READING

Questions 23-28. Review the two reading passages. Then read each statement. Identify the paragraph(s) where you can find each piece of information. 

READING 1: GARBAGE ISLAND

A. You can't see it from the air. It's almost impossible to see from a ship. But somewhere in the North Pacific is a giant island of garbage, floating just below the ocean's surface. 

How Did It get There? 

B. The garbage island is not really an island. It's a collection of millions of pieces of plastic and other objects that people have thrown away, such as shopping bags and water bottles. Pacific Ocean currents bring the objects together and cause them to spin around in a giant circle. The spinning movement stops the garbage from escaping. New objects enter the spinning water, and the island grows larger. 

C. No one really knows how big the island is. Some scientists say it is about 270,000 square miles (700,000 square kilometers). Some studies report that it may be up to 20 times larger - twice the size of the continental United States. 

What Problems Does It Cause? 

D. The larger pieces of garbage in the island are a problem for wildlife. For example, sea turtles often think plastic bags are jellyfish - their favorite food. They eat the plastic and die. Seabirds looking for food in the ocean may also die from eating plastic objects floating on the water.

E. In addition, tiny pieces of plastic near the ocean surface block sunlight from reaching deeper water. The lack of sunlight kills very small sea organisms called plankton. As a result, there is less food for larger fish, such as tuna. 

What Can We Do? 

F. Cleaning up a giant island of plastic garbage isn't easy, but there may be some solutions. One method is to use technology to collect the trash and recycle it. Environmental engineer Cesar Harada is building a type of robot boat that gathers up trash. Harada hopes this robot technology will help reduce garbage in the Pacific.

G. New approaches to recycling can also help make more people aware of the problem. For example, singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams works with a company that recycles plastic garbage to make denim for blue jeans. In this way, he combines his interest in fashion with his concern for the environment. If many people make small changes, it can have a big impact. As Williams says, "The ocean is just one part of the Earth ... but the world is made up of 75 to 80 percent water. It's a huge place to start." 

READING 2: THE ART OF RECYCLING

H. Brazilian artist Vik Muniz uses everyday objects in unusual ways. Through his art, Muniz makes people think differently about their everyday lives - even their own garbage.

I. In 2007, Muniz worked on a two-year project at one of the world's largest landfills. Until its closure in 2012, Jardim Gramacho received about 70 percent of the garbage from Rio de Janeiro. About 3,000 garbage pickers, known as catadores, worked there. Their job was to hunt through the garbage for recyclable cans, bottles, and other materials. They then made money by selling the objects to recycling companies.

J. The catadores' work was dirty and dangerous, and most of them only received between $20 and $25 a day. Despite the hard conditions, many catadores were proud of their work. Valter Dos Santos, a worker at Jardim Gramacho for more than 25 years, told Muniz: "I am proud to be a picker. I try to explain to people [that recycling prevents] great harm to nature and the environment. People sometimes say, 'But one single [soda] can?' One single can is of great importance! That single can will make the difference." 

K. Muniz became friends with Dos Santos and other catadores. They allowed him to take their photographs at the landfill, where they posed for artistic portraits. For example, Muniz photographed a landfill worker in the style of a famous French painting, The Death of Marat. The workers then helped Muniz create huge images of these photos on the floor of his studio. They used material from the landfill to add color and depth to the images. 

L. Why create such huge images using garbage? Muniz says he wanted to "change the lives of people with the same materials they deal with every day." A photograph of his recreation of the French painting sold for £28,000 ($50,000) at a London art auction. Muniz gave the money to the catadores workers' organization. 

M. In 2010, British-Brazilian director Lucy Walker created a movie about Muniz's project called Waste Land. The film received many awards and helped make people aware of the garbage collectors' lives. The catadores also began to see themselves differently. "Sometimes we see ourselves as so small," says Irma, a cook at Gramacho, "but people out there see us as so big, so beautiful."

23. the reason why garbage cannot escape the island (READING 1)

A. Paragraph A
B. Paragraph B
C. Pragraph C 

24. the way a musician is trying to make a difference (READING 1)

A. Paragraph E
B. Paragraph F
C. Paragraph G 

25. estimates about the size of the island of garbage (READING 1)

A. Paragraph B
B. Paragraph C
C. Paragraph D 

26. the amount of money garbage pickers received daily (READING 2)

A. Paragraph J
B. Paragraph K 
​C. Paragraph L 

27. the process of creating some large pieces of art (READING 2)

A. Paragraph I
B. Paragraph J 
C. Paragraph K 

28. a film that changed what some people think (READING 2)

A. Paragraph K 
B. Paragraph L 
​C. Paragraph M