Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
A Plastic Ocean
A Plastic Ocean is a film to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to take action on our dependence on plastic. We've been producing plastic in huge quantities since the 1940s. Drink bottles, shopping bags, toiletries and even clothes are made with plastic. 1) _____. What happens to all the rest? This is the question the film A Plastic Ocean answers. It is a documentary that looks at the impact that plastic waste has on the environment. Spoiler alert: the impact is devastating.
The film begins as a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey the filmmakers (journalist Craig Leeson and environmental activist Tanya Streeter) make the shocking discovery of a huge, thick layer of plastic floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. 2) _____. In total, they visited 20 locations around the world during the four years it took them to make the film. The documentary premiered in 2016, and is now on streaming services such as Netflix.
It's very clear that a lot of research went into the film. There are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life. 3) _____. We see how marine species are being killed by all the plastic we are dumping in the ocean. The message about our use of plastic is painfully obvious.
4) _____. In the second half, the filmmakers look at what we can do to reverse the tide of plastic flowing around the world. They present short-term and long-term solutions. These include avoiding plastic containers and 'single-use' plastic products as much as possible. Reuse your plastic bags and recycle as much as you can. The filmmakers also stress the need for governments to work more on recycling programmes, and look at how technology is developing that can convert plastic into fuel.
We make a staggering amount of plastic. In terms of plastic bags alone, we use five hundred billion worldwide annually. Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, and at least 8 million of those are dumped into the oceans. 5) _____. Once you've seen A Plastic Ocean, you'll realise the time is now and we all have a role to play.
My all-time favourite documentary is "Our Planet". Not only did I find this documentary super helpful, but I also came to the realization that we, humans, are badly damaging our planet. Besides this all, what I love about this documentary is the accent of the narrator. So, if you are looking for a documentary about how we, humans, are changing the nature and the species in it, I highly recommend "Our Planet" documentary.
Hi! I want to share a short story about my father. Every time he sees a bottle, whether at the beach or in the neighborhood, he picks it up. Once he has collected some, he puts them into the recycling cointainer, day after day, month after month, and year after year. I think his paragon serves as an example each of us can follow.
It means a lot to me to hear this. If you could tell him, thank him for his work. Thank him in my place and please support him. He is an example for the rest of our society and as you say yourself, I will follow him in his work. From now on I will do my best to stop the bike every now and then and pick up some cans, according to the reasoning that if everyone picks up something, there will be so much less waste already.
It is absolutely wonderful to learn there are some amazing people like your father who take upon this task of keeping our environment clean as their personal responsibility. I would absolutely go to the cinema to watch this documentary! Thank you for sharing it too, so we can all be inspired and do our part.
This is a documentry film that narrats the impact and the problems that plastic wastes couses all around the world.
If we starts from our houses by heart, we can get red off that steggering amount of plastics.
I hardly watch any documentaries but this one I would like to watch. We all know that how serious is this problem but are we doing anything from you end. I want to watch it see what are the solutions...
I’m not interested in documentary but after reading this review of the film ‘ A Plastic Ocean’, I really want to see the film. I think the film will give me more information about the impact of plastic waste and makes me take more actions on environment protection.
Well, I don`t usually watch documentaries. I like commedies and fantasy, but after reading about this film, I want to watch it.
I don't understand. I am not finding any reviews of 'A Plastic Ocean' on this site. Is there any specific review which I need to read? "There are a number of reviews of this film.
Hi anik.ah,
The review is on the page above, in the 'Reading text' tab, just after 'Preparation' and before 'Task 1'. Can you not see it?
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team