If we care about plastic waste, why won’t we stop drinking bottled water?
We have all seen the damage plastic waste is doing around the world, but sales of bottled water have continued to grow.
A) For all the innovation and choice that define the food and drink industries, if you want to make money, you could do a lot worse than fill a bottle with water and sell it. A litre of tap water, the stuff we have cleverly piped into our homes, costs less than half a penny. A litre of bottled water can cost well over a pound, especially for something fancy that has been sucked through a mountain.
B) Yet the bottled water market is livelier than ever. It defies our increasing awareness of the harm plastics do to the environment and a broader, growing sense that something has to change. Sales in the UK were worth a record £558.4 million this past year, an increase of 7%, according to the latest figures from the market analystKantar. Separate data from other analysts show that last year the British consumed more than 2.2 billion litres of bottled water, including“take-home”and“on-the-go”products. That's an annual rise in volume of 8.5%.
C) Environmental campaigners are struggling to understand why nations blessed with clean tap water grow only fonder of the bottle. “It's very surprising to me,”says Sam Chetan-Walsh, a political adviser at Greenpeace and campaigner against ocean plastic.“Public awareness has never been higher, but the message is not quite reaching all the people it needs to."Where it is heard, the message is causing concern. Plastic water bottles require oceans of fossil fuels to make and ship.Additionally, single-use plastics of all types are polluting our cities and seas. Numerous documentaries have shown how plastic is ultimately killing wildlife.
D) Moves against various plastics have gathered pace, from shopping bags to straws and plastic-lined coffee cups. Chetan-Walsh argues that bottled water is different because the alternatives are so obvious. “If a product that is so nakedly unnecessary can exist, then the whole system is failing,"he says.
E) Hope is not entirely out of reach. The rate of growth has begun to ease (sales were up 7% in the year, compared with 8% the previous year).
F) But even if large numbers of people are quitting bottled water because of care for the environment, others are taking it up. The introduction of the“sugar tax” on juices and soda drinks has pushed more people to bottled water, while health awareness has boosted its desirability. Tap water consumption is growing at roughly the same pace (UK consumers still drink almost three times as much tap water as bottled water).
G) So the plastic tide only creeps higher. The industry is quick to point out that all its bottles are recyclable.“But collection rates are, at the most generous estimates, 56%, so the actual recycling rate will be lower than that,”Chetan-Walsh says. And while bottles may be recyclable, very few are made of recycled plastic. One water bottle company launched recycled half-litre “eco” bottles alongside its standard bottles. Another has pledged to use only recycled plastic across its range by 2025.Chetan-Walsh believes in a ban on single-use bottles. Bans do exist in some places. Organisers of a famous music festival announced that water bottles will not be sold this summer. San Francisco has banned them from city property and events. Last year, the UK government set out plans to ban single-use plastic from its estate.
H) Water bottlers, unsurprisingly, don't support bans. But they raise concerns about health rather than profit margins. Last month one chief executive of a water bottling company said that bans would “result in greater consumption of sugary drinks, adding to all the health dangers of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay”. KinvaraCarey, general manager of an association of the biggest bottled water manufacturers, cites a survey in which people were asked what they would do if bottled water were not available. “Forty-four per cent would buy another drink, which is not great, 14% would go without and 4.5% said they would find a fountain," she says. “The choice is important.”
I) What if fountains were more numerous, and tap water more clearly available in cafes, restaurants and elsewhere? Dozens of fountains are being installed in London. There are similar initiatives elsewhere. Before plastic and the marketing that made people think they needed bottled water in the first place, fountains were an urban fixture. Greenpeace, among others, is also pushing for a“deposit return” scheme. This would mean tax on bottled water would be refunded to customers who returned the plastic for recycling.
J) Even if bottled water sales are growing slightly more slowly, the industry is racing to adapt to changing concerns and tastes. Flavoured water is booming: sales of the sparkling variety shot up by 20%, according to the latest analyst data.Meanwhile, international water brands, as well as a range of new companies, are selling high-end reusable bottles. And if you must fill them with tap water, why not add flavouring?
K) As the owner of multiple sugary drink brands and bottled water, PepsiCo is facing challenges on health and environmental fronts. Last year, the company bought SodaStream(a drinks company that sells machines for making tap water bubbly and then consumers add flavours) for $3.2 billion. It also launched a range of fancy bottles that work with tap water and flavour packets. The bottle is reusable. The packets? Not so much, and, yes, they are made of plastic, although the company invites users to post them back for recycling.
L) As is so often the case, clever marketing can beat reason; awareness is rarely enough. “There is always this kind of slip between concern, intent and changed behaviour," says Giles Quick, an analyst of bottled water.“The best example is five a day, therecommendation to have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.Almost everyone is aware of this, but something like 15% of us achieve it.”Unless a far-reaching bottle ban does come into force, it will be up to consumers to not only demand change一but to act themselves.
