Unit 8, Nature and Environment | Exercises and Flashcards

Unit 8, Optimise B2 Exercises and Flashcards

These exercises focus on Unit 8, Optimise B2

Wordlist for Unit 8, Optimise B2

Word	Definition	Example
carbon footprint	the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community	We're trying to reduce our carbon footprint by using our bikes more and the car less
climate change	a permanent change in the Earth's weather conditions	We need to take climate change more seriously, or our world is going to become a very different place
global warming	a general increase in world temperatures caused by increased amounts of carbon dioxide around the Earth	If we don't do something about global warming, some islands are going to disappear under the sea
greenhouse effect	the gradual warming of the air surrounding the Earth as a result of heat being trapped by pollution	The greenhouse effect means our planet is becoming warmer than it should be
ozone layer	a layer of gases in the sky that prevents harmful radiation from the sun from reaching the Earth	Although we can't see it, the ozone layer protects us from dangerous UV radiation
renewable energy	energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power	We need to rely more on renewable energy like solar panels to generate electricity
sustainable development	economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources	Governments are now more concerned about sustainable development, but they still don't do enough to control economic growth
toxic waste	unwanted chemicals that are the result of manufacturing or industry and that are poisonous to living things	There is a lot of industry there and the river and sea are polluted with toxic waste
call for	require, demand	This situation calls for immediate action
chop down	make a tree, etc. fall by cutting it	We decided to chop down the old oak tree in the garden
clean up	make a place completely clean and tidy	Why don't you clean up your room before your friends arrive?
die out	become less common and then disappear	Does anyone know why the dinosaurs died out?
do away with	get rid of	They've done away with the traffic lights outside the school
run out	if sth runs out, you don't have any more of it	One day, all the world's oil supply will run out. What will we do then?
throw away	get rid of sth you no longer want	Do you mind if I throw away all these old magazines?
wipe out	destroy completely	Wolves were wiped out in Britain centuries ago
affected by	influenced or touched by an external factor	Were you affected by the recent floods?
exposed to	not covered or hidden; visible	Young children shouldn't be exposed to cigarette smoke
harmful to	causing or likely to cause harm	Building another airport will be very harmful to the local environment
protected from	preserved from harm, especially by means of formal or legal measures	Elephants need to be protected from local hunters
threatened by	state one's intention to take hostile action against (someone) in retribution for something done or not done	The local wildlife is threatened by pollution from factories
waste of	use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose	Trying to explain something to Harry is a waste of time because he never listens
benefit	an advantage, improvement, or help that you get from something	I never had the benefit of a university education
beneficial	having a good effect	Cycling is highly beneficial to health and the environment
benefactor	someone who gives money for a good purpose	An anonymous benefactor donated $2 million
industry	the large-scale production of goods or of substances such as coal and steel	This type of software is widely used in industry
industrial	relating to industry or the people working in it	Industrial production has risen by 0.5% since November
live	if you live in a place, you have your home there	They lived in Holland for ten years
life	the period of time when someone is alive	You have your whole life ahead of you
alive	still living and not dead	It was a bad accident – they're lucky to be alive
living	alive now	He's one of the greatest living composers
lively	someone who is lively has a lot of energy and is very active	She is an curious lively child
ordinary	average, common, or usual, not different or special	It's just an ordinary camera
extraordinary	very unusual or surprising	It took an extraordinary amount of work
origin	the place or situation in which something begins to exist	The word is French in origin
originate	to come from a particular place or start in a particular situation	A lot of our medicines originate from tropical plants
original	existing or happening first, before other people or things	The land was returned to its original owner
originally	in the beginning, before other things happened or before things changed	The family originally came from France
signify	to represent, mean, or be a sign of something	Some tribes use special facial markings to signify status
insignificant	too small or unimportant to consider or worry about	You realize that your problems are insignificant in comparison
insignificantly	in an important way or to an important degree	Health problems can be insignificantly reduced by careful diet
significance	the importance of an event, action etc, especially because of the effects or influence it will have in the future	Stella didn't attach any significance to Doug's query
storm	a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often	The weather forecast is for severe storms tonight
stormy	with strong winds, heavy rain, and dark clouds	The sky was starting to look stormy
tradition	a belief, custom, or way of doing something that has existed for a long time, or these beliefs, customs etc in general	There is a strong tradition of sport at the school
traditional	being part of the traditions of a country or group of people	It is traditional not to eat meat on Good Friday
traditionally	according to tradition	More women are entering traditionally male jobs

Illustration of Unit 8, Nature and Environment

FAQ

What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change"?

Global warming refers to the increase in Earth's temperature due to greenhouse gases (The rise in CO₂ is causing global warming).
Climate change includes global warming but also changes in weather patterns, storms, and natural disasters (Climate change is affecting rainfall and temperatures worldwide).

What does "carbon footprint" mean?

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases a person or activity produces (Using public transport helps reduce your carbon footprint).

How does "renewable energy" help the environment?

Renewable energy, such as solar or wind power, can be used repeatedly without running out, unlike fossil fuels (Wind farms provide renewable energy without polluting the air).

What does "wipe out" mean in relation to the environment?

"Wipe out" means to completely destroy or eliminate something (Deforestation is wiping out many animal species).

What does "harmful to" mean?

"Harmful to" describes something that causes damage or danger (Plastic pollution is harmful to marine life).

How does "throw away" contribute to environmental problems?

"Throw away" means to dispose of something, often creating waste (Throwing away plastic bottles increases pollution).

What’s the difference between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" in nature?

Ordinary means common or normal (Rainfall is an ordinary weather event).
Extraordinary means unusual or remarkable (The Northern Lights are an extraordinary sight).

What does "sustainable development" mean?

Sustainable development is using resources in a way that meets present needs without harming future generations (Sustainable development focuses on balancing economic growth and environmental protection).