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Environment
EP1 M2 SEM2
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| rainfall | the amount of rain that falls |
| arid | dry |
| prone to | tending to have a particular negative characteristic |
| drought | long period without rain |
| tundra | area in the north with no trees and permanently frozen ground |
| vegetation | plant life |
| coniferous | trees that are evergreen |
| evergreen | in leaf all year round |
| deciduous | lose their leaves in winter |
| prairies | flat grasslands in Canada and USA |
| paddy fields | fields planted with rice growing in water |
| cereals | type of grass cultivated to produce a grain |
| tend | take care of |
| developed | with a modern, industrial economy |
| manufacturing | producing goods in large numbers |
| at the forefront | in an important position |
| generates | produces |
| developing | describes a country that is poor and does not have a modern, industrial economy |
| are descended from | are related to someone who lived in the past |
| indigenous | existing naturally in that place |
| ancestors | relatives from earlier times |
| migrants | people who move to live in another country or another part of their own country |
| settled | made their homes |
| chilly/freezing/nippy | cold |
| boiling/sweltering/roasting | hot |
| blowy/breezy | windy |
| stifling/heavy/close | opressive |
| chucking it down / it's pouring | downpour |
| muggy/clammy/sticky | humid |
| to build something up | to praise someone or something |
| to cement | make relationships more solid |
| to come up against a brick wall | to meet a barrier |
| ceiling | limit |
| glass ceiling | invisible barrier that stops people |
| the roof fell in | my world collapsed |
| floor give way | idiom for when you faint |
| go through the roof | increase in rapid fashion |
| hit the roof | get very angry |
| window of opportunity | chance to do something special |
| goes out the window | departing |
| ivory tower | idea of distance from ordinary people |
| tower of strength | extremely strong |
| towers above | outstandingly tall |
| gateway | opportunity |
| to close/open a door | to fail or get an opportunity |
| through the back door | unofficially |
| behind closed doors | secret |
| provide the key to | importance of something |
| the seeds of succes/discontent/revolution | start of an idea or feeling |
| going back to your roots | going back to the place where your family came from |
| root of a problem/tradition | where it started |
| putting down roots | settling down |
| take root | an idea becomes known |
| firmly/deeply rooted | well established |
| stems from | something originates from something else |
| nipped in the bud | stopped before it developes into something |
| branches out | grows off from |
| branches of a shop | parts of the company |
| weed out | get rid of |
| prune back | cut |
| is reaping the rewards of | is getting results from |
| reaping what we sowed | experiencing the logical results of our actions |
| have dug up | have discovered |
| was germinating | was beginnning to develop |
| have been sprouting up | have been appearing quickly in large numbers |
| is flourishing | is doing very well |
| green shoots | first signs that the economy is improving |
| sheds | loses |
| thrive | grow successfully |
| fading | becoming smaller |
| shrivelled | become less |
| wilt | lose energy |
| wither | make the recipient feel scorned |
| mammal | animal that gives birth |
| marsupial | its young grow in a pouch |
| rodent | mouse or rat |
| repitle | snake or lizard |
| carnivore | animals that eats a diet mainly meat |
| herbivore | mainly plant diet |
| predator | animal that hunts other animals |
| scavenger | animal that feeds on dead animals which it has not killed itself |
| warm/cold-blooded | temperature stays the same/animals have to control their temperature |
| docile | behaves very gently |
| tame | not afraid of humans |
| domesticated | live with or are used by humans |
| wild | opposite of domesticated |
| savage | extremely violent or wild |
| fierce | behaves aggressively |
| natural habitat | preferred natural place for living and breeding |
| migrates | travel long distances to get to a different habitat |
| extinct | died out |
| game reserves/game parks | areas of land where animals are protected from hunting |
| bird sanctuary | protected natural area where birds can live and breed |
| animal shelter | place where stray pets are given food and a place to live |
| blood sports | sports whose purpose is to kill or injure animals |
| the fur trade | the selling of animals fur for coats and jackets |
| poachers | people who hunt animals illegally |
| the ivory trade | the buying and selling of ivory from elephants' tusks |
| animal rights activists | people who actively campaign for the protection and rights of animals |
| horn | horn |
| shrinking habitats | places where animals live and breed which are decreasing in size |
| biodiversity | variety of different types of biological species |
| endangered species | types of animals/plants which are in danger of no longer existing |
| climate change sceptics | people who do not believe that climate change is a serious issue |
| global warming | steady rise in average world temperature |
| carbon emissions | carbon dioxide gas from factories and cars |
| fossil fuel | coal, oil etc. |
| greenhouse effect | warming of the earth's surface caused by pollution |
| exerts severe pressure on | puts great pressure on |
| finite resources | limited resources that will eventually run out |
| ecological balance | balance of natural relationships in the envornment |
| uncontrolled deforestation | unrestricted destruction |
| demographic projections | forecasts about the population |
| grow exponentially | grow extremely rapidly |
| depleting resources | resources that are reducing |
| waste disposal | getting rid of waste |
| toxic waste | poisonous waste materials |
| contaminating | poisoning |
| precious commodity | very valuable substance |
| water security | ability to ensure that a population has safe drinking water |
| the worst-case scenarios | the worst possibilities for the future |
| pristine environments | perfectly clean areas |
| green credentials | reputation for positive support of the environment and for making policies that reflect this |
| prophets of doom and gloom | people who always make the most depressing or pessimistic predictions about the future |
| sustainable development | development of industry which does not damage the environment or social and economic stability, and which can continue over a period of time |
| renewable energy | energy produced without fossil fuels |
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