Say ‘no’ to Plastic Pollution向塑料垃圾宣战

How long does it take you to drink a bottle of water？ Maybe just five minutes. But the plastic （塑料的） bottle will stay in nature for 500 years！ Plastic does not disappear （消失） easily. It is a big problem for Earth.

你喝一瓶水需要多长时间？也许只需要五分钟。但塑料瓶将会在自然界中保存500年！塑料不会轻易消失，这对地球来说是一个大问题。

There are many plastic things in our lives. They are cheap， light and easy to make.

我们的生活中有很多塑料制成的东西。它们便宜、轻便、容易制造。

Every year， the world uses 500 billion （十亿） plastic bags.The plastic we throw away in one year can circle （环绕） Earth four times！Every minute， we buy 1 million （百万） plastic bottles.

每年，全世界使用5 000亿个塑料袋。我们一年扔掉的塑料可以绕地球四圈！每分钟，我们就会购买100万个塑料瓶。

棉花糖：这个数字真的挺吓人的！

For plastics， the trash can （垃圾桶） is not the last place they go in their lives. Every minute， a full truck of plastic goes into the sea. They make the seawater dirty. They are dangerous for sea animals， too.

对于塑料来说，垃圾桶并不是它们一生中最后的去处。每一分钟，都会有满满一卡车量的塑料流入大海。它们把海水弄脏，也对海洋动物造成了威胁。

The plastic we throw away in one year can circle the world ____ times.

A. 2 B. 4 C. 8

We use plastic （塑料） bags and bottles almost every day. Plastics make our life easier， but they also cause problems.

我們几乎每天都使用塑料袋和塑料瓶子。塑料使我们的生活更便捷，但也带来很多问题。

According to a 2017 study by Science Advances， humans have made 8.3 billion （十亿） tons of plastic since the 1950s. Seventy-nine percent of it ends up as waste （垃圾）. Plastic waste can take hundreds of years to break down. Much of it ends up in the sea， where it can hurt animals.

根据《科学进步》2017年的一项研究发现，自20世纪50年代以来，人类已经生产了83亿吨塑料，其中79%最终成为垃圾。塑料废物需要几百年才能完全分解。它们中的大部分最终会在海里，并给海里的动物带来伤害。

棉花糖：今年6月，在泰国南部沿海，一只幼年领航鲸因吞下塑料袋而死亡。解剖报告显示，这只领航鲸的胃部有80个塑料袋，重达8公斤！太可怜了！

Facing the problem， the Earth Day Organization set the theme （主题） for this years Earth Day （April 22） as“end plastic pollution （污染）”.

面对这个问题，地球日组织将今年地球日（4月22日）的主题定为“终结塑料污染”。

One of the causes of our plastic pollution problem is our“throwaway culture”， according to the Guardian. Too many people use plastic things only once before throwing them away. Plastic packaging（包装） is a good example of this. In the UK， only one-third of all plastic packaging is recycled （回收）， the BBC reported.

据英国《卫报》报道，造成塑料污染问题的原因之一是我们的“抛弃文化”，塑料的东西许多人只使用一次就扔掉了。塑料袋就是一个很好的例子。据英国广播公司报道，在英国，只有三分之一的塑料袋被回收。

Online shopping is getting more popular these days. People are using more plastic packaging for express deliveries （快递）. This is especially true in China.

如今，网上购物越来越受欢迎。人们使用更多的塑料袋来包装快递包裹。这种现象在中国尤其突出。

The Chinese government is trying to solve this problem. Last December， it adopted a new policy（政策） for plastic packaging. It is asking express delivery companies to use recycled packing things like paper and cloth.

中国政府正在努力解决这个问题。去年12月，中国政府通过了一项新的塑料袋政策，要求快递公司使用回收包装，如纸和布。

What can we do to help？为减少塑料污染我们该怎么做？

Use paper or cloth shopping bags.使用纸或布做的购物袋。

Bring our own cup when buying drinks at a coffee shop or elsewhere.在咖啡店或其他地方买饮料时自己带杯子。

Keep leftovers （剩菜） in glass jars.把剩菜放进玻璃罐里。

Dont use plastic straws （吸管）.不要用塑料吸管。

Do not litter （丢垃圾）.不乱丢垃圾。

Collect plastic and other trash that we find outside.收集我们在外面发现的塑料和其他垃圾。

Oscar Mendez is an architect （建筑師） from Bogota， Colombia. He builds houses using plastic waste.He and his group collect plastic waste and shape it into blocks （砖块）. They use the plastic blocks to build houses. This kind of house is much cheaper than a normal one. Mendez plans to build more in order to help poor people and protect the environment.

奥斯卡门德斯是一位来自哥伦比亚波哥大的建筑师，他利用废弃的塑料来盖房子。他和他的团队收集废弃塑料并将其塑造成块。他们用这些塑料砌块盖房子。这种房子比普通房子便宜得多。门德斯计划建造更多的建筑，以帮助穷人和保护环境。

An Indian company used vegetable oil， natural starch （自然淀粉） and several plants to make the bag. It looks and feels just like plastic. But its better for the environment. It biodegrades （生物分解） naturally in less than 180 days. And if you place it in water， it breaks down within just one day. You can even eat it， if you like！

一家印度公司使用植物油、天然淀粉和几种植物来制作袋子。它看起来、感觉上就像是塑料，但对环境更好。它能在180天内自然降解。如果你把它放在水里，它一天内就会分解。如果你愿意的话，你甚至可以吃了它！