1. sustainable/ adjective /səˈsteɪ.nə.bl̩/
able to continue over a period of time.
e.g. That sort of extreme diet is not sustainable over a long period.
causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time.
e.g. A large international meeting was held with the aim of promoting sustainable development in all countries.
sustainability/ noun /səˌsteɪ.nəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/
2. abandon/ verb /əˈbæn.dən/
to leave a place, thing or person forever.
e.g. By the time the rebel troops arrived, the village had already been abandoned.
abandoned/ adjective /əˈbæn.dənd/
e.g. An abandoned baby was found in a box on the hospital steps.
abandonment/ noun /əˈbæn.dən.mənt/
 e.g. The abandonment of the island followed nuclear tests in the area.
3. abuse/ verb /əˈbjuːz/
to use or treat someone or something wrongly or badly, especially in a way that is to your own advantage.
e.g. She is continually abusing her position/authority by getting other people to do things for her.
abuser/ noun /əˈbjuː.zər/
4. collapse/ verb /kəˈlæps/
to fall down suddenly because of pressure or having no