The Natural World Flashcards
(72 cards)
1
Q
Logging
A
n., the cutting down of trees for commercial use
2
Q
Array
A
n., a large number; a collection
3
Q
Habitat
A
n., the natural world
4
Q
Nutrients
A
n., the goodness food
5
Q
Terrestrial
A
adj., living on the land
6
Q
Aquatic
A
Adj., living in the water
7
Q
Myriad
A
Adj., many; numerous
8
Q
Intact
A
Adj., whole; complete ; pristine
9
Q
Intercept
A
V., to catch; to interrupt the progress of something
10
Q
Stabilize
A
V., to keep from changing; maintain
11
Q
Erosion
A
N., loss of soil from the action of water or wind
12
Q
Inhibit
A
V., to prevent; slow down
13
Q
Defense
A
N., protection
14
Q
Deforestation
A
N., the removal of trees from a large area
15
Q
Crate
A
a large box made of wood or plastic that is used for carrying
16
Q
Untold
A
Adj., LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNTused to emphasize how bad something is
17
Q
Swath
A
Lane
18
Q
Integrity
A
1the quality of being honest and strong about what you believe to be right
personal/professional/political etc integrity
a man of great moral integrity
2formal the state of being united as one complete thing:
the territorial integrity of the country
19
Q
Amphibian
A
an animal such as a frog that can live both on land and in water
20
Q
Canopy
A
1a cover made of cloth that is fixed above a bed, seat etc as a decoration or as a shelter
2the leaves and branches of trees, that make a kind of roof in a forest:
the forest canopy
21
Q
Porous
A
1allowing liquid, air etc to pass slowly through many very small holes:
porous material
2easy to pass through or get into something:
the porous border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
22
Q
Contribute to
A
1[intransitive and transitive] to give money, help, ideas etc to something that a lot of other people are also involved in
contribute to/towards
City employees cannot contribute to political campaigns.
contribute something to/towards something
The volunteers contribute their own time to the project.
2[intransitive] to help to make something happen → contributory:
Stress is a contributing factor in many illnesses.
contribute to
Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths a year in the US.
contribute substantially/significantly/greatly etc to something
Enya’s success has contributed substantially to the current interest in Celtic music.
3[intransitive and transitive] to write articles, stories, poems etc for a newspaper or magazine → contributor
contribute to
one of several authors contributing to the book
23
Q
Furrow
A
1a deep line or fold in the skin of someone’s face, especially on the forehead → wrinkle:
A deep furrow appeared between his brows.
2a wide deep line made in the surface of something, especially the ground:
the regular furrows of a plowed field
The river cuts a long straight furrow between the hills.
24
Q
Disrupt
A
to prevent something from continuing in its usual way by causing problems:
Traffic was disrupted by a hoax bomb.
Climate change could disrupt the agricultural economy.
25
Clay
a type of heavy sticky earth that can be used for making pots, bricks etc
26
Steady
adj., 1continuous continuing or developing gradually or without stopping, and not likely to change:
Paul is making steady progress.
a steady rain
hold/remain steady
Employment is holding steady at 96%.
steady stream/flow/trickle etc
a steady stream of traffic
2not moving firmly held in a particular position and not moving or shaking → stable
hold/keep something steady
Keep the camera steady while you take a picture.
It takes a steady hand to perform surgery.
3steady job/work/income a job or work that will definitely continue over a long period of time:
It’s hard to find a steady, well-paying job.
4voice/look if someone’s voice is steady, or they look at you in a steady way, they seem calm and do not stop speaking or looking at you:
There were tears in her eyes, but her voice was steady.
He could not meet Connor’s steady gaze.
5person someone who is steady is sensible and you can depend on them:
a steady worker
6steady boyfriend/girlfriend someone that you have been having a romantic relationship with for a long time
7steady relationship a serious and strong relationship that continues for a long time
—steadily adverb:
The company’s exports have grown steadily.
Debt was increasing steadily.
—steadiness noun [uncountable]
27
Residue
1[uncountable and countable] a substance that remains on a surface, in a container etc and cannot be removed easily, or that remains after a chemical process
residue from
residue from sewage treatment plants
The flies leave a sticky residue on crops.
