Naturalists have also begun to expose the serious problems arising from discarded plastic waste. Birds and animals can die gruesome deaths through being trapped or caught up in plastic bags or ropes, while the long process required for these plastics to decay means that they remain a threat for many years to come. Worse, there is now beginning to be evidence of sea creatures ingesting smaller globules of disintegrating plastic, which harms them and all the other creatures in their particular food chain. (C14)
解析:除了同一个句子内部,更常见的是在段落的段首中心句中使用抽象名词,如上文的problems,此时该词覆盖的范围极广,涵盖了the death of birds and animals, the harm to sea creatures and all other creatures等,这也是抽象名词的下指用法体现。