跟读练习: Why The Microplastics Crisis Will Only Get Worse - 通过视频学习英语口语
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Nearly everything we eat and drink is wrapped in plastic.
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In fact, global plastic production more than doubled between 2000 and 2022.
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And now we're realizing it's showing up in our bodies too.
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One recent study showed the level of microplastics in the frontal
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cortex of our brains increased by about 50% between 2016 and 2024.
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You cannot take the current exposure levels to plastic
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and say let's double them in the human race and just see what happens.
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I mean, that's just idiotic.
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The problem is that plastic never fully decomposes.
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It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.
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When it becomes smaller than five millimeters, that's about the width of a pencil eraser.
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It's called a microplastic.
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But then a subset called nanoplastics can get much, much smaller.
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So small that they can't even be seen with the human eye.
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There has been increasing chronic disease.
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We know that some of that is from many of these chemicals that are used in plastics.
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Plastic is in some ways an amazing material.
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It has this amazing breadth of uses that makes it a very valuable material.
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It also happens to be very inexpensive.
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It's cheap to make.
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And it has long been inexpensive, but it's become even cheaper to make more recently.
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And when you combine inexpensive with very useful, you're going to have a lot of demand for this product.
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Plastic production is a big industry, $880 billion in fact.
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And as big oil faces weakened demand for gasoline, it's increasingly turned to plastic.
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Aside from the already massive plastic waste problem that the world is facing, it's now in our bodies.
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And with more research emerging that shows its harm on our health, why is plastic production increasing?
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And who's reaping the benefits from it?
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In that study about plastic in our brains, researchers at the University of New Mexico studied samples from cadavers.
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Based on those samples, they calculated
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that the total mass of plastic from the 2024 brains they evaluated would equate to about 7 grams, about the size of a plastic spoon.
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Tracy Woodruff wasn't involved in the brain study, but is a microplastics researcher.
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She's evaluated thousands of studies on this topic.
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We're able to conclude based on those studies that microplastics are suspected to adversely impact reproductive health,
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respiratory health, and effects on the digestive system.
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And that the links to these mechanisms that we saw could also could increase the risk of colon cancer and lung cancer.
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Almost every single thing we buy from the grocery store comes wrapped in plastic, which sheds microscopic particles onto our food.
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It's also contaminated our food chains.
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Researchers found
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that 99% of the fish they studied off the coast of Oregon were found to contain microplastics in their muscle tissue.
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It's been found to be released in our mouths from simply chewing a piece of gum.
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Researchers have even found them in fruits and vegetables.
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As humans we are becoming part plastic.
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That is the reality, right?
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And plastic has over 16,000 chemicals.
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We have only, you know, had studies and research that has about a quarter of them documented as harmful,
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but we just haven't had the time and resources to explore how these other chemicals may be impacting us.
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While there is definitive research to prove microplastics are inside of us, the exact effects on our bodies is difficult to pinpoint.
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Many studies have found a correlation between microplastics and chronic disease, but cannot establish a causation.
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For example, the study on our brains analyzed samples of people with dementia
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and found much higher levels of microplastic in them compared to the brains without the disease.
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There are of course many other lifestyle or genetic factors that could have caused dementia.
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On its website, the FDA reiterates the lack of causality by saying, Current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that the level of microplastics
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or nanoplastics detected in our foods pose a risk to human health.
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Consider microplastics to be sort of a toxic delivery mechanism.
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All the chemicals that are attached to the plastic that make up the plastic, that soften the plastic or that block UV light
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or do all the things that give it its characteristics that make it so versatile, a lot of those are pretty toxic substances.
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Petrochemicals, the building blocks of plastic, are produced from oil and gas.
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It's a small but profitable area of the fossil fuel industry.
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In the US, only about 1.5% of natural gas is converted into chemicals
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that are used to make plastic and other consumer products.
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But as oil demand declines from EV adoption, US tariffs, and a slowing of economic growth in India and China, industry giants are investing heavily into chemical production.
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Renewables are coming in very inexpensively, and so renewables are actually on the margin in cutting
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or reducing the amount of additional natural gas that would have been built otherwise.
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Plastic production is projected to grow more than 40% between 2025 and 2040.
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In its 2024 outlook, British Petroleum, or BP, said, materials.
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Exxon Mobil and Shell made over $110 billion in combined revenue from their chemical businesses in 2024.
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Plastics is the growth area.
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They know how to do it.
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They already have access to the gas that you need to make plastics.
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They're not constrained at all by what happens to people.
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They don't care about that.
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They just see this as, OK, what do my shareholders need?
