23 Physical geography

A Geographical Features

You have to be careful about the use of 'the' with geographical features.

Language Help

Although most countries do not take 'the', they do need the definite article when they are followed by a phrase limiting the meaning, e.g. the Japan of today, the France we know from paintings, the South America of the past.

Exercises

23.1 Find words on the opposite page that match the definitions.

23.2 In the paragraph below all the instances of the have been omitted. Insert them wherever they are necessary.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. In the north, the densely forested basin of the River Amazon covers half the country. In the east, the country is washed by the Atlantic. The highest mountain chain in South America, the Andes, does not lie in Brazil. Brazil's most famous city is Rio de Janeiro, the former capital. Today the capital of Brazil is Brasilia.

23.5 Give two nouns from the opposite page to go with the adjectives below.

23.6 Over to you

Draw a map of a country or area that interests you. Write the English names of its main geographical features on it. Write a paragraph about the geography of the area.

24 Environmental problems

A The Problems and Their Causes

A variety of environmental problems now affect our entire world. As globalisation1 continues, local issues become international ones, so today there are few places in the world that do not suffer from environmental problems. Some of the major problems now affecting the world are acid rain2, air pollution3, global warming4, hazardous5 waste, ozone depletion6, smog7, water pollution, overpopulation, and rainforest destruction8. People are also worried about the greenhouse effect, where an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide [CO2] and other gases9 in the Earth's atmosphere10 causes a gradual warming of the surface of the Earth. This global warming is leading to the thawing of the polar ice caps11 and all this is causing concern about climate change. Both human behaviour and climate change have led to many animal and plant species12 becoming endangered13 or even extinct14.

1 increasing business, cultural and other contacts between countries   2 rain which contains harmful chemicals as a result of burning substances such as oil and coal   3 damage caused to the air by harmful substances or waste   4 rise in the world's temperature   5 dangerous   6 reduction in the ozone layer   7 air pollution found in cities caused by a mixture of smoke, gases and chemicals (smoke + fog)   8 destroying (cutting down) forest in a tropical area which receives a lot of rain   9 substance in a form that is neither solid nor liquid   10 the mixture of gases around the Earth   11 ice covering the areas at the North and South Poles   12 types   13 very few in number, at risk of becoming extinct   14 not existing any longer

Language Help

The prefix over- means too much. Overfishing means that people have fished so much that it is having a serious effect on fish populations. Overpopulated means there are so many people living in an area that life is difficult there.

B Dealing with the Problems

Worldwide efforts are being made to improve the situation. Green parties and green or ecological policies are mainly concerned with protecting the environment. Conservation organisations are developing nature reserves where plants and animals are protected. Some farmers produce organic food, which avoids the use of harmful chemicals. More companies try to behave in a way that is environmentally friendly or ecologically sound. Societies attempt to dispose of waste in a more responsible way, by, for example, recycling as much as possible. People aim to reduce their carbon footprint by using cars less so that they cut down on their use of fossil fuels, for example.

C Word Families

24.2 Match words to form compound nouns.

24.3 Choose a word from the opposite page to complete each sentence.

24.4 Over to you