Since people can’t always eat out or cook for     1     (they), they get takeout or order delivery. More takeout and more food delivery equal more waste, especially plastic waste. That includes cups, bottles, and bags, most of     2     are only good for one use. That’s a big problem and it is getting even     3     (bad). The use of those plastics     4     (increase) by 300% since 2019. The world won’t survive if this situation continues.

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.

Researchers say they have found microplastics (微塑料) -tiny pieces of plastic that come as a result of the disposal of industrial waste-deep in the lungs of living     1     (human) for the first time.

The research, which     2     (publish) in the journal Science of the Total Environment last week, is the first study     3     (identify) the plastics in the lungs of living people. The plastics have     4     (previous) been found in human blood, waste and in the depths of the ocean.

In the study, researchers     5     (collect) lung tissue from surgical procedures on patients as part of their routine medical care. Researchers identified 12 types of microplastics,     6     are commonly found in bottles, packaging, and clothing, along with other manufacturing processes.

The study notes     7     “increasing concern” with the harm that could come with swallowing and breathing in microplastics.

The world produces about 300 million metric tons of plastic a year and about 80% ends     8     in landfills and other parts of the environment. Microplastics can range from 10 nano-meters-    9     (small) than the human eye can see-to 5 millimeters in diameter, about the size of the eraser on the end of a pencil. Researchers have found them     10     (float) in the air, in tap or bottled water, and in the sea or soil.

7 . Recycling is a great way of doing your bit for the environment and helping to protect the earth’s precious resources. However, a new study has revealed that our desire to be sustainable maybe doing more harm than good. According to waste company Biffa, this is because of “wish-cycling” — assuming that items such as disposable coffee cup sand pizza boxes will be recycled if put in the recycling bin. In fact, pollution from those items or other non-recyclables can result in recyclable items that have been put in the correct bin going to landfill. David Heaton, a business director at Biffa, said: “Pollution happens when items are disposed of in the wrong bins or haven’t been cleaned before being recycled.”

Experts at Biffa analyzed the amounts of non-target and non-recyclable materials that entered UK material recycling facilities between 2016 and 2020. It was found that, in 2016, the average pollution rate of recycling waste was 13.4 percent, rising over four years to 17 percent by the end of 2020. This shows that, even as people are becoming more eco-conscious, wish-cycling is increasing both in households and businesses.

The Biffa experts say that one of the best ways to prevent pollution of recycling is to clean recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. They suggest cutting off the top of old pizza boxes and only recycling that part to avoid pollution from the grease (油脂). Check the on-packaging recycling label to check it can actually be recycled When it comes to plastics, Biffa recommends checking the resin code, the number in the plastic triangle, to know whether it should go in the recycling bin. In general, resin codes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are recyclable, while 3, 6 and 7 are not. Larger items, like electronics, furniture and batteries, can also be recycled but often can not go in household recycling bins as they need specialist separating. These will need to be taken to recycling centers or sustainable waste management companies.

“It’s vital as a nation that we get better at effective ‘pre-cycling’— sorting waste correctly before collection to reduce pollution rates,” added Mr. Heaton.

8 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901.

Scientists don't know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.

In particular, researchers said changes in local sulfur dioxide emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the colour contrast and intensity of Turner, Monet, and others' works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.

Scientists successfully measured painters' representation of nature, focusing on differences in local weather patterns which influenced colour in works painted in different parts of Europe. Paintings' done in Britain generally feature a paler blue sky than other works in other parts of the continent. Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment, so Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.

Additionally, researchers say that as the air in London and Paris became more polluted, the cities would appear hazier to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to pictures from the era, they were able to determine the artists were at least partly influenced by the change in emissions.

A sandstorm,     1     originated in Mongolia on Tuesday, swept through vast regions of northern China, causing heavy pollution. The storm, according to the National Meteorological Center, was the     2    (strong) in China so far this year and affected several provincial-level regions. It was said that strong winds     3    (blow) over loose sand and soil created the conditions for sand and dust storms. Satellite images showed that by Wednesday morning, it     4    (cover) 854,000 square kilometers,     5    (rough) twice the size of the US state of California.     6    violent sandstorm swallowed everything in its path and caused much inconvenience. Visibility remained lower than 1,000 meters in some parts of northern China. The     7    (government) of the affected areas urged people with respiratory(呼吸道)illnesses to avoid outdoor activities and recommended that brightly colored clothes     8    (wear)to avoid accidents amid poor visibility. The capital’s parks stopped boats and cable cars     9    (ensure)the safety of visitors. It is hard to say     10     there will be more such weather conditions, but the NMC will keep close watch this spring.

Oysters, soft-bodied animals without skeletons, are important for the underwater community they share with plants, fish, and other life. They are food     1     crabs and other animals. As new oysters grow, they attach their shells to older ones,     2     (form) bigger reefs with many small spaces     3     other animals live. Oysters eat algae (藻类). If algae grow too fast, they can exhaust oxygen from the water—and even fish need oxygen     4     (breath)!

Because so many animals depend on them, oysters are called a keystone species. If a keystone species     5    (disappear), other plants and animals may die off and not grow back.

That’s     6     (exact) what happened 100 years ago in New York Harbor—a group of rivers and bays around New York City. Before then, lots of oysters lived in these waters. The oysters were famous! They     7     (ship) to restaurants around the world. The oysters were delicious—maybe too delicious. By the early 1900s, people were eating them faster than they could grow.

The oysters were in trouble for     8     reason. Pollution was pouring into the waters of the growing city. The harbor became so     9     (pollute) that few types of animals could live in it. Since the 1970s, new laws     10     (help) reduce toxic waste. Some fish started to swim through again. But oysters were still missing—until recently.