Environment · 人与自然 / 海洋 / 环保
海洋塑料污染：规模惊人，正威胁生物与人类生计
A growing tide of plastic is harming marine life and the economy — here is why cutting it matters
中文导读
每年约有 1100 万吨塑料垃圾流入海洋，照此趋势，到 2050 年海洋中的塑料按重量可能超过鱼类。这些塑料大多来自陆地上被丢弃的瓶子、袋子和吸管等一次性用品，经风与河流进入大海后，在阳光与海浪作用下碎成微塑料，被海洋生物误食而受伤、饥饿甚至死亡；废弃渔网等大块塑料还会缠绕鲸、海龟等动物。污染不仅危害野生动物，还威胁渔民生计、旅游业和纳税人。世界经济论坛 2026 年报告显示，塑料污染威胁高达 2.5 万亿美元的生态系统服务，每年健康相关损失超 1.5 万亿美元。专家强调问题可以解决——减少一次性塑料、加强回收、改用可重复使用的产品，每个人的选择同样重要。
一、原文精读
鼠标悬停在带 蓝色虚线下划线 的生词上，即可查看词性和释义。
🔊 英音朗读 · British English
由英音语音合成（en-GB）朗读全文原文，共 8 段。播放时原文会随进度逐句高亮，建议先盲听抓大意，再对照下方原文跟读，留意重音、连读与停顿。
【1】Every year, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow into the ocean, where it harms marine life and quietly works its way up the food chain. Scientists warn that, if nothing changes, the ocean could contain more plastic than fish by weight by 2050.
【2】Much of this pollution begins on land. Single-use items such as bottles, bags and straws are discarded, carried by wind and rivers, and eventually reach the sea. Once there, plastic does not disappear; instead, sunlight and waves slowly break it into tiny fragments.
【3】These fragments, known as microplastics, are now found everywhere — in seawater, on the seafloor, and even in the bodies of fish and seabirds. Because they are so small, they are easily mistaken for food and swallowed, causing injury, starvation and death.
【4】Larger plastics pose a different threat. Abandoned nets and ropes entangle whales, turtles and seals, while floating bags are often confused with jellyfish, a favorite food of many sea creatures.
【5】The damage is not limited to wildlife. Plastic pollution also threatens human livelihoods. Fishing communities catch fewer fish, tourism suffers when beaches are littered, and taxpayers pay the cost of cleaning up.
【6】According to a 2026 report by the World Economic Forum, plastic pollution threatens up to 2.5 trillion dollars in ecosystem services, and health-related economic losses from plastics reach over 1.5 trillion dollars each year.
【7】Experts stress that the problem is solvable. Reducing the production of single-use plastics, improving waste management and recycling, and redesigning products to be reused can sharply cut the amount of plastic entering the ocean.
【8】They also point out that individual choices matter. Choosing reusable bottles and bags, refusing unnecessary packaging, and supporting policies that limit plastic production are small steps that, taken together, can help save the ocean.
原文出处：本文综合世界经济论坛（WEF）2026 年《塑料污染与生物多样性：全球概览》报告，以及联合国环境规划署（UNEP）、世界自然基金会（WWF）公开数据整理编写，供学习使用。
三、长难句分析（三步拆解法）
Every year, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow into the ocean, where it harms marine life and quietly works its way up the food chain.
主干：11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow into the ocean（主谓结构，主语较长）
时间状语：Every year（每年）；定语：an estimated 修饰 11 million tonnes
非限制性定语从句：where it harms marine life and quietly works its way up the food chain（where = in the ocean，内含并列谓语 harms + works）
考点：非限制性定语从句引导词 where 的用法（先行词为地点名词，从句不缺主语/宾语时用 where）
译文：每年约有 1100 万吨塑料垃圾流入海洋，它们在这里危害海洋生物，并悄悄沿食物链向上传递。
Single-use items such as bottles, bags and straws are discarded, carried by wind and rivers, and eventually reach the sea.
主干：Single-use items are discarded, carried …, and reach the sea（主语后接三个并列谓语）
并列谓语①：are discarded（被动，被丢弃）
并列谓语②：(are) carried by wind and rivers（被动省略 be，被风和水流携带）
并列谓语③：eventually reach the sea（主动，最终抵达海洋）
考点：过去分词作谓语表被动的并列省略（语法填空/短文改错常考并列动词形式一致）
译文：瓶子、袋子和吸管等一次性用品被丢弃后，被风与河流裹挟，最终流入大海。
According to a 2026 report by the World Economic Forum, plastic pollution threatens up to 2.5 trillion dollars in ecosystem services, and health-related economic losses from plastics reach over 1.5 trillion dollars each year.
状语：According to a 2026 report by the World Economic Forum（据…报告，介词短语）
并列分句①：plastic pollution threatens up to 2.5 trillion dollars in ecosystem services
并列分句②：health-related economic losses from plastics reach over 1.5 trillion dollars each year（and 连接两个并列分句）
考点：并列连词 and 连接两个完整句子；数字 + trillion dollars 的读法
译文：据世界经济论坛 2026 年的一份报告，塑料污染威胁着高达 2.5 万亿美元的生态系统服务，而塑料造成的健康相关经济损失每年超过 1.5 万亿美元。
Choosing reusable bottles and bags, refusing unnecessary packaging, and supporting policies that limit plastic production are small steps that, taken together, can help save the ocean.
主语（动名词短语并列）：Choosing …, refusing …, and supporting …（三个动名词短语作并列主语，谓语用复数 are）
定语从句①：that limit plastic production（修饰 policies）
表语 + 定语从句②：small steps that can help save the ocean（that 引导定语从句修饰 steps）
插入语：taken together（过去分词短语，意为"合在一起"）
考点：动名词短语作主语谓语用单数还是复数；插入语不影响句子主干
译文：选择可重复使用的水瓶和袋子、拒绝不必要的包装、支持限制塑料生产的政策——这些合在一起，都是能帮助拯救海洋的小小举措。
四、全文大意
每年约有 1100 万吨塑料垃圾流入海洋，照此趋势，到 2050 年海洋中的塑料（按重量）可能超过鱼类。这些塑料大多来自陆地上的瓶子、袋子、吸管等一次性用品，经风与河流进入大海后，在阳光和海浪作用下碎成微塑料，被海洋生物误食，导致受伤、饥饿甚至死亡；废弃渔网、绳索等大块塑料还会缠绕鲸、海龟等动物。污染不仅危害野生动物，还威胁渔民生计、旅游业和纳税人。世界经济论坛 2026 年报告显示，塑料污染威胁着高达 2.5 万亿美元的生态系统服务，每年健康相关损失超 1.5 万亿美元。专家强调问题可以解决——减少一次性塑料、加强回收、改用可重复使用的产品，个人选择同样至关重要。
五、思考与仿写
思考题：结合第 3、4 段，说明塑料垃圾是通过哪些方式危害海洋生物的？并谈谈为什么"减少一次性塑料"比"事后清理海洋"更根本？
仿写题：仿照第 8 段的句式 "Choosing …, refusing …, and supporting … are small steps that, taken together, can …"，围绕「低碳生活」或「垃圾分类」写一个句子（注意三个动名词短语作并列主语，谓语用复数）。