B1 PRELIMINARY · VOCABULARY · TOPIC VOCABULARY
The environment and the weather
Words like recycle, pollution, waste and a heatwave.
Finn says
The environment is a classic topic for Speaking Part 3 and 4 discussions, and the weather comes up in Listening and holiday emails. Learn the words in groups, with the words they go with, and try to use two or three of them next time you practise Speaking or Writing.
The environment
recycle
use again, e.g. paper, glass, plastic
We recycle all our bottles.
pollution
dirty air, water or land
There is a lot of pollution in big cities.
waste
use too much / things we throw away
Don't waste water.
public transport
buses, trains, the underground
I always use public transport to get to school.
The weather
a heatwave
a period of very hot weather
There was a heatwave in July.
a storm
very bad weather with wind and rain
The storm knocked down a tree.
freezing
very cold
It's freezing outside!
pour (with rain)
rain a lot
It's pouring – take an umbrella.
Make it better
The same idea, first in basic English, then in the kind of language that gets a higher mark.
- Basic: It was very very hot.Better: There was a heatwave, so it was boiling every day.Stronger, natural words.
- Basic: We must not use a lot of plastic.Better: We should cut down on plastic and recycle more.Useful phrases for discussions.
- Basic: Cars make the air bad.Better: Cars cause a lot of air pollution.The topic word.
Finn's exam tip
In Speaking Part 3, suggest ideas with 'What about…?', 'We could…' and 'I think … would be the best because…', and use topic words like recycle and public transport.
Quick check
Choose the best answer.
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