The United States has changed a gre

The United States has changed a great deal since the time of the early settlers. In those days it seemed that 1 were limitless. There were endless prairies, vast forests, and 2 fresh water. Factories and 3 sprang up as if by magic. It became less expensive to buy new things and 4 the old than it was to make things that would last. Today's conditions have changed. Some outcomes of a very 5 society are less pleasing. Many natural resources, 6 minerals, water, and soil, are in short supply. Energy supplies are 7 and very expensive. Many families are living in hastily built homes that are costly to heat. People_8 so much waste that it costs $6 billion a year just to carry the waste to the dump. Present-day 9 are very different than they were when the population was smaller. Ideas that were good in the past can no 10 apply. The United States cannot afford to be a "throwaway" society. New ideas are needed for houses, more efficient ways to grow food, and better means of transportation.