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How am I going to make a ton of money?
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We have recycled 80 million pounds of plastic that otherwise would have gone to landfills.
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And we have plans to ramp that recycling up to a billion pounds by 2027.
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In 2020, Saudi Aramco, the biggest oil company in the world, bought a 70% stake in petrochemical company, Sabic.
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While fourth quarter 2024 results were lower than expected, Sabic made nearly $35 billion from petrochemicals last year.
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Sabic and Exxon are two of the largest players in the polyethylene plastics industry.
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I think that the oil and gas majors all see a major opportunity.
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They've been investing very heavily, billions of dollars, into building plastic producing facilities.
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So when they're losing some of their profit center or expect to be losing some of their core profit centers, this is a place where they might be able to make up some of that lost profit.
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Fracking has made the U.S into the world's biggest oil producer pumping out nearly 13.5 million barrels per day.
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And a global surplus of oil, and particularly natural gas, means more plastic production.
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The bottom line is that it's really coming from the fact that we have so much natural gas and plenty of ethane, and it's pretty easy to get that ethane,
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so that the actual feedstock, if you will, so that what's used to create plastics is really cheap in the United States.
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With widespread investments in plastics growth, the market is becoming highly oversaturated.
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The margins on chemicals are compressing and plastic supply is projected to increasingly outpace demand.
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Shell, for example, felt that firsthand in its most recent quarter.
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This isn't about we need more plastic.
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This is about them pushing more plastic on us because they're looking for new markets for their products.
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And I think one of the concerns that people have is that once they put in all this infrastructure, because it's expensive, right?
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You have to build a facility and all the mechanisms for transporting it from the ground to the product.
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It's gonna be really hard to roll that back.
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Plastic was first created in the early 1900s.
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As well as the development of new man-made plastics and fabrics.
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But wide-scale production didn't ramp up until the 50s.
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The public was sold on the notion of disposability, but over the following decades, began waking up to the pollution crisis it was creating.
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There were all sorts of efforts in the 1970s and 80s
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and even in the 90s to ban plastic bags or to ban plastics in general.
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And that is really what was at the root of the industry's pivot to recycling.
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Because they saw recycling as a way to deflect and defend against those efforts to ban their products.
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A report by the Center for Climate Integrity alleges that the plastics industry spent years making quote,
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performative investments and would roll back research initiatives or quietly shut down facilities when regulatory threats simmered.
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Just last year, the Attorney General of California sued ExxonMobil over a decades-long campaign of recycling deception.
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If the public was convinced that their single-use throwaway consumer lifestyle was supported by recycling and that it was environmentally friendly,
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they would buy more and more and it would drive the profits of ExxonMobil up and up.
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And so that's the idea, but it's based on a lie.
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It's illegal.
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We've sued them in court and we're here to hold them accountable.
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Within two months of the lawsuit, Exxon announced a commitment to invest $200 million in boosting recycling capacity in its Texas plant.
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In January 2025, ExxonMobil countersued the California AG and other environmental groups for defaming and disparaging the company's recycling initiatives.
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We've seen this growing trend where activists and ideologues, particularly in the climate space, and then some politicians, particularly state attorney generals,
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are hijacking and abusing legitimate processes to advance their own selfish agendas.
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I think that was certainly true with the state attorney general, Rob Bonta.
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He was lying, lying about our company, lying about our technology, impugning the character of our people,
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interfering with our business, and probably most importantly, getting in the way of improving the environment.
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I don't think anybody really was quite aware of the depth of the fraud that the industry was perpetrating on the public.
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I mean, they knew from the beginning that the economics of plastic recycling would never work.
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Only about 9% of plastic waste worldwide was recycled in 2019.
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In the U.S., that number is even lower at 5%.
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So, why aren't more plastics being recycled?
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It's a complicated chain.
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There is a problem with collecting and sorting and processing the plastics.
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There is a, the current recycling technology has its limits.
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The plastic today is not a simple single element of plastic.
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They are very complicated structures to achieve the properties that we're looking for in the use of plastic.
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And so, many of those properties make them inconsistent for mechanical recycling.
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It is simply cheaper to make new plastic than to recycle, especially considering the abundance of gas and oil.
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There are no incentives for a company to switch out of plastics.
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There are no incentives for a company to use recycled plastics.
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It's more expensive.
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The only incentive they have is that many companies want to be socially responsible.
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Political backing has also been instrumental in making all of this possible. While U.S.
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Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr., has said reassessing the levels of chemicals and plastic in our food is a priority,
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the Trump administration as a whole has taken a pro-plastic stance by aggressively deregulating the energy industry.