Judging from the slowing rate of sales growth, there is still hope to combat bottled water.
E
题干译文:
从销售增长速度放缓的情况来看，对抗瓶装水仍有希望。
答案解析:
E。由题干关键信息slowing rate of sales growth和hope定位到E段。E段提到，希望并非遥不可及。
因为瓶装水销售的增长速度已经开始放缓。今年销售额增长了7%，而去年是8%。题干是对这段内容的概括，其中the slowing rate of sales growth对应原文中的The rate of growth has begun to ease (sales were up 7% in the year, compared with 8% the previous year)，there is still hope对应原文中的Hope is not entirely out of reach，全文都在说combat bottled water，这里不需要对应，故答案为E。
Bottled water manufacturers base their arguments against bans of plastic bottles on health concerns rather than on profits.
H
题干译文:
瓶装水制造商反对塑料瓶禁令的论点基于健康担忧，而非利润。
答案解析:
H。由题干关键信息Bottled water manufacturers 、against bans of plastic bottles、health concerns、rather than on profits定位到H段。H段前两句提到，瓶装水生产商反对(塑料瓶)禁令，这不足为奇。但是，他们表示担忧的出发点是健康问题，而非自身的利润空间。题干是对这两句的概括，其中Bottled water manufacturers与原文中的Water bottlers同义，against bans of plastic bottles对应原文中的don't support bans， base their arguments... on health concerns rather than on profits对应原文中的raise concerns about health rather than profit margins，故答案为H。
Sales of bottled water in Britain hit a record high last year even though people are increasingly aware that plastics are environmentally unfriendly.
B
题干译文:
尽管人们越来越意识到塑料对环境不友好，但是去年英国瓶装水的销量仍创下历史新高。
答案解析:
B。由题干关键信息Sales、bottled water、Britain、a record high和last year定位到B段。B段前三句提到，然而，瓶装水市场却比以往任何时候都更加活跃。我们越来越意识到塑料对环境造成的危害，也越来越广泛地意识到必须有所改变，但这一现象却违背了我们的认知。根据市场分析师坎塔尔提供的最新数据，去年英国瓶装水的销售额创下了5.584亿英镑的纪录，同比增长了7%。题干是对这三句的概括，也就是说，尽管人们越来越意识到塑料对环境不友好，但是去年英国瓶装水的销量仍创下历史新高。其中Sales of bottled water in Britain与原文中的Sales in theUK同义，hit a record high last year对应原文中的worth a record £558.4 million this past year，其中record意为“纪录”，故答案为B。
It often happens that people can lack reason when faced with skillful marketing.
L
题干译文:
人们面对巧妙的营销时，往往会失去理智。
答案解析:
L。由题干关键信息It often happens、lack reason和skillful marketing定位到L段。L段第一句提到，通常情况下，巧妙的营销策略总能战胜理性，仅仅提高消费者的意识往往是不够的。题干与该句同义，其中It often happens对应原文中的As is so often the case, people can lack reason when faced with skillful marketing与原文中的clever marketing can beat reason同义，故答案为L。
One city on the west coast of America has banned single-use bottles from its property and events.
G
题干译文:
美国西海岸的一座城市已经禁止在其所属场所及举办的活动中使用一次性水瓶。
答案解析:
G。由题干关键信息One city on the west coast of America、banned和property and events定位到G段。G段倒数第二句提到，旧金山已禁止在城市公有财产处所和活动中使用一次性塑料瓶。题干与该句同义，由常识可知，旧金山是美国西海岸的一个城市，其中One city on the west coast of America对应原文中的San Francisco; banned single-use bottles from its property and events与原文中的has banned them from city property and events同义，该句中的them即指代上文a ban on single-use bottles中的single-use bottles，故答案为G。
Manufacturing and shipping of plastic water bottles consume a tremendous amount of fossil fuels.
C
题干译文:
塑料水瓶的生产和运输消耗了大量的化石燃料。
答案解析:
C。由题干关键信息Manufacturing and shipping、plastic water bottles、a tremendous amount of和fossil fuels定位到C段。C段倒数第三句提到，制造和运输塑料水瓶需要耗费大量的化石燃料。题干与该句同义，其中plastic water bottles和fossil fuels是原词复现，Manufacturing and shipping与原文中的make and ship同义，consume对应原文中的require，a tremendous amount of对应原文中的oceans of，故答案为C。
One large beverage company has adapted its operations when confronted with challenges from health and environmental advocates.
