IELTS Reading Practice: The Problem of Plastic
IELTS · ReadingA passage on plastic waste and recycling, with True / False / Not Given questions.
1Read the text
Plastic is one of the most useful materials ever invented. It is light, cheap, strong and easy to shape, and it can be made into everything from medical equipment to food packaging. The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was developed in 1907, and large-scale production grew rapidly after the Second World War.
The same qualities that make plastic useful make it a problem when it is thrown away. Many plastics do not break down naturally. Instead, they fragment into smaller and smaller pieces, which can be found in rivers, oceans and soil. Researchers are still studying what effect these tiny pieces have on animals and on people, and the evidence so far is incomplete.
Recycling is often presented as the solution, but it has limits. Different types of plastic must be separated before they can be processed, and a recycled plastic is often of lower quality than the original. As a result, a large proportion of plastic collected for recycling is in practice burned or buried. Some countries have improved their results by simplifying the types of plastic used in packaging.
Governments have responded in different ways, including banning certain single-use items, charging for plastic bags and requiring manufacturers to pay for the collection of their packaging. Supporters of these policies say that reducing the amount of plastic produced is more effective than trying to clean up afterwards. Some manufacturers reply that plastic packaging can reduce food waste, and that replacing it is not always better for the environment.
2True, false or not given Tap an answer. You see why straight away.
1. Bakelite was the first fully synthetic plastic.
2. Most plastics break down naturally soon after they are thrown away.
3. Scientists fully understand the effect of tiny plastic pieces on human health.
4. A recycled plastic is often of lower quality than the original.
5. Charging for plastic bags has reduced pollution in every country that has tried it.
6. Plastic bags were the first plastic items that governments banned.
Done. Your first lesson is on its way.
Answer key — IELTS Reading Practice: The Problem of Plastic
- TRUE — The passage says "The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was developed in 1907."
- FALSE — The passage says "Many plastics do not break down naturally", they fragment into smaller pieces instead.
- FALSE — The passage says researchers "are still studying" the effect and that "the evidence so far is incomplete."
- TRUE — The passage says "a recycled plastic is often of lower quality than the original."
- NOT GIVEN — The passage says some governments charge for plastic bags, but it gives no results from any country.
- NOT GIVEN — The passage lists policies, but it does not say which was introduced first.