Video: The Life of a Plastic Bottle
What is the term used for the small plastic pieces that don't biodegrade?
a) Macroplastics
b) Microplastics
c) Nanoplastics
Answer: b) Microplastics
"We need to spurn and reject the main culprits: plastic bags, packaging and single-use water bottles, a wasteful obscenity."
What does "to spurn" mean in this context?
a) To reject recycling them
b) To strongly refuse and avoid using them
c) To promote their use
Answer: b) To strongly refuse and avoid using them
When I _______ in Hawaii last week, I was staggered to discover beaches covered in plastic rubbish.
a) have arrived
b) arrived
c) was arriving
Answer: b) arrived
Is the verb in the correct tense?
Marco Polo has traveled to China in the 13th century.
(Incorrect: Use of present perfect with a specific time in the past.)
Marco Polo traveled to China in the 13th century.
Present perfect simple or continuous?
I ________ (visit) Paris three times in my life.
I have visited Paris three times in my life.
(Present Perfect Simple: The action is completed multiple times.)
How long can it take for plastic in landfills to decompose?
a) 10 years
b) 100 years
c) 1,000 years
c) 1,000 years
"As I dug through the plastic, I realised the sandy beach was being transformed into a plastic beach. A chill went down my spine."
What does the phrase "a chill went down my spine" imply?
a) It was cold on the beach
b) The author was excited
c) The author felt fear or unease
Answer: c) The author felt fear or unease
The beaches in Hawaii _______ dramatically since I last visited.
a) have changed
b) changed
c) were changing
Answer: a) have changed
Is the verb in the correct tense?
Marco Polo has been in prison for several years before he wrote his book.
(Incorrect: Should use past perfect instead of present perfect.)
Marco Polo had been in prison for several years before he wrote his book.
Present perfect simple or continuous?
We ______ (walk) around the park since morning. I'm exhausted.
We have been walking around the park since morning.
(Present Perfect Continuous: The action started in the past and is still ongoing.)
What is the name of the harmful liquid that forms in landfills?
a) Acid rain
b) Leachate
c) Sewage
b) Leachate /ˈliːtʃ.eɪt/
"From Hawaiian beaches to the coast of Britain, we're paying a lethal price for our throwaway society."
What is meant by "throwaway society"?
a) A society that recycles everything
b) A society that frequently discards items
c) A society that never discards unnecessary things
Answer: b) A society that frequently discards items
The plastic debris _______ our oceans for decades and we haven't been able to find a solution to the problem yet.
a) has polluted
b) polluted
c) was polluting
Answer: a) has polluted
Is the verb in the correct tense?
He didn’t stay in China for only a few months; he stayed for 17 years.
(Correct: Past simple with a clear contrast.)
Present perfect simple or continuous?
She _________ (read) that book for two hours.
She has been reading that book for two hours.
(Present Perfect Continuous: The action is ongoing and has duration.)
Where does the second bottle end up after reaching the ocean?
a) The Atlantic Ocean
b) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
c) The Mediterranean Sea
Answer: b) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
"The plastic we see on our beaches is just a fraction of the plastic waste that is clogging our oceans."
What does "clogging our oceans" suggest about plastic waste?
a) It is blocking and filling up the oceans
b) It is decorating the oceans fully
c) It is cleaning the oceans all around
Answer: a) It is blocking and filling up the oceans
Scientists _______ five vast swirling garbage patches in our oceans but there is a possibility of more to exist.
a) have found
b) found
c) were finding
Answer: a) have found
Is the verb in the correct tense?
Marco Polo has seen the Great Wall during his travels in China.
(Incorrect: Past simple should be used since the event is in the past.)
Marco Polo saw the Great Wall during his travels.
Present perfect simple or continuous?
He _____ (run) every morning to prepare for the marathon.
He has been running every morning to prepare for the marathon.
(Present Perfect Continuous: The action is ongoing and has duration.)
Which creatures are mentioned as mistaking plastic for food?
a) Sharks
b) Seabirds
c) Dolphins
Answer: b) Seabirds
"In total, at least 100 million tons of plastic rubbish is thought to be sloshing around in our seas."
What does "be sloshing around" mean in this context?
a) Floating and moving around loosely
b) Sinking to the bottom
c) Being organized into piles
Answer: a) Floating and moving around loosely
In Bangladesh, they _______ plastic bags with natural jute bags in 2002.
a) had replaced
b) replaced
c) have replaced
Answer: c) have replaced
Is the verb in the correct tense?
People have questioned whether Marco Polo really visited China or not.
(Correct: Present perfect for actions that have relevance to the present.)
Present perfect simple or continuous?
She _____ (make) five new friends at her new school.
She has made five new friends at her new school.
(Present Perfect Simple: The action is completed with a countable result.)