IELTS Vocabulary: Nature and the Environment
hostile
(adj.) describes a natural environment in which it is difficult to survive. Both the desert and the North Pole are hostile environments
acquatic
(adj.) describes anything living in water e.g. a whale is an acquatic mammal
geo-thermal
(adj.) describes the natural heat of the Earth and the rocks under its surface
rural
(adj.) describing the countryside
urban
(adj.) describing towns & cities
sustainable
(adj.) having the ability to last for a long time (e.g. sources of energy)
venomous
(adj.) poisonous e.g. snakes, spiders
continent
(n.) a collection of countries according to their location in the world e.g. Asia, Europe
vegetation
(n.) a formal word for plants and trees
precipitation
(n.) a formal word for rain and/or snow
species
(n.) a group of animals or plants that are the same e.g. the dog is a species
dam
(n.) a huge wall across a river to stop floods
reservoir
(n.) a large lake where water is held for use in local towns
drought
(n.) a long period of time without rain
drought
(n.) a long period with little rainfall causing a region to become very dry
breed
(n.) a sub group/variety of a species e.g. dog breeds include labradors, chihuahua, collies, greyhounds
predator
(n.) an animal that kills another animal for food
organism
(n.) any living thing
erosion
(n.) damage to something over a long period of time (often by wind, water or human activity)
conservation
(n.) keeping the natural environment unspoilt and looking after the plants and animals in it
vegetation
(n.) plants (flowers, trees etc.)
contamination
(n.) pollution
irrigation
(n.) providing water to the land
Polar Ice Caps
(n.) the North & South Pole, where ice has melted in recent years
impact
(n.) the effect of something
rainforest
(n.) the jungle
ecosystem
(n.) the living and non-living things in an environment and the balance between them
deforestation
(n.) the mass-clearing of trees
ecosystem
(n.) the plants and animals (flora & fauna) found in a particular place, the environmental balance of this area
flora & fauna
(n.) the plants and animals of a particular place
biodiversity
(n.) the range of life in a particular place
the tropics
(n.) the region of the world lying between the latitudes of 23 degrees north & 23 degrees south, with wet but hot weather (adj.) tropical
geography
(n.) the study of the Earth
geology
(n.) the study of the Earth's rocks
biodiversity
(n.) the variety of life in the world or in a particular place
flood
(n.) the water left on the earth after extreme rainfall. This can happen suddenly (n.) flash-flood or after rainfall over a long period of time
cultivate
(v.) to grow things
to irrigate
(v.) to supply water to land and crops through pipes or channels
