1 . A recent report revealed that, in the US alone, 27 million tons of plastic ended up in landfills in 2018, but only 3. 1 million tons were recycled. Worldwide the numbers are similarly bad, with just 9% of plastic being recycled. The statistics are even worse for certain types of plastic. For example, out of 80,000 tons of polystyrene(聚苯乙烯) containers generated in the United States, only a small amount (less than 5,000 tons) was recycled.
Now, researchers at The University of Queensland have found a species of worm with an appetite for polystyrene could be the key to plastic recycling on a mass scale. The superworm can eat through polystyrene, thanks to a bacterial enzyme(酶) in their gut. To study how superworms react to purely plastic food, researchers broke up 135 of the creatures into three teams: one was fed only wheat bran(麸皮), another was fed only plastics, and the third was given nothing.
“We found the bran-fed worms have been significantly healthier than the plastic-fed or starved worms, more than doubling their weight over the three weeks they have been monitored. Though the plastic-fed worms made less impressive gains, they still put on more weight than the starved worms,” Dr. Rinke said.“This suggests the worms can get energy from plastics, most likely with the help of their gut microbes.”
Researchers used a technique called metagenomics to find several encoded enzymes with the ability to degrade(降低) polystyrene. The long-term goal is to engineer enzymes to degrade plastic waste in recycling plants.
“Superworms are like mini recycling plants, eating the polystyrene and then feeding it to the bacteria in their gut,”Dr. Rink e said. It’s hoped this bio-upcycling will promote plastic waste recycling and reduce landfills. Researchers said they aim to grow the gut bacteria in the lab and further test its ability to degrade polystyrene. Then they can look into how to upscale this process to a level required for an entire recycling plant.
1. What problem do the statistics in paragraph 1 indicate?A.Landfills are poorly managed. |
B.It takes a long time for plastic waste to break up. |
C.Many plastic containers are of poor quality. |
D.The rate of recycled plastics are very low. |
A.By making a comparison. | B.By collecting data. |
C.By introducing a concept. | D.By referring to a previous study. |
A.Superworms could survive on only eating polystyrene. |
B.Superworms showed little interest in wheat bran. |
C.Plastic-fed worms had an obvious increase in weight. |
D.Bran-fed worms had a longer lifespan than plastic-fed worms. |
A.Conduct experiments on other worm species. |
B.Improve gut bacteria's ability to degrade plastics. |
C.Raise superworms on a mass scale to solve plastic pollution. |
D.Apply the bio-upcycling technology to recycling plants. |
2 . China is set to join a growing number of countries that are taking strict measures on single-use plastic items, with multiple bans expected to come into force gradually within the next six years.
The new policy, announced Sunday, will first take effect in major cities, where many of the non-biodegradable(非生物降解的)plastics found in the world’s oceans originally come. The distribution of plastic bags is supposed to stop in large Chinese cities by the end of the year, whereas smaller cities and rural areas have until 2022.Among other items are single-use straws and many disposable(一次性的)items. The effort was described as a global “war on plastic”.
Between 1950 and 2015, plastic production has risen from 2 million tons annually to 381 million worldwide, which has seen a rise in policies to reduce dependence on plastics. Extremely strict steps have been taken in many places.
Last August, the Pakistani government banned all single-use plastic bags in the country’s capital region, home to some 1.5 million people. While environmental protection groups celebrated the move, industry representatives warned it would come at a huge financial cost “They should first find new jobs for the plastic factory workers and then ban the bags,”38-year-old fruit seller Nazeer Abbasi told The Washington Post last year.
Last spring, the European Parliament voted to ban many single-use plastic items-including plates, straws and cups — by 2021. It also voted to increase recycling targets. Many E.U. member states already have built systems to encourage customers to return plastic bottle for recycling.
1. What are the multiple bans targeted at?A.Recyclable glass bottles. |
B.Reusable shopping bags. |
C.Degradable plastic straws. |
D.Disposable plastic plates. |
A.By banning plastics once for all. | B.By taking measures step by step. |
C.By conducting it in big cities only. | D.By performing it in small cities first. |
A.He’s worried. | B.He’s annoyed. |
C.He’s puzzled. | D.He’s disappointed. |
A.To explain the causes of plastic pollution. |
B.To offer tips about Chinese plastic production. |
C.To share his own ideas about plastic recycling. |
D.To introduce different bans on single-use plastics. |
3 . When nine-year-olds Ella Grace Rossen and Cash Daniels met in July 2019, they immediately connected. When their moms introduced them, they had no idea that the kids were about to become an environmental-activism powerhouse pair.
“We knew we could make a difference together, ” says Cash from his home in Ella agrees. “It was pretty much instant best friends.”
Within a short time, their meeting transformed into action, birthing the Cleanup Kids — a youth-led non-profit determined to make waves in environmental conservation.
Ella’s passion for the environment started with an early love of sharks and many first-hand encounters of cleaning up trash along the shores of Vero Beach. For Cash, the spark was ignited (点燃) at just seven years old, when a single plastic straw on the beach caught his eye, symbolizing a much larger issue. That’s when he became aware of the crisis facing thousands of turtles, seabirds and other wildlife, which risk death from consuming discarded plastic.
“My hope for the Cleanup Kids is that it’s not hundreds of kids, it’s thousands of kids who have joined us, and for that to have a chain effect,” says Ella. Member responsibilities include conducting at least one cleanup per month, documenting and photographing the collected trash, and sorting and recycling items. It’s a lot of work, and it hasn’t gone unrecognized. In 2022, out of more than 700 applicants from across North America, Cash and Ella were chosen as one of 25 projects to receive the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
How do you even begin to make that impact? Cash’s best advice is to start small. “I started with just a couple cleanups with my family. Don’t overdo it,” he says. “And just remember that kids may be only a small part of the population, but we’re 100 percent of the future.”
1. What do we know about Cleanup Kids?A.It is aimed at making a fortune. |
B.It is co-led by mothers and kids. |
C.It helps kids make friends. |
D.It focuses on environmental preservation. |
A.Trash along the shores of Vero Beach, |
B.A single plastic straw on the beach. |
C.Turtles eating discarded plastic. |
D.Death of the wildlife in the ocean. |
A.Acknowledged. | B.Fruitless. |
C.Wasted. | D.Inadequate. |
A.A Cleaner Future |
B.Friendship Between Two Kids |
C.Young Geniuses in the World |
D.Advice for Kids |
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