Reading: Plastic Pollution in the Oceans
Plastic pollution in the oceans is a B1 reading text in the environmental-awareness genre — one of the most consequential current-affairs topics in English. The text covers the scale of ocean plastic, its sources (land-based and marine), its effects on marine life and human health, and current solutions (reducing, recycling, alternatives). Learners read for fact-and-figure detail, cause-and-effect chains, and proposed solutions.
This worksheet builds B1 reading comprehension through an environmental-issues text.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A B1 reading text (~450 words) on ocean plastic pollution
- Pre-reading vocabulary box with environmental and marine terms
- Comprehension items: detail-finding, cause-effect tracking, solution identification
- Vocabulary-in-context: environment-issue collocations
- Writing follow-up: describe what individuals can do to reduce plastic use
- Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes
Common challenges: Cause-and-effect chains are the central B1 reading skill — these texts build sequences (plastic enters the sea → breaks down into microplastics → enters the food chain → affects marine life and humans). Statistical language is dense: millions of tons, by 2050, a third of all plastic, eight times more. Environmental vocabulary: biodegradable, microplastic, single-use, recyclable, sustainable, ecosystem.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) Reading and B2 First (FCE) preparation. Part of the Environment & Climate Readings collection — the natural next step is Animal Extinction: Why It Matters, which extends environmental reading into biodiversity territory.
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