Plastic pollution at sea is reaching     1     (worry) levels. According to a review of hundreds of academic studies, it will continue to grow even if significant action is taken now     2     (stop) such waste from reaching the world’s oceans. The review by Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute examined almost 2, 600 research     3     (paper) on the topic to provide an overview ahead of a United Nations meeting later this month.

As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it also enters the marine food chain,    4     (take) in by sea creatures from whales to turtles. What’s worse, some regions already contain dangerous levels of plastic, and others risk becoming     5     (increasing) polluted in the future. Getting that plastic out of the water again is nearly impossible,    6     policymakers should focus on preventing any more of it entering the oceans in     7     first place. Matthew MacLeod, a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University,    8     (involve) in a separate study not long ago,    9     also concluded effective measures are required immediately because of the possible global impacts.

While consumers can help reduce plastic pollution by changing their behavior, governments have to step up and accept     10     (responsible) for solving the problem. It’s a global problem and it needs global solutions.

Beaches across the planet share many features: sand, water, ocean gentle winds — and plastic. At Floyd Bennett Field, the coastal area     1     artist Barry Rosenthal goes collecting, rubbish piles up fast and in layers, as if at an archaeological (考古的) site.

Plastics will indeed be the product of our age,     2     (particular) in oceans where the material goes into ecosystems and floats around the world. More than millions and millions of pieces of plastic already fill the seas, with some nine million tons     3    (add) each year.

Rosenthal observed how bottles,     4    (toy), and food boxes fade, wear out, yet never disappear. He started building and photographing sculptures (雕像) of ocean trash to illustrate the problem of ocean pollution. Finally he began to gather the rubbish to use as his art materials, cleaning     5     small part of the coast over and over again. “I started to just collect as much as I could and go back to my studio to sort       6     out,” he says. Each sculpture has a theme, by color, shape, or intended use, such as the oil containers.

A project begun for aesthetics (美学) has got a     7    (two) purpose: raising social and environmental awareness. Over the last few years, Rosenthal     8    (tour) to speak about ocean pollution and what might help clean it up. The most     9    (meaning) advance, he says, would be to rethink our method of consuming (消费). “We need a change in all packaging design     10    (make) people feel good,” he says.