4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 27: a Dying Forest

Word List
  • beneficial [benəˈfiʃəl] adj.
    If something is beneficial, it is good for you.
    → Drinking milk everyday is beneficial to your bones.
  • birthplace [ˈbəːθpleis] n.
    A birthplace is a place where a person is born or where something started.
    → China is the birthplace of chopsticks.
  • capacity [kəˈpæsəti] n.
    The capacity of something is the amount of things that can be put in it.
    → The parking lot has reached its full capacity.
  • comparative [kəmˈpærətiv] adj.
    If something is comparative, it is being judged based on something else.
    → The money that John has is comparative to most other adults.
  • comprehensive [ˌkɒmpriˈhensiv] adj.
    If something is comprehensive, it has all the details about something else.
    → The teacher gave us a comprehensive review for the exam.
  • conserve [kənˈsəːrv] v.
    To conserve something is to protect it from being ruined or used completely.
    → The group worked to conserve the beauty of Europe’s national parks.
  • crucial [ˈkruːʃəl] adj.
    If something is crucial, it is extremely important to another thing.
    → Clean air is crucial to the survival of humans, plants, and animals.
  • cumulative [ˈkjuːmjəleitiv] adj.
    Cumulative describes an increase by adding one after another.
    → The cumulative snowfall in the area is 50 centimeters per year.
  • deposit [diˈpɒzit] v.
    To deposit something is to put it into a place or another thing.
    → I deposited the money into my bank account.
  • distribute [disˈtribjuːt] v.
    To distribute something is to give it to a number of people.
    → The teacher distributed crayons and markers to his students.
  • equator [iˈkweitər] n.
    The equator is an imaginary line that splits the Earth into north and south.
    → The equator crosses the northern part of South America.
  • exotic [igˈzotik] adj.
    Exotic describes something unusual because it is from far away.
    → Rebecca tried many exotic foods on her trip to Africa.
  • federal [ˈfedərəl] adj.
    If something is federal, it comes from the government of a country.
    → Sometimes federal laws are different from state laws.
  • formation [fɔːrˈmeiʃən] n.
    A formation is the way that something is made.
    → The formation of ice happens when water freezes.
  • frequency [ˈfriːkwənsi] n.
    The frequency of something is the number of times that it happens.
    → The frequency of rainstorms is very high, especially during the spring.
  • objective [əbˈdʒektiv] adj.
    An objective is a goal or plan that someone has.
    → My objective this week is to finish my homework by 7:30 every night.
  • oxygen [ˈɒksidʒən] n.
    Oxygen is a gas that all living things need to breathe.
    → My aunt believes that the oxygen in the country is cleaner than in the city.
  • rainforest [ˈreinˌfɔ(:)rist] n.
    A rainforest is a forest that is in a place where it rains very often.
    → The rainforest is home to many animals.
  • strategy [ˈstrӕtədʒi] n.
    A strategy is a plan for how to do something.
    → The team came up with a strategy to win the game.
  • wooded [ˈwudid] adj.
    If an area is wooded, it is covered with trees.
    → Jim and Ben decided to go hiking in the wooded area by the river.
Exercise 1

Part A: Choose the right word for the given definition.

  1. to give something away
    • a. deposit
    • b. distribute
    • c. comprehensive
    • d. conserve
  2. extremely important
    • a. cumulative
    • b. federal
    • c. crucial
    • d. wooded
  3. where something begins
    • a. birthplace
    • b. formation
    • c. rainforest
    • d. equator
  4. a person’s goal
    • a. strategy
    • b. capacity
    • c. objective
    • d. frequency
  5. unusual and unfamiliar
    • a. oxygen
    • b. exotic
    • c. comparative
    • d. beneficial

Part B: Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. strategy
    • a. a plan
    • b. a goal
    • c. a line
    • d. a forest
  2. beneficial
    • a. filled with trees
    • b. good for you
    • c. unusual or exciting
    • d. containing many details
  3. formation
    • a. how something is made
    • b. the number of things inside something
    • c. where someone is born
    • d. how often something happens
  4. federal
    • a. made from added parts
    • b. coming from the government
    • c. very important
    • d. based on something else
  5. conserve
    • a. to protect
    • b. to give
    • c. to put into
    • d. to breathe
Exercise 2

Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

  1. I like going to the park because it’s covered with trees, and I feel like I’m in the mountains.
    ____________
  2. Sam gave away party invitations to his friends.
    ____________
  3. The letter came from a national government office.
    ____________
  4. The business’s goal is to earn more money this year than it did last year.
    ____________
  5. My mother grows unusual and unfamiliar flowers in her garden.
    ____________
  6. He needed gas required for breathing to help him survive.
    ____________
  7. This book about the history of India is full of details.
    ____________
  8. I’m going to visit a small town in Ecuador that is near the imaginary line.
    ____________
  9. The number of shoes that Jane and Beth have is judged based on something else.
    ____________
  10. Eddie didn’t want to eat it, but he knew the broccoli would be good for his health.
    ____________
Exercise 3

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

  1. Which word has about the same meaning as capacity?
    • a. open
    • b. expand
    • c. reduce
    • d. maximum amount
  2. Which of these can be cumulative?
    • a. Snow
    • b. A plate
    • c. A radio
    • d. Air
  3. What is something you would deposit into a closet?
    • a. A television
    • b. Jackets
    • c. Money
    • d. Water
  4. What is something you probably wounldn’t encounter in a rainforest?
    • a. Many trees
    • b. Monkeys
    • c. Humid weather
    • d. Kangaroos
  5. In which place is there a high frequency of snowfall?
    • a. Antarctica
    • b. Spain
    • c. England
    • d. Australia
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. b
  2. c
  3. a
  4. c
  5. b
Part B
  1. a
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. a
Exercise 2
  1. wooded
  2. distributed
  3. federal
  4. objective
  5. exotic
  6. oxygen
  7. comprehensive
  8. equator
  9. comparative
  10. beneficial
Exercise 3
  1. d
  2. a
  3. b
  4. d
  5. a
Answer Key
a Dying Forest

Rainforests provide much of the world’s oxygen supply. But the forests’ exotic trees and animals are being killed to make room for farmers and roads. People have been trying to conserve rainforests for years. But another type of forest—the cloud forest—is just as beneficial to humans. Cloud forests are also in danger of disappearing, but little is being done to save them.

These forests are located at the tops of mountains, generally near the equator. These humid, wooded mountaintops are mainly in African and Central and South American countries. They are called “cloud forests” because their height allows for the formation of clouds among the trees.

Rainforests produce large amounts of oxygen. Cloud forests produce comparative amounts of water. The trees in these forests pull water out of the clouds. The moisture gathers on the leaves. When it drips, it is deposited into streams. The streams flow into towns at the bottom of the mountain. Then, it’s distributed to people. The yearly cumulative rainfall in these areas is 173-198 centimeters. Cloud forests can pull in up to 60 percent of that. This water is crucial to the plants and the people in the area. It helps them survive.

Cloud forests are also the birthplace of countless species of plants that can’t be found anywhere else. One small cloud forest has the capacity for as many types of plants as there are in all of Europe. There are so many, in fact, that scientists haven’t made a comprehensive list of them yet.

These forests are being destroyed with increasing frequency. Trees are being cut down, and roads are being built in their place. Some people have an objective to get federal money to protect the forests. But they have had little success. Another strategy is to replace the destroyed plants. That, too, has been difficult because the plants are so unique. There’s plenty of work to be done, but saving the cloud forests is still a possibility.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ The equator provides much of the world’s oxygen supply.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ People have been trying to conserve rainforests for years.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ Another type of forest—the cloud forest—is just as beneficial to humans as a rainforest.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ These humid, wooded mountaintops are mainly in African and European countries.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Cloud forests are being destroyed with increasing frequency.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ Some people have an objective to get federal money to protect the forests.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Where are cloud forests located?
    • a. Near the equator
    • b. In rainforests
    • c. On farms
    • d. In Europe
  2. How do the trees in cloud forests make water?
    • a. They pull it in from clouds.
    • b. They allow the formation of clouds.
    • c. They let it gather in leaves.
    • d. They pull it in from streams.
  3. What did the monkeys eat while they were in the cages?
    • a. About 188 centimeters
    • b. More than 178 centimeters
    • c. Up to 60 percent
    • d. Less than rainforests
  4. Why do some people want federal money?
    • a. To plant more trees
    • b. To build more roads
    • c. To make room for farmers
    • d. To protect the forests
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. F / Rainforests provide much of the world’s oxygen supply.
  2. T
  3. T
  4. F / These humid, wooded mountaintops are mainly in African and Central and South American countries.
  5. T
  6. T
Part B
  1. a
  2. a
  3. c
  4. d
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