Scientists say they have found high levels of small plastic particles in Arctic snow. Their findings provide more evidence that plastic is entering Earth's atmosphere and traveling great distances around the planet. A new report describing the discovery was published in Science Advances.

A German-Swiss research team collected snow samples from the Arctic and other areas. They included northern Germany, the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and the North Sea island of Heligoland. When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics.

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic. These plastic particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. Other studies have found microplastics in the environment. They come from the disposal and breakdown of man-made plastic products and industrial waste.

Melanie Bergmann co-wrote the report on the new study. She told The Associated Press that while her team did expect to find some microplastics in the samples, they were surprised by the very large amounts.

Bergmann is a researcher at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in the German city of Bremerhaven. The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps. One snow sample from the area had 154,000 microplastic particles per liter. Samples collected from the Arctic had much lower levels. However, even samples from the Arctic contained up to 14,000 particles per liter, the study found.

Bergmann said in a statement she believes the new study clearly shows that "the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air". She also said she hopes the new study will lead to more research on this issue. She thinks that microscopic plastic particles should be included in worldwide observations of air pollution levels. "We really need to know what effects microplastics have on humans, especially if inhaled with the air that we breathe," Bergmann said.

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1.What can we know about microplastics? a.They are very small pieces of plastic. b.They are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. c.They are found in the snow samples from the Arctic and other areas. d.They are at the highest levels in the snow samples from the North Sea island of Heligoland.

A a, b, d

B b, c, d

C a, b, c

D a. c. d

解析：选C。细节理解题。由第五段第二句The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps.可知：塑料微粒含量最高的地区是巴伐利亚阿尔卑斯山脉而不是北海的黑尔戈兰岛，故选C。

2.How did the researchers react to the high levels of small plastic particles found in Arctic snow?

A They were angry.

B They were surprised.

C They were pleased.

D They were satisfied.

解析：选B。态度观点题。由第二段When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics.以及第四段...they were surprised by the very large amounts.可知，研究者们在北极雪中发现了大量的塑料微粒觉得很惊讶，故选B。

3.What can we conclude from the findings?

A More attention should be paid to the microplastics issue.

B The microplastics in the snow are mostly from the Arctic.

C It’s uncertain what effects microplastics have on humans.

D The microplastics in the snow mostly come from the air.

解析：选D。推理判断题。由最后一段第一句Bergmann said in a statement she believes the new study clearly shows that "the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air.可知雪中的大部分塑料微粒来自空气，故选D。

4.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A To tell us where the microplastics are from.

B To tell us how the microplastics move.

C To tell us what the microplastics are like.

D To tell us many microplastics are found in Arctic snow.

解析：选D。主旨大意题。通读全文，文章介绍了科学家在北极雪中发现了大量的塑料微粒，故选D。