The Reading / Listening - Microplastics - Level 0

There are microplastics in seafood. These are tiny pieces of plastic from our garbage. They are in oysters and other shellfish. There are more than five trillion pieces of microplastic in our oceans. There are more every day. A marine biologist said hundreds of shellfish mix with plastic. This can harm or kill the shellfish

A study showed people eat up to 11,000 pieces of plastic each year. Only around 60 of these stay in our body. This could be bad for our health. By 2099, seafood eaters could eat up to 780,000 pieces of plastic a year. That will cause more health problems. We need to recycle more and use plastic less.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Microplastics - Level 1,  Microplastics - Level 2   or  Microplastics - Level 3

Sources
  • http://news.sky.com/story/microplastics-in-seafood-could-be-a-health-risk-experts-fear-10739835
  • http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/why-recycle-plastic-rubbish-oceans-8-million-tonnes-pollution-microplastics-a7541476.html
  • http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/study-shows-wider-impact-of-microplastics/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. There are microplastics
  2. tiny
  3. They are in oysters
  4. There are more than
  5. microplastic in
  6. There are more every
  7. marine
  8. This can harm or
  1. day
  2. biologist
  3. kill the shellfish
  4. and other shellfish
  5. in seafood
  6. five trillion pieces
  7. pieces of plastic
  8. our oceans

Paragraph 2

  1. 11,000 pieces of plastic each
  2. Only around
  3. stay in
  4. This could be bad
  5. 780,000 pieces
  6. That will cause more health
  7. We need to
  8. use plastic
  1. of plastic a year
  2. problems
  3. less
  4. our body
  5. recycle more
  6. year
  7. 60 of these
  8. for our health

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There are microplastics in seafood. (1) ___________________ pieces of plastic (2) ___________________ garbage. They are in oysters (3) ___________________ shellfish. There are more than five trillion (4) ___________________ microplastic in our oceans. There are (5) ___________________. A marine biologist said hundreds of shellfish mix with plastic. This (6) ___________________ the shellfish

A study showed (7) ___________________ to 11,000 pieces of plastic (8) ___________________. Only around 60 of these stay in our body. This could be (9) ___________________ health. By 2099, seafood eaters could (10) ___________________ 780,000 pieces of plastic a year. That (11) ___________________ health problems. We need to recycle more (12) ___________________ less.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Therearemicroplasticsinseafood.Thesearetinypiecesofplasticfromo
urgarbage.Theyareinoystersandothershellfish.Therearemorethanfi
vetrillionpiecesofmicroplasticinouroceans.Therearemoreeveryday.
Amarinebiologistsaidhundredsofshellfishmixwithplastic.Thiscanhar
morkilltheshellfishAstudyshowedpeopleeatupto11,000piecesofplas
ticeachyear.Onlyaround60ofthesestayinourbody.Thiscouldbebadfo
rourhealth.By2099,seafoodeaterscouldeatupto780,000piecesofpla
sticayear.Thatwillcausemorehealthproblems.Weneedtorecyclemor
eanduseplasticless.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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