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    Reading First Certificate

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    Carla Bonano
    Here is a 50-word summary of the text: The passage discusses the large amount of plastic pollution in oceans worldwide and how it harms wildlife and enters the human food chain. It notes that plastic does not biodegrade and lobbying efforts aim to protect plastic production. Some countries have banned plastic bags to reduce pollution and oil usage, and individuals are encouraged to reduce plastic use through reusable bags and recycling.

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    Reading First Certificate

    Uploaded by

    Carla Bonano
    73 views4 pages
    Here is a 50-word summary of the text: The passage discusses the large amount of plastic pollution in oceans worldwide and how it harms wildlife and enters the human food chain. It notes that plastic does not biodegrade and lobbying efforts aim to protect plastic production. Some countries have banned plastic bags to reduce pollution and oil usage, and individuals are encouraged to reduce plastic use through reusable bags and recycling.

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    Reading Comprehension First Certificate

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    Here is a 50-word summary of the text: The passage discusses the large amount of plastic pollution in oceans worldwide and how it harms wildlife and enters the human food chain. It notes that plastic does not biodegrade and lobbying efforts aim to protect plastic production. Some countries have banned plastic bags to reduce pollution and oil usage, and individuals are encouraged to reduce plastic use through reusable bags and recycling.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    73 views4 pages

    Reading First Certificate

    Uploaded by

    Carla Bonano
    Here is a 50-word summary of the text: The passage discusses the large amount of plastic pollution in oceans worldwide and how it harms wildlife and enters the human food chain. It notes that plastic does not biodegrade and lobbying efforts aim to protect plastic production. Some countries have banned plastic bags to reduce pollution and oil usage, and individuals are encouraged to reduce plastic use through reusable bags and recycling.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Please read the article below and then complete the activities listed below.

    Pollution
     
    A dozen of years ago, a famous oceanographer was in the North Pacific skippering his yacht the Alguita. 
    Charlie sailed into a mass of floating rubbish constituted mainly by plastic which took his crew seven days to
    cross. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is the name this floating rubbish dump receives now, doubles
    the size of the United States of America.
    As the United Nations states, in every square kilometre of the sea everywhere in the world, there are 18,000
    pieces of plastic. If you take a walk along any beach, you will get an idea of how serious plastic pollution
    issue is.
     
    The problem is, every time we throw out plastic with the trash, the plastic doesn’t go away since it does not
    biodegrade. What is worse, plastic degrades into smaller particles which usually enter the food chain. Plastics
    contain chemicals which cause cancer such as vinyl chloride which travel along the food chain in increasing
    concentrations and end up in the food we consume, together with bisphenol A which is a hormone disruptor.
    Scientists do their best in trying to tell us that we are killing not only ourselves but also other animals. To be
    honest, 200 species are, in this moment, being killed by plastic. Albatross, whales, turtles and dolphins think
    that shopping bags or the six pack rings are jellyfish. A dead Minke whale, washed up on a beach, was found
    to have consumed plastic bags and had gone through a dreadful death.
     

    To be more precise, 8% of all the world’s oil production is destined to plastic. According to the Environmental
    Protection Agency, an average of 5 billion plastic bags are manufactured every year. Regrettably, of all the
    plastic produced in one year, half is used for packaging which will be thrown out with the trash a few minutes
    after being sold. And a tenth of all rubbish consists of plastic bags which take from 400 to 1000 years to
    degrade. Recycling helps but it is very expensive to do. For that reason, less than one per cent of plastic bags
    are recycled and only 4% of all other plastic waste.

     
    Some lobbies that fight against electric vehicles and renewable energies, put governments under pressure not to
    act against plastic pollution. This is so because plastic represents 8% of all the world’s oil production. These
    lobbies, acting on behalf of the oil companies, represent an unsustainable approach to profit. There is a Cree
    Indian prophecy that states that we will realise that money cannot be eaten only when we have wiped
    everything out
     
    But there are some countries starting to take part. They have rebelled and banned plastic bags. And the first
    was brave Bangladesh. After that, China took the same decision and, according to CNN Asia, saves an average
    of 37 million barrels of oil every year. Botswana, Rwanda, Canada, Kenya, Israel, South Africa and Singapore
    have also prohibited plastic bags. As you can see many of the world’s richest countries are not part of this list.
    It’s a complete disgrace.
     
    So, if we don’t use plastic bags, how do we take home the shopping? Take a back pack or a folding shopping
    trolley. Start going to a supermarket that provides biodegradable bags, for example made from potato starch.
    Use consumer power.
     
    Personally speaking, what I need to find now, is a supermarket that sells biodegradable bin liners, otherwise I
    still continue using plastic. I recently spent a week in New Zealand on honeymoon and saw that people were
    using paper bin liners. I wish Spanish people did something similar.
     
    Think globally, act locally. A small town in Australia is now one step ahead of the rest of the world. The
    population of Bundanoon in New South Wales have banned also plastic bottles from the town. We should
    follow their example and get rid of plastic, take care of the earth, and vote for people we think will continue
    doing the same.

    1. Choose the correct option (A, B, C, D) which best fits the first part of the sentence.

    1. The writer states that we can get to know how much plastic rubbish exists in the oceans

    A.   by taking a look at the sea.

    B.   by making a trip across the United States of America.

    C.   by crossing the Pacific Ocean.

    D.   by walking along any beach.

    2. We learn that not healthy chemicals get into our food

    A.   the moment plastic is small enough to enter our food chain.

    B.   because regrettably plastic does not biodegrade.

    C.   from plastic bags we obtain in supermarkets.

    D.   since many animals are being killed by plastic rubbish.

    3. In the final sentence of the third paragraph, what does 'it' refer to?

    A. money

    B.    bags made of plastic

    C. plastic rubbish

    D.   The act of recycling


    4. Which sentence best explains the Indian prophecy?

    A.   We will destroy ourselves if we destroy our environment.

    B.   People are characterised by being too greedy.

    C.   Companies making oil are throwing pollution to the earth.

    D.   Money isn't food to be eaten.

    5. In paragraph number 5 the writer is not happy because

    A.   countries are not concentrating in saving oil.

    B.   The majority of the countries are from Africa.

    C.   not so many countries have prohibited plastic bags.

    D.   not many of the world's wealthiest countries have banned plastic bags.

    6. What do we learn about the country New Zealand?

    A.   This place is a nuclear free country.

    B.   Its supermarkets don't use plastic bags.

    C.   The writer went on holiday there in the past.

    D.   People make use of biodegradable bags for their rubbish.

    7. The last paragraph advises us to

    A.    stop voting from now on.

    B.    Take a visit to the beautiful Australia.

    C.    take action individually.


    D.    not to buy plastic bottles anymore.

    2. Summarise the text in more or less 50 words.

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