Transcript
It’s no ordinary day at the beach. These divers are in Cornwall, southwest England, not for the fun but to pick up rubbish.
An estimated 70% of the plastic which enters the sea sinks, according to the organisation Dive Against Debris. And much of it is not biodegradable.
This is a problem that stretches far beyond the UK. Eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans every year, causing damage to this fragile ecosystem.
Vocabulary
divers
people who swim underwater as a sport or for work
sinks
goes down below the water level
biodegradable
describes something that decays naturally
stretches
extends its reach further
ecosystem
all the living things in a particular area
To do
Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports.
Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
divers / sinks / biodegradable / stretches / ecosystem
1. The new regulations form part of Oxford City Council’s new street trading policy, approved by the council on Monday evening.
It insists that all packaging and utensils passed on to customers by street traders must be made of __________ or recyclable materials.
2. Although deserts and arid lands may seem to be barren places, they often support complex and fragile __________ in which mammals play a key role.
3. A submerged prehistoric forest, discovered 200 metres off the Norfolk Coast, is about 10,000 years old, according to geologists.
Discovered by __________, the forest is part of a prehistoric Doggerland which once spread all the way to Germany.
4. Six fishermen have been rescued after their boat collided with another vessel and __________ off the coast of County Down.
5. A state of emergency has been declared in southern California in the US after two oil slicks, __________ nine miles, formed off the coast.
Answers
1. The new regulations form part of Oxford City Council’s new street trading policy, approved by the council on Monday evening.
It insists that all packaging and utensils passed on to customers by street traders must be made of biodegradable or recyclable materials.
2. Although deserts and arid lands may seem to be barren places, they often support complex and fragile ecosystems in which mammals play a key role.
3. A submerged prehistoric forest, discovered 200 metres off the Norfolk Coast, is about 10,000 years old, according to geologists.
Discovered by divers, the forest is part of a prehistoric Doggerland which once spread all the way to Germany.
4. Six fishermen have been rescued after their boat collided with another vessel and sank off the coast of County Down.
5. A state of emergency has been declared in southern California in the US after two oil slicks, stretching nine miles, formed off the coast.