自然与环境 Nature

Nature and environment words describe the world around us—plants, animals, land, and sky.

Landforms (地貌):

• mountain: very high land with rocky peaks
• hill: lower rounded land, smaller than mountain
• valley: low land between mountains or hills
• plain: large flat area of land
• plateau: high flat area (table mountain)
• desert: dry sandy area with little water
• forest / woods: many trees growing together
• jungle: tropical forest with dense vegetation
• ocean / sea: very large salt water area
• lake: water surrounded by land
• river: long moving water going to sea
• stream / creek: small river
• waterfall: water falling from height
• island: land surrounded by water
• beach: sandy shore by ocean
• coast / shore: where land meets sea
• cliff: steep rock face by sea
• cave: hollow place in rock or earth

Plants and nature (植物与自然):

• tree: tall woody plant with trunk and branches
• bush / shrub: low woody plant with many branches
• flower: colorful part of plant making seeds
• grass: short green plant covering ground
• leaf: flat green part on tree/bush
• root: part of plant underground taking water
• trunk: thick woody main stem of tree
• branch: smaller stem from trunk
• bark: rough outer skin of tree
• forest: many trees growing wild together
• meadow: field of grass and wild flowers
• soil / dirt: earth plants grow in
• stone / rock: hard solid mineral material
• sand: fine yellow grains on beaches

Animals by type (动物分类):

• mammals: give milk, have hair or fur (human, cat, dog, cow, whale)
• birds: have feathers and lay eggs (eagle, sparrow, penguin, ostrich)
• fish: live in water, have scales and gills (salmon, goldfish, shark)
• reptiles: cold blooded, scales, lay eggs (snake, lizard, turtle)
• amphibians: live in water and land (frog, toad, newt)
• insects: six legs, three body parts (ant, bee, butterfly, fly)
• wild animals: live in nature not with humans
• domestic animals: live with humans (pets, farm animals)

Seasons and time (季节与时间):

• spring: March-May, flowers bloom, weather warms
• summer: June-August, hottest season, long days
• autumn / fall: September-November, leaves fall, harvest
• winter: December-February, cold, short days
• season: one of four parts of year
• month: about 30 days (12 months = year)
• week: 7 days
• day / night: light period / dark period
• century: 100 years
• decade: 10 years

Practice: Describe your favorite natural place using 10+ words from this lesson.