The Natural World

Question 1

Sea

• drown/ be lost at sea
• live by the sea
• go by sea
• He went to sea (= go to work on a ship) when he was 18.
• This ship put (out) to sea (= sail a boat away from land) at dawn.
• They had to rescue three young canoeists who were swept out to sea (= be taken far away from land by the sea).
  …
• The tanker split apart and sank in heavy/rough sea (= with big waves).
• a calm/flat sea
• The wind was starting to pick up and the sea was becoming choppy (=with a lot of small waves).
• a stormy sea
• the open sea (= the part of the sea that is far away from land)
  …
• (500 feet) above/below the sea level
• A lot of these small creatures feed on the sea bed/floor.
• He breathed in the fresh sea air.
• All the bedrooms have a sea view.
• Removing salt from sea water is an expensive process.

Question 2

Wave

• waves break (=fall onto the land or a boat) on the shore
• waves lap (= hit gently) against (the boat, rocks)
• huge waves crash (= fall noisily) against (the boat, rocks)
• huge waves crashed down on us
• waves pound (= hit something hard) the rocks
• Our boat nearly capsized after it was hit by a huge wave.
• sink/ vanish beneath the waves
  …

surf the waves
…

wave energy/power (electricity from the movement of waves)
…

• a huge wave
• a tidal wave (= a very large ocean wave)
• the crest of a wave

Question 3

River

• the river flows through the town
• the river runs (= flows in a particular direction) into the sea
• a river winds (= turns and curves) across the plain
• There are fears that the river could flood.
• The village was flooded when the river rose and burst its banks.
• a river overflows (its banks)
• a river dries up
• the river narrows at this point
• The Yellow River rises (= it starts there) in Tibet.
• The water was shallow enough for us to be able to ford the river (= cross a river on foot, in a vehicle, or on a horse, without using bridge).
• The narrow cliffs once made the river dangerous to navigate (= to travel along a river).
• pollute a river
  …
• a wide/narrow river
• a deep/shallow river
• After the rains, the river was swollen/high (= containing more water than usual) and running swiftly.
• the child fell into a fast-flowing river
• a mighty river
• a navigable river (= people are able to travel along it in a boat)
  …
• on the banks of a river
• at the mouth of a river (= where it join the sea)
• the source of a river
• we sails down the lower/upper reaches of the river (= the upper, lower parts)
• He rounded a bend in the river and saw Flora sitting there.
  …
• fall into a river
• walk along a river
• sail up/down a river
• drift down a river
  …
• the river bank
• a river bed
• a river valley

Question 4

Island

• live on an island
• get to/ reach an island
• visit an island
• leave an island
• sail round an island
  …
• He was shipwrecked on a desert island (=a tropical island that is far away and where nobody lives).
• a remote island
• a tropical island
• an uninhabited island (=one where nobody lives)
• a volcanic island
• The turtles lay their eggs on the beaches of offshore islands (= not far from the coast).

Question 5

Beach

• go to the beach
• lie on the beach
• clean up the beach
• walk along/on the beach
• stroll (barefooted) along the beach
• (people) flock to the beach
• the beach stretches for (miles)
• spend the day at the beach
• sth is washed up on the beach
  …
• a sandy beach
• a rocky beach
• a white/golden beach
• a shingle/pebble/pebbly beach (= covered with very small stones)
• a private/public beach
• a deserted/empty beach (= with no one on it)
• an unspoiled beach (= is still beautiful because no one has built roads or buildings on it)
• an dirty beach
• the local beach
• a quiet/crowded beach
• a long beach **of golden sand*
  …
• a beach holiday
• a beach resort
• a row of brightly painted beach huts (= a small building on the beach for storing things)
• a beach bar/restaurant
• a beach towel

Question 6

Sand

• dig in the sand
• bury (Dad) in the sand
• get sand in (your eyes)
• (the wind) blow sand into (your eyes)
• hot sand
• dry/wet sand
• soft sand

Question 7

Mountain

• **go/walk up/down* a mountain
• climb a mountain
• ascend a mountain
• walk in the mountains
• take a (difficult/scenic) route through the mountains
• The mountain rise (= go high into the sky) above the plains.
• The distant mountains soar/tower (=go very high into the sky) abruptly towards the sky.
• Two young climbers fell to their death on Mount Blanc yesterday.
  …
• a steep mountain
• the spectacular scenery of rugged mountains (=rough and uneven)
• beautiful views of snow-capped mountains
• a sacred mountain (= considered holy)
  …
• The Alps are the largest mountain range
• Clouds hid the mountain peaks.
• Snow lay on the steep mountain slops.
• Their journey took them through river valleys and over mountain passes.
• The water was as clear and cold as a mountain stream.
• a walk in the clear mountain air
• Mountain rescue (=people who help people who are in difficulty on a mountain) teams were called out to search for the missing climbers.
  …
• the top/summit of a mountain
• the foot/bottom of a mountain
• The path wound up the side of the mountain.
• the view of a mountain
• It’s a long climb up the mountain, but the view was worth it.

Question 8

Forest

• clear a forest (= cut down and remove the trees)
• Large areas of forest have been planted.
• The forest was cut down to make way for housing.
  -The mountain slopes were covered in forest.
• destroy a forest
• forest shrink
  …
• a path through the forest
• the destruction of the forest
  …
• a thick/dense forest
• a deciduous forest (= with trees that lose their leaves in winter)
• a coniferous forest (= with pine or fir trees)
• a primeval forest
  …
• a forest fire
• a forest floor
• a forest canopy
• forest management

Question 9

Ground

• fall to the ground
• (10 meters) above/off the ground
• (10 meters) below the ground
• (a building) is burned to the ground
  …
• uneven ground
• the ground is frozen
• hard/soft ground
  …
• football ground/pitch/stadium
• parade ground (= a place where soldiers practise marching or standing together in rows)
• hunting ground (= a place where animals are hun
• a happy hunting ground for antique collectors(= a place where people who are interested in a particular thing can easily find what they want)
• burial ground
• waste ground (= an empty unattractive piece of land that is not used for anything)

Question 10

Field

• plough a field
• work in the field (=do farm work)
• (cows/horses) graze in a field
  …
• All around the house were green fields and rolling hills.
• a corn/wheat/rice field
• an open field
• Barley was growing in the arable fields (= one used for growing crops) surrounding the castle.
• a cultivated field (= one with crops growing on it)
• a ploughed field
  …