Vocabulary in Action
Match the vveather vvords 1-10withvvordsa-j vvhich have a similar meaning.
1 scorching 2 humid 3 íoggy 4 overcast 5 glare 6 blustery 7 chilly 8 mild 9 blizzard 10 shovver
a misty b blaze c breezy d snovvstorm e svveltering f nippy g pleasant h cloudy i dovvnpour j rnuggy
Complete the sentencesvvith some of the vvords from exercise A. Sometimes morethan one answer is possible.
1 It was quite a day and we had to take our hats offso they didn’t blow away!
2 Although it’sFebruary, the weather is quite _______________ ; we usually still have ice on the roadsat this time of year.
3 lf only the sky weren’t so and dark - l’d been hoping to take some good photos of the garden today.
4 Wow - it’s really today. Howabouta day at the beach?
5 Wewere caught in asudden whilewe wereoutshopping. Wegot drenched!
6 On these mornings, I have to be especially caretul as I drivetoworkbecause I can hardly see the road ahead!
7 I hate these vvarm days which make your skinfeel sosticky.
8 Ítwíll probably be quite in the evening, so I suggest you take a jacket or a cardigan with you to the restaurant.
9 Wehad to wait for ages in the full of the sun because there was no shade anyvvhere.
10 The climbers puton their goggles and tried tostruggle along the mountain pathas the raged around them.
Complete the sentences about the vveather with the correct form ofthesephrasalverbs.
beat down blowover break through brighten up bucket down die down hold off roll in 1 lf this breeze a little,vve’11 be able to have lunch in the garden.
2 We were lucky that the rain until we had got home. otherwise vvevvould have been soaked!
3 As we reached the topof the mountain, the sun the clouds and shone across the beautitul landscape belovv us.
4 Itstarted, so we ducked intoa nearby caféto wait for the rain to pass.
5 The sun---on the passengers as they madetheir way across the tarmacto the vvaiting aircraít.
6 As vveapproached the bottom of the valley, the fog and soon the world around us vvas lost from sight.
7 A light drizzle wasíalling as we set outfrom the hotel,but by lunchtime the vveather had andwevvere able tosit in the sun for our picnic.
8 l’m sure this storm will pretty soon andthenwe can carry on with our walk.
Circle the correct vvords.
1 Youcan reduceyour tossil íuels/carboníootprint / greenhouse gasesbytaking thetrain rather than driving.
2 Flying posesaserious threat / mishap / pitíallto the environmentbecauseof the amount ofCO2 produced.
3 Thelivestock industry produces moregreenhouse gas turbines/pollutants / emissions than all cars and planes.
4 Nature reservesaimto conserve / reclaim/ sustain the natural habitatsof various endangered species.
5 The oil spill / sewage / smogin the Gulf ofMexico in 2010 caused irreparable damageto Coastal ecosystems.
6 The council has banned / declined / denied cars from the City centre to reduce trattic and improve air quality.
7 The UKplansto close all its carbon / coal-tired / industrial povver stations by 2025.
8 It isimperativethat the amountof rubbish being buried in landtills / ecosystems / junkyards be reduced.
Complete thesentences with these vvords.
agribusinesses depletion íelled tertile intensive logging nutritional pastures ranches slash-and-burn
Are cows destroying the environment?
No doubt, like many people, you sometimes enjoya burgerora tasty stew. But doyou knowwhat impactyour beefconsumption is having on the planet?
Much ofthe world’s beef comes from vast cattle (1)in South America and about 15 per cent of the Amazon raintorest has been destroyed to make wayfor them. Detorestation occurs when vast tracts of torest are (2)andthenset light to using the technique knovvn as (3)‘---clearance’. While the (4)of South America’s raintorests is due in part to illegal (5)- carriedoutin order to supplycompaniesin the USA and Europe with cheaptimber- the main culprits are giant (6)It isestimated that 80per cent of the cleared areasare now being used for(7)cattle tarming.
While these (8)can be expected to produce grass fora few years, the (9)valueof the soil íalls veryquickly and large amounts of Chemicaltertilisersarerequiredto keep it (12)In addition, cattle produce large quantities of methane, a greenhouse gas whichcontributes to global vvarming.
So, next time you want to order a burger, maybe you’ll think again and orderthe salad instead!
Cross out the word which doesn’t fit in each category. Can you explain why?
1 bud prune blossom bloom
2 root branch twig trunk
3 wilt vvither shrivel ripen
4 contaminate sow plant cultivate
5 sprout seedling shrub shoot
6 petal stem leat cutting
7 germinate extoliate pollinate photosynthesize 8 insecticide compost pesticide tertiliser
9 thresh graze harvest plough
10 foliage greenery haystack vegetation
UNIT10 157
m IM 10
G Complete the sentenceswith the correctform of vvords from exercise F. Sometimes morethan one answeris possible.
