Why you should kick the plastic straw habit

新疆伊宁市第三中学 韩晓颖

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1. marine /mə΄riːn/ adj. 海洋的

2. assemblyman /ə΄semblimən/ n. （美国）州众议院议员

海词积累

The worst thing about plastic straws is that most of the time， they're not a choice. Like much of the single-use plastic that comes our way， plastic straws just appear， placed in takeout bags or appearing in cups of soda， iced tea or water. And if you pick up plastic on beaches， you know that one of the most common pieces of plastic waste you'll find is plastic straws. They're everywhere. And once they make their way into themarineecosystem， they're eaten by fish and birds that mistake them for food. Straws are used once and then they immediately become garbage， continuing to exist in the environment for decades.

Thankfully， businesses and governments are finally doing something about it.

Starbucks announced it will remove plastic straws from all its stores by 2020 and replace them with new cups that have a raised-lip lid made of recyclable plastic. And in Seattle，businesses that sell food or drinks will be banned from offering plastic straws or utensils.

One Californiaassemblymanintroduced a bill requiring certain dining places to only provide a plastic straw when a customer requests one. The bill wouldn't ban plastic straws but intended to limit their use. There's also an organization that wants to change the wasteful use of plastic straws by encouraging people to take some simple steps to keep straws out of the waste stream.

If you really want to use straws at home， or you'd like to provide them at your business for those who need them， there are two great ways to go. The first one is trying a reusable straw，which can be washed along with dishes. They come in stainless steel or glass. The metal ones are best for longevity， though the glass ones are great for drinks， and are stronger than you'd think. Another option is paper straws， which are single-use and also sometimes come in lots of pretty colors and patterns.

With so many options available， there's no reason to add to the plastic straw waste problem.So often with environmental issues， solutions aren't that simple， but this is an easy one to support.

Reading Check

1. What's the announcement of Starbucks in the text?

A. Stopping selling food and drinks.

B. Removing plastic straws from its stores in Seattle.

C. Providing a plastic straw only when a customer requests one.

D. Offering new cups with the raised-lip lid made of recyclable plastic.

2. What's the appropriate way to use straws according to the text?

A. Trying the reusable straws.

B. Stopping using straws if possible.

C. Using the paper straws with unique patterns.

D. Preferring the glass ones to metal ones.

Language Study

Sentences for writing

1. 一旦它们进入到海洋生态系统，它们便会被鱼类和鸟类当成食物误食。

And ________they make their way into the marine ecosystem， they're eaten by fish and birds that mistake them for food.

2. 幸好，政府和企业终于开始处理这个问题了。

_________， businesses and governments are finally doing something about it.