环境话题几乎出现在每一组雅思练习题中。Writing Task 2 会问：环境问题应该由政府还是个人解决，污染行业是否应该缴纳额外税款，以保护气候为由实施禁令是否合理。到了 Speaking Part 3，考官会进一步追问：人们是否比以前更关心自然，什么能改变他们的习惯？大多数考生不缺想法，难处在于怎样把想法准确地说出来。
第一个陷阱就是 ecology。不少学习者写 the ecology in my city is bad，想表达的是城市空气和水受到污染。但在英语中，ecology 指研究生物与环境关系的生态学，也可以指自然系统中的这些关系。它并不直接描述空气脏不脏，因此这句话让人摸不着重点：是当地的生态学研究出了问题，还是公园里的动植物出了问题？根据具体意思，你需要的可能是 the environment、pollution 或 air quality。这个话题还有几处类似的误用：the reason of pollution、the nature、affect on。下面介绍 26 个环境话题搭配及常见错误，并展示 LetsWords 如何反馈你在造句中出现的问题。其他话题见雅思话题词汇指南。
环境话题：词汇与搭配
污染
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| cause pollution | 造成污染 | Heavy industry causes most of the pollution in this region. |
| poor air quality | 空气质量差，空气受到污染 | Poor air quality is linked to asthma and heart disease. |
| industrial waste | 工厂和工业活动产生的废物 | Industrial waste must be treated before it reaches rivers. |
| dump toxic waste | 非法或不负责任地倾倒有毒废物 | Some factories still dump toxic waste into local rivers. |
| contaminate drinking water | 污染饮用水，使其不再安全 | Chemicals from farms can contaminate drinking water. |
| plastic waste | 被丢弃的塑料制品 | Much of the plastic waste we produce ends up in the ocean. |
气候与能源
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| climate change | 地球气候的长期变化 | Climate change is already affecting crop yields in many countries. |
| greenhouse gas emissions | 向空气中排放会留住热量的气体 | Transport and energy account for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. |
| cut emissions | 减少排放 | Countries have promised to cut emissions, but progress is slow. |
| burn fossil fuels | 燃烧煤、石油和天然气来获取能源 | As long as we burn fossil fuels, global temperatures will keep rising. |
| phase out | 逐步停止使用某物 | Several countries plan to phase out coal power within a decade. |
| renewable energy | 来自阳光、风等可再生来源的能源 | Investment in renewable energy has grown rapidly in recent years. |
| extreme weather events | 洪水、热浪、风暴和干旱等极端天气事件 | Floods and heatwaves are examples of extreme weather events. |
| carbon footprint | 一个人或一项活动产生的碳排放量 | Flying less is one of the quickest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. |
自然与资源
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| natural resources | 水、木材、矿产等自然资源 | We are using natural resources faster than they can be replaced. |
| deplete resources | 消耗乃至耗尽资源 | Intensive farming depletes resources such as groundwater and fertile soil. |
| endangered species | 面临灭绝风险的动植物物种 | Tigers remain an endangered species despite decades of protection. |
| natural habitats | 动植物自然生活的栖息地 | Road building destroys natural habitats and isolates animal populations. |
| large-scale deforestation | 大面积砍伐森林 | Large-scale deforestation releases huge amounts of carbon. |
| loss of biodiversity | 生物种类多样性的减少 | The loss of biodiversity threatens food production itself. |
解决措施
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| take action on | 针对某个问题采取行动 | Governments must take action on climate change now, not in twenty years. |
| raise awareness of | 让人们认识并关注某个问题 | School campaigns can raise awareness of plastic waste. |
| introduce stricter regulations | 推出更严格的规定 | The state should introduce stricter regulations on factory emissions. |
| recycle household waste | 回收处理生活垃圾，使其能够再次利用 | Most residents are willing to recycle household waste if it is convenient. |
| ban single-use plastics | 禁止使用一次性塑料制品 | Several countries have banned single-use plastics such as straws. |
| environmentally friendly | 对环境友好的 | Environmentally friendly products are often more expensive. |
如何在作文里连接这些论点，可以参考雅思 Writing 词汇指南中的连接词。
常见错误
The ecology in big cities is getting worse every year.
Air quality in big cities is getting worse every year. / Big cities are becoming more polluted every year.
Ecology 指一门科学或自然系统中的生态关系，不等于空气质量。想描述环境状况，要根据究竟是什么恶化了，选择 the environment、pollution 或 air quality。
Cars are the main reason of air pollution in big cities.
Cars are the main cause of air pollution in big cities. / Cars are the main reason for air pollution in big cities.
Reason 后面接 for：the reason for the problem。指出污染来源时，the main cause of 更准确，也与表格中的动词搭配相呼应：汽车 cause pollution。
We must protect the nature.
