BBC 6分钟英语学习 没有塑料我们还能生活吗

6 min English from BBC learning english dot com.

Hello. This is Minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil, and I'm Beth. Plastic is fantastic.

This phase was used a lot in the 1950s, when mass produced plastic items started to become part of our own everyday lives.

The following decades saw a revolution, as plastic became the most commonly used material in modern life, found in every thing from cars to furniture to packaging.

Take a quick look around, and you'll soon see how many everyday items contain plastic.

But now, our love of plastic is being questioned, mostly thanks to climate change and pollution caused by single use plastics, plastic products, which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away.

11 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year.

It's believed that single use plastics make up 40% of all plastic pollution globally.

What's more, it's not just land and water being polluted.

Tiny plastic pieces known as micro beads, have even been found inside the human body, and can be passed from mother to child through breast milk.

And because plastic comes from fossil fuels, the process of making it creates problems at every stage, from burning coal to transportation to recycling.

In this program, we'll be asking, is it time to live without plastic?

And, as usual, will be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But 1st, I have a question for you, beth.

One reason why plastic became so popular is that it's a very flexible material.

It can be formed into different shapes, making it useful for keeping food fresh or holding liquid.

Originally, plastic was invented to replace the decreasing supply of natural materials like metal, wood and glass.

So which items did plastic 1st replace?

Was it a snooker balls, b shopping bags or sea hairbrushes?

Hmm, I guess the 1st thing to be made of plastic was a hairbrush.

Okay, beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the program.

DR Sherry Mason is Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University in the US, and a specialist in plastic pollution.

Her award winning at 2017 Research into micro plastics in rivers led to the US Congress banning micro beads.

Here, she explains the problem of plastics to BBC World Service Program.

The real story plastic is is synthetic, and as a consequence of that, nature doesn't really know what to do with it.

Like a paper bag that's sitting on the side of the road.

It's unsightly, but within weeks, there are organisms in the soil that can use that paper bag as a food source.

Right? They have evolved to basically chew up that paper bag and turn it back into soil, turn it back into carbon and nitrogen and oxygen.

But with regard to plastic, because it is a synthetic material, you don't have that evolution.

There are some organisms that can use it as a food source, but they're few and far between, especially when you're talking about water systems, aquatic systems, and the the temperatures that exist, and so they can't really use it as a food source.

So plastic doesn't biodegrade. And plastic is a synthetic material, meaning that it's made by combining man made chemicals.

Instead of existing naturally natural materials like paper, decay and harmlessly turn back into soil.

They biodegrade. But plastic is not like this.

It doesn't decay and get broken down by microbes and bacteria.

In fact, some plastic eating microbes and bacteria do exist, but these are few and far between.

They're rare. They don't happen very often.

It's the fact that plastic doesn't decay which is responsible for the waste we see in the environment, waste which is often unsightly, meaning ugly and unpleasant to look at.

Fortunately, help is at hand. The plastic eating microbes Neil mentioned, especially one called Redoccus ruber, have been tested by scientists and seem capable of breaking down plastic into its basic components.

What's also needed is an emphasis on reducing plastic production, especially packaging and other single use products, rather than simply recycling.

Action like this should help plastic achieve its original purpose to help preserve, not pollute unnatural resources.

And speaking of the origins of plastic, isn't it time to reveal the answer to your Questionnail right.

I asked you which object made of natural materials was the 1st to be replaced by plastic?

You said it was a hair brush.

Which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid, beth.

In fact, the 1st plastic moulding machine was used in 1872 to produce snooker balls.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this program.

Starting with single use plastics, plastic products, which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away.

Microbes are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpastes and body scrubs, which can enter and pollute rivers, seas and the human body.

The adjective synthetic describes a nonnatural material made by combining chemicals to biodegrade, means to decay naturally in a way that is not harmful to the environment.

The phrase few and far between means very rare, or not happening very often.

And finally, if something is described as unsightly, it's ugly and unpleasant to look at.

Once again, our 6 min are up.

Join us next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 min English.

Bye for now. Goodbye. 6 min English From BBC Learning English dot com.

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