23 Physical geography
A Geographical Features
You have to be careful about the use of 'the' with geographical features.
| use with 'the'? | example | |
|---|---|---|
| countries | no | France |
| countries which are in a plural form | yes | the USA, the Philippines |
| individual mountains | no | Mount Everest |
| mountains in the Bernese Oberland | yes | the Jungfrau /ˈjʊŋfrav/ |
| mountain chains | yes | the Himalayas /hɪməˈleɪjəz/ |
| islands | no | Sicily |
| groups of islands | yes | the West Indies |
| rivers | yes | the Volga |
| oceans | yes | the Pacific |
| seas | yes | the Mediterranean /medɪtəˈreɪniən/ |
| gulfs, bays and straits | yes | the Gulf of Mexico, the Bay of Biscay, the Strait of Malacca |
| lakes | no | Lake Erie |
| currents | yes | the Gulf Stream |
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.
B Geographical Features in Iceland
Exercises
23.1 Find words on the opposite page that match the definitions.
23.1 Find words on the opposite page that match the definitions.
Fill in the Blank
Question 1 of 8
A movement of water in a particular direction
23.1 Find words on the opposite page that match the definitions.
Fill in the Blank
Question 1 of 8
A movement of water in a particular direction
23.2 In the paragraph below all the instances of the have been omitted. Insert them wherever they are necessary.
23.3 General Knowledge Geography Quiz
Can you answer the following general knowledge geography quiz?
Fill in the Blank
Question 1 of 6
What is the highest mountain in Africa?
23.4 Find 17 more words for geographical features. Words go horizontally or vertically but not diagonally.
23.5 Give two nouns from the opposite page to go with the adjectives below.
23.5 Adjective + Noun Collocations
Give two nouns from the opposite page that can go with each adjective below.
Short Answer
Question 1 of 6
1. sandy — Give two nouns that collocate with sandy.
Hint
Think of places near the sea or a river.
23.5 Adjective + Noun Collocations
Give two nouns from the opposite page that can go with each adjective below.
Short Answer
Question 1 of 6
1. sandy — Give two nouns that collocate with sandy.
Hint
Think of places near the sea or a river.
23.5 Adjective + Noun Collocations
Give two nouns from the opposite page that can go with each adjective below.
Short Answer
Question 1 of 6
1. sandy — Give two nouns that collocate with sandy.
Hint
Think of places near the sea or a river.
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.
Short Answer
Question 1 of 1
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.
Hint
Think about including some of these features: mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, coasts, islands, plains, valleys, volcanoes, glaciers, bays, gulfs, straits, peninsulas, capes. Remember to use the correctly with geographical names (e.g. the Himalayas, the Pacific, but Lake Erie, Mount Everest).
Short Answer
Question 1 of 1
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.
Hint
Think about including some of these features: mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, coasts, islands, plains, valleys, volcanoes, glaciers, bays, gulfs, straits, peninsulas, capes. Remember to use the correctly with geographical names (e.g. the Himalayas, the Pacific, but Lake Erie, Mount Everest).
Short Answer
Question 1 of 1
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.
Hint
Think about including some of these features: mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, coasts, islands, plains, valleys, volcanoes, glaciers, bays, gulfs, straits, peninsulas, capes. Remember to use the correctly with geographical names (e.g. the Himalayas, the Pacific, but Lake Erie, Mount Everest).
- Staff can dispose of all recyclable items in these green bins.
- Air pollution may reduce the lives of people with respiratory illnesses.
- This company is proud of its environmentally friendly policies.
24.4 Over to you
- Which of the environmental problems in A exist in your country?
- Do you think climate change is having any impact in your country?
- How much support do green parties have in your country?
- What could power cars instead of petrol or diesel?
- Suggest three things people can do to reduce their carbon footprint.
A Describing a City
The words city and town are sometimes used interchangeably but a city is generally large with a wider range of facilities. This is a description of Cork, one of Ireland's main cities. Which words or phrases might be useful for describing your own or another town?
Cork city is the major metropolis of the south; indeed, with a population of about 119,500, it is the second largest city in the Republic. The main business and shopping centre of the town lies on the island created by two channels of the River Lee, with many of the suburbs within walking distance of the centre. The buses tend to be overcrowded and the one-way traffic system is extremely complicated. In the hilly area of the city is the famous Shandon Steeple, the bell-tower of St Anne's Church, built on the site of a church destroyed when the city was besieged by the English in 1690. Back across the River Lee lies the city's cathedral, an imposing 19th-century building in the French Gothic style. Cork has two markets. Neither caters specifically for tourists but those who enjoy the lively atmosphere of a real working market will appreciate their charm. The town has good sports and arts facilities. The Crawford Art Gallery is well worth a visit. It regularly puts on adventurous exhibitions by contemporary artists. The fashionable residential districts of Cork city overlook the picturesque harbour. There are other residential areas on the outskirts.
