Blue Planet II’s latest episode focuses on how plastic is having a disastrous effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, the oceans are drowning in plastic.
Though it seems now that the world couldn’t possibly function without plastics, consumer plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s; the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.
We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don’t really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.
And it’s not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers (否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don’t have to remake our planet energy system.

This is not a problem where we don’t know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to dispose (处理) of it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things that may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag—when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.
28.Why is plastics pollution research still a very early science?
A.The plastics pollution research is too difficult.
B.Plastics have produced less pollution than coal.
C.The world couldn’t possibly function without plastics.
D.Plastics have gained in popularity too fast for science to catch up.
29.How did the author support his opinion in Paragraph 3?
A. By statistics.    B. By quotations from leading experts.
C. By using examples from his own experience.    D. By comparison and contrast.
30.What can we infer about climate change?
A.Climate change is caused by human activities.
B.Some people hold some doubts about climate change.
C.Climate change is less important than ocean pollution.
D.Ocean plastic is more complicated than climate change.
31.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Ocean plastic is a global issue.
B.The oceans become choked with plastic.
C.Blue Planet II has left viewers heartbroken.
Plastics gain in popularity all over the world. 这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲了蓝色星球II的最新一集关注的是塑料如何对海洋产生灾难性影响，如何慢慢毒害我们的海洋生物。研究人员最近还发现，生活在地球上最深处——马里亚纳海沟的海洋生物胃里有塑料。的确，海洋被塑料淹没了。
28.D 细节理解题。根据第二段Though it seems now that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics， consumer plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s; the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science（虽然现在看来，没有塑料世界是不可能运转的，但消费塑料却是最近才发明的。第一个塑料袋是在20世纪50年代问世的，就在塑料包装在美国开始流行的那个十年里，塑料包装的这种增长发生得如此之快，以至于科学仍在跟上变化。例如，塑料污染研究仍然是一门非常早期的科学。）可知塑料已经普及得太快了，科学跟不上，故选D。
29. A 推理判断题。根据第三段介绍：我们把所有这些塑料投入到环境中，但我们仍然不知道会产生什么结果。然而，我们所知道的是令人不安的。据估计，海洋塑料每年会杀死数百万的海洋动物。据了解，包括濒临绝种的海龟在内，有三分之一的棱皮龟经常误以为塑料袋是水母。目前，90%的海鸟经常吃塑料制品。2050年，这一数字有望上升到100%。可知作者是通过统计数据的方法来支持自己的观点，故选A。
30. B 推理判断题。根据第四段I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers（否认者）, at least so far. To do something about it， we don't have to remake our planet energy system（人类正在通过我们食用的海鲜来食用塑料。我可以理解为什么有些人把海洋塑料视为灾难，这和气候变化一样值得提及。海洋塑料不像气候变化那么复杂。没有海洋垃圾否认者，至少到目前为止是这样。）可知有些人对气候变化持怀疑否认态度，故选B。
31. B 主旨大意题。文章介绍塑料如何对海洋产生灾难性影响，如何慢慢毒害我们的海洋生物。研究人员最近还发现，生活在地球上最深处——马里亚纳海沟的海洋生物胃里有塑料。的确，海洋被塑料淹没了，后面文章介绍塑料垃圾对环境的影响，可知文章大意讲塑料垃圾充斥着海洋，故选B。