K
题干译文:
当面临来自健康和环境倡导者的挑战时，一家大型饮料公司已调整其运营策略。
答案解析:
K。由题干关键信息One large beverage company、confronted with challenges和health and environmental advocates定位到K段。K段介绍了拥有多个含糖饮料品牌和瓶装水的百事公司在面临健康和环境方面的挑战时做出的运营策略调整:1.百事公司去年斥资32亿美元收购了一家饮料公司，这家公司销售能将自来水制成气泡水的机器，消费者可以随后添加各种口味。2.百事公司还推出了一系列与自来水和风味包配套使用的精美水瓶。水瓶是可重复使用的。风味包也是可以回收的，公司鼓励顾客寄回。题干是对这段内容的概括，其中One large beverage company对应原文中的the owner of multiple sugary drink brands and bottled water, PepsiCo; confronted with challenges from health and environmental advocates对应原文中的 is facing challenges on health and environmental fronts; adapted its operations对应原文中提到的举措:bought SodaStream (a drinks company that sells machines for making tap water bubbly and then consumers add flavours)和launched a range of fancy bottles that work with tap water and flavour packets，故答案为K。
Bottled water is considerably more expensive than tap water.
A
题干译文:
瓶装水的价格远高于自来水。
答案解析:
A。由题干关键信息Bottled water、tap water和more expensive定位到A段。A段最后两句提到了自来水和瓶装水的价格:我们巧妙地通过管道输送到家里的那种自来水，一升的成本也不到半便士。而一升瓶装水的价格远远超过1英镑，尤其是那些取自山间的“奢华”瓶装水。由常识可知，1英镑=100便士，1便士=2个半便士，文中这样表述是为了说明自来水价格很低。也就是说，瓶装水的价格远高于自来水。题干是对这两句的概括，其中Bottled water和tap water是原词复现，considerably more expensive是我们通过对比得出的结论，considerably是副词，意为“非常、相当地”，故答案为A。
Fountains could be seen in cities before bottled water became popular.
I
题干译文:
在瓶装水流行之前，城市中就可以看到饮水器。
答案解析:
I。由题干关键信息Fountains、cities和bottled water定位到I段。I段第四句提到，在塑料和市场营销使人们认为他们首先需要瓶装水之前，饮水器就是城市中的固定设施。题干与该句同义，其中Fountains和bottled water是原词复现，could be seen in cities与原文中的were an urban fixture同义，urban意为“城市的”、fixture意为“固定装置、必要设施”，bottled water became popular对应原文中的people think they needed bottled water in the first place，故答案为I。
More people have taken to bottled water because of their health awareness.
F
题干译文：
更多的人因为健康意识而选择了瓶装水。
答案解析：
F。由题干关键信息More people、have taken to bottled water和health awareness定位到F段。F段前两句提到，即使有很多人因为环保而放弃购买瓶装水，也有一些人刚开始饮用瓶装水。对果汁和碳酸饮料征收“糖税”的举措促使更多人选择瓶装水，同时健康意识也增加了瓶装水的受欢迎程度。也就是说，有更多人因为健康意识而选择了瓶装水。题干是对这两句的概括，其中have taken to bottled water对应原文中的 are taking it up，原文中的it即指逗号前面提到的bottled water; because of their health awareness对应原文中的 health awareness has boosted its desirability，故答案为F。
全文翻译：
如果我们关心塑料垃圾问题，为什么不停止饮用瓶装水呢?
