When you think of the Arctic (北极), you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on the earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic rubbish. And now it’s the Arctic’s turn.
German scientists have recently found microplastics in Arctic snow. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1,800 pieces of microplastics per liter of (每升) snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It’s clear that most of the microplastics in the snow come from the air.” They fall off things made of plastic and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the WHO. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of microplastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What’s more, earlier studies have shown that microplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk.
Microplastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Earlier research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans, hurting ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, then flow into rivers and out to the sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re eating the plastic as well.
46. What can we learn about the Arctic from Paragraph 1?
A.It is an icy land of pure white snow. | B.It is a beautiful icy land with clean air. |
C.It has been polluted by plastic rubbish. | D.It is the last really clean place left on earth. |
47. What does the underlined word “contribute” mean in Chinese?
48. How does the writer end this text?
A.By advising us to drink clean water. | B.By asking people not to eat sea animals. |
C.By showing the beauty of the Arctic. | D.By telling the seriousness of plastic pollution. |