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Environmentalists have removed more than 40 tons of plastic from the Pacific Ocean. The group, Ocean Voyages Institute, said the cleanup mission was the "largest and most successful ocean cleanup to date" in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The sea, between Hawaii and California, is the biggest concentration of floating debris in the world.

Using satellite and advanced technology, the crew removed trash including bottles, plastic furniture and children's toys. They also collected fishing tool called "ghost nets," with one weighing 5 tons and another weighing 8 tons. "Ghost nets" are massive nets of nylon that drift and accumulate plastic debris. "Monster ghost nets are very important to get out of the ocean, but it's sometimes the small ghost nets that get wrapped around whales and dolphins and kill them," Mary Crowley, founder of Ocean Voyages Institute, said.

About 1.5 tons of the collected plastic was given to the University of Hawaii graduate art program and individual artists on the island, Crowley said. The artists plan to transform the plastic into sculptures and other works. The remaining amount is expected to be processed by Schnitzer Steel and sent to Hawaii's H-POWER plant to be turned into energy.

"What we've done out there is small compared to the problem," Crowley said. "What we've already done has saved a lot of fish, dolphins and whales. It was necessary to find the debris and effectively and efficiently pick it up and bring it in and have it repurposed."

Garbage patches like the one in the Pacific Ocean are formed by ocean currents, which pull objects into one location. These areas of debris endanger wildlife when animals become trapped in the trash or eat it. The material—ranging from plastics to other trash—takes "a very long time" to break down. Crowley said her group is planning a longer, three-month cleanup expedition in the future and hopes other organizations can follow suit.

1.Why did environmentalists choose the sea between Hawaii and California?

A The Ocean Voyages Institute liked the place.

B Amounts of plastic trash accumulated there.

C It had only 40 tons of plastic in that place.

D The weather in that place was quite warm.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句the biggest concentration of floating debris in the world可以得知垃圾都聚集在那个地方，故选B。

2.What danger would the small ghost nets may bring?

A They couldn’t remove bottles.

B They were too heavy to carry.

C They added much more plastic.

D They would do harm to sea animals.

解析：选D。推理判断题。根据文章第二段最后一句the small ghost nets that get wrapped around whales and dolphins and kill them可以得知小的网会对鲸鱼和海豚等海洋动物造成伤害，故选D。

3.How will the artists deal with the collected plastic?

A It will be turned into the energy.

B It will be made into artificial arts.

C It will be piled as a very large island.

D It will be changed into a large net.

解析：选B。推理判断题。根据文章第三段第二句The artists plan to transform the plastic into sculptures and other works可以得知大学毕业生和艺术家们会把这些塑料垃圾加工成艺术品，故选B。

4.How did the debris endanger wildlife?

A It brought ocean currents.

B It stopped the cleanup expedition.

C It made the fish trapped.

D It damaged their foods.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章最后一段第二句的these areas of debris endanger wildlife when animals become trapped in the trash or eat it可以得知海洋垃圾会缠住那些鱼类，故选C。