我们都看到了塑料垃圾在全球范围内造成的破坏，但瓶装水的销量却持续增长。
A) 尽管食品和饮料行业以创新和精选来定性，但如果你想赚钱，没有什么事情比把一个瓶子装满水再卖出去更容易了。我们巧妙地通过管道输送到家里的那种自来水，一升的成本也不到半便士。而一升瓶装水的价格远远超过1英镑，尤其是那些取自山间的“奢华”瓶装水。
B) 然而，瓶装水市场却比以往任何时候都更加活跃。我们越来越意识到塑料对环境造成的危害，也越来越广泛地意识到必须有所改变，但这一现象却违背了我们的认知。根据市场分析师坎塔尔提供的最新数据，去年英国瓶装水的销售额创下了5.584亿英镑的纪录，同比增长了7%。其他分析师提供的独立数据显示，去年英国人消费了超过22亿升的瓶装水，其中包括家用瓶装水和外出时饮用瓶装水。该数据说明英国人消费瓶装水的数量年增长率高达8.5%。
C) 环保倡导者们难以理解，为什么那些拥有洁净自来水的国家单单对瓶装水越发青睐。绿色和平组织的政治顾问、反对海洋塑料污染的活动家山姆·切坦-沃尔什说:“这让我感到非常惊讶。公众的环保意识空前高涨，但这一信息却没能传达给所有需要知晓的人。”这一信息在所到之处都引起了人们的担忧。因为，制造和运输塑料水瓶需要耗费大量的化石燃料。此外，各类一次性塑料制品都在污染我们的城市和海洋。无数纪录片都揭示了塑料最终是如何导致野生动物死亡的。
D) 从塑料购物袋到塑料吸管，再到内衬塑料的咖啡杯，反对使用各种塑料制品的行动已经加快步伐。切坦-沃尔什认为，瓶装水的情况之所以有所不同，是因为瓶装水的替代品是如此显而易见。他说:“如果一种显然毫无必要的产品都能存在，那意味着整个体系都失败了。”
E) 希望并非遥不可及。瓶装水销售的增长速度已经开始放缓(今年销售额增长了7%，而去年是8%)。
F) 不过，即使有很多人因为环保而放弃购买瓶装水，也有一些人刚开始饮用瓶装水。对果汁和碳酸饮料征收“糖税”的举措促使更多人选择瓶装水，同时健康意识也增加了瓶装水的受欢迎程度。自来水的消耗量也在以大致相同的速度增长(英国消费者饮用自来水的量仍然是瓶装水的近三倍)。
G) 因此，塑料垃圾的浪潮只能不断攀升。瓶装水行业迅速指出，所有塑料瓶子都可回收。切坦-沃尔什说:“然而，即使是最乐观的估计，回收率也仅达56%，因此实际的回收率会更低。”虽然瓶子可以回收，但实际上很少有瓶子是用回收塑料制成的。一家水瓶公司在推出标准水瓶的同时，也推出了由回收材料制成的半升装“环保”水瓶。另一家水瓶公司已承诺，到2025年，其所有产品都只采用回收塑料制造。切坦-沃尔什主张禁止一次性塑料瓶。的确，有些地方已经实施了禁令。某个知名音乐节的主办方发布公告称，他们将在今年夏季停止销售瓶装水。旧金山已禁止在城市公有财产处所和活动中使用一次性塑料瓶。而去年，英国政府也提出了在其管辖区域内禁止使用一次性塑料产品的计划。
H) 瓶装水生产商反对禁令，这不足为奇。但是，他们表示担忧的出发点是健康问题，而非自身的利润空间。上个月，某瓶装水公司CEO声称，实施禁令将“促使人们更多地消费含糖饮料，进而增加肥胖、糖尿病和龋齿等健康隐患”。最大瓶装水制造商协会总经理金瓦拉·凯里提到了一项调查，在该调查中，人们被问及如果没有瓶装水，他们会如何应对。她说:“44%的受访者会选择购买其他饮料，这可不太好;14%的人会放弃饮水;而4.5%的人称他们会寻找(喷泉式)饮水器。选择至关重要。”
I) 如果有更多的饮水器，咖啡馆、餐厅和其他地方更明确地提供直引水，会怎样呢?伦敦正在安装几十个饮水器。其他城市也有类似的举措。在塑料和市场营销使人们认为他们首先需要瓶装水之前，饮水器就是城市中的固定设施。绿色和平组织等机构也在推动“押金返还”计划。这意味着，如果消费者将塑料瓶退回用于回收，他们可以得到瓶装水税费的退款。
J) 即使瓶装水的销售增长略有放缓，该行业也在竞相适应人们不断变化的顾虑和口味。风味水正在蓬勃发展:根据最新的分析师数据，气泡风味水的销售额激增了20%。与此同时，国际瓶装水品牌以及一系列新公司正在销售高端可重复使用的水瓶。如果你必须用它们来装自来水，为什么不加点风味呢?
K) 作为多个含糖饮料品牌和瓶装水的所有者，百事公司(PepsiCo)在健康和环境方面面临着挑战。去年，该公司斥资32亿美元收购了SodaStream(这是一家饮料公司，销售能将自来水制成气泡水的机器，消费者可以随后添加各种风味)。百事公司还推出了一系列与自来水和风味包配套使用的精美水瓶。水瓶是可重复使用的。风味包呢?尽管该公司也鼓励用户将风味包寄回进行回收，但实际的回收情况就不一定了，是的，它们也是由塑料制成的。
L) 通常情况下，巧妙的营销策略总能战胜理性，仅仅提高消费者的意识往往是不够的。瓶装水分析师贾尔斯·奎克说:“人们从担忧到有意识地想要改变，再到实际做出改变行为，这之间总是存在着这种差距。最好的例子就是‘一天五蔬果’的建议，即建议人们每天至少吃五份水果和蔬菜。几乎人人都知道这个建议，但只有大约15%的人真正做到了。”除非全面禁止塑料瓶的法规真正生效，否则，不仅要依靠消费者呼吁改变，还得让他们行动起来。