高中英语外刊时文阅读训练
专题20
微塑料污染研究
Ⅰ.文章话题导入
Ⅱ.外刊原文阅读
Ш.阅读理解专项针对性练习
Ⅳ.话题高频词汇强化训练
Ⅴ.参考译文赏析
【话题·导语】
微塑料来自多个来源，包括轮胎、纺织品、化妆品、油漆和较大物品的碎片。它们广泛分布在整个自
然环境中，有证据表明在生物组织的多个层面上存在危害。它们在食物和饮料中普遍存在，并已在人体内
被检测到，有新的证据表明其具有负面影响。
【原文·外刊阅读】
Twenty years of microplastics pollution research
（文章来源：Science）
Twenty years after the first publication using the term
microplastics, we review current understanding, refine definitions and
consider future prospects. Microplastics arise from multiple sources
including tires, textiles, cosmetics, paint and the fragmentation of
larger items. They are widely distributed throughout the natural
environment with evidence of harm at multiple levels of biological organization. They are pervasive in
food and drink and have been detected throughout the human body, with emerging evidence of negative
effects. Environmental contamination could double by 2040 and widescale harm has been predicted. Public
concern is increasing and diverse measures to address microplastics pollution are being considered in
international negotiations. Clear evidence on the efficacy of potential solutions is now needed to address
the issue and to minimize the risks of unintended consequences.
Reports of large items of plastic debris in the environment date back to the 1960s. In the 1970s
sampling focused on marine plankton and neuston communities revealed the presence of small plastic
fragments and fibers in net tows from locations in the North Sea, UK, Sargasso Sea Northwestern
Atlantic and South Africa. The term microplastic was first used to describe microscopic fragments of
plastic debris (~20μm in diameter) in a publication in 2004. This paper, described as marking the
beginning of the field of microplastics research, demonstrated that small fragments of various common
plastics including acrylic, polyamine (nylon), polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, and polystyrene were
present in coastal environments around the UK and that their abundance had increased significantly since
the 1960s.
Microplastics are now widely defined as solid plastic particles ≤5mm in size, composed of polymers
together with functional additives as well as other intentionally and unintentionally added chemicals. While
not following the SI convention of units, this size definition resulted from an early policy meeting hosted
by NOAA in Tacoma, USA, which proposed this upper size bound, because of evidence that particles up
to 5mm could readily be ingested by organisms and growing concerns they might present different risks
to larger items that were already known to cause harm. The EU subsequently adopted this upper bound
of 5mm in its Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In most studies the lower size bound is
typically constrained by methodological limitations to the minimum size of particles it is possible to
isolate and identify from complex environmental mixtures (see section Methodological advances). Below
>1μm we move from micro to nano and while nano-sized plastic particles have almost certainly
accumulated, they are currently too small to individually identify from environmental samples.
Subcategories of microplastic linked to source have since been described, including the terms
‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ microplastics, but this terminology has not been used consistently. This is
especially so for particles and fibers generated by wear, with multiple publications considering these to be
primary microplastics, the remainder considering them as secondary microplastics. To minimize potential
ambiguity in new legislation we propose a universal scheme of definitions incorporating recently described
sources and resulting in three categories of primary microplastics, which are manufactured ≤5mm, and
three categories of secondary microplastic, which all originate from items that are >5mm at manufacture,
either as a consequence of wear during use, or from fragmentation in waste management, or the
environment. Other terms aligned with primary and secondary that have been used in policy contexts,
including draft text for the UN Plastic Pollution Treaty, include “intentionally added microplastics” and
microplastics that are “unintentionally” released or generated by degradation.
【原创·阅读理解】
1.What are microplastics defined as?
A. Plastic particles larger than 5mm.
B. Solid plastic particles ≤5mm in size.
C. Only fragments from larger plastic items.
D. Only synthetic polymers.
2.What was the first use of the term "microplastics"?
A. In the 1960s to describe plastic debris.
B. In a publication in 2004.
C. During an EU policy meeting.
D. In environmental legislation.
3.What are the two categories of microplastics based on their sources?
A. Natural and synthetic.
B. Primary and secondary.
C. Degradable and non-degradable.
D. Visible and invisible.
4.What is one of the potential risks mentioned regarding microplastics?
A. They may enhance food quality.
B. They are beneficial for marine life.
C. They can cause negative effects on human health.
D. They have no environmental impact.
5.What is the significance of the proposed universal scheme of definitions for microplastics?
