|
English word |
English Definition |
English Example sentence |
| 1 |
to be polluted |
to be full of toxic or dirty things |
The air in LA is so polluted! |
| 2 |
to pollute ~ |
to release toxic things or dirty things into the
environment |
Cars pollute the air very much; car exhaust is a major factor
in bad air quality. |
| 3 |
to dump |
to throw trash into the environment, into a natural place |
Many people dump their old furniture in the mountains because
it costs too much to have it properly disposed of. |
| 4 |
pesticides |
farm chemicals that kill unwanted bugs and insects |
Fruits with soft flesh, such as strawberries, require a lot of
pesticides to protect them. |
| 5 |
carbon dioxide |
the by-product of breathing, or of burning things |
Coal is a convenient fuel, but burning it releases a lot of
carbon dioxide. |
| 6 |
emissions |
the general word for everything that is released into the air
by industrial processes |
Emissions of methane are increasing as the permafrost
melts. |
| 7 |
exhaust |
the dirty air that comes out of the back of an automobile |
The exhaust from the trucks was black and sooty. |
| 8 |
air pollution |
the problem of having dirty things and small particles in the
air |
China has recently become famous for its high levels of air
pollution. |
| 9 |
noise pollution |
the problem of having too many loud sounds in an
environment |
Humans can usually deal with noise pollution, but it sometimes
disturbs the sleep of animals living in the environment. |
| 10 |
light pollution |
the problem of having too much man-made light in an
environment |
Due to light pollution in big cities, it is hard to see the
stars at night. |
| 11 |
to reduce ~ |
to make something decrease or go down in number |
In order to reduce lead in the environment, the US began using
unleaded gasoline. |
| 12 |
to cut down on ~ |
to make something decrease slightly or go down a little
bit |
By producing its own oil, the country can cut down on the
amount of oil it imports. |
| 13 |
to recycle |
to take a piece of trash and re-make it into another
product |
PET bottles can be recycled into plastic bags. |
| 14 |
to contaminate ~ |
to make something dirty that was clean before |
The oil tanker started to leak and the oil contaminated the
ocean. |
| 15 |
smog |
a type of air pollution that is a mixture of smoke and fog |
Smog blanketed the city and made visibility poor. |
| 16 |
to plant ~ |
to put a seed or seedling in the ground in order to grow a
plant |
The city planted trees to improve the air quality. |
| 17 |
a developed country |
a modern, high-technology country |
I grew up in a developed country, so I had access to clean
water, plenty of food, and many work and learning
opportunities. |
| 18 |
a developing country |
a country that is in the process of becoming modern and
high-technology |
India is a developing country; its population is booming, and
people are beginning to live modern, high-tech lives. |
| 19 |
carbon footprint |
the amount of carbon dioxide produced by an individual or
country |
My carbon footprint is pretty small; I never drive, and I only
fly in an airplane about once a year. |
| 20 |
to offset ~ |
to cancel something negative by doing something positive |
I drive 50km per day, and I feel bad about it. However, I
offset my carbon emissions by planting trees on the weekends. |
| 21 |
contaminants |
the general word for all bad or poisonous things |
The factory created many jobs in the region, but also released
many contaminants. |