B Facilities
Sports: swimming pool, sports centre, golf course, tennis courts, football pitch, skating rink
Culture: theatre, opera house, concert hall, radio station, art gallery
Education: school, college, university, library, adult education centre, museum
Catering, accommodation and night-life: restaurant, take-away, hotel, B&B (bed and breakfast), youth hostel, club
Transport: bus service, taxi rank, car hire, car park, parking meters
Other: health centre, law courts, registry office, citizens' advice bureau, job centre, department store, chemist's, garden centre, police station, Town/City Hall, estate agent, housing estate, industrial estate
C Problems in Cities
| problem | effect | cause |
|---|---|---|
| traffic jams | traffic very slow; commuters get very stressed | too much traffic, especially in the rush hour |
| slums | housing in a bad condition | poverty — people don't have money to spend on housing |
| vandalism | pointless destruction of property | poverty; lack of hope |
| overcrowding | difficult living conditions | too many people living in one place |
| pollution | deterioration in health | traffic and industrial |
D Adjectives to Describe a City
picturesque [very pretty and attractive], historic, spacious [with plenty of space], elegant, magnificent, lively, deserted [no one on the streets, e.g. at night], bustling [with lots of movement], packed [very crowded], filthy [very dirty], run-down [in a very bad condition]
Common mistakes: There are a lot of open spaces in the centre of London. (NOT open places)
Exercises
25.1 Check that you understand the text about Cork by answering the following questions.
- Where is Cork? Cork is in the south of the Republic of Ireland.
- Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork?
- What is Cork's traffic system like?
- What is special about the site of St Anne's Church?
- In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral?
- Can you buy souvenirs at the markets?
- Why is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting?
- Where do Cork people live?
25.2 Fill in the gaps in this description of a town.
Cambridge has the second oldest university in England (after Oxford). It has a population of around 108,900, many of whom are students. The main tourist centre of the town lies in the city centre, around the university colleges. A number of the old university buildings are built on the site of former monasteries or convents. Most of the more picturesque colleges overlook the River Cam. Most of the main hotels in the town are within walking distance of the centre. The town centre has a lively fruit and vegetable market and it tends to be very crowded on Saturdays. The Fitzwilliam Museum is well worth visiting as is an art gallery called Kettle's Yard which regularly puts on quite varied exhibitions by a range of artists. The town also has plenty of sports facilities catering for both young and old. An interesting new Science Park has been built on the outskirts of the town, about two kilometres from the city centre.
25.5 City Facilities Quiz
Which of the facilities in B might you go to in order to:
Fill in the Blank
Question 1 of 9
Dance?
25.6 What are the problems in C for these suggested solutions?
- They should provide good-quality state housing. — slums
- There should be stricter laws about traffic emissions.
- They should restrict the number of people living in any one area.
- People who destroy public property should be made to do community service.
- We need a much better public transport system.
25.7 Over to you
Write a description of the town where you live or another town you know well, using as much of the vocabulary from this unit as possible.
A Birds and Animals
B Flowers and Trees
C Specific Animals
Here are the English names of some creatures that you may not know.
D Some Verbs and Collocations for Talking About Processes in Nature
Our apple tree flowers / blossoms in April.
Let's pick some flowers.
These birds lay their eggs on the ground.
Bees collect pollen from flowers to make honey.
Some verbs can be intransitive (no object) or transitive (with an object):
- These flowers grow very quickly. / We grew some tomatoes in our garden last year.
- These animals breed in the spring. / My neighbour breeds Burmese cats and sells them.
Common mistakes: Remember, we pick flowers/fruit; we don't say pick up. We picked some flowers and put them in a vase. (NOT picked up). We pick something up when it has fallen from its normal position or someone drops it. A woman dropped her purse so I picked it up and gave it back to her.
Exercises
26.1 Answer the questions about the animals and plants on the opposite page.
- Where does a bird lay its eggs? — in a nest
- What do bees help to move from one flower to another as they collect nectar to make honey?
- What do we call the hairs that stick out from a cat's face?
- Which part of a flower usually has the brightest colour(s)?
- What do we call a horse's foot?
26.2 Put these words into two groups: 'animal words' or 'plant words'.
mane, petal, oak, willow, fox, worm, thorn, horn, bark, stem, claw, owl
| animal words | plant words |
|---|---|
| mane |
26.3 Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using words from the opposite page.
- A tree's roots go a long way underground.
- A cat can sharpen its claws against the bark of a tree.
- Most fruit trees blossom in spring.
- Plants will not grow unless they get enough water and light.
- Flowers last longer in a vase if you crush the end of their stems.
- A flower that is just about to open is called a bud.
- Take care not to prick yourself. That plant has sharp thorns.
- If we pick up those twigs, we can use them to start the fire.
- Bats use a kind of radar to find their way around.
- Snails move very, very slowly.
26.4 Match the sentence beginnings on the left with the endings on the right.
| beginning | ending |
|---|---|
| 1 A large bough fell | d from the tree during the storm. |
| 2 We picked up | e some apples that had dropped from the tree. |
| 3 The scientists grew | f a new type of tomato that was very big. |
| 4 The peacock opened | b its feathers. It was beautiful. |
| 5 A frog jumped | c into the stream and swam away. |
| 6 We picked | a some herbs to put on our pizza. |
26.5 Answer the questions.
- Which moves fastest and which moves slowest: a worm, a snail, or a deer? — a deer (fastest), a snail (slowest)
- Which is the odd one out: a seal, a whale, or a crab?
- Which of these animals has paws: a frog, a bat, a cat, a pigeon?
- Which is correct? The bird lay/laid/lied three eggs.
- Which is correct: (a), (b), or both? (a) He breeds horses. (b) Rabbits breed very quickly.
- Which is a bird: a bat, a pigeon or both?
26.6 Over to you
A tulip is the national emblem of the Netherlands and a maple leaf represents Canada. What flower or animal is used as the national emblem of your country? Find out what other plants or animals are national emblems of other countries.
A Some Items of Clothing
At this level you probably already know most of the everyday words for clothes. Here are some items of clothing or parts of them which are perhaps less familiar.
Language Help
Most items of clothing covering the legs are plural words only. If you wish to count them, you need to say, e.g. Six pairs of trousers/shorts/tights/jeans/underpants or Jamie's football shorts are too small for him now. I need to get him a new pair.
B Verbs Associated with Clothing
- Can I try on these grey shoes in the window?
- I love dressing up for parties as I normally wear jeans.
- The skirt is too tight and too short — it needs letting out and letting down.
- The dress is too loose and too long — it needs taking in and taking up.
- He changed out of his weekend clothes into his uniform.
- Red usually doesn't suit people with ginger hair.
- Her black bag matches her shoes.
- Those shoes don't fit my son any more. He's grown out of them.
C Adjectives for Describing People's Clothing
How things fit: baggy [loose], close-fitting [tight]
Style: long-sleeved, sleeveless, V-neck, round-neck
Materials: denim [jeans are usually made of this], woollen [made of wool], suede [a kind of leather that isn't shiny]
Exercises
27.1 Which words illustrated in A opposite fit best in the following sentences?
- I've eaten too much — I'll have to loosen my belt.
- I must get my black shoes repaired. One heel is broken and both the soles have holes in them.
- Do up your laces or you'll fall over.
- It's not very warm today. You should wear a cardigan over your shirt.
- Put your slippers on — this floor is very cold.
- I've almost finished making my dress for the party but I've still got to take up the hem and sew on some buttons.
- It's starting to rain — why don't you put your hood up so you don't get wet.
- Come on, children. It's time for bed. Go and put your pyjamas on.
- You must wear a helmet when you ride a motorbike.
- Maya went on holiday last week. She packed her beach towel but forgot her bikini so she couldn't go swimming.
27.2 Complete these sentences with any appropriate word. Use pair where it is necessary.
- Josh badly needs to buy a new pair of jeans.
- Blue jeans are a kind of international uniform for young people.
- It's too cold for shorts. Put your trousers on.
- Dad needs some new underpants. Can you buy him three pairs today?
- I've got a hole in my tights. I'll have to change into a new pair.
27.3 Write two items of clothing that collocate with these adjectives.
- close-fitting — top, jeans
- baggy
- checked
- woollen
- suede
- denim
27.5 Put the right verb, match, suit or fit, into each of these sentences.
- The blue dress fits her perfectly now she's had it taken in.
- The blue of her dress matches the blue of her eyes.
- That blue dress suits the girl with the blonde hair.
- I can lend you a pair of slippers if you like. I think these ones should fit.
27.6 Over to you
Describe in as much detail as you can how you are dressed. Use as many words as you can from this unit.
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