Name Grade 5 Reading Comprehension
The Problem with Plastic
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the plastic
bags that are handed out daily to shoppers in supermarkets? Or
why plastic straws have been banned? If you guess that all that
plastic eventually gets taken out with the trash and ends up on
landfills, you are partly right. But what you may not know is that a
surprising amount of plastic waste ends up in the ocean.
Over eight million pieces of plastic end up in the ocean every
day. There is now 269,000 TONS of plastic in our oceans. This is
very harmful for the creatures who live there. Some try to eat
large pieces of plastic. Sometimes creatures get tangled up in it
and can't free themselves. Furthermore, plastic decomposes
very, very slowly. When it breaks down into very tiny pieces
called microplastics, these enter the ocean food chain. The toxins in these
plastics build up over time in animal tissues, a process called
bioaccumulation. As larger creatures eat smaller creatures, the toxins are
passed up the food chain.
There are three main ways that plastic ends up in the ocean. The first is
by throwing away plastic that could be recycled. Because plastic is so
lightweight, it frequently blows out of trash cans and even trash trucks on
their way to landfills. Plastic that ends up in rivers eventually makes it way
to the oceans. The second is by littering. Again, plastic is easily carried by
wind and water. Even plastic that gets washed down a street drain
eventually ends up in the ocean. The third way is by getting washed down
the drains in our houses. Wet wipes, cotton balls, and sanitary napkins that
get flushed down toilets all contain microscopic particles that can't be
filtered out by wastewater systems and eventually end up in the ocean.
© [Link]
Name Grade 5 Reading Comprehension
QUESTIONS: The Problem with Plastic
Circle the correct answer.
1. Over ___________________ pieces of plastic end up in the ocean every day.
A. 269,000 tons
B. eight million
C. 269 million
D. eight tons
2. How is plastic in the ocean harmful to the creatures who live there?
A. they get tangled up in it
B. they try to eat large piece of plastic.
C. microplastics enter the food chain and toxins build up in animal tissues.
D. all of the above
3. Could toxins from plastic end up in the human food chain? How?
4. Which is NOT one of the main ways plastics ends up in the ocean?
A. throwing away plastic that could be recycled.
B. littering
C. eating food at the beach.
D. getting washed down drains.
© [Link]