Rinse off any soap residue.
2[countable] formal the part of something that is left after the rest has gone or been taken away
residue of
The residue of the stock was sold.
28
Obliterate
Verb form
1to destroy something completely so that nothing remains:
Hiroshima was nearly obliterated by the atomic bomb.
2to remove a thought, feeling, or memory from someone’s mind:
Nothing could obliterate the memory of those tragic events.
3to cover something completely so that it cannot be seen:
Then the fog came down, obliterating everything.
—obliteration /əˌblɪtəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
29
Erode
Verb form
1if the weather erodes rock or soil, or if rock or soil erodes, its surface is gradually destroyed:
The cliffs are being constantly eroded by heavy seas.
The rocks have gradually eroded away.
2to gradually reduce something such as someone’s power or confidence:
Our personal freedom is being gradually eroded away.
Repeated exam failure had eroded her confidence.
30
Deplete
Verb form
to reduce the amount of something that is present or available:
Salmon populations have been severely depleted.
—depletion /dɪˈpliːʃən/ noun [uncountable]:
the depletion of the ozone layer
31
Deteriorate
Verb form
1to become worse:
Ethel’s health has deteriorated.
America’s deteriorating economy
32
Sedimentation
the natural process by which small pieces of rock, earth etc settle at the bottom of the sea etc and form a solid layer
33
Evaporate
Verb form
1[intransitive and transitive] if a liquid evaporates, or if heat evaporates it, it changes into a gas:
Most of the water had evaporated.
The sun evaporates moisture on the leaves.
2[intransitive] if a feeling evaporates, it slowly disappears:
Hopes of achieving peace are beginning to evaporate.
His courage had evaporated away.
—evaporation /ɪˌvæpəˈreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable
34
Algae
a very simple plant without stems or leaves that grows in or near water
35
Inhabit
Verb form
if animals or people inhabit an area or place, they live there SYN live:
The woods are inhabited by many wild animals.
inhabited islands
—inhabitable adjective
36
Fascinate
Verb form
if someone or something fascinates you, you are attracted to them and think they are extremely interesting:
The idea of travelling through time fascinates me.
37
Imperative
noun [countable]
1something that must be done urgently:
A broad and balanced education is an imperative for raising standards.
2formal an idea or belief that has a strong influence on people, making them behave in a particular way:
Sharing food is the most important moral imperative in Semai society.
*moral imperative
38
Evolve
To develop and change
1if an animal or plant evolves, it changes gradually over a long period of time → evolution
evolve from
Fish evolved from prehistoric sea creatures.
Animals have evolved camouflage to protect themselves from predators.
2to develop and change gradually over a long period of time:
The school has evolved its own style of teaching.
Businesses need to evolve rapidly.
evolve out of
The idea evolved out of work done by British scientists.
evolve into
The group gradually evolved into a political party.
39
Breed
Verb form
1[intransitive] if animals breed, they mate in order to have babies:
Eagles breed during the cooler months of the year.
2[transitive] to keep animals or plants in order to produce babies or new plants, especially ones with particular qualities:
These dogs were originally bred in Scotland to round up sheep.
→ crossbreed1, purebred, thoroughbred
3[transitive] to cause a particular feeling or condition:
Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.
4[transitive] if a place, situation, or thing breeds a particular type of person, it produces that type:
Society’s obsession with sex has bred a generation of unhappy children.
→ well-bred, → born and bred at born2(3)
40
Optimal
adjective formal
the best or most suitable SYN optimum
41
Hemisphere
1a half of the Earth, especially one of the halves above and below the equator:
the Northern hemisphere
2one of the two halves of your brain
3half of a sphere (=an object which is round like a ball)
—hemispherical /ˌheməˈsferəkəl, ˌhemɪˈsferəkəl/ adjective
42
Windswept
Unprotected from the wind
43
Feat
something that is an impressive achievement, because it needs a lot of skill, strength etc to do
remarkable/considerable/incredible etc feat
They climbed the mountain in 28 days, a remarkable feat.
feat of
an incredible feat of engineering
perform/accomplish/achieve a feat
the woman who performed the feat of sailing around the world alone
no mean feat (=something that is difficult to do)
It is no mean feat to perform such a difficult piece.
