Press for masters

Balloons deadliest plastic for seabirds   (24th March, 2019)

Scientists have made an alarming discovery about what kinds of pollution are most harmful to seabirds. A study led by Australia's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies discovered that balloons were the deadliest kind of plastic for seabirds. The research team said balloons were 32 times more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastics. They found that while balloons and other soft plastics accounted for only 5 per cent of plastics ingested, they were responsible for more than 40 per cent of deaths among seabirds. Lead researcher Lauren Roman said: "Hard plastic fragments may pass quickly through the gut, but soft plastics are more likely to become compacted and cause fatal obstructions."

The study examined 1,733 dead seabirds and found that more than a quarter of the deaths were attributed to eating plastic. Ms Roman explained that plastic is becoming an increasing threat to seabirds. She said: "Marine debris ingestion is now a globally recognized threat....We suggest that reducing the presence of balloons and balloon fragments in the ocean would directly reduce seabird mortalities." LiveScience.com said: "With an estimated 280,000 tons of floating marine debris worldwide, about half of all seabird species are thought to ingest plastic on a daily basis. Birds are especially likely to swallow dangerous balloons because they closely resemble squid, according to the study."

 

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

1. Scientists started alarm clock bells ringing about a discovery.     T / F
2. Research was done on seabirds in the North Pole.     T / F
3. Balloons accounted for over 40% of plastic-related seabird deaths.     T / F
4. A researcher said hard plastics pass more slowly through the gut.     T / F
5. Around 25% of dead seabirds in the research died because of plastic.     T / F
6. A researcher said marine debris is becoming less of a threat to birds.     T / F
7. There are about 280,000 tons of debris floating on our oceans.     T / F
8. Seabirds could eat balloons because they think they look like squid.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. alarming
2. harmful
3. likely
4. ingested
5. fatal
6. attributed to
7. increasing
8. mortalities
9. worldwide
10. resemble

1. probable
2. look like
3. consumed
4. growing
5. damaging
6. deaths
7. globally
8. worrying
9. pinned on
10. deadly

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1. Scientists have made an alarming
2. balloons were 32 times more
3. responsible for more than 40 per cent
4. fragments may pass quickly
5. cause fatal
6. a quarter of the deaths were
7. plastic is becoming an increasing threat
8. reduce seabird
9. 280,000 tons of floating marine
10. swallow dangerous balloons because they

1. of deaths
2. closely resemble squid
3. obstructions
4. mortalities
5. to seabirds
6. discovery
7. likely to kill
8. debris
9. through the gut
10. attributed to eating plastic

3.      1)  Scientists have made an alarming discovery about what kinds of pollution ______
     a.  are most harmfully
     b.  are most harmed full
     c.  are most armful
     d.  are most harmful
2)  They found that while balloons and other soft plastics ______ 5%
     a.  accounted four only
     b.  account it for only
     c.  accounted for only
     d.  a count it for only
3)  they were responsible for more than 40 per cent of deaths ______
     a.  aiming seabird
     b.  among seabird
     c.  among seabirds
     d.  aiming seabirds
4)  Hard plastic fragments may pass quickly through ______
     a.  the gut
     b.  the but
     c.  the jut
     d.  the tut
5)  but soft plastics are more likely to become compacted and cause ______
     a.  fatally obstructs shuns
     b.  fatal abstractions
     c.  fatally obstetricians
     d.  fatal obstructions

11.  6)  more than a quarter of the deaths were ______ eating plastic
     a.  attribute it to
     b.  attributed too
     c.  attributed to
     d.  a tribute to
7)  balloons and balloon fragments in the ocean would directly reduce ______
     a.  seabird mortalities
     b.  seabird immortalize
     c.  seabird immoralities
     d.  seabird moralities
8)  With an estimated 280,000 tons of floating ______
     a.  marine day brie
     b.  marine debris
     c.  marine deb brie
     d.  marine debut
9)  half of all seabird species are thought to ingest plastic on ______
     a.  a daily basics
     b.  a daily bay sis
     c.  a daily basis
     d.  a daily base is
10)  Birds are especially likely to swallow dangerous balloons because they ______
     a.  closely resembled squid
     b.  closely resemble squids
     c.  closely resemble squidgy
     d.  closely resemble squid

Comprehension questions

1. What adjective did the article use to describe the discovery?
2. Where is the institute that conducted this research?
3. How many times are balloons more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastic?
4. What percentage of ingested plastic is made up of balloons?
5. What do hard plastic fragments pass through quickly?
6. How many dead seabirds did the researchers examine?
7. What did a researcher say was a globally recognized threat?
8. How much marine debris is floating on Earth's oceans?
9. How many seabirds are estimated to ingest balloons on a daily basis?
10. What do seabirds think balloons look like?

4.     Multiple choice quiz

1) What adjective did the article use to describe the discovery?
a) amazing
b) banging
c) ringing
d) alarming
2) Where is the institute that conducted this research?
a) Japan
b) Australia
c) Chile
d) the USA
3) How many times are balloons more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastic?
a) 5
b) 40
c) 32
d) 60
4) What percentage of ingested plastic is made up of balloons?
a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8
5) What do hard plastic fragments pass through quickly?
a) sand
b) the ecosystem
c) the gut
d) the ocean

11.  6) How many dead seabirds did the researchers examine?
a) 7,133
b) 1,733
c) 1,373
d) 3,713
7) What did a researcher say was a globally recognized threat?
a) eating plastic
b) balloon production
c) balloon fragmentation
d) marine debris ingestion
8) How much marine debris is floating on Earth's oceans?
a) 280,000 tons
b) 208,000 tons
c) 800,000 tons
d) 820,000 tons
9) How many seabirds are estimated to ingest balloons on a daily basis?
a) about a quarter
b) about a third
c) about half
d) about two thirds
10) What do seabirds think balloons look like?
a) bags
b) squid
c) fish
d) water

Put the words in the right order

1. An   of   what   alarming   discovery   pollution   .   about   kinds
2. seabirds   .   were   the   plastic   deadliest   for   Balloons
3. were   Balloons   likely   more   kill   .   to   32   times
4. pass   may   through   fragments   the   quickly   gut   .   Plastic
5. more   become   compacted   .   to   are   Soft   plastics   likely
6. globally   a   ingestion   threat   .   debris   recognized   Marine   is
7. estimated   280,000   An   floating   of   debris   .   marine   tons
8. basis   .   daily   plastic   ingest   to   Thought   a   on
9. to   balloons   .   especially   likely   swallow   dangerous   Birds   are
10. closely   squid,   the   study   .   to   resemble   according   They