We must protect nature.
表示自然界时，nature 不加冠词。The nature of something 则表示某事物的性质，如 the nature of the problem。
Global warming affects on the weather.
Global warming affects the weather. / Global warming has an effect on the weather.
Affect 后面不加介词：affect the weather。相应的名词结构则需要 on：an effect on、an impact on。具体区别见 affect vs effect 练习。
LetsWords 如何解释这些错误
对写作者来说，这类错误常常不明显：the reason of 和 the nature 看起来像正常的英语。因此，LetsWords 会在你用所学表达造句时指出问题。下面是一道练习的过程。
假设你正在复习 cut emissions。LetsWords 用母语提示给出“减少排放”的含义，你回想英文表达，再写一句关于气候政策的话：
Our country must cut greenhouse gases emissions on 50 percent until 2035.
反馈会解释三处错误：
- greenhouse gases emissions → greenhouse gas emissions：这个搭配中，gas 修饰 emissions，因此保持单数；
- on 50 percent → by 50 percent：表示增加或减少的幅度时，用 by；
- until 2035 → by 2035：表示截止时间时，用 by。Until 表示某个动作持续到那个时间，而不是在那之前完成。
Our country must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2035.
LetsWords 会用母语逐项解释修改，让你明白原来的写法为什么不行，而不只是该换成什么。几天后，这个表达会再次出现在复习中，你需要换一个情境使用它，例如写一篇关于大城市交通的作文。这样，词表里的搭配才会逐渐变成能凭记忆想起、并准确写出的表达。
注册时选择 IELTS 目标和水平，LetsWords 就会为你安排相应练习。付费前可以先体验反馈。
在 Writing Task 2 中使用这些搭配
一道考试风格的题目：
Some people argue that governments should spend money on adapting to climate change, for example by building flood defences, rather than trying to prevent it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
下面这个段落阐明作者的立场：
Although adaptation is necessary, I believe prevention should remain the priority. Flood defences may protect one coastal city for several decades, but they do nothing to slow climate change itself, and their cost will keep rising as extreme weather events become more frequent. By contrast, money spent on renewable energy addresses the cause of the problem. If governments cut emissions and phase out coal and oil, they reduce the risk for every region, not only for the one that can afford a sea wall. Prevention also protects natural habitats that cannot be defended by concrete, so it benefits wildlife as well as people.
这个段落为什么有效？第一句就表明立场，之后每个搭配承担不同的论证作用：extreme weather events 解释适应措施为何会越来越贵，renewable energy 和 cut emissions 说明预防措施为何能针对问题根源，natural habitats 则指出海堤无法保护什么。没有哪个环保词汇只是为了装点文章。对 Lexical Resource 来说，关键在于搭配形式自然：写 cut emissions，而不是 decrease emissions number。对 Task Response 来说，观点从主张推进到了后果。
在 Speaking 中使用
一道 Part 3 问题：Do people care more about the environment than they did in the past?
I’d say they’re certainly more aware of it. Campaigns have done a lot to raise awareness of plastic waste, and many people now try to reduce their carbon footprint by flying less or recycling. But awareness doesn’t always lead to action. Plenty of people still choose the cheapest option rather than the most environmentally friendly one, so I think price matters more than good intentions.
这个回答区分了意识与行为，正是 Part 3 所需要的、有展开的观点。表格中的搭配自然地融入口语，而没有背诵套话的感觉。
免费练习
- affect vs effect：动词与名词的区别；
- have an impact：产生显著影响；
- raise awareness：引起对某个问题的关注；
- take action：采取行动解决问题；
- take steps：采取措施；
- cut down on：减少使用或消耗；
- throw away：扔掉某物。
从词表走向实际运用
在本页看出 the nature 或 the ecology is bad 有问题并不难。难的是考试时间紧迫时，落笔就能避开这些错误。可以通过 LetsWords 把词表变成实际练习：选择适合水平的 IELTS 词集，再把本页的搭配加入词集，例如 cause pollution 或 recycle household waste。你根据含义回想表达，用它写一个句子；LetsWords 指出错误，用母语解释修改方法，并建议更准确的说法，间隔重复则安排表达再次出现，让用法逐渐熟练。之后再把词汇放进完整文章中检验：IELTS Writing 专区提供环境话题的 Task 2 题目，涉及生活垃圾、回收利用、塑料和污染防治法律；完整回答会得到围绕四项评分标准、结合原文的详细反馈。如果暂时觉得整篇作文负担太大，可以先用短段落做单项标准练习。注册时回答几个关于目标和水平的问题，LetsWords 就会安排练习；付费前可以体验反馈。更多话题见雅思话题词汇指南。