PTE Part 1 Summarise a written text practice exercise 2. Read the passage below and summarize it using one sentence. Type your response in the box at the bottom of the screen. You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points in the passage.
Such is the concern about the environmental impact of plastic waste, in recent years governments, spurred on by consumer action and environmental organisations, have begun to implement measures to reduce plastic bag use.
As a result, many companies, particularly in industrialised countries, are considering introducing, or have already brought in, initiatives to halt, phase out, or reduce single-use plastic bags. Some countries, notably China and Chile, have outright bans on providing free plastic bags in either the whole country or in coastal areas (Chile), while others, such as Britain, Australia, Kenya and parts of India have partial bans or other measures to restrict or reduce usage. Many areas, such as cities, states and provinces in many countries, have introduced their own restrictive legislation to further reduce the accumulation of waste plastic.
Further recognising the growing threat, a number of companies have also implemented policies of compulsory charges for plastic bags, and the supermarket association in England has reported an 86 per cent decrease in plastic bag usage since the introduction of a five pence charge on individual bags.
Biodegradable bags are now also being produced, some from vegetable-based bioplastics, which break down organically and limit the amount of toxins in the landfills, and there are polymers, used in the production of bags, which are produced from natural sources, such as lactic acid, which assist in the organic decay of plastic, but they also have their limitations. Supermarkets, governments, and environmental organisations are all also actively encouraging the use of reusable shopping bags, from natural fibres, such as jute and cotton cloth, and even a return to paper packaging.
[contact-form-7 id=”71913328″ title=”Contact form 1″] Show me a possible answerThe answer above covers the key aspects of text – what is being done (attempts to reduce the use of plastic), why (to protect the environment) and by which parties (various countries’ governments, local authorities and commercial organisations).
We hope you found PTE Part 1 Summarise a written text practice exercise 2 useful! Now try exercise 3.