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It's cutting incentives for renewables and opening federal lands for more oil and gas drilling.
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This push for more drilling comes despite the fact that the U.S is already producing a surplus.
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Current deregulatory efforts by the current federal government in the United
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States giving less to worry about for the business executives in the oil and gas industry relating to plastics.
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And so I don't anticipate there's going to be any regulation on plastics in the next few years.
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Between 2014 and 2024, the oil and gas industry spent over $1.4 billion on federal lobbying.
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Having worked in the government, there are stakeholders, and those are really fossil fuel
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and the chemical producing companies
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that have a financial stake in what the government says about whatever these topics are related to these toxic chemicals.
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CNBC reached out to Shell, Exxon and SABIC.
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However, none of them agreed to an interview.
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Exxon referred us to a previous interview with CNBC.
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Shell told us
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that it believes the global plastic treaty provides a unique opportunity
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to mobilize global action to tackle plastic pollution by creating an effective
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and sustainable plastic circular economy while supporting an inclusive of transition for all stakeholders.
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While it is impossible to avoid entirely, the good news is there are a few realistic ways to reduce your exposure to microplastics.
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Cutting out plastic water bottles is one major step everyone can take.
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There are hundreds of thousands of microplastics floating around in every liter of bottled water.
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We know that from empirically based studies
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that you can reduce your exposures to these chemicals that are found in plastic that we know are toxic.
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So by extrapolation, you can also reduce your exposures to microplastics.
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And so some of them are and some of them are really super easy, like don't microwave plastic.
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That's a really easy one.
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A 2023 study found
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that microwaving plastic caused the highest release of microplastics into food
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compared to other usages like storing it in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
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No one's talking about getting rid of heart valves or, you know, no one's talking about getting rid of essential uses of plastic plastic like plastics in your car dashboard
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or whatever it is.
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What we're talking about is plastics that are single use, plastics that are completely unnecessary,
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plastics where, you know, you don't have to individually wrap like every leaf of lettuce, which it seems to be where we're headed with this stuff.
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We're unquestionably as a society better off having plastics than no plastics, but we're facing the consequences of having those plastics.
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And what can we do to try to mitigate those consequences?
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The American Chemistry Council, a major trade association for plastics, says that plastic packaging can make food last longer.
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There is also evidence that the carbon emissions saved from reducing food waste outweighs the emissions from producing the plastic packaging.
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But none of this accounts for the impact on human health.
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The ACC's VP of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs shared the following comment with CNBC.
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We can now detect incredibly tiny amounts of substances like microplastics, but finding something at extremely low levels does not mean it's harmful.
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The science on microplastics is evolving.
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ACC and our global counterparts are funding research to advance the science so that decisions are guided by sound,
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data-driven evidence that weighs any potential risks against the essential role plastics play in our daily lives.
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These types of synthetic plastic and the plastic
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that we are talking about really has only been readily used in society for the past 70 years.
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So it's the amount of evidence and understanding of how plastic accumulates within our bodies over time is really in its infancy.
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This chart shows the level of published research surrounding microplastics in the National Library of Medicine over the past decade.
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Both scientists and the general public are just beginning to understand the implications of microplastics, given that most of the studies on them have recently emerged.
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We're just doing some studies now looking at exposures to
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pregnant women who were previously pregnant and they're still exposed to DDT like that was banned in 1970.
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And that's because once we pollute the environment, it just hangs around and we are just continuously exposed.
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One of the things that is really lacking in terms of government policy
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and regulation is dealing with these pollutants that are persistent and bioaccumulative because if make a mistake with them, your mistake is forever.
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You know, one of the most important things you can do is vote
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and show up to local community events and really advocating, you know, for stronger laws and regulations on plastic.
