted Pixar movie, with doomed gadgets riding an unrelenting conveyor belt into a machine that shreds them into piles of copper, aluminum and steel.
这个情景一幕就像一部扭曲的皮克斯电影，被宣判了命运的装置在劫难逃的小器具被永不停歇的传送带送进一部机器无情地送入机器传送带，然后被机器粉碎成一堆堆铜、铝和钢。变成一大堆铜，铝和钢铁的混合物。
4. Many consumers, paralyzed by the hassle or put off by the expense, simply throw their devices into the trash or stash them in a drawer, hoping they'll just disappear.
很多消费者疲于与店员争论，或是被费用所劝退或因嫌麻烦，或因费用高，迟迟没有采取措施报废，只是把他们的废弃设备扔进垃圾桶，或者干脆藏在抽屉里，指望某天它们会突然自行消失。
5. Most smartphones batteries can't be easily replaced when they stop holding a charge, new laptops don't accept old cables, and softwares companies push upgrades that won't run on old devices.
智能手机的电池在无法充电时难以更换报废后无法轻易更换，新笔记本电脑与旧的连接线不兼容，并且软件公司推送的更新也无法在老旧的设备上运行 软件公司不断推出升级系统，但也无法在旧设备上运行。
6. But that's a drop in the bucket compared with the 50 million tons of e-waste generated globally last year - a number that stands to skyrocket as consumers replace their old devices with the newest 5G-ready gadgets money can buy.
但与去年全球总计产生的五千万吨 电子废品相比，这个数字简直是沧海一粟——当消费者迫不及待地以最新的5G设备取代旧设备时，这一电子垃圾的数字仍将大幅上升。
