Environmental Problems
Plastic by the Numbers
Amazing Mealworms
Words & Expressions
100

What is happening to sea levels as the planet becomes warmer?

They are rising.

100

Are single-use products used once or many times before being discarded?

Once.

100

What small creatures are scientists turning to for help with plastic waste?

Mealworms.

100

바다의 

marine

200

Name the TWO natural disasters mentioned in the passage.

Forest fires and floods.

200

About what percentage of plastic is produced for single-use products?

About fifty percent.

200

Mealworms are the larvae of a certain insect. What is the insect?

a beetle
200

버리다

discard

300

What may have provided us with solutions to environmental problems?

Nature
300

What percentage of the world’s plastic waste has been recycled so far: less than 10% or more than 50%

Less than 10%.

300

What lives inside mealworms and can break down plastic?

Special bacteria.

300

분해하다

break down

400

According to the passage, who is a major contributor to the destruction of nature?

Humans.

400

How much plastic ends up in the ocean every year?

Between 8 and 14 million metric tons.

400

Why can mealworms feed on plastic?

Because bacteria inside them can break down plastic.

400

Complete the sentence with ONE word: “Plastic waste puts many marine species in ______.”

danger

500

Plastic is causing pollution in TWO places. What are they?

Soil and water.

500

Does “fifty percent” refer to plastic produced for single-use products or plastic recycled so far?

Plastic produced for single-use products.

500

Scientists have TWO goals for the bacteria. What are they?

To cultivate them outside mealworms and speed up their breakdown of plastic.

500

Complete the sentence with TWO words from the passage: “Scientists want to ______ ______ the process by which bacteria break down plastic.”

speed up

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