Plastics are considered one of the most serious pollutants causing environmental problems. The garbage containing plastics end up in the waterways that eventually flow into the oceans. Accumulation (聚集)of plastic in the ocean endangers marine life and pollutes the water.
Does a plastic continent exist? Yes, a plastic continent does exist and was discovered by Captain Charles Moore a decade ago. The plastic continent is twice the size of Britain and it is the region between the Hawaii Islands and California in the central Pacific Ocean.
One of the causes of the lack of marine life in this region is due to pollution and pollutants are none other than plastics. Captain Charles Moore believes plastic waste started accumulating in the 1950s.
The plastic continent is the man-made continent of floating plastic waste. The fisher men and the sailors have avoided this region for years. The reasons are:
1. There are no fish here because of the lack of nutrients.
2. The zone also lacks the wind that is essential for sailing.
To do research on the ocean pollution, Captain Moore founded Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Other organizations such as Greenpeace supported his cause. The reports of The United Nations Environment Program show that millions of seabirds and marine animals are dying due to the invasion(入侵)of plastics. The waste plastics can be recycled, but in fact they are being thrown into the oceans. The marine animals mistake these for food and eat them. This leads to their death that affects the marine food chain.
To save the oceans from the plastic continent you need to reduce the use of plastics, reuse plastic bags and recycle plastics.
小题1: What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A．A plastic continent does exist in the Pacific Ocean
B．Endangered marine life is well protected.
C．Plastics are one of the main causes of water pollution.
D．Plastics should be forbidden in people’s daily life.小题2: What is the direct influence of the plastic continent?
A．Local fishermen have to fish in other areas.
B．The water becomes shallow and fish have to move away.
C．The wind is too strong there and it makes sailing more difficult.
D．It makes people realize the importance of protecting the environment.小题3: It is implied that the work of plastic recycling proves to be ______.
A．effective
B．expensive
C．a difficult task
D．not good enough小题4:What can we learn from the passage?
A．Many marine animals are dying due to the broken marine food chain.
B．Captain Moore founded Greenpeace to do research on the ocean pollution.
C．The marine animals have no choice but to eat plastics for lack of food.
D．There are three ways to prevent the oceans from becoming a plastic continent.
