Look at this picture of a sea turtle. Do you find it upsetting that such a gentle creature has to swim over a mountain of trash? Indeed, most people would be upset to see one in distress. That is why a video showing a turtle sneezing, coughing, screaming, and bleeding from the nose went viral in 2015. The source of the creature's discomfort was a 15-centimeter-long plastic straw stuck up its nose. Fortunately, American marine biologist Christine Figgener and her team, who came across the turtle near Costa Rica, were able to extract the straw and release the animal back into the ocean.
看看這張海龜照片。你會不會覺得這幕令人痛心，這麼溫和的動物必須游過堆積如山的垃圾？事實上，大多數人都會因為看到一隻海龜受苦而難過。這就是為什麼一段呈現海龜打噴嚏、咳嗽、尖叫和鼻子流血的影片在 2015 時會迅速流傳。這個生物不適的源頭是一根 15 公分長且卡住牠鼻子的一根塑膠吸管。幸運的是，美國海洋生物學家 Christine Figgener 和她的團隊，在哥斯大黎加附近發現這隻海龜，得以幫忙抽出這根吸管，並將牠放回大海。
The video made by the biologists helped bring the world's attention to the expanding problem of plastic garbage polluting the world's oceans. As the picture on the previous page also implies, millions of tonnes of plastic are thrown into the sea every year. Wind action and ocean currents cause a lot of it to get caught up in "gyres," vast floating garbage patches. In 2018, sailboat skipper and environmental activist Emily Penn navigated a boat through the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which covers an area 44 times the size of Taiwan. She was horrified by the bottles, baskets, toothbrushes, chairs, and all kinds of other objects that littered the ocean surface for mile after mile.
生物學家製作的影片使世界注意到塑膠垃圾污染世界海洋的問題日益嚴重。正如前頁的照片也表示，每年有數百萬噸的塑膠被扔入大海。風力作用和洋流導致很多塑膠陷入「環流」當中，也就是廣大的漂浮垃圾帶。2018 年時，帆船隊長和環保運動人士 Emily Penn 駕船駛過所謂的「太平洋垃圾帶」，佔地面積是台灣的四十四倍。她為任意棄置在海面上，綿延數英里的瓶子、籃子、牙刷、椅子，和各式各樣的其他物品而感到震驚。
The equivalent of one truckload of garbage is being dumped into the world's oceans every minute. That is the terrifying scale of the problem. It is a consequence of our modern throwaway consumer society, in which we buy huge numbers of single-use plastic items and give little thought to how to discard them. Many people take it for granted that things like plastic bags, bottles and straws are recycled, but that is only the case with a small percentage. In reality, a lot of them tend to end up in the ocean, where they can cause immeasurable harm.
每分鐘內，就有相當於一卡車的垃圾被傾倒到世界各大海洋中。那就是這個問題駭人的規模。這是我們現代這種一次性消費社會所產生的後果，在這樣的社會中，我們購買大量一次性使用的塑膠製品，卻很少考慮到如何棄置這些塑膠製品。許多人理所當然地認為，諸如塑膠袋、塑膠瓶和塑膠吸管之類的東西會被回收，但那種情況所佔的百分比微乎其微。實際上，其中許多往往最終會流入海洋，可能在那裡造成難以估計的傷害。
For instance, many items break down into tiny pieces, commonly called microplastics. Also, when plastic bags decompose in the sea, the process releases toxic chemicals. These can be digested by fish and go into the food chain, ultimately being consumed by people. In other words, our own garbage is coming back to poison us. And there are many other victims. Over a million marine animals, including mammals, turtles, fish, and birds, die every year due to plastic in their environment. Some mistake colorful garbage for a real food source and choke when they swallow it. Others get their digestive systems blocked by small pieces of plastic and slowly starve to death. Christine Figgener's sea turtle was one of the few lucky survivors of plastic pollution.