44
Obscure
Verb form
1to make something difficult to know or understand:
Recent successes have obscured the fact that the company is still in trouble.
2to prevent something from being seen or heard clearly:
The view was obscured by mist.
45
Stray
The leave the correct route; to become separated from the group
Verb form
1to move away from the place you should be
stray into/onto/from
Three of the soldiers strayed into enemy territory.
2to begin to deal with or think about a different subject from the main one, without intending to
stray into/onto/from
We’re straying into ethnic issues here.
This meeting is beginning to stray from the point.
3if your eyes stray, you begin to look at something else, usually without intending to
stray to/back/over etc
Her eyes strayed to the clock.
4to start doing something that is wrong or immoral, when usually you do not do this
46
Niche
job or activity that is very suitable for you:
Amanda soon found her niche at the club.
He’s managed to create a niche for himself in local politics.
2[singular] an opportunity to sell a product or service to a particular group of people who have similar needs, interests etc
niche in
He spotted a niche in the market.
47
Latitude
1[uncountable and countable] the distance north or south of the equator (=the imaginary line around the middle of the world), measured in degrees → longitude
2latitudes [plural] an area at a particular latitude:
The birds breed in northern latitudes.
the planet's southernmost latitudes
3[uncountable] formal freedom to choose what you do or say
considerable/greater latitude (=a lot of freedom to choose)
Pupils enjoy considerable latitude in deciding what they want to study.
latitude in/for
Employees should have some latitude in organizing their work.
—latitudinal /ˌlætəˈtjuːdənəl, ˌlætɪˈtjuːdənəl $ -ˈtuːdn-əl/ adjective
48
Nest
Verb form
1[intransitive] to build or use a nest:
They say eagles used to nest in those rocks.
2[transitive] to organize information, especially in a computer program, so that some of the information is recognized as separate but is included or contained in a larger part of the information:
Phrases are nested in the dictionary entry for the first major word.
49
Continent
a large mass of land surrounded by sea:
the continents of Asia and Africa
50
Equator
the equator an imaginary line drawn around the middle of the Earth that is exactly the same distance from the North Pole and the South Pole
on/at/near the equator
a small village near the equator
51
Arctic
relating to the most northern part of the world → Antarctic:
the Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya
52
Antarctic
the Antarctic the very cold most southern part of the world
53
Tundra
the large flat areas of land in the north of Russia, Canada etc, where it is very cold and there are no trees
54
Unerring
adjective
always right:
He passes the ball with unerring accuracy.
—unerringly adverb
55
Innate
1an innate quality or ability is something you are born with:
Children have an innate ability to learn language.
2an innate belief is something you feel strongly about and are unlikely to change:
the innate conservatism of the farming community
—innately adverb:
the army’s innately conservative values
56
Tolerate
Verb form
1to allow people to do, say, or believe something without criticizing or punishing them → tolerant, tolerance:
We simply will not tolerate vigilante groups on our streets.
2to be able to accept something unpleasant or difficult, even though you do not like it → tolerant, tolerance SYN stand, bear:
I couldn’t tolerate the long hours.
Register
In everyday English, people usually say stand rather than tolerate:
I don’t know how she can stand working there.
3if a plant tolerates particular weather or soil conditions, it can exist in them:
plants that tolerate drought
4if a person or their body can tolerate a food or other substance, it can use it without becoming ill:
Women’s bodies can tolerate less alcohol than men’s.
57
Complicate
Verb form
1to make a problem or situation more difficult:
The situation is complicated by the fact that I’ve got to work late on Friday.
To complicate matters further, differences exist as regards legal systems, trade customs, and language.
2[usually passive] to make an illness worse:
a heart condition complicated by pneumonia
58
Adequate
1enough in quantity or of a good enough quality for a particular purpose SYN sufficient OPP inadequate:
Farmers have been slow to make adequate provision for their retirement.
Some creams we tested failed to give adequate protection against UV light.
The standard of his work is barely adequate.
The company has yet to provide an adequate explanation for its actions.
adequate for
Are the parking facilities adequate for 50 cars?
adequate to do something
The lunchtime menu is more than adequate to satisfy the biggest appetite.
2fairly good but not excellent → satisfactory:
Her performance was adequate but lacked originality.
—adequately adverb:
She wasn’t adequately insured.
—adequacy noun [uncountable]
59
Sparse
Adj; small in number or amount
existing only in small amounts:
his sparse brown hair
rural areas with sparse populations
—sparsely adverb:
a sparsely populated area
—sparseness noun [uncountable]
60
Swing
N., a sudden or big change
1seat with ropes [countable] a seat hanging from ropes or chains, usually used by children to play on by moving it forwards and backwards using their legs:
kids playing on the swings
a porch swing
2movement [countable] a curved movement made with your arm, leg etc:
He took a swing at (=tried to hit) my head and missed.
the swing of her hips as she walked
3change [countable] a noticeable change in opinions or emotions
swing to/towards/between etc
a big swing towards right-wing ideology
She suffers from mood swings.
4sports [singular] the movement you make when you hit the ball in golf, baseball, or some other sports:
I spent months correcting my swing.
5music [uncountable] a type of dance music played by a big band in the 1930s and 1940s that is similar to jazz
6get into the swing of it/things to become fully involved in an activity:
Once we got into the swing of it, it took no time at all.
7be in full swing if an event or process is in full swing, it has reached its highest level of activity:
By midnight, the end-of-course party was in full swing.
8go with a swing British English if a party or activity goes with a swing, it is enjoyable and successful:
everything you need to make your party go with a swing
9swings and roundabouts British English used to say that two choices have an equal number of gains and losses, so there is little difference between them
61
Fringe
N., the edge of something
62
Thrive
V., to grow well
63
Resilient
Adj., tough; able to endure difficult conditions
The company proved remarkably resilient during the recession.
64
Prolific
Adj., producing a lot of something
65
Extensive
1large in size, amount, or degree:
The house stands in extensive grounds.
Fire has caused extensive damage to the island’s forests.
the extensive use of pesticides
2containing or dealing with a lot of information and details:
Extensive research is being done into the connection between the disease and poor living conditions.
The exhibition has received extensive coverage in the national press.
—extensively adverb:
As a student, he travelled extensively in the Middle East.
66
Stomata
روزنه
67
Stem
1 the long thin part of a plant, from which leaves, flowers, or fruit grow SYN stalk
2the long thin part of a wine glass, vase etc, between the base and the wide top
3the narrow tube of a pipe used to smoke tobacco
4long-stemmed/short-stemmed etc having a long stem, a short stem etc:
long-stemmed wine glasses
68
Dilutes
Verb form
1to make a liquid weaker by adding water or another liquid → water down:
diluted fruit juice
dilute something with/in something
Dilute the paint with a little oil.
2to make a quality, belief etc weaker or less effective SYN water down:
an attempt to dilute the proposals
—dilution /daɪˈluːʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]:
Any dilution of standards must be resisted
69
Determine
To decide
70
Accumulate
V., to gradually increase over time
Verb form
1[transitive] to gradually get more and more money, possessions, knowledge etc over a period of time:
It is unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate wealth.
2[intransitive] to gradually increase in numbers or amount until there is a large quantity in one place:
Fat tends to accumulate around the hips and thighs.
—accumulation /əˌkjuːmjəˈleɪʃən, əˌkjuːmjʊˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]:
the accumulation of data
71
Gland
an organ of the body which produces a substance that the body needs, such as hormones, sweat, or saliva:
the pituitary gland
72
Conservation
con‧ser‧va‧tion /ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃən $ ˌkɑːnsər-/noun [uncountable]
1the protection of natural things such as animals, plants, forests etc, to prevent them from being spoiled or destroyed SYN preservation → conserve:
wildlife conservation
a local conservation group
conservation of
conservation of the countryside
2when you prevent something from being lost or wasted → conserve:
energy conservation
conservation of
the conservation of resources through recycling
