Lesson 55 Vocabulary
English word English Definition English Example sentence
1 to flood to become covered in deep water During typhoons, sometimes low parts of the city flood.
2 to shrink to become smaller I put an ice cube into my tea and it shrank very quickly.
3 to melt when a solid (such as ice) turns into a liquid (such as water) The snow melted and made the river very big and wide.
4 to thaw of a frozen material, to become not frozen I froze some chicken; then, before I ate it, I thawed it.
5 to submerge ~ to put something into liquid When it's hot outside, I like to submerge my head in cold water.
6 to rise to get higher The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
7 to burn fossil fuels to use things that contain ancient plant or animal life as a fuel People burn fossil fuels when they drive, because gasoline is a fossil fuel, much like coal and natural gas.
8 emissions the gases and chemicals released when you burn something The chemical emissions that come from burning plastic are very unhealthy.
9 to release carbon dioxide to turn carbon dioxide into a gaseous form and put it into the air The power plant released carbon dioxide every day, as it burnt coal.
10 the atmosphere the pocket of air surrounding planet Earth The atmosphere is essential to life on this planet.
11 the ozone layer a special layer of air high in the sky that blocks harmful rays from the sun The ozone layer is recovering from damage, however, there is still a big hole in it over the polar regions.
12 greenhouse gasses the general word for all gasses that contribute to warming the planet Carbon dioxide is the most well-known greenhouse gas; however, methane is another strong greenhouse gas.
13 the greenhouse effect the process by which the Earth becomes warmer due to the composition of the atmosphere The greenhouse effect is contributing to rising temperatures.
14 a heat wave a period of extremely hot weather The heatwave killed many elderly people in the big city.
15 a polar ice cap the areas covered in ice near the top and bottom of the planet If the polar ice caps melt, many cities will go underwater.
16 a glacier a large river of ice Many glaciers are getting smaller as the planet warms.
17 the sea level the level of the ocean Sea level will rise a bit every year as it gets warmer.
18 climate change the general word for all changes in the climate due to the release of greenhouse gasses Climate change is resulting in higher temperatures, and also more storms and hurricanes.
19 an ice sheet a large flat expanse of ice near the edges of a continent The ice sheet extends for miles off the coast of Antarctica, and icebergs break off occasionally.
20 the impact on ~ the negative change in something Oil drilling and transport has a bad impact on the environment.
21 to wreak havoc upon ~ to cause very bad damage to something The oil spill wreaked havoc upon the coastal region.