8. Language Use. Shopping bags (2017)

Task 1 (10 points)
Read the text below and choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence. Choose the correct answer. An example (0) has been given.

 

SHOPPING BAGS

Shopping bags are (0) useful but they have created major environmental (1) casesquestionstalksissues around the world. About 500 billion plastic shopping bags are (2) madesoldbroughtused by customers each year around the globe. Hundreds of millions of these bags (3) are thrownwill be thrownwere thrownthrow away annually. Studies have shown that (4) onlymore thanoftenalmost about 1% to 3% of plastic shopping bags are recycled. This has created a load of plastic bags in landfills, streets and waters throughout the world.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, plastic bags (5) arewerehadhave been responsible for causing floods in most of Bangladesh. Experts found that many people were throwing out their plastic bags as litter. The drainage systems throughout the country became (6) stuffedfullstuckblocked with them and it caused the floods. Animals have also suffered. In Western Europe, marine biologists (7) are findingwill findhave foundcan find that many whales have died from eating plastic bags. The whales swallow them. This damages their insides and eventually kills them. Lots of flamingos and pelicans who (8) look atlook afterlook forlook up food along the shores have died after eating a plastic bag.
 

To fight these problems, many stores and governments are trying to find (9) wayssolutionsanswersalternatives to plastic shopping bags. In Ireland, for example, there is a law that makes customers who use a plastic shopping bag pay a tax of 15 cents. In places like Japan, some stores offer a small discount to shoppers who bring (10) theiralongthemselvesits own reusable bag for carrying home purchases.