Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.

High school students from Southeast Asia protect the environment with inventions that challenge the present situation. They presented their research at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. (ISEF) The team of Thailand presented its research on using Fish scales to create plastic were items such as bowls and plates, with no trace of fish odour in 2011. The team also found out that the material completely breaks down in about 28 days when buried in soil, and does not harm creatures that live in the dirt. In comparison, conventional plastic products release toxins during the manufacturing process and during disposal.

The Vietnamese team proposed using solar energy and vacuum techniques to power the desalination process in 2012. Conventional desalination methods are expensive affairs as they tend to consume vast amounts of electricity and fuel. In contrast, solar energy is an inexhaustible and renewable energy source.

The Indonesian team built a “ Green Refrigerant Box” in 2014 that, instead of running on electricity, used a hand-operated vacuum pump made from plastic soft drink bottle. The idea was formed because the students’ hometown in rural South Sumatra frequently experiences power cuts, constantly shutting down electrical appliance.

Bio-waste materials such as mangosteen skin can be used as a substance to dye cotton fabric, together with onion skin extract. The project of Malaysian students in 2014 not only replaced the usage of hazardous chemical dye with bio-waste material, but also helped recycle bio-waste itself.

Answer the questions about the passage.

1. What did the team from Thailand use fish scales for?

I really wanted to take part in this contest, _________ my parents allowed me to.