VOA慢速英语:Group Works to Reduce Holiday Trash, Clean Environment

sort – v. to separate and put (people or things) in a particular order

encourage – v. to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen

scarf – m. a long piece of cloth that is worn on your shoulders, around your neck, or over your head

shawl – n. a piece of cloth that is used especially by women as a covering for the head or shoulders

tote bag – n. a large bag used for carrying things

symptom – n. a change which shows that something bad exists; a sign of something bad

root cause – n. the cause or source of something

decade – n. a ten-year period

initiative – n. a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem

watershed – n. a line of hills or mountains from which rivers drain; a ridge between two rivers

decompose – v. to cause something (such as dead plants and the bodies of dead animals) to be slowly destroyed and broken down by natural processes, chemicals, etc.

rate – n. the speed at which something happens over a particular period of time

Styrofoam – n. trademarked name used for a type of light and usually white plastic

toxin – n. a poisonous substance, especially one that is produced by a living thing