1 Dozensof different species of vvildliíe can hide and hunt in the lush tropical of the island.
2 The bestway to vegetable seedsisto keep them ina warm, moist place until the seedlỉngs break throughthe soil.
3 The use of reduces biodiversity becausethey wipe out hundreds ofspecies of wildflowers.
4 Pouring boiling water on unsightly vveeds in paths and patios will causethemto anddie, vvithoutusingdamagingChemicals.
5 Ourvillage isatits best when the almond trees in spring.
6 In Malavvi, small tarmers their arable land with oxen as they don’t have money to buy machinery.
7 Croprotation is the practice of ditterenttypesof crops in the same place each year.
8 Aíter cutting the ata 45-degree angle, place roses in a ciean vaseof water containing a tea-spoon-full ofsugar.
9 We setlight to a bundle of thin, dry andthen added larger piecesof vvood and logs.
10 Tiny green were poking up out of the soil.
Circle the correctvvords.
An unusual species
Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, ishometoavery unusual species - the red crab. (1) Familiar / Endemic to the island, it is estimated that betvveen 40 and 50million of these bright red crabs live on Christmas Island.
These large crabs, vvhose (2) spines / shells or carapaces can reach up to 116 mm, are classed as ‘arthropods’
and they livein the island’s shady, moist rainíorest.Although they are not (3) nocturnal / native creatures, they preíer to avoid direct sunlightin order to (4) preserve / protecttheir body moisture. During the dry season, they stay hidden in the humid interioroftheir underground (5) kennels / burrovvs.
Although theirdiet consists mainly of leaves, truit, flowers and seedlings, they are infact (6) omnivorous / herbivorous scavengers andvvill also eat other dead crabs and birds. They have no natural (7) prey / predators on their island homevvhich explains their large numbers.
Atthe beginningof the annual wet season, the crabs (8) hibernate / migrate from their torest habitat to the coast to (9) breed / recreate. Aíter (10)mating /multiplying, the males return to the íorest, but the temales remainon thebeachfor anothertwo vveeks after which they (11) place / laytheir eggs - up to 100,000 of them! - in the ocean at high tide. Theeggs released by the íemales (12) nest / hatchas soon as they come into contact with the sea vvater. Vast numbers of these tiny larvaeare washed outtosea,vvhere millions areeaten by fish and whale sharks, but those vvhich survive return to the shore about a month later.
Vocabulary
Complete the sentences withthe correct vvords.
1 renevvable sustainable
a lf wewanttotryandhalt the process of globalvvarming, we must replace tossil tuelswith ______________energy.
b The goal of development isto use tarmingmethods which allow the countryside to remaindiverseand productive indetinitely.
2 bay shore
a This is a tavourite spot forbothyachts and íishing boats to anchor as itis sheltered from the prevailing winds.
b We tound a dead turtlevvashed up on the 3 ílock herd
a A--- of cattle had blocked the roadandthe drivers wereobliged to wait until the tarmer managed to round them up.
b Wewatched in amazementas the clever dog guidedthe ofsheep across the hillside.
4 pond reservoir
a The Elan Valley damholds back millions ofgallons of water in a vvhich suppliesthe hugeCityofBirmingham with vvater.
b In the centre of the tarmyard, a group of ducksandgeese paddled in a muddy 5 hibernation migration
a Emperor penguins travel betvveen 50 and 100 kilometres to reachtheirbreeding grounds in their annual mass______________
b Although badgersdo become less activeduring the wintermonths,they don’t actually go into 6 amphibians reptiles
a vvhich are kept incaptivity, likesnakes, have to be provided with an artiticial heat sourceto keep them warm.
b Did you know that many, such as trogs, have gills until they reach theiradultform?
7 battery free-range
a I alvvays buy eggs because the hens are allowedto roam around and feed outside.
b Itrytoavoid eggs from tarms as I thinkthis method ofproduction is cruel.
8 savannah swamp
a We vvereastonishedto see a pride of lions basking in the sun, aswedrove across the
b Visitorsto the nature reserve can gain accesstothe by boat, with tours setting off every hour.
UNIT10 159
Cambridge in Action
Read the text and use the word given in capitalsat the end of someof the lines to form a word thatfỉts in the gap inthe same line.
The íarmer and his environment
For thousands ofyears,íarmỉngwas part of an integrated processwhere
a balance betvveen human activity and the (1) SYSTEM
was respected. Hovvever, modern (2)tarming INTENSE
methods are causing the degradation of both agricuỉtural landand the environment.
Farmers use (3)and otherspraysto wipe out vveeds and to killinsectsand fungi. Cuỉtivationofhuge monoculture tields leads to a(4)of the soil’s tertility. In order to maintain its (5)value, tarmers are thenobliged to use Chemical (6)to enrich the soil. These substances are essentially (7)vvhichseepinto the vvater table and ultimately into the food Chain.
