Topic vocabulary in contrast |
| urban (adj) |
relating to towns and cities |
People moved to the urban areas for jobs. |
| suburban (adj) |
in a suburb, relating to a suburb, or typical of a suburb |
We live a suburban life in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of town. |
| rural (adj) |
relating to the countryside, or in the countryside |
I'd find rural life difficult after living in a city for so long. |
| smog (n) |
polluted air that forms a cloud close to the ground |
Smog is a serious form of pollution in many large cities. |
| fog (n) |
thick clouds that form close to the ground and are difficult to see through |
Driving in fog can be very dangerous. |
| smoke (n) |
a grey, black or white cloud that is produced by something that is burning |
A column of black smoke slowly rose above the building. |
| mist (n) |
a mass of small drops of water in the air close to the ground |
The whole valley was covered with mist this morning. |
| weather (n) |
the conditions that exist in the atmosphere, for example whether it is hot, cold, sunny or wet |
The hot weather will continue through the weekend. |
| climate (n) |
the climate of a country or region is the type of weather it has |
Mexico is renowned for its hot climate and spicy food. |
| forecast(n) |
a statement about what is likely to happen, usually relating to the weather, business or the economy |
Did you hear a weather forecast today? |
| prediction (n) |
a statement about what you think will happen in the future |
My prediction is that there'll be an election within six months. |
| waste (n) |
the useless materials, substances or parts that are left after you have used something |
Many factories have stopped pumping waste into rivers. |
| litter (n) |
things that people have dropped on the ground in a public place, making it untidy |
I wish the tourists here wouldn't drop so much litter on the ground. |
| rubbish (n) |
things that you throw away because they are no longer useful |
The streets were littered with rubbish. |
| clean (adj) |
not dirty or polluted |
Go and put on a clean shirt. |
| clear (adj) |
if the sky is clear, there are no clouds |
We were just lying on the ground looking up at the clear, blue sky. |
| pour (v) |
to rain very hard |
The thunder and lightning stopped, but it continued to pour. |
| drizzle (v) |
to rain very lightly |
It was only drizzling when I left so I didn't bother taking an umbrella with me. |
| flood (v) |
to cover a place with water, or to become covered with water |
Water burst through the dam and flooded local villages. |
| environment (n) |
the natural world, including the land, water, air, plants and animals |
Industrial development is causing widespread damage to the environment. |
| surroundings (n) |
a place and all the things in it |
She soon became accustomed to her new surroundings. |
| wind (n) |
a natural current of air that moves fast enough for you to feel it |
A cold wind blew. |
| air (n) |
the mixture of gases that we breathe |
She breathed in the cold air. |
| reservoir (n) |
a lake,often an artificial one, where water is stored so that it can be supplied to houses,factories, etc |
They're planning to build a new reservoir to supply water for the area. |
| lake (n) |
a large area of water surrounded by land |
There were some boys swimming in the lake. |
| puddle (n) |
a small pool of water that is left on the ground after it has rained |
Our dog loves jumping in puddles. |
| pond (n) |
an area of water that is smaller than a lake |
My grandparents have got a small pond in their garden. |
| thunder (n) |
the loud noise that you sometimes hear in the sky during a storm |
Carol jumped under the bed when she heard the thunder! |
| lightning (n) |
the bright flashes of light that you see in the sky during a storm |
The ship was struck by lightning soon after it left the port. |
| global (adj) |
including or affecting the whole world |
The global economy has become increasingly unstable. |
| worldwide (adj) |
happening or existing all over the world |
This is a worldwide network of more than 100 organisations. |
| plain (n) |
a large flat area of land |
There's a large, flat plain between two mountain ranges. |
| land (n) |
an area of ground, especially one used for a particular purpose such as farming or building |
The land around here is very fertile. |
| field (n) |
an area of land that is used for keeping animals or growing food |
That's a field of wheat over there. |
| desert (n) |
a large area of land with few plants and dry weather |
The Sahara is one of the biggest deserts in the world. |
| extinct (adj) |
if something such as a type of animal or plant is extinct, it no longer exists |
A number of plants and insects in the rainforests have already become extinct. |
| endangered (adj) |
if something such as a type of animal or plant is endangered, it may soon become extinct |
What can we do to help protect endangered species? |
| recycle (v) |
to treat waste materials so that they can be used again |
You should recycle those newspapers and bottles. |
| reuse (v) |
to use something again |
Once you've recorded a film onto a video cassette, you can reuse the tape by just recording over the original film. |
