Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions. Along with the rapid growth of the national economy and increased living standards, the use of disposables and over-packaged products has become common, which causes a waste of resources, and brings about a negative impact on the environment. Many countries have started to act to control the use of disposables and over-packaged, products. In 1994, ...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Along with the rapid growth of the national economy and increased living standards, the use of disposables and over-packaged products has become common, which causes a waste of resources, and brings about a negative impact on the environment. Many countries have started to act to control the use of disposables and over-packaged, products.

In 1994, the Ministry of Environment in Korea has put restrictions on packaging methods. Korea's legal regulations require businesses to restrict their use of disposable products by reducing unnecessary packaging materials or not giving them out to customers for free. The use of materials are difficult to recycle is also prohibited.

Thanks to development of technology, biodegradable materials were invented to produce packaging products. They are able to decay naturally by bacteria. Therefore, biodegradable packaging helps to limit the amount of harmful chemicals released into the environment. In 2008, biodegradable bags were put in use in most of the supermarkets in Korea. Paper cups and paper bags are also given to shoppers for free, but in a limited use.

The ministry also established the detailed Guidelines on the Restrictions of Use of Disposable Products in order to ensure that local governments could conduct systematic checks and inspections of businesses, and implemented reductions on over-packaged products during national holidays, and school admission and graduation seasons.

(Text adapted from h ttp://eng.me.go. kr/eng/web/index. do?menuld=383)