文字稿

“ Microbeads ”是塑膠微粒，它們常被加入各種產品中起打磨、摩擦的作用。比如，許多化妝品、護膚品和清潔用品中都常含有塑膠微粒。在英國，國會議員建議禁止這些微小塑料顆粒的使用，這是為什么呢？請聽 以下 的報道。

Tiny fragments of plastic pervade the seas from ocean depth to Arctic ice. They get eaten by small creatures and often clog their gut. Shreds of plastic can be found in oysters and mussels. The small creatures are prey for bigger animals, so the plastic travels up the food chain.

The fragments aren’t toxic themselves, but they attract toxins. The committee says more research is needed to see how much harm they are doing. But the MPs say banning microbeads in cosmetics would be a small but useful start.

詞匯表

fragments 碎粒、碎片
pervade 遍及、充滿
clog 堵塞、堵住
gut 腸道
shreds of 一絲絲的
mussels 青口（海鮮產品，一種黑色的貝殼）
prey 獵物
food chain 食物鏈
toxic 有毒的
toxins 毒素
cosmetics 化妝品

測驗

請聽報道并回答下列問題。

1. Where in the environment can we find microbeads?

2. Which part of a small creature's body do microbeads end up in?

3. True or false? Microbeads are toxic.

4. Which word is used to mean 'food for a bigger animal or predator'?

答案

1. Where in the environment can we find microbeads?
They can be found in the sea.

2. Which part of a small creature's body do microbeads end up in?
In their gut.

3. True or false? Microbeads are toxic.
False. The microbeads themselves are not toxic, but they attract toxins.

4. Which word is used to mean 'food for a bigger animal or predator'?
Prey.