half-hearted лhatf ha:%d«\\bxf,-/ [adj]
see pages 240-243
half-hearted attempt/response/mea- sure etc an attempt etc that is made without much enthusiasm or effort: Yves had made a half-hearted attempt to be friendly.
NVIRONMENT
EQUIPMENT
things you use for doing something
see also machine, computers
equipment /rkwipmant [n U] the special machines or tools that you use for doing something: You should check all electrical equipment regularly. office/video/sports etc equipment Thieves stole all the video equipment from the college.
A
When you see ИЯ, go to the ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATION section
a piece of equipment a special piece of equipment for checking tyres
Don't say 'equipments' or 'an equipment'. Equipment is an uncountable noun.
Qthings /0iqz; [n plural] spoken the special clothes and other equipment that you need for a sport or similar activity: Now, have you got all your things ready? swimming/painting/sewing etc things
She keeps all her sewing things in a small basket.
gear /giar/ {n UJ informal the equipment and special clothes that you need to do something, especially an activity that you do in your free time: Mike's crazy about photography - he's got all the gear, camping j fishing! skiing etc gear Did you remember to pack your fishing gear?
kit /kit/ In CI shaving/sewing/repair etc
kit a set of small things that you use to
do something. The sewing kit contained
needles, pins, cotton, and a pair of scissors.
Qstuff jstxf/ {n u1 spokejv informal the
equipment that you use to do something camping/cleaning/painting etc stuff
The cleaning stuff's in the cupboard under the stairs.
tie/untie 2
from a place/person/ prison/dangerous situation
escape i skeip/ (u J] to succeed in leaving a dangerous place or situation, or a place that someone is trying to stop you from leaving: Anyone trying to escape will be shot. I Only /our people managed to escape before the roof collapsed. +from Josie managed to escape from her attacker and call the police. I Two men escaped from Durham Jail last night. + over/into/through etc Some refugees managed to escape over the border into
Tanzania.
get Out / get aut' [phrasal verb I] to escape from a place that is difficult to escape from, or where there is danger: How could the dog get out when the gate was shut?
A
+ of No-one's gotten out of the Kansas county jail in 50 years. get out alive We were lucky to get out alive - the whole building was on fire.
Get out is more informal than escape
get away /get a'wei/ (phrasal verb II to escape from someone who is chasing you. so they do not catch you: The gunmen got away in a stolen car. get away from Thousands of civilians are trying to get away from the advancing army.
run away/run off /,ГАn э wei, ,глп 'of|
-xfj [phrasal verb I] to try to escape from someone by running away: Don't run away ~ I'm not going to hurt you. + into/down/across etc He jumped out of the car and ran off into the woods. +from If you run away from the bull, it's almost certain to attack you.
ESCAPE
FOLLOW
■чЬ
see * also i
4 V
RUN
CATCH
free 4. 5
PRISON
POLICE
escape continues on page 244
240
ENVIRONMENT
TRANSPORT
DAMAGE
PROTECT
Many people believe that the way that we live our lives today is having an extremely bad effect on the environment. Here are some examples of environmental problems and solutions, and the vocabulary you need to talk about them.
D environmental problems
cars
ENVIRONMENT
LAND AND SEA
\ t
pollution
Pollution is damage to the air, sea, rivers, or land caused by chemicals, waste and harmful gases.
Pollutants include toxic waste, pesticides, and fertilizers.
PROBLEM
see also
DESTROY
ш OPINIONS
/ v
PROTEST
The biggest polluter today is the car. Exhaust fumes are the main cause of bad air quality, which can make people feel ill and have difficulty breathing. This problem is especially bad in some cities where, on days when there is not much wind, a brown layer of smog hangs in the air. The number of cars is increasing every year, and this causes serious congestion. Governments then build new roads to try to improve the situation, but this means that they cut down trees and destroy more of the countryside.
vocabulary
acid rain /.sesid 'rein/[n U] rain that is harmful to trees and buildings because it has become mixed with smoke from factories and power stations
air quality № .kwoljtijhkwa:-/ {n U] how clean or dirty the air is in a particular town or place: Sometimes the Qtr quality is so bad that people have to stay indoors.
alternative /ritx'naiv/ [adj] alternative methods are
very different from the methods which have been used for a long time, and which people regard as normal, but they are usually less harmfuclass="underline" Scientists ore searching /or olternotive sources of energy.
the atmosphere $i 'stmdsfo1/ [n singular) the mixture of air and gases that surrounds the Earth
car pool /*ко!г pud/ [n CI a group of car owners who agree to drive everyone in the group to work or school on different da^s, so that only one car is used at a time
CFCs also chloro/luorocarbons /.si: ef <u:z.
^bffwfkMOulQa^»uj \n plural) chemicals that damage the ozone layer. CFCs are used especially in refrigerators and in some aerosols
congestion /kan'djestf^n/ In U] when there are too many cars on a road, so that the traffic moves very slouiy: // people lived closer to their jobs, there would be less congestion on the freeways.
electric car /ijektnk ка:г/ [n С} а саг that uses special electric batteries, instead of petrol, as its source of power