Lesson 57 Vocabulary
English word English Definition English Example sentence
1 a poacher a person who kills and sells endangered animals for profit Elephant poachers are driven to kill elephants by the extreme value of ivory.
2 an environmental group a group of people who work to make the earth better for plants and animals Greenpeace is probably the most famous environmental group.
3 an environmentalist a person who cares about and tries to protect the plants and animals on Earth I used to be an environmentalist; I didn't eat meat and I tried to use very little gasoline.
4 a food source a plant or animal that can be used as food Whales are an important food source for Eskimos and Inuit people.
5 an ecosystem a system of plants and animals that interact within a certain location The rainforests of the world have an intricate ecosystem.
6 natural resources valuable things that are found in nature America is blessed with many natural resources such as wood and coal.
7 deforestation the loss of forests due to people cutting down trees Many parts of the rainforest are suffering from deforestation as farmers begin to plant more soybeans.
8 to encroach upon ~ to draw near to something and interfere with it The city encroached upon the forest, driving many animals away.
9 to release ~ back into the wild to let an animal go after having caught it The organization found sick birds, made them healthy again, and then released them back into the wild.
10 to safeguard ~ to protect something The US Government wanted to safeguard the forest, so they created a National Park.
11 to preserve ~ to keep something safe from change or harm The museum preserved artifacts from long ago.
12 to regulate ~ to apply rules or laws to something Hoping to regulate the number of cars on the road, the city implemented a toll system.
13 to conserve ~ to try and use something more slowly We can't stop using coal, but we should try to conserve it because there is not an endless supply.
14 to prevent ~ to stop something from happening Hoping to prevent global warming, the country stopped using coal as a fuel source.
15 to outlaw ~ to make something illegal or prohibited Hoping to save the elephant population, the country outlawed poaching.
16 to threaten ~ to be about to interfere with something, to be about to cause damage Widespread use of pesticides threatens biodiversity.
17 to jeopardise ~ to put something in danger We are jeopardising the future of the planet when we produce nuclear weapons.
18 to be vulnerable to be weak and easily-damaged Coral is very vulnerable to changes in ocean acidity and temperature.
19 to be at risk to be close to danger Many of the coral reefs have already died, and many more are at risk.
20 to be detrimental to ~ to have a negative effect on something Looking at a computer screen too long is detrimental to your eyes.
21 to be environmentally-friendly to not hurt or cause damage to the environment My car is very environmentally-friendly; it's a Toyota Prius.