1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. restrict       B. down       C. nonrenewable       D. energy-consuming   E. taxing F. reusable     G. elsewhere     H. transport          I. intaking        J. purchase   K. trash-can

Standing in line at the grocery store last week, I watched the woman in front of me buy a tube of toothpaste. As the clerk placed her     1    in a plastic bag, I couldn’t help wondering how long it would take for that bag to end up in the trash. Then I noticed the big purse the woman was carrying and wondered why she had needed a plastic bag at all.

People have come to rely on plastic bags as everything from shopping bags for groceries to     2    bags. Although plastic bags can be recycled, only about one percent of those used in the United States are. Instead, after helping people     3    items from one place to another, most are thrown away. They end up in landfills, where it can take a plastic bag up to a thousand years to decay. Some bags end up     4    in the environment, sticking to trees and fences, blocking rivers and oceans, or floating along city sidewalks.

Plastic bags harm the environment in several ways. First, they break     5     into particles that pollute our soil and water. Because most plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a product derived from crude oil(原油)or natural gas, they waste     6    resources. Plastic bags can also harm animals. Scientists estimate that more than one million sea animals, including whales, seabirds, and turtles, die each year from     7    or becoming stranded in plastic.

People all over the world are starting to recognize the problems associated with plastic bags. Countries such as China, South Africa, Switzerland, and Uganda are taking action and banning the bags. Other nations, including Italy and Ireland, have been trying to     8    the use of plastic bags by     9    them. In the United States more and more communities are ridding themselves of plastic bags. Now more and more people are also purchasing inexpensive,     10    bags and using them whenever they shop. If we all take this simple step, we can be a part of a “green” revolution.