this video has been made to test your
English skills if this is the first test
you've done with me then I strongly
advise you to start from the beginning
and work your way up you can find the
first test in the link in the
description otherwise if this is your
fourth test then let's go if you can
confidently and correctly answer all of
the questions and you have achieved your
b2 level of English which some people
refer to as basic fluency Oh at this
level you should have around 4,000 words
in your vocabulary and you should be
able to interact regularly and
spontaneously with native speakers
without much difficulty for you or the
person you're speaking to I'm going to
start off by reading an article about
plastic straws and whether or not they
should be banned listen carefully
because once I finish reading I will ask
you some questions about the article the
argument and your own opinion good luck
you
plastic straws are everywhere we look
you can find them at almost every
restaurant and coffee shop and even in
some houses this has been the case for
years
but recently there has been lots of
discussion about banning plastic straws
completely to help the environment in
this article I'll be discussing some of
the pros and cons of banning plastic
straws in the UK and across the world
the biggest reason that people want to
ban plastic straws is because of the
negative effect that single-use plastic
has on the environment studies showed
that plastic straws take around 200
years to decompose that's longer than
any of us will be alive since the first
plastic straw was made in 1888 that
means that every single plastic straw
ever made is still on the earth to make
matters worse recycling plants cannot
accept plastic straws because they can
jam and break the machines meaning that
we cannot even recycle them when plastic
breaks down they release harmful
chemicals which can seriously affect
hormones and humans and animals when
plastic straws end up in the sea they
often get mistaken for food by birds and
marine animals which can choke or kill
them in the UK we use around 23 million
plastic straws a day and a ban on
plastic straws would force this number
to dramatically reduce which would
prevent them from polluting the oceans
and releasing their dangerous toxins now
all that sounds very convincing but
there are a few arguments against the
ban for example plastic straws helped
some disabled people to be able to drink
if a person cannot lift a cup or cannot
tilt their head to drink using a straw
could be their only option a total ban
on plastic straws could therefore mean
that some disabled people would find it
very difficult to eat out or on the go
some alternative straw materials such as
metal
cannot bend or move like single-use
plastic so in these cases these straws
might not be an option some people who
oppose the plastic store ban say that it
would have very little real impact on
the environment
they argue that plastic straws make up
such a tiny part of a much larger
problem and that banning just one tiny
thing would not make a difference what
do you think if you'd like to listen to
that article again and I highly advise
that you do then you just have to skip
back to this time now I'm going to ask
you some questions you can pause the
video after each question to write your
answer once you've written it then
simply play the video and I will give
you the correct answer
at this level your answer may be
slightly different to mine if you're
unsure about your answer put it in the
comments along with the question number
and I will let you know if you have it
right or wrong number one what is the
reason for the discussion about banning
plastic straws
the reason for the discussion about
plastic straws is because of the effects
of single-use plastic on the environment
question to list three reasons given in
the article the plastic straws should be
banned
your answer should include plastic
straws cannot be recycled plastic straws
take 200 years to break down plastic
straws release dangerous toxins or that
plastic straws can be incredibly
dangerous for animals including marine
life and birds question 3 in what case
would other straws such as metal or
paper not be a suitable alternative
the answer is for some disabled people
these alternatives would not be useful
because they do not bend or move in the
same way as single-use plastic straws
question 4 why would a ban on plastic
straws reduce the number we use every
day
the answer is because they would not be
as readily available and accessible in
restaurants and coffee shops question
five some alternatives straw material
such as metal cannot bend or move like
single-use plastic so in these cases
straws might not be an option this
sentence should contain three commas one
- and a full stop
where should this punctuation go
the answer the full-stop is easy it goes
at the end of the sentence the hyphen is
used between the words single and juice
to bring them together and change the
meaning of the individual words to
become an adjective that we need and the
commas are used to separate the clauses
so the sentence should look like this
some alternatives draw materials such as
metal cannot bend or move like
single-use plastic so in these cases
these straws might not be an option
question six use the same phrase as the
last question what does the phrase
alternative mean in that sentence
the phrase alternative hair means other
so alternative store all materials means
other materials that can be used to make
straws
now the next three questions will be
opinions about the banning of plastic
straws however each opinion contains two
or three mistakes so can you find them
Darren's opinion is I think plastic
straws should be complete banned they
are being terrible for the environment
and we do not need them
did you spot the mistakes the correct
phrase would be I think plastic straws
should be completely banned they are
terrible for the environment and we do
not need them next we have Lisa's
opinion and she says plastic straws
should be banned because even though it
might not make a big difference
anything we can do to help the
environment is better than nothing and
to starting with banning plastic straws
we might open the conversation about
completely banned single-use plastics
like bottles with bags in the future
the correct phrase would be plastic
straws should be banned because even
though it might not make a big
difference
anything we can do to help the
environment is better than nothing and
by starting with banning plastic stores
we might open the conversation about
completely banning thing I'll use
plastics like bottles and bags in the
future
and Mike's opinion is everyone keeps
talks about plastic straws and I don't
get it they are convenient and won't
make any difference to that environment
everyone keeps talking about plastic
straws and I don't get it they are
convenient and won't make any difference
to the environment finally what do you
think about this article and the banning
of single-use plastic straws your answer
should be at least four or five
sentences long and acknowledge both
sides of the argument put your answer in
the comments and I'll correct any
mistakes in your English I can't wait to
read all of your thoughts now could you
confidently answer all of those
questions did you understand all of my
questions and answers if this was
difficult or you've got some questions
wrong don't worry keep practicing and
come back at a later date to try again
if you got all of the questions correct
congratulations you have b2 level of
English and you must be starting to feel
really close to fluency now if you found
this really easy then you can try the
next level c1 by clicking here or
alternatively if you've got a few spare
minutes then come and join me on one of
the other lessons I'll see you soon