IELTS Listening: 'microplastics' transcription

Here's my full transcription of the 'microplastics' recording from this lesson:

What is a microplastic? It's the tiny particle created when larger plastic items - tooth brushes, bottles, bags - break down over decades. They float in the water and get eaten by sea life.

They cause two problems. First, the fragments act like a sponge to other toxins in the water - pesticides and flame retardants, for example - suctioning them up and concentrating them.

Secondly, they are themselves complex polymers - molecules the body can’t fully break down. When they get really tiny, into a billionth of a metre as a nano-plastic, scientists have shown they can cross tissue membranes into fish cells. They say that is harmful to fish, their reproduction, immunity, survival skills.

What we don't know is what happens when humans eat the fish or sea life. Is it harmful to us? It's already an urgent question. A leading US government scientist told CNN plastic is definitely in our food chain and drinking water. This isn’t something maybe happening to our children; it’s already here.

Comments

[Tuan]

Hi Simon,

Could I ask you a question?

In one letter (General writing task 1) you wrote:
''I really hope you'll forgive me for being so thoughtless, and I hope you'll let me make it up to you''. What does ''let me make it up to you'' mean in this context?

Thank you very much and look forward to hearing from you.

[shokhrukh]

* To do someone a favor as a means of repaying them for a transgression against them in the past.

I'm so sorry for missing your recital. I promise that I'll make it up to you somehow.

* to do something good for someone you have upset, in order to become friends with them again

I'm sorry we can't take you with us, but I promise I'll make it up to you somehow.

[Tae]

Hi Simon

Thank you for showing us your full transcription.
I analysed my answer.
I found I did not catch many article such as A and THE, and missed some linking words, AND, As and WHEN. Also I couldn't hear a couple of singular and plural verbs.
I need to practise listening properly in those areas.

Regards.

[Simon]

No problem Tae. Good work!

...

Tuan,

shokhrukh gave you the meaning of "make it up to someone".