The 7 Steps August
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

Ocean Plastic
Listening Questions 1
1. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

2. QUESTIONS.
2. How does the Patch form?
.

Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

3. What does the majority of the patch consist of?
.
4. How does the Patch harm marine life?
.
5. What does Ocean Cleanup hope to accomplish? How will they do this?
.
Listening Questions 2

3. LISTEN

1. What are three companies that use ocean plastic in some of their products?
.
2. What material is used in Pharrell Williams and G-Star RAW’s fashion line?
.
3. What is the motivation for some companies to use ocean plastic?
.
4. What does Method produce from ocean plastic?
.
5. How does the Plastic Bank function?
.

Listen and answer
the questions
using fullsentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

1

Listening 1
2 3 4

5%%%%

1

Listening 2
2 3 45%%%%%%

Discussion Questions
1. Are you concerned about environmental issues? Do you make aneffort to reduce plastic use?
2. What ‘green’ technology have you heard of recently? How
important do you think green technology will be moving forward?

4. CHECK ANSWERS

Read through thetranscript andunderline theanswers. Checkthem against yourown answers.

TRANSCRIPT 1
One mainstay of modern life, plastic, has been gaining attention in the news recently. Concerns
have been raised about the increase of plastic waste in oceans, in particular the Great PacificGarbage Patch. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vortex of trash, primarily plastic, thatstretches from the west coast of North America all the way to Japan.
The Patch is the result of various currents all flowing towards each other creating a gyre orrotational vortex which pulls in trash from both sides of the pacific. Most of the patch consists of
non-biodegradable plastic that is invisible to the naked eye, known as micro-plastic. This microplastic is consumed by a variety of marine life and has numerous negative effects on the ecosystem. Marine animals mistakenly think they are eating food, and can be poisoned if theyconsume the micro-plastic.

5. CHECK VOCABULARY
Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary youfind. Look themup and add themto your list.

Responses to the Patch are already underway. One innovator trying to address this issue isBoyan Slat. A Dutch inventor, Slat is the founder and CEO of Ocean Cleanup, a company
dedicated to developing technology to remove plastics from the Ocean. The company hopes touse the natural currents of the ocean to funnel the plastic and other trash into high tech filtration
systems deployed in key areas of the Pacific Ocean. Slat started the company at just 18 yearsof age.
MATCH THE ANTONYMS BY DRAWING LINES BELOW:

6. READ ALOUD

Read thetranscript aloudat least 5 times,
focusing onintonation andpronunciation.

Reconstituted

RarityBiodegradable

Restrict

Underway

Unbreakable

Mainstay

Traditional

ExtendHaltedCutting edge

Destroyed

TRANSCRIPT 21122334455

7. SHADOWINGIn addition, musician and fashion designer Pharrell Williams has also collaborated with G-Star
RAW to launch a new line, RAW for the Oceans, which uses recycled plastic reconstituted as aclothing material called Bionic Yarn. This cutting edge technology can then be used to develop
a variety of fashion items such as jeans, t-shirts, and modern kimonos. Companies are
motivated to use ocean plastic because there is an abundance of it, and it can help promote
their image as socially responsible companies.

Say the transcript
aloud at the sametime as the audio
without reading
it. Circle how
many times
below.

11

2
2

3
3

4
4

Ocean Cleanup is not the only company that has expressed interest in ocean plastic. A numberof companies in the fashion industry have also begun to use ocean plastic in their products.
Companies such as adidas, Nike, and Patagonia have all begun to use recycled ocean plastic toproduce new products, such as 3D printed running shoes.

55The trend of using recycled ocean plastic extends beyond the fashion industry. Other industries
have also entered the ocean plastic market. For example Method, a cleaning supplies company,
now produce dish soap made from recycled ocean plastic. There is even an organization called
Plastic Bank, which allows people in developing nations to collect ocean plastic and sell it to thecompany for currency. This plastic is then resold to other companies who use it in their own
products.