例如，許多物品分解成小塊，通常稱為微塑料。此外，當塑膠袋在海中分解時，這過程會釋放有毒化學物質。這些會被魚類消化，進入食物鏈內，最終被人們所食用。換句話說，我們自己製造的垃圾將回來毒害我們。而且還有許多其他受害者。每年超過一百萬種的海洋動物，包括哺乳動物、海龜、魚類和鳥類在內，都因環境中的塑膠而死亡。有些動物誤將五顏六色的垃圾當作是真正的食物來源，在吞下垃圾時中噎到。有些則是消化系統被小塊塑料阻塞而慢慢餓死。Christine Figgener 的海龜是塑膠汙染的少數幸運倖存者之一。
Critical as the situation has become, it is only quite recently that people have been taking steps to deal with it. In Taiwan, for example, ocean currents wash up a lot of waste from other parts of Asia. Here, scientists regularly carry out assessments to find out the extent of the problem, while environmental groups organize beach cleanups. To effectively cope with plastic pollution in the oceans, however, we must go directly to the source of the problem, which is our modern consumer society. We have to decrease our use of plastic, as well as making sure it is properly discarded. If we can, we may yet have a chance of preventing the earth from drowning in an ocean of plastic.
儘管情況已經非常危急，但最近人們才開始採取措施去應對這個情況。例如，在台灣，洋流把來自亞洲其他地區的大量廢物沖上陸地。在這裡，科學家們定期進行評估，以找出問題的影響範圍，而環保團體則規劃淨灘活動。然而，為了有效處理海洋中的塑膠污染，我們必須直接處理問題的根源，也就是我們現代的消費社會。我們必須減少塑膠的使用，並確保塑膠被適當丟棄。如果我們可以的話，我們或許還有機會防止地球淹沒在塑膠海洋中。
- distress [dɪˋstrɛs] n.
悲痛，苦惱
The cat was in some distress, and it looked like it had been hit by a car. - distress [dɪˋstrɛs] v.
使悲痛，使苦惱
I am sorry if the news about Carly's illness distresses you, but I had to tell you. - sneeze [sniz] v.
打噴嚏
Some of the pepper I added to the soup made me sneeze. - discomfort [dɪsˋkʌmfɚt] n.
不舒服，不適
I had some discomfort in my neck, but it felt much better after a massage. - comfort [ˋkʌmfɚt] n.
舒適
We will provide blankets for your comfort during the flight. - biologist [baɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n.
生物學家
Biologists are currently working on identifying the cause of the newly-discovered disease. - biology [baɪˋɑlədʒɪ] n.
生物學
After graduating with a degree in biology, Edward began to research marine life in the Pacific. - extract [ɪkˋstrækt] v.
取出來
Penny had two teeth extracted at the dentist's this morning. - extraction [ɪkˋstrækʃən] n.
取出
The region's economy depends on the extraction of coal and other minerals. - current [ˋkɝənt] n.
水流
Don't swim at this part of the beach because the current is very strong. - current [ˋkɝənt] adj.
現行的，目前的
The school's current policy on uniforms is under review and may change soon. - floating [ˋflotɪŋ] adj.
漂浮的，流動的
There is a floating restaurant with fresh fish on the lake. - float [flot] v.
漂浮
Because the salt content of the Dead Sea is so high, it is very easy to float on its surface. - patch [pætʃ] n.
（與周圍不同的）一處；補釘
Mr. Green grows vegetables on a small patch of land by the river.
I put a patch over the hole in my old jeans since I only wear them to do housework. - patch [pætʃ] v.
修補
Instead of throwing it away, Mom patched the hole in my jacket. - activist [ˋæktəvɪst] n.
積極分子，活躍分子
Petra is an environmental activist who works to protect nature. - active [ˋæktɪv] adj.
活躍的，忙於⋯⋯的
Mrs. Wang is very active in her local community, where she helps a lot of people. - navigate [ˋnævə͵get] v.
