文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了塑料污染日益严重的情况下,一家名叫Notpla的公司采用海藻作为塑料包装的替代品,这种方法不仅切实可行,而且对环境有益,应用领域很广泛。
Plastic mobile phones cases and sweet wrappers, some more than 50 years old, have recently been pulled from the sea off the coast of East Yorkshire. The finds lead to growing concern among scientists about the long-term impact of plastic waste on our seas, with research suggesting it takes over 400 years for a drinks bottle to breakdown in the sea.
Notpla, a London-based startup company, is currently designing a seaweed-based replacement for single-use plastic packaging. Founded in 2014, the company has been sparing no efforts to further develop its product line.
The firm initially looked to seaweed as the solution to the world’s white pollution, because it is plentiful, grows quickly, doesn’t compete with land crops and doesn’t use chemicals, but absorbs carbon from the air. Design director Karlijn Sibbel says, “It can grow into the sea, where it actually has many positive benefits so it can create new ecosystems for other organisms to grow in.”
Sibbel says they look to nature as inspiration “for the ideal packaging” like the skin on a fruit. “A peel (果皮) will eventually be used as nutrients by nature, disappear and become part of the cycle.”
“The exciting thing is that this is a film that can replace most of the flexible packaging you see around,” Sibbel says. The potential contents could include coffee grounds or toilet paper. For food items, such as noodles, they have even experimented with adding flavors to the packaging, so that dissolving the bag could add seasoning to the food. “You can cook with it. And you can really start to rethink what we can do with these materials,” she explained.
The approach feels especially relevant as the world is coming to terms with the effects of decades of uncontrolled plastic production. Co-CEO Paslier says, “We’re excited to see our power in the foodservice industry and looking forward to moving into the fashion markets very soon.
4. What problem is mainly referred to in Paragraph 1?
A.Energy crisis. | B.Food waste. |
C.Ecological disaster. | D.White pollution. |
5. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A.How seaweed grows in the sea. |
B.How seaweed absorbs carbon from the air. |
C.Why seaweed can create more new ecosystems. |
D.Why seaweed was chosen as a plastic alternative. |
6. What is the ideal packaging according to Sibbel?
A.It can be digested by nature. | B.It’s as thin as a peel. |
C.It can transform into chemicals. | D.It bears a flavor enhancer. |
7. Which word can best describe the prospects of Notpla?
A.Doubtful. | B.Uncertain. | C.Promising. | D.Darkening. |