Thematic Vocabulary Drill

Vocabulary exercises

1.     Match the words in the columns.

1.     low-carbon	a.      depletion
2.     ecological	b.      sewage
3.     greenhouse	c.      species
4.     fuel	d.      technology
5.     pollution	e.      emissions
6.     endangered	f.       production
7.     sustainable	g.      wastes
8.     toxic	h.      habitat
9.     waste-disposal	i.       soil
10. wildlife	j.       system
11. treated	k.      levels
12. ozone layer	l.       consumption
13. energy-smart	m.   sustainability
14. contaminated	n.      growth

2.     Choose an object to go with each verb.

1.      to pollute	______________
2.      to dump	______________
3.      to burn down	______________
4.      destroy	______________
5.      to preserve	______________
6.      to ensure	______________
7.      to generate	______________
8.      to consume	______________
9.      to abuse	______________
10. to deplete	______________
11. to combat	______________
12. to threaten	______________
13. to promote	______________
14. to reduce	______________

(species, fuel, ecosystem, the environment, the air, trees, waste, pollution, sustainable solutions, ozone layer, nature, greenhouse emissions, ecological sustainability, exhaust fumes)

3.     Recognize the word by its definition (n. – noun; adj. – adjective; v. - verb):

1.	n. - fuels, such as gas, coal, and oil, that were formed underground from plant and animal remains millions of years ago
2.	n. -  water that falls from the clouds towards the ground, especially as rain or snow
3.	n.+n. - the waste gas from an engine, especially that of a car
4.	adj. - not now existing
5.	adj. - working in a way that does not waste fuel
6.	n. + n. - an event such as a very bad storm that cannot be prevented or controlled and usually cannot be insured against
7.	adj. – not suitable for life
8.	n. - a device for burning things that are no longer wanted
9.	n. - a substance that pollutes
10.	adj. – causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time
11.	n. - a natural or chemical substance that is spread on the land or given to plants, to make plants grow well
12.	adj. – capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices
13.	v. - to put a chemical or other substance on or in (something) in order to protect it, preserve it, clean it, etc.

4.     Complete the  rows:

to dispose of, to discard, to toss out, _____________

green, ozone-friendly, sustainable, ____________

vanished, gone, destroyed, _____________

using little electricity/gas, power-saving,  __________  , ____________

to poison, to infect, to pollute, ____________

trash, litter, garbage, ______________

gases, pollution, emissions,  ____________

the environment, nature, ______________

5.     Put the words into four groups upon their respective common denominator  (5 items in each group):

pollution, extinction, solid fuel, ozone layer depletion, chemicals, fertilizer, droughts, calamity, emission of greenhouse gases, lead, biofuel, waste dumping, deforestation, plastics, solar power, deterioration of environment, fossil fuel, synthetic substances, abuse of nature, wind power

6.     Fill in the gaps with active vocabulary items.

I. Mankind is awakening to the problem of climate change. Although the world has recently seen  numerous _________ and dealt with their aftermath, the full scale of the problem is recognized only by  ___________ . People tend to underestimate the devastating ______________ of their activity and turn their back on ________________. Policy-makers choose to overlook the fact that ______________ should be placed front and central if we are to ____________ . Disregard for the environment rebounds on mankind. It’s vital that governments should ______________ . 

(ecological impact; ecological sustainability; preserve the environment; natural disasters; ecologists; environmental issues; combat pollution)

II. Countries that have achieved high ________________ are making a concentrated effort to ________________ . They are reducing ________________ , implementing __________________ , developing ______________ . Industrial ___________ increase pollution levels and ___________ the environment. Greenhouse emissions cause the __________________ , which in turn is responsible for global warming.

 (carbon emissions; damage; environmental awareness; conserve the environment; depletion of the ozone layer; ecologically-sound technologies; wastes; a low-carbon economy)

III. Highly-developed countries are characterized by high levels of _________________ . Industries _______________ and generate a great deal of ______________ . Urban areas are especially afflicted by pollution: _____________ , _______________ , ______________. The 21^st century should be marked by transition to __________________ and _________________ .

(sustainable economic development; sewage; energy efficiency; exhaust fumes; run on fossil fuel; carbon emissions; fuel consumption; waste dumps; energy efficiency)