Question

Goodbye, plastic

Wanna go shopping? Before you leave you’d better prepare a paper bag to carry your stuff or get more money to buy the bags! As a war against plastic bags has started around the country, people better get into the habit of bringing their own bags for shopping.

Starting from June 1, all shops and supermarkets will be forbidden from offering free plastic bags. Those going against the rule will face a fine up to 10,000 yuan. In addition, the manufacture（生产）, sale and use of bags less than 0.025 mm thick will also be banned.

“We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags and using baskets for their vegetables,” said a notice from the State Council（国务院）. “While plastic bags are convenient fro shoppers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and environmental pollution.”

It is estimated（预计）that the Chinese use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day. The country has to refine（炼）5 million tons of crude oil every year to make them. When these bags go to landfills or are burned, they pollute the air, waterways and soil, which forms a huge threat to the health of humans. If they are abandoned, it takes tem almost 1,000 years to break down into particle（微粒）that do not harm the environment. And the abandoned plastic bags are also dangerous to wildlife who eat tem by accident.

Although some citizens are worried about the inconvenience of not having free plastic bags, most people are willing to make sacrifices（牺牲）to protect the environment.

A large number of Chinese have begun making their own cloth bags. Li Hui, a high school student in Tianjin, cut out a shopping bag from his old trousers. Just like his classmates, he sent his first work to his neighbors to promote the use of environmentally-friendly bags. “I am so proud that they like my design and promised to use it,” said the boy.

Goodbye, plastic

Why is such a rule made?	Using plastic bags has (1) ______ a serious waste of energy and environmental pollution.
(2) _______ do the plastic bags pollute the environment?	A serious waste of (4) ______	Every year 5 million tons of crude oil is (5) _____ to make enough plastic bags for people to use.
	Environmental pollution:	◆When the plastic bags to landfills or are burned, they pollute air, waterways and soil, (6) ________ a huge threat to the health of humans. ◆Plastic bags do harm to the environment. It takes them a very long time to break down into (7) _______ particles. ◆The abandoned plastic bags are (8) ______ to wildlife that eat them by accident.
How do people (3) _____ to the new rules?	◆Although some citizens are worried about the inconvenience of not having (9) ______ plastic bags, most people are willing to make sacrifices to protect the environment. ◆A large number of Chinese have begun (10) ______ their own cloth bags.

 

Answer 1

1. caused 2. How 3. respond/ react 4. energy 5. used/ refined

6. forming 7. harmless 8. dangerous/ dangers 9. free　 10. making