听播客学英语 157 塑料垃圾

 　　Rebecca Hosking makes documentary¹ films. Recently, she worked on a documentary film for the BBC about the effect of plastics in the marine² environment. She was shocked by what she saw as she was making the documentary. She found many sorts of sea creatures that were choked or poisoned by plastics. It is estimated that every year, over 100,000 sea birds, whales, seals and turtles are killed by plastic rubbish in the sea. Some of this rubbish comes from ships, when people carelessly throw things overboard. But most plastic rubbish in the sea comes from the land. People throw away things made of plastic. Some of it ends up in rivers and gets carried out to sea. Other rubbish is blown into the sea by the wind.

　　Plastic is very useful stuff. It is cheap, and it can easily be formed into all sorts of shapes. And it lasts a long time before it starts to break down. But this is also the problem with plastics. Plastic rubbish in the sea or on the land lasts for very many years. With time, plastic accumulates in the environment in greater and greater quantities.

　　And the strange thing is that we often use plastic things for only a very short time before we throw them away. We put our shopping into a plastic bag at the supermarket, and when we get home – perhaps 15 minutes later – we throw the plastic bag into the bin³. Or we are thirsty and buy a plastic bottle of mineral water. Ten minutes later we have drunk all the water and throw the bottle away.

　　Some other countries have taken action to reduce the amount of plastic rubbish. In Ireland, for example, you have to pay for plastic bags in the supermarkets, and most people have stopped using them. In Britain, you can return used plastic bags to some supermarkets, and some local councils collect some sorts of plastic for recycling. But most used plastic in Britain is simply thrown away. I am afraid that our government talks a lot about environmental problems, but does not do much about them. Rebecca Hosking realised that it was no good waiting for our government to act; ordinary people had to take the initiative⁴ themselves.

　　Rebecca comes from a small town in Devon in south west England called Modbury. She decided⁵ that Modbury could become the first town in England where there were no plastic shopping bags. For many weeks, she talked to the traders in Modbury. She explained, time and again, about the damage which plastic does in the environment. She researched the possible alternatives to plastic bags, how much they cost, where they come from and how they can be used. Gradually she got all the shopkeepers in Modbury to agree. On 1 May this year, they all stopped offering their customers plastic bags. Modbury is the first plastic-bag free town in Britain, and perhaps in Europe. If you ever visit the beautiful county of Devon, be sure and shop in Modbury.

1 documentary   

adj.文献的；n.纪录片

参考例句：

• This case lacked documentary proof.本案缺少书面证据。
• I watched a documentary on the Civil War.我看了一部关于内战的纪录片。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 initiative   

n.主动性，首创精神，主动权（的行动），倡议

参考例句：

• He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.他主动去看望校长。
• His employer had described him as lacking in initiative and drive.雇主说他缺乏进取心和干劲。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。