導航，駕駛
The captain navigated his ship past the potentially dangerous floating ice. - so-called [ˋsoˋkɔld] adj.
所謂的
My friend Ben has a so-called easy method of learning math, but I don't find it easy at all. - litter [ˋlɪtɚ] v.
四處亂丟
After the storm had passed, the streets were littered with damaged signs and broken glass. - litter [ˋlɪtɚ] n.
垃圾，廢棄物
Please put your litter in the garbage cans. - equivalent [ɪˋkwɪvələnt] n.
相等，等同
The fine that Irene had to pay was the equivalent of two months' salary for her. - equivalent [ɪˋkwɪvələnt] adj.
相等的，等同的
She paid 2,000 Swiss francs for the watch, which is equivalent to more than NT$60,000. - dump [dʌmp] v.
丟棄，傾倒
My neighbors got into trouble for dumping a broken refrigerator in a public place. - dump [dʌmp] n.
垃圾場
I took my old and broken computer to the city dump. - scale [skel] n.
規模，範圍
The earthquake was a powerful one, and it caused damage and destruction on a massive scale. - discard [ˋdɪskɑrd] v.
扔掉，拋棄
Keep only the stuff that you really need and discard the rest. - percentage [pɚˋsɛntɪdʒ] n.
百分比
The percentage of people that are out of work has risen to five. - percent [pɚˋsɛnt] n.
百分之⋯
Jane's rent makes up twenty percent of her monthly salary. - immeasurable [ɪˋmɛʒərəb!] adj.
無法估計的，廣大的
I had felt an immeasurable amount of joy at the great news. - decompose [͵dikəmˋpoz] v.
分解
It can take thousands of years for materials such as plastic to fully decompose. - digest [daɪˋdʒɛst] v.
消化
Your body will usually feel tired while you are digesting a heavy meal. - digestive [dəˋdʒɛstɪv] adj.
消化的
These plants capture insects and use digestive juices to consume them for food. - ultimately [ˋʌltəmɪtlɪ] adv.
最後，最終
Terry's ambition is to go to medical school and ultimately become a surgeon. - ultimate [ˋʌltəmɪt] adj.
最後的，最終的
My ultimate destination is New York, but I am going to visit other places on the way. - poison [ˋpɔɪzn] v.
毒害，使中毒
The chemistry professor told his students to be very careful not to poison themselves with the substance. - poison [ˋpɔɪzn] n.
毒，毒物
Harvey's dog ate some rat poison by accident and got very sick. - starve [stɑrv] v.
挨餓
Because of the lack of rain, thousands of people in the south of the country may starve before long. - starving [ˋstɑrvɪŋ] adj.
挨餓的，飢餓的
Jason hadn't had any lunch, so he was starving when he got home from work. - critical [ˋkrɪtɪk!] adj.
危急的，嚴重的
The situation has become critical, with thousands of people at risk of getting infected. - assessment [əˋsɛsmənt] n.
評估
After making an assessment of her qualifications, the company offered Myra the position. - assess [əˋsɛs] v.
評估，評價
The judges assessed the flavor and texture of each cake in the baking competition. - extent [ɪkˋstɛnt] n.
程度，範圍
It will take several weeks to analyze the extent of the damage caused by the disaster. - extensive [ɪkˋstɛnsɪv] adj.
大規模的，廣泛的
The chain supermarket has an extensive network of stores all over Europe. - go viral
迅速竄紅
A funny picture my friend took has gone viral, and now she's famous on the Internet. - come across
偶然遇見
We came across a great little coffee shop when we were exploring the town. - give little thought to
不在乎
Edward strolled across the busy road, giving little thought to the danger. - break (sth.) down into
（把某物）分解成
Your digestive system breaks food down into smaller particles that your body can process. - take steps
採取行動
If Lionel doesn't take steps to improve, he is going to fail all his college courses. - may yet
仍有可能
If Patrick works a lot harder, he may yet succeed in passing the course.
