An ocean is a very large area of salt water. A forest is full of trees, and a desert is dry with sand and little rain.
Large natural places
ocean /ˈoʊ.ʃən/ — a deep ocean
forest /ˈfɔːr.ɪst/ — a green forest
desert /ˈdɛz.ɚt/ — a hot desert
Try it: Choose the word: (desert / forest / ocean) Answer: desert — This is a desert.
Shapes of the land
A cliff is a tall wall of rock, a cave is a hole under the ground, and a valley is the low land between hills.
cliff /klɪf/ — a high cliff
cave /keɪv/ — a dark cave
valley /ˈvæl.i/ — a green valley
Try it: Choose the word: (cave / cliff / valley) Answer: cave — This is a cave.
Sky, water, and air
A bridge lets you cross over water or a road. A rainbow is colors in the sky after rain, fog is thick cloud near the ground, and pollution is dirty air or water.
bridge /brɪdʒ/ — a long bridge
rainbow /ˈreɪn.boʊ/ — a bright rainbow
fog /fɔːɡ/ — thick fog
pollution /pəˈluː.ʃən/ — air pollution
Try it: Choose the word: (rainbow / fog / bridge) Answer: rainbow — This is a rainbow.
Water, weather and waste
Four more words for the natural world. A meadow is a wide field of grass and flowers. A waterfall is water falling down over rock. Thunder is the loud noise you hear in a storm. And litter is rubbish dropped on the ground — the opposite of using a trash can.
meadow — The children played in the meadow near Senfarrow Brook.
waterfall — The waterfall fell 30 meters down the rock.
thunder — The thunder was very loud during the storm.
litter — People should not throw litter on the ground.
Try it: Mei hears a loud noise in the sky during the storm. That noise is ___. (thunder / litter / meadow) Answer: thunder — Thunder is the loud noise in a storm, which is what Mei hears. Litter is rubbish on the ground and a meadow is a grassy field, so neither one is a sound.
Try it: Lars sees water falling down the rocks from high up. He is looking at a ___. (waterfall / meadow / thunder) Answer: waterfall — A waterfall is water falling down over rock, which is what Lars sees. A meadow is a flat field of grass and thunder is a noise, so neither one describes falling water.