This reading comprehension lesson, part of the Environment and Ecology theme, presents a passage about Morocco’s national campaign against plastic pollution, followed by activities that test your understanding and build your vocabulary.
Reading Passage: Morocco’s Fight Against Plastic Bags
For many years, plastic bags were a common sight across Morocco. They blew across fields, blocked drains, and were even found in the stomachs of livestock that had accidentally swallowed them. In 2016, Morocco launched an ambitious campaign known as « Zero Mika », meaning « zero plastic » in Moroccan Arabic, to ban the production, import, and sale of most plastic bags nationwide. At the time, the country was producing billions of plastic bags every year, and very few of them were being recycled.
Since the ban was introduced, awareness of plastic pollution has grown considerably. Shops now offer customers reusable cloth or paper bags instead, and local cooperatives have been encouraged to produce alternatives. However, challenges remain: illegal plastic bags are still sold in some markets, and enforcement of the law is not always strict. Environmental groups argue that education is just as important as legislation, because lasting change happens only when citizens understand why the environment must be protected. Many schools have now included environmental awareness in their programmes, hoping that the next generation will care for nature more than the last.
Vocabulary in Context
- ban (verb/noun): to officially forbid something by law; the official prohibition itself.
- livestock (noun): animals such as cows, sheep, or goats that are kept on a farm.
- cooperative (noun): a business or organisation owned and run jointly by its members, who share the profits.
- enforcement (noun): the act of making sure that a law or rule is obeyed.
- legislation (noun): laws that have been officially made by a government.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — What was the name of Morocco’s 2016 campaign against plastic bags, and what does it mean?
Exercise 2 — According to the passage, how did plastic bags affect livestock?
Exercise 3 — What have shops offered customers instead of plastic bags since the ban?
Exercise 4 — True or False: Enforcement of the plastic bag ban is always strict everywhere in Morocco. Justify your answer using the text.
Exercise 5 — Why do environmental groups believe education is as important as legislation?
Exercise 6 — Find a word in the passage that means ‘laws made by a government’.
Answer Key
Answer 1 — The campaign was called « Zero Mika », which means « zero plastic » in Moroccan Arabic.
Answer 2 — Plastic bags were sometimes accidentally swallowed by livestock and found in their stomachs.
Answer 3 — Shops have offered reusable cloth or paper bags instead of plastic bags.
Answer 4 — False. The passage says illegal plastic bags are still sold in some markets and enforcement of the law is not always strict.
Answer 5 — Because lasting change happens only when citizens understand why the environment must be protected, not just because a law exists.
Answer 6 — legislation
