The world has a plastics problem． And not just with bottles． Straws（吸管）， toothbrushes， toys﹣all kinds of plastics are placed in landfills． There are 5 billion tons of plastic waste in the world． Landfills have a large part of it． By 2050， they could have 13 billion tons．

    Much of plastic rubbish finds its way into the ocean． Scientists say 165 million tons of plastic pieces are floating around out there． And most plastic won't disappear itself． It will remain in the ocean forever． Whales get caught in plastic fishing nets． Birds die because of eating plastic straws and bottle caps． It endangers ocean life． Plastic rubbish even ends up in the food we eat．

    Governments are realizing that recycling may not be enough． They are taking more actions． Though it is hard work， it is still a solvable problem． In Britain， people are not allowed to use plastic bags except in hospitals． Scotland and several coastal cities in the US stop people from using plastic straws as well． The US alone throws away some 500 million plastic straws a day． That's enough to circle the Earth twice． "Saying no to a plastic straw is an easy way to make a big difference，" Dana Lofflin who started said． "Do we really want to pass on to our children a world harmed by plastic？"

    People have found some tasty ways to reduce waste． A company in India made the first﹣ever spoon that people can eat． You don't have to eat the spoon． You can throw it away． It decomposes（分解） in just a few days． David Edwards， a scientist at Harvard University， designed an eatable bag which can protect the food or drink inside． It is a delicious replacement for plastic ones．

（1）According to the write， birds die because they　　．

A． eat bottle caps and straws

B． get caught in fishing nets

C． feed on ocean animals

D． have the spoons in India

（2）The underlined word "endangers " in Paragraph 2 probably means　　．

A． brings

B． loses

C． harms

D． saves

（3）The purpose of the passage is mainly to　　．

A． introduce some ways to recycle waste

B． tell readers about the problem with plastics

C． compare air pollution and plastic pollution

D． describe how the US is reducing plastic waste

（4）From the passage， we can tell that the plastics problem　　．

A． is too big for people to solve

B． can be solved by recycling alone

C． can be solved， but it wont be easy

D． will have to be solved by future scientists

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