Task 10. Vocabulary

There are many different words referring to features of the environment. Here are some arranged on small to large scales.

 

brook → stream → river hillock → hill → mountain cove → bay →gulf

copse → wood → forest puddle → pond → lake footpath →lane → road

Here are some other nouns which are useful when talking about the environment. Check their meanings with a dictionary if necessary.

 

Where land meets sea: coast shore beach estuary/delta cliff cape peninsula straits

Words connected with rivers: source/river head tributary waterfall mouth valley gorge bank

Words connected with mountains: foot ridge/range peak/summit glacier cliff volcano

Words connected with land areas: desert steppe/prairie/pampas/savannah forest/rainforest wilderness plain tundra plateau

Words connected with water: lake geyser spring pond reservoir/water-storage basin current

10.1 Label the pictures below:

 

1 2

1 _______

2 _______

3 _______

4 _______

5 _______

6 _______

7 _______

8 _______

9 _______

10 ______

11 ______

12 ______

 

10.2 Label the pictures below using descriptive adjectives with the nouns:

1 _________________________ 2 _______________________

3 _________________________ 4________________________

5 ________________________ 6 ________________________

 

 

 

7 _________________________ 8 ____________________________

 

 

9 __________________________

 

10.3 You have to be careful about the use of 'the' with features of the environment. Study the following rules:

 

	use with the?	example
countries	no	France
countries which are in a plural form	yes	The USA
countries when limited by time	yes	The Spain of today
individual mountains	no	Mount Everest
mountain chains	yes	The Rockies
islands	no	Sicily
groups of islands	yes	The West Indies
rivers	yes	The Volga
oceans	yes	The Pacific
seas	yes	The Mediterranean
gulfs, bays and straits	yes	The Gulf of Mexico The Bay of Biscay
lakes	no	Lake Erie
current	yes	The Gulf Stream

10.4 Look at this encyclopaedia entry about Iceland and underline any words that refer to particular features of the environment.

Iceland An island republic in the North Atlantic. The landscape consists largely of barren plains and mountains, with large ice fields particularly in the south west. The island has active volcanoes and is known for its thermal springs and geysers. With less than 1% of the land suitable for growing crops, the nation's economy is based on fishing. Fish products account for 80% of the exports. Area: 103,000 km². Population: 227,000. Capital: Reykjavik.

10.5 In the paragraph below all the instances of ‘the’ have been omitted. Insert them wherever they are necessary:

Brazil is fifth largest country in world. In north densely forested basin of River Amazon covers half country. In east country is washed by Atlantic. Highest mountain chain in South America, Andes, does not lie in Brazil. Brazil's most famous city is Rio de Janeiro, former capital. Capital of Brazil today is Brasilia.

 

10.6 Can you answer the following general knowledge questions about the environment?

1. What is the highest mountain in Africa?

2. What is the longest river in Europe?

3. Where is the highest waterfall in the world?

4. Name another country, apart from Iceland, which has geysers and hot springs.

5. What is a delta and which famous river has one?

6. Where are the Straits of Gibraltar and the Cape of Good Hope?

 

10.7 Complete the paragraph below about your own country, or any other country that interests you. Remember to use 'the' whenever it is necessary:

......................... (1)is a..................... (2) in................................ (3).

The countryside is.................. (4) in the north and................... (5) in

the south. The country's economy is based on...... (6). The best-known

river in....................... (7) is........................ (8). The most famous chain of

mountains is.................................. (9) and the highest mountain in that chain is

......................... (10)......................... (11) is a major environmental problem in

......................... (12) today.

 

10.8 Give two nouns from your active vocabulary to go with the adjectives below. Try not to repeat any of the nouns you choose:

Example: sandy beach/shore

1 sandy 2 steep 3 shallow 4 rocky 5 turbulent 6 dangerous

 

10.9 There are many environmental problems in the world today. Check with a dictionary if you do not know any of the terms below:

air, river and sea pollution overfishing the greenhouse effect the destruction of the ozone layer destruction of the rainforests battery farming waste disposal overpopulation

 

 

(Based on English Vocabulary in Use, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced. Michael McCarthy, Felicity O’Dell)