78 Unit 05 | Caring for our world Task 2 Read the text about glass bottles vs plastic bottles. Some words are missing. Choose the correct word (A–0) for each gap (1–12). There are two extra words that you should not use. Write your answers in the boxes provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. Three cheers for glass! Does your hand hover over the shelf when you try to decide between buying a drink in a plastic or a glass bottle? Seriously? It’s blatantly (0) that glass is much better in so many ways. There is a whole range of reasons why you should (1) plastic. So let’s talk facts. Studies say that producing plastic bottles each year (2) more greenhouse gas emissions than over a million cars on the road. This is partly because oil is needed for the production of plastic bottles as it is a carbon-rich raw material, and plastics are large carbon-containing compounds. This use of oil adds to global warming by producing high quantities of greenhouse gases when it’s burned. Therefore, plastic has a huge carbon footprint. What’s more, the oil and natural gas needed are buried (3) in the earth’s crust, which means manufacturers must (4) through layers upon layers of rock to reach it. This process is harmful to the environment, showing that even at the production stage, plastic is eco-unfriendly. “Wait, plastic can be recycled!” I hear you cry, but this also presents issues. The whole point about plastic is that it’s designed specifically not to break down and (5) . So while they are recyclable, many single-use plastic bottles get thrown away and don’t get recycled. Plastic bottles take around 450 years to disintegrate (1,000 years if they’re in a landfill), and they release toxic chemicals into the (6) environment during this process. Even if they do go for recycling, because the plastics used in drinking bottles are extremely thin and porous, they become lower quality as they go through the process, meaning their material value will continue to decrease with (7) . When you recycle a plastic bottle, typically it isn’t used to make another bottle and instead is used for synthetic clothing or carpets, often called ‘downcycling’. Therefore, plastic isn’t truly recyclable. Glass, on the other hand, is 100% recyclable, and there is no limit to the number of (8) that it can be recycled. Unlike plastic, it can be reprocessed over and over and (9) loses its integrity. Recycled glass is used to create new glass bottles that end up in store shelves about a month later. By using old glass to create new glass bottles, manufacturers (10) reduce their carbon footprint. So, while you may be vigilant and recycle each plastic bottle that crosses your (11) , not everyone will do the same, and the best way to reduce the generation of plastic bottles is to reduce the (12) for them. My advice to safeguard the future of our planet: go for glass! 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 H A decay D ditch G never J releases M space B deep E drill H obvious K reuse N surrounding C demand F moments I path L significantly O times Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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