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本课的词汇与口语要点
这节 B2 级别的口语课以视频“Why The Microplastics Crisis Will Only Get Worse”为素材。 视频中反复出现的词有：plastic, microplastic, chemical, gas, oil。 这段视频共有 188 个句子、2620 个单词可供跟读。 讲话部分时长为 16:17。 说话人语速自然，每分钟约 161 个词，接近日常对话。 只有 81% 的单词属于英语最常用的 3,000 词，词汇难度较高。
视频中的重点词汇
视频中最难的 15 个单词，附发音和释义：
| 单词 | 发音 | 释义 |
|---|---|---|
| microplastic 名词 | 微塑料 | |
| recycle 动词 | /ɹəˈsaɪkəl/ | 循環再造 /循环再造, 回收 |
| researcher 名词 | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | 研究員 /研究员, 研究者 |
| incentive 名词 | /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ | 刺激, 誘因 /诱因 |
| inexpensive 形容词 | /ˌɪnɪkˈspɛnsɪv/ | 低廉, 便宜 |
| renewable 形容词 | /ɹɪˈnu.ə.bl̩/ | 可再生 |
| wrap 动词 | /ɹæp/ | 包裝 /包装, 包 |
| ethane 名词 | /ˈɛθeɪn/ | 乙烷 |
| stakeholder 名词 | /ˈsteɪkˌhəʊl.də/ | 賭注經紀人 /赌注经纪人 |
| emission 名词 | /ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/ | 排放 |
| dementia 名词 | /dɪˈmɛnʃə/ | 癡呆 /痴呆, 失智症 |
| surplus 名词 | /ˈsɝˌplʌs/ | 過剩 /过剩, 多餘 /多余 |
| emerge 动词 | /ɪˈmɝd͡ʒ/ | 出現 /出现 |
| harmful 形容词 | /ˈhɑɹmfl̩/ | 有害, 不良 |
| fossil 名词 | /ˈfɑsl̩/ | 化石 |
视频中出现的短语动词
| 单词 | 发音 | 释义 |
|---|---|---|
| make up 动词 | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | 組成 /组成 |
| hang around 动词 | 逗留 |
值得反复跟读的句子
视频中简短而完整的句子，可以直接用在日常对话里：
- I mean, that's just idiotic.
- It's also contaminated our food chains.
- How am I going to make a ton of money?
- This isn't about we need more plastic.
视频中的语法
说话人最常用的结构，并附上视频中的原话：
| 结构 | 视频中的用法 |
|---|---|
| 现在完成进行时 have/has been + -ing — 以前开始、现在仍在继续的动作 | has been increasing · They've been investing |
| 现在完成时 have/has + 过去分词 — 过去发生但与现在仍有关联的事 | It's been found · have even found · haven't had |
| 被动语态 be + 过去分词 — 强调发生了什么，而不是谁做的 | is wrapped · be seen · wasn't involved |
需要注意的发音
说话人用了 29 次缩略和弱读形式，例如 we're, don't, they're。请按听到的简短形式来说。
- “th” 音: ethane /ˈɛθeɪn/, synthetic /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/, width /ˈwɪtθ/
- “sh” 和 “zh” 音: emission /ɪˈmɪʃ.ən/, dementia /dɪˈmɛnʃə/, pollution /pəˈluʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, shareholder /ˈʃɛəˌhəʊl.də(ɹ)/
- 长单词——注意重音位置: inexpensive /ˌɪnɪkˈspɛnsɪv/, contaminate /kənˈtæmɪneɪt/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, refrigerator /ɹɪˈfɹɪd͡ʒ.əˌɹeɪ.tɚ/, anticipate /ænˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/
中文母语者容易读错的音：
- /v/ — 不要读成 /w/，上齿轻触下唇: incentive /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/, inexpensive /ˌɪnɪkˈspɛnsɪv/, evaluate /ɪˈvaljʊeɪt/, versatile /ˈvɜː.səˌtaɪl/, reproductive /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌktɪv/
- 词尾辅音 — 要读清楚，后面不要加元音: incentive /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/, inexpensive /ˌɪnɪkˈspɛnsɪv/, wrap /ɹæp/, surplus /ˈsɝˌplʌs/, emerge /ɪˈmɝd͡ʒ/
- /r/ 和 /l/ 的区别: recycle /ɹəˈsaɪkəl/, renewable /ɹɪˈnu.ə.bl̩/, harmful /ˈhɑɹmfl̩/, drill /dɹɪl/, shareholder /ˈʃɛəˌhəʊl.də(ɹ)/
如何用这段视频练习
- 先完整听一遍视频，不要开口，记下不认识的单词。
- 先用 0.75 倍速逐句跟读，熟练之后再回到正常速度。
- 录下自己的声音并与原声对比，特别注意 microplastic, recycle, researcher 这类单词。
什么是跟读法？
跟读法 (Shadowing) 是一种有科学依据的语言学习技巧，最初开发用于专业口译员的培训，并由多语言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。这个方法简单而强大：您在听英语母语原声的同时立即大声重复——就像是一个延迟1-2秒紧跟说话者的影子。与被动听力或语法练习不同，跟读法强迫您的大脑和口腔肌肉同时处理并模仿真实的讲话模式。研究表明它能显着提高发音准确性，语调，节奏，连读，听力理解和口语流利度——使其成为雅思口语备考和真实英语交流最有效的方法之一。