Unit1

UNIT 1 – The World Around Us Vocabulary


The 4 elements
water, air, earth, fire

Geographical terms
continent, land, island, peninsula, ocean, coast, seaside, bay. Gulf, river, plain, desert, lake, mountain, forest, wood

Adjectives used to indicate position of places on earth
northern, southern, western, eastern, polar, equatorial, tropical, continental, aquatic

Adjectives used to describe nature
Positive:
beautiful, quiet, picturesque, grand, wonderful, splendid, impressive, magnificent, glorious, large, superb
Negative:
hideous, disgusting, spoiled / degraded, dirty, unattractive, polluted, ugly

Wildlife
flora, organism, insects, mammals, fish, rainforest, tropical plants, exotic plats, wild animals, fauna, birds

Natural hazards / Natural changes / Environmental changes
hurricane, earthquake, flood, fire, heat wave, drought, global warming, climate changes, rise in sea level

Industrialisation
power station, chemicals, pollutants, emission of fumes, overuse of plastics, misuse of pesticides, pesticide, poisonous gas, industry/ factory/ plant

Environmental degradation
pollution, noise pollution, smoke, smog, carbon dioxide, rubbish/ garbage/ litter/ junk/ waste/ refuse disposal, household garbage, organic waste, landfill site, effluent, acid rain, exhaust pipes, traffic jams, ozone depletion, greenhouse effect, air conditioned, urbanisation, consumerism, deforestation, mass extinction, human-driven extinction


Verbs to describe environmental abuse
to pollute, to degrade, to exploit natural resources, to cause the extinction of species, to poach, to produce garbage, to dump waste/rubbish, to emit fumes, to deplete resources

Environmental protection
ecosystem, sustainable planet, recycled paper, container, bottle bank, paper bank, plastic bank, battery bank, plastic/paper bag, packaging / wrapping, sewage treatment, energy-efficient bulbs, natural fabric/fibre, water supply, environment-friendly/eco-friendly car, cruelty to animals, conservation

Adjectives related to environmental protection
biodegradable, energy saving, water saving, endangered, environmental, demographic, alternative, renewable, contaminated, user friendly, eco-friendly, economical, unleaded

Verbs related to environmental protection
to recycle, to re-use, to reduce, to save (energy/resources), to persuade, to inform, to campaign, to demonstrate, to hold a demonstration, to warn, to implement, to threaten, to restore, to sustain, to sort out / the rubbish), to conserve, to turn off, to protect, to preserve, to defend

Environmental movements and public information
ecologist, naturalist, global action, local action, campaign, persuasion, civic action, public opinion, mobilisation, respect for the planet, planet protection, poster, leaflet, booklet, advertising, ecology, research, to volunteer, to donate, to complain, green/ecological organisations

Political/Social Issues
environmental laws, environmental summit, environmental code, population density, protocols, transport policies, food resources, mineral exploration, green parties, energy policies, lobbies, overpopulation, decrease in the birth-rate

Bioethics
traditional breeding methods, identical cells, splitting an embryo, cloning, ethical concern, biotechnology, microbiology, genetical manipulation, reprogramming cells, improve food crops, genetic diseases, genetic engineering, genome, genes, biodiversity, euthanasia, surrogate mothers, sperm banks, abortion

Alternative lifestyles
veganism / vegetarianism, animal exploitation, animal liberation, cruelty to animals, reduction in animal suffering, activism, vegetarian/vegan

in Screen 2 – by Virgínia Barros, Paula Correia & Fernando Pinto