亚马逊在美国仍然存在着严重的塑料垃圾问题

蒋子慧

Despite making pledges（承诺） to cut down on plastic packaging， a new report from the nonprofit conservation organization Oceana estimates （预估）that Amazons plastic waste has continued to grow in the US.

The company created 208 million pounds of plastic waste from its packaging in the US in 2022 alone. But the US is a worrying outlier for Amazon， Oceana says. Globally， the e-commerce giant says that it reduced its use of plastic packaging 11.6 percent in 2022 compared to the prior year， and Oceana argues its where Amazon needs to make a progress.

“Why are U.S. customers being left behind？” Matt Littlejohn， Oceanas senior vice president said in an emailed press release.

Theres not much transparency（显而易见的）on how much plastic waste Amazon pumps out from place to place. Its latest sustainability （可持续性）report， doesnt break the data down by country. Oceana relied on market data from firms Mordor Intelligence and Euromonitor to conduct its analysis， and then made adjustments based on public statements Amazon has made about new measures meant to reduce waste.

In July of last year， Amazon appeared to make a vague commitment to ditch some of its iconic plastic packaging altogether. The company said it will take action， but it didnt set a timeline for when that would happen.

Oceana wants to see the company phase out plastic packaging in its home base， the US. Its also calling on Amazon to shrink the total amount of plastic packaging it uses by a minimum of one-third by the end of the decade.

（材料来自The Verge，有删改）

1. Which of the following titles is the most suitable for this article？

A. Amazon still has a serious plastic waste problem in the US.

B. Amazon has found a sustainable path in the US market.

C. Amazons plastic waste issue in the US market has been resolved.

D. Amazons plastic waste problem in the US market is hopeless.

2. What is the attitude of the issue Oceana about the plastic problem in the US？

A. Supportive. B. Positive.

C. Concerned. D. Critical.

3.What action has Amazon taken in the US regarding plastic delivery packaging according to the article？

A. It has replaced all plastic packaging with sustainable alternatives.

B. It has made a vague commitment without a set timeline.

C. It has continued to use single-use plastic delivery bags.

D. It has launched a recycling program for its plastic film bags.

4. Which of the following words has a similar meaning to the word “shrink” in the last paragraph？

A. Blink.   B. Expand.   C. Contract.   D. Reduce.

1. A。解析：主旨大意题。材料第一段提到“虽然亚马逊已承诺削减塑料包装的使用，但根据非营利环境保护组织Oceana的最新报告，亚马逊在美国产生的塑料废弃物量仍在持续上升”，由此可知美国仍然有很严重的塑料垃圾问题，故选A；而B选项是“已经找到了可持续发展道路”，与文章主旨不符；C选项是“美国已经解决了塑料垃圾问题”，与文章主旨不符；D选项是“美国塑料垃圾问题已经无法挽回”，过于夸大问题，不选。

2. C。解析：细节理解题。材料第二段提到“Oceana指出，对于亚马逊来说，美国市场在塑料包装问题上是一个让人头疼的特例。尽管在全球范围内，这家电商巨头宣称其2022年的塑料包装使用量较前一年下降了11.6%，但美国作为其最大的市场，Oceana认为亚马逊还有很长的路要走”。由此可知，B选项“担忧的”与材料相符合，故选B。

3. B。解析： 推理判断题。材料第五段提到“去年7月，亚马逊似乎做出了一个模糊的承诺，要彻底抛弃一些标志性的塑料包装。该公司表示将采取行动，但没有设定何时采取行动的时间表”，由此可知，B选项与材料相符合，故选B。

4. C。解析：词义判断题。shrink是“收缩、缩水”的意思，A选项是“眨眼”，B选项是“扩张、扩展”，D选项是“减少”，只有C选项含有“收缩、缩水”的意思，故选C。