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habitat A habitat can be seen as a small part of the environment. Habitats are specific
places where certain plants, animals, or other living things are found. A fish’s
habitat is water. Some kinds of fish have a seawater habitat, while others have a
fresh water habitat. Cacti live in dry desert habitats. Each living thing has its own
special habitat. Life science texts on the IELTS look at the way that pollution can
change or threaten habitats.
agriculture Agriculture is a formal academic word for “farming.” Agriculture describes the
production of anything that can come from a farm: fruit, vegetables, meat, milk,
and the like. On the IELTS, agriculture is nearly always discussed in terms of
how it affects the environment.
sustainable IELTS passages will talk about wheth
er or not a human activity is “sustainable.”
A sustainable activity is one that will not damage the environment, and will not
use up all of a resource. The use of oil as fuel is criticized as unsustainable;
eventually we will use up all the oil stored in the earth. Moreover, drilling for oil
and burning oil for energy both hurt the environment.
emissions “Emissions” refers to any kind of gas, smoke, or air that is released into the
environment. IELTS passages sometimes look at emissions created by human
activity, such as smoke emissions from cars and trucks, or the emission of
carbon dioxide (a gas that causes climate change).
flora and fauna “Flora and fauna” means “plants and animals.” Flora referring to plants, and
fauna refers to animals. Think of a flower and a fawn (a baby deer). These two
words will always go together in the fixed phrase “flora and fauna.” The words
are not truly English. Instead, these words are borrowed from Latin. This
confuses many test-takers. Now that you know this phrase, you
don’t have to be
confused when you see it on the IELTS.
mammal Mammals are animals that have fur (or hair) and have warm blood. Female
mammals make milk that they feed to their babies. Mammals include dogs, cats,
humans, etc. Most
–but not all–mammals give live birth. There are a few egg-
laying mammals in existence too.