A. To standardize sizes of plastic waste.
B. To eliminate plastic usage worldwide.
C. To minimize ambiguity in new legislation.
D. To promote public awareness of plastic pollution.
【高频词汇训练】
1．While (avoid) flying is not always practical, we can help improve the environment by travelling on
local public transport or even on foot wherever possible. (所给词的适当形式填空)
2．When some one is bitten by a poisonous snake, first aid is (definite) necessary. (所给词的适当形式
填空)
3．Bioengineering is an (emerge) branch of learning. (所给词的适当形式填空)
4．Here, merchants from China and many other places met (negotiate) trade deals, which also led
to more awareness of each other’s cultures. (所给词的适当形式填空)
5．Later, man began to settle in the places the food and water were abundant. (用适当的词填空)
6． (addition), we select our teachers for their engaging personalities. (所给词的适当形式填空)
7．Locavore is a great app for those searching for local, in season, (organ) foods in your
area. (所给词的适当形式填空)
8．They gazed in a mixture of envy and (admire) the beauty of the statue. (所给词的适当形式填
空)
9．I love my senior secondary school. It’s much (big) than my junior secondary school. (所给词的适
当形式填空)
10．The past years have witnessed the sharp decrease in the number of whales. (consequent), experts
are trying to save whales. (所给词的适当形式填空)
【参考译文】
微塑料污染研究
在首次使用微塑料一词发表二十年后，我们回顾了当前的理解，完善了定义，并考虑了未来的前景。
微塑料来自多个来源，包括轮胎、纺织品、化妆品、油漆和较大物品的碎片。它们广泛分布在整个自然环
境中，有证据表明在生物组织的多个层面上存在危害。它们在食物和饮料中普遍存在，并已在人体内被检
测到，有新的证据表明其具有负面影响。到2040 年，环境污染可能会翻一番，预计会造成大规模的危害。
公众的关注日益增加，国际谈判中正在考虑采取各种措施来解决微塑料污染问题。现在需要明确证据证明
潜在解决方案的有效性，以解决这一问题并尽量减少意外后果的风险。
关于环境中存在大型塑料碎片的报道可以追溯到20 世纪60 年代。20 世纪70 年代，对海洋浮游生物和
纽斯顿群落的采样显示，在北海、英国、马尾藻海、西北大西洋和南非的拖网中存在小塑料碎片和纤维。
2004 年的一篇出版物首次使用“微塑料”一词来描述塑料碎片的微观碎片（直径约20μm）。这篇论文标
志着微塑料研究领域的开始，证明了各种常见塑料的小碎片，包括丙烯酸、聚胺（尼龙）、聚丙烯、聚
酯、聚乙烯和聚苯乙烯，存在于英国周围的沿海环境中，自20 世纪60 年代以来，它们的丰度显著增加。
微塑料现在被广泛定义为尺寸≤5mm 的固体塑料颗粒，由聚合物、功能添加剂以及其他有意和无意添
加的化学物质组成。虽然不遵循SI 单位惯例，但这一尺寸定义是由美国国家海洋和大气管理局在美国塔科
马主办的一次早期政策会议提出的，该会议提出了这一尺寸上限，因为有证据表明，5 毫米以下的颗粒很
容易被生物体摄入，人们越来越担心它们可能对已知会造成伤害的较大物品构成不同的风险。欧盟随后在
其海洋战略框架指令（MSFD）中采用了5mm 的上限。在大多数研究中，较低的粒径界限通常受到方法学
限制，即从复杂的环境混合物中分离和鉴定出的颗粒的最小粒径（见“方法学进展”一节）。在>1μm 以
下，我们从微米级转向纳米级，虽然纳米级塑料颗粒几乎肯定已经积累，但它们目前太小，无法从环境样
本中单独识别。
此后，人们描述了与来源相关的微塑料的子类别，包括“初级”和“次级”微塑料，但这一术语的使
用并不一致。对于磨损产生的颗粒和纤维尤其如此，许多出版物认为这些是主要的微塑料，其余的则认为
它们是次要的微塑料。为了尽量减少新立法中的潜在歧义，我们提出了一个通用的定义方案，其中纳入了
最近描述的来源，并产生了三类初级微塑料，其制造直径≤5mm，以及三类次级微塑料，它们都来自制造
时直径>5mm 的物品，要么是由于使用过程中的磨损，要么是废物管理中的碎片化，要么是环境造成的。
在政策背景下使用的与主要和次要术语一致的其他术语，包括《联合国塑料污染条约》草案文本，包括
“故意添加的微塑料”和“无意”释放或降解产生的微塑料。
