1 . Plastic pollution has long been a problem, but now it’s gotten to a new height - literally.
Microplastics, referring to plastic fragments and particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter, have been found on Mount Qomolangma as high as 8,440 meters above sea level, just 408.86 meters below the peak of the mountain, according to a recent study published in the journal One Earth.
“These are the highest microplastics (ever) discovered so far; ” lead author Imogen Napper from the University of Plymouth, UK, said in a statement.
Scientists collected snow and water samples from 19 different locations from 4,200 meters above sea level all the way up to the summit of Mount Qomolangma. They found microplastics in all the water samples and part of the snow samples. The most polluted samples was from the Base Camp in Nepal, where most human activity on the mountain is concentrated. It had 79 particles of microplastics per liter of snow.
The harsh fact is that plastic pollution has reached even the most remote places on Earth. Researchers even found a plastic bag at the deepest point in the world’s oceans - in the Mariana Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean. The bag is the same as the ones commonly used in grocery stores.
Even covered in ice, the Arctic is still a victim of plastic pollution. A 2020 report published in Nature suggests that there are 2,000 to 17,000 plastic particles per cubic meter in Aretic ice cores, and between 0 to 18 microplastic particles per cubic meter from the water beneath ice floes. Expats think microplastics may be transported by air and then reach the North Pole in snowfall.
“What we don’t yet fully know is the potential problems these tiny pieces of plastic could be having to ecosystems, to organisms and even to our own health as well, ” said Christian Dunn of Bangor University, UK.
Then what can we do? “We need to start focusing on deeper technological solutions that focus on microplastics, like changing fabric (织物) design and incorporating natural fibers instead of plastic when possible, ” Napper said.
1. Why does the writer say plastic pollution has got to a new height?
| A．The global plastic pollution problem can never by any worse. |
| B．The consumption of plastic products has peaked at an incredible level. |
| C．A significant breakthrough has been made in the research on plastic pollution. |
| D．Microplastics are found about 400 meters below the peak of the highest mountain. |
2. The researchers carried our their research mainly by ________.
| A．documenting the human activities in the Base Camp in Nepal |
| B．interviewing scientists from famous universities all over the world |
| C．testing the snow and water samples collected from different places |
| D．comparing the plastics found in remote areas with those in daily life |
3. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Human activities speed up the spread of plastic pollution. |
| B．The impact of microplastics on ecosystems is quite obvious. |
| C．Microplastics are available in the air, water, snow and earth. |
| D．Using natural materials is one of the ways to reduce plastic pollution. |
