污染到達新高度

重慶 李 娟

隨著人類活動范圍的擴大，在珠穆朗瑪峰、馬里亞納海溝，甚至原本人跡罕至的北極都出現了污染，而且污染正在以超乎想象的速度蔓延到更多的地方，這給人類敲響了警鐘。

According to a recent study published in the journal One Earth, microplastics have been found on Mount Qomolangma as high as 8,440 meters above sea level.

“These are the highest microplastics ever discovered so far,” lead author Imogen Napper from the University of Plymouth, UK, said in a statement.

Scientists collected snow and water samples from_19_different_locations_from_4,200_meters above sea level all the way up to the summit of Mount Qomolangma. They found microplastics in all the water samples and part of the snow samples. The most polluted sample from the Base Camp in Nepal had 79 particles of microplastics per liter of snow.

But how have these fragments made it all this way and in such a great abundance? The answer is apparent—human activities. It is climbers who bring plastic products to the mountain. Even if they don't litter, just walking for 20 minutes or opening a bottle of water can release microplastics into the environment.

Plastic pollution has reached even the most remote places on Earth. Researchers even found a plastic bag at the deepest point in the world's oceans—in the Mariana Trench. The bag is the same as the ones commonly used in grocery stores.

Even covered in ice, the Arctic is still a victim of plastic pollution. A 2020 report published in Nature suggests that there are 2,000 to 17,000 plastic particles per cubic meter in Arctic ice cores, and between 0 to 18 microplastic particles per cubic meter from the water beneath ice floes （大片浮冰）. Experts think microplastics may be transported by air and then reach the North Pole in snowfall.

“What we don't yet fully know is the potential problems these tiny pieces of plastic could be having to ecosystems, to organisms and even to our own health as well,” said Christian

Dunn of Bangor University, UK.

Then what can we do? “We need to start focusing on deeper technological solutions that focus on microplastics, like changing fabric design and incorporating natural fibers instead of plastic when possible,” Napper said.

Reading Check

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. What does the title of this text imply?

A.Pollution is worsening and beyond control.

B. Pollution has reached the world's highest mount.

C. The intensity of pollution is increasing.

D. The impacts of pollution have been more extensive.

2. Why does the author use the underlined sentence in Para. 3?

A. To show the regions polluted by microplastics.

B. To show how much work scientists have done.

C. To tell the way the scientists carry out their research.

D. To make the findings of the research more convincing.

3. What is the fundamental factor leading to the fragments found by the scientists?A. Human activities.

B. Uncontrolled farming.

C. Chemicals released by factories.

D. Climbers bringing plastic products.

4. What plays a key role in dealing with microplastics according to Napper?

A. Progress in technology.

B. Changing fabric design.

C. International cooperation.

D. Application of new materials.

Language Study

吸管！脹氣！有什么關系嗎？一“讀”為快！

Complete the passage using the proper forms of the given words in the box. One is extra.

symptom habit improvement change deliver experience social

Nobody likes gas and bloating. They are uncomfortable, both physically and 1. ________.Brissette says that sipping from straws 2. ________air into the digestive tract, which can cause uncomfortable digestive 3._________,like, yes, gas and bloating. “When I'm counseling clients who are 4. _________these symptoms, I always ask them about lifestyle 5. ________, such as whether they drink from a straw often. Some of my clients have experienced significant 6. _________by stop using straws,” she writes.