Đề trắc nghiệm tổng hợp Unit 12 (Nature) - Life A2-B1

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow (17 - 21):

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive collection of ocean plastic and trash floating in the central North Pacific Ocean. It's the largest of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. It is not a solid island of trash, as some people might imagine. Instead, it is made up of countless tiny plastic pieces, called microplastics, that are suspended throughout the water column, from the surface down to the ocean floor. These microplastics, often smaller than a grain of rice, are very difficult to see with the naked eye and make the water look like a cloudy soup.

This garbage patch was formed by powerful ocean currents, called gyres, that pull debris into one central location. A significant amount of this trash comes from land-based activities in North America and Asia. Rivers are major pathways, carrying plastic waste from cities and towns directly into the sea. Everyday items like plastic bags, bottles, food wrappers, and fishing nets get into the ocean and are carried by the currents for thousands of kilometers. Over time, the sun's ultraviolet light breaks down these larger plastic items into smaller and smaller pieces, but they never truly disappear or biodegrade.

The impact on marine life is devastating and widespread. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their main food source, and eat them, leading to internal injuries and starvation. Seabirds feed plastic pieces to their chicks, which can fill their stomachs and prevent them from digesting real food. Seals and other marine mammals can get entangled in abandoned fishing nets, a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing," which makes it hard for them to swim, breathe, or find food. Scientists are working on innovative solutions, such as developing large-scale systems to collect the trash and creating new biodegradable plastics from natural materials. However, they emphasize that technology alone cannot solve the problem. They say the most effective solution is to reduce our dependency on single-use plastics and improve waste management systems globally to prevent plastic from entering the ocean in the first place. Everyone has a role to play in protecting our oceans for future generations.