Underpressure from activists and environmentalists, tarmers are increasingly turning to more (8)methodsofcultivation in order to tryand redress the balance. They are beginningto reintroduce the use of traditional manure and organicmeansofkeeping pest populations in check.
PEST
DEPLETE NUTRITION FERT1LE POLLUTE
SUSTAIN
Vocabulary
IViichigan in Action
Choose the vvord or phrase that most appropriately completes the sentence.
1 In vvinter, many animals go into__ in orderto survive freezing temperatures andscarcityof food.
a migration b hibernation c congestion d depletion
2 Sometimes the mother hen abandons her eggs,so we keep them in a special incubator until the chicks___
a hatch b nest c lay d mate
3 The__ of this ancient tree is more than sixteen metres across!
a twig b b ra n ch c trunk d petal
Ị
4 Local water suppliesbecame__ when Chemicals used in the íracking process leaked into an underground aquiter.
a multiplied b sustained c contaminated d logged
5 Wehurried back to ourcaraswe saw theclouds__
over the mountains.
a rolling in b holdingoff c beating down d bucketingdown 6 A herdof cows was__ peacetully in the tield.
a grazing b ripening
c blooming d threshing
7 Thechildren loveto sail theirtoy boats on the__ in thepark.
a reservoir b pond
c shore d bay
8 The red kite, abeautitul birdof prey, is__ to the mountainsofmid-Wales.
a íamiliar b endemic
c declined d conserved
’ These hot,__ daysgive mea headache!
a misty b mild
c chilly d muggy
Cody was brought up on a cattle__ sohe knows all about how to handle livestock.
a business b ranch
c retuge d habitat
11 The minister__ that toxic vvaste had leaked from the watertreatment plant into the river.
a reclaimed b banned c declined d denied
12 A dense blanket ofhazardous__ hangs over many of China’s citiesand industrial areas.
a smog b sevvage c mist d carbon
13 The fox isa__ animal, so you will rarely getthe chance tosee one indaylight.
a native b free-range c renevvable d nocturnal
14 In my protession, Ihave to do alotof tlying, but I try to offset my carbon__ by planting treesandplants in my garden.
a heartbeat b íuels c threat d íootprint
15 In afew more days, the apricots will have__ andwe vvill be able to eat them straightoff the tree!
a withered b recreated
c preserved d ripened
16 Dad built a special__ for our dog, Hector, to sleep in.
a kennel b burrow
c nest d battery
17 The hedgehog’s Sharp__protect himfrom predators such as íoxes and owls.
a twigs b Shell
c spines d sprouts
18 I hope thevveather__ a bítlatertoday-l’mfedup with sittinginside looking at the rain.
a breaks through b holdsoff c brightens up d blovvs over 19 Today will be__ , so hold onto your hats!
a overcast b blustery
c svveltering d misty
20 Even a seemingly gentle walk in the mountains can hide a number of__ , so make sureyoutake warm clothes, good boots and an accurate map.
a burdens b threats
c mishaps d pitíalls
UNIT10 161
Unit 10
Michigan in Action
Read thepassage aboutgardening, then choose the word or phrasethat fills the blankcorrectly.
The smallgarden
Gardeningisn’t justforoỉder people - it can be great fun for all the tamily.You don’t needa big garden - evena small space can be used to (1)__ all kinds ofdelicious herbs and vegetables and the (2)__will brighten up even the dullest balcony or patio. There’s nothing like cutting afewíresh (3)__ of mint orparsleytoaddto your summer salads!
You can also teach your kidsthe value of recycling and re- using everyday household items in the process. Fill an old eggtray with soil. (4)__ one seed in each of the separate eggcompartments. Lightly cover the tray with apiece of cling film in order to(5)__ moisture - at this stage, a(n) (6)__ atmosphere is best. Put the tray on the vvindovvsill in the sunshineand your seedsvvill soon begin to (7)_ . Be caretul though- if the weather is (8)__ , move thetray to a cooler spot. When the íirst (9)__ begin toshovvthrough the soil, transter them into larger pots.
Avoid harmtul Chemicals by collecting all the vegetable and íriiit peelings fromyour kitchen and creating your own organic (10)__with which to íertilise your new plants!
1 a harvest b thresh c contaminate d cuỉtivate
2 a greenery b haystack c cuttings d greenhouse
3 a stems b leaves c petals d tvvigs
4 a Wilt b Bloom c Prune d Sow
5 a sustain b protect c preserve d breed
6 a chilly b humid c íoggy d overcast
7 a germinate b extoliate c pollinate d estimate
8 a chilly b mild c scorching d breezy
9 a mates b shoots c shrubs d roots
10 a biodiversity b toliage c insecticide d compost