Learning English - Words in the News - Hong Kong's clean-up operation

Last updated at 15:04 BST, Wednesday, 08 August 2012

Hong Kong's clean-up operation

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Report and vocabulary

Transcript: The clean-up operation begins.

Millions of pellets which are used to make plastic have been washed up on Hong Kong's beaches, following the worst typhoon in 13 years.

Environmentalists are concerned that the pellets will absorb dangerous toxins, which could enter the food chain.

Several hundred volunteers turned up to try and remove the translucent pellets, but the beaches could still take months to clean.
clean-up operation: a project to tidy up an area
washed up: appeared on a beach
toxins: dangerous chemicals
food chain: a group of animals and plants that feed off one another
translucent: semi-transparent

Exercise

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from 大象传媒 news reports.

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.

clean-up / washed up / toxins / food chain / translucent

1. A dead humpback whale has been _______________ in a Australian ocean swimming pool, surprising morning swimmers and causing a major problem for authorities who must remove it.

2. Cigarette butts become trapped between paving stones and are then washed into drains and can cause blockages which, in turn, can lead to flooding issues. They also leak _______ that contaminate water and can harm marine life.

3. A new inflatable and _______________ bubble-shaped hotel has appeared on the shores of the Baltic sea, some 150 kilometres south of the Estonian capital Tallinn.

4. A _________________ is continuing in the Borders town of Jedburgh after flooding caused by heavy rain. The town was struck by flash flooding on Sunday after the main streets turned into a river during a two hour downpour.

5. Two major retailers in South Korea announced on Wednesday that they were suspending US beef sales. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk has urged Indonesia to lift the ban, saying that there is no evidence that the US _________________ has been tainted.