Gateway B1 Unit 6 Planet Earth Vocabulary

beach

an area of sand or small stones near the sea or another area of water such as a lake

desert

an area, often covered with sand or rocks, where there is very little rain and not many plants

forest

a large area of land covered with trees and plants, usually larger than a wood, or the trees and plants themselves

ice cap

a thick layer of ice that permanently covers an area of land

island

a piece of land completely surrounded by water

jungle

a tropical forest in which trees and plants grow very closely together

rainforest

a forest in a tropical area that receives a lot of rain

lake

a large area of water surrounded by land and not connected to the sea except by rivers or streams

mountain

a raised part of the earth's surface, much larger than a hill, the top of which might be covered in snow

mountain range

a group of hills or mountains

ocean

a very large area of sea

sea

the salty water that covers a large part of the surface of the earth, or a large area of salty water, smaller than an ocean, that is partly or completely surrounded by land

river

a natural wide flow of fresh water across the land into the sea

valley

an area of low land between hills or mountains, often with a river running through it

drought

a long period of time when there is no rain

flood

a large quantity of water that suddenly covers an area

global warming

the increase in the temperature on Earth

greenhouse effect

when heat cannot escape from the atmosphere and the temperature on Earth goes up

melt

when ice turns to water

nuclear disaster

an accident with nuclear power, usually causing radioactivity

oil spill

an accident when oil comes out of its container, for example at sea

ozone layer

the part of the Earth's atmosphere which protects the earth from the sun

pollution

the process of making the air, water or land worse, with chemicals, for example

recycle

to sort and collect rubbish in order to treat it and produce useful materials that can be used again

save

to prevent time, money, or effort being wasted or spent

waste

an unnecessary or wrong use of money, substances, time, energy, abilities, etc.

environment

the surroundings in which a person, animal, or plant lives

natural disasters

A natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life

throw away

put something in the garbage / trash, discard.

cut down

to make a tree or other plant fall to the ground by cutting it near the bottom

invest in

to put money into a project

look after

to take care of