Environment | Vocabulary Worksheet

Associate the concepts in the column A with their definitions in column B

A
a. Acid rain

b. Sound pollution
c. Deforestation

d. Water pollution

e. Air pollution

f. Greenhouse Effect
g. Soil erosion

h. Ozone depletion

i. Global warming
j. Drought

B
1. Its a natural phenomenon (essential to all life on earth), but, nowadays,
its increasing the Earth's average temperature in the lower atmosphere.
Its caused by the accumulation in the atmosphere of gases such as
water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons
(greenhouse gases).
2. Destruction of the upper atmospheric layer of ozone gas.
3. Clearing of virgin forests, or intentional destruction or removal of trees
and other vegetation for agricultural, commercial, housing, or firewood
use without replanting (reforesting) and without allowing time for the
forest to regenerate itself. Deforestation is one of the major factors
contributing to the greenhouse effect and desertification.
4. Removal of topsoil faster than the soil forming processes can replace it,
due to natural, animal, and human activity (over grazing, over
cultivation, forest clearing, mechanized farming, etc.). Results in land
infertility and leads to desertification and devastating flooding.
5. Increase in world temperature caused mainly by the greenhouse effect
with terrible consequences: melting the polar ice caps, rising sea levels
everywhere, permanently flooding in many low lying parts of the earth
and climate changes.
6. A form and level of environmental sound that is generally considered
likely to annoy, distract or even harm other people.
7. Precipitation, as rain, snow, or sleet, containing relatively high
concentrations of acid-forming chemicals that have been released into
the atmosphere and combined with water vapour.
8. Extended period (season, year, several seasons or years) in which
available water is insufficient for human, animal, and agricultural
needs, usually due to deficient rainfall as compared with the average
rainfall for the area.
9. The presence in water of harmful or objectionable material in sufficient
quantity to measurably degrade water quality.
10. Introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful
materials into Earth's atmosphere, causing diseases, allergies, death to
humans, damage to other living organisms.