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27 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
Contamination |
Pollution by poisons or dangerous elements |
The atmosphere in large cities is often contaminated by smog, as we can see in China. |
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The biosphere |
The relationship between all living things on the planet |
Children should be educated on the biosphere trough field trips and practical experiments |
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emissions |
Gases entering the atmosphere |
Scientists spend their whole careers studying the effect of emissions on the climate. |
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Pollutant particles |
Microscopic elements of pollution |
I remember going to a factory and seeing the snow covered with pollutant particles. |
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Run-off |
Water that runs from the ground into rivers and lakes. |
We should try to collect and use more run-off water, to avoid having to recycle water so much |
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The water cycle |
The natural process of water, to avoid having to recycle water so much |
Scientists believe the water cycle is responsible for various natural events, especially in coastal areas. |
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Aquifers |
Underground, natural water stores |
My family have a well which connects to an aquifer, giving very pure water. |
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Filteration |
The process of filtering and removing impurities |
Water filteration might be a solution to water shortages in very hot countries |
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Water table |
The layer of water below ground |
In my town, the water table is very high, and water will apear in even a small hole |
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Tainted |
Polluted or contaminated |
The Mediterranean is badly tainted in some areas by sewage pollution. |
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Soil erosion |
The loss of soil by rain and wind activity |
Deforestation has increased soil erosion seriously in brazil |
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Logging |
Cutting down trees for timber and industrial use |
Logging has endangered many species throughout the world. |
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Dumping |
Leaving waste deliberately without storing or treating it |
In most countries, dumping rubbish is a criminal offence |
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Waste |
Any material not wanted or needed after a process |
In my country, we use waste from cotton manufacture for lighting fires. |
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Landfills |
Organized area where waste is buried in the ground . |
Surprisingly, Britain still send most of its domestic waste to landfill sites. |
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Waste processing |
Recycling or reducing waste into manageable forms |
My brother has a waste processing company, which is subsidised by the local authority |
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Poaching |
Illegally hunting and killing animals |
Elephant poaching should be a much higher priority for the world authorities, as elephants are an endangered species. |
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Habitat loss |
Destruction or disappearance of an animal's natural home |
Logging has caused substantial habitat loss for wildlife in many countries |
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Food chain |
The natural system of animals eating other animals and plants |
The food chain has been disrupted by the lose of certain species, with widespread impacts on all animals |
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Dwindling numbers To dwindle= |
to steadily decline in quantity |
States seem to have dwindling funds to pay for animals sanctuaries, although they are still able to pay for government officials and their perks |
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Extinction |
The final death of all animals in a species |
Dinosaur extinction may have been caused by a meteor or volcano, but scientists seem unsure about this. |
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Famine |
A situation where there is a lack of food in an area for long time |
Many singers help make charity songs to raise fund for famine relief. |
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Drought |
Similar to famine, but a lack of water |
Drought in centeral Africa can continue for many years, apparently |
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Irrigation |
Supplying water to land for agriculture |
If we want quick solutions to famine, better irrigation and farming methods would probably be the first step. |
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Catastrophe |
A great disaster affecting many people |
The continuing destruction of the rain forests is a catastrophe for the global biosphere |
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Exacerbated To exacerbate |
To make an existing problem worse, acidentally or deliberately |
Famin in Africa has been exacerbated by civil war and political instability. |
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precipitation |
rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground بارندگی یا بارش |
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