1 . “When I was 16 years old, I was scuba diving (水肺潜水) in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, 25, an engineer who designed the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system.
Every year, over 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans. These can take up to 500 years to break down. If left alone, sea animals become entangled (缠绕的) in them and can even die if the plastics are taken in. Worse, humans can be affected when these plastics break down. “Smaller pieces enter the food chain, and that’s a food chain that includes us humans,” Slat said.
In 2018, the World Economic Forum predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this depressing reality, Slat created The Ocean Cleanup in 2013 and put his plan for an ocean plastic cleanup device into action.
After years of research and development in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastic on Oct 2, 2019.
The device uses a 600-meter-long “C” shaped tube to gather all the floating rubbish. Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device.
A sea anchor is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt (挡板) attached to the end. After being gathered, the rubbish will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.
Currently, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is three times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years.
It remains to be seen if this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused.
“We are starting to see a young generation that gets that and is excited about a sustainable future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?” Slat said.
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the first two paragraphs?| A．Slat took up scuba diving at the age of 16. |
| B．Slat showed a great interest in ocean environments. |
| C．Plastics pose a great threat to sea animals and humans. |
| D．It doesn’t take long to break down the plastics in the ocean. |
| A．Many sea creatures take in plastics. |
| B．Humans are influenced by the plastics. |
| C．Ocean plastics are difficult to get rid of. |
| D．The weight of ocean plastics will reach a new peak. |
| A．It floats in a fixed direction. |
| B．It started collecting plastic about two years ago. |
| C．It collects and recycles the rubbish at the same time. |
| D．It aims to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a decade. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Indifferent. | C．Positive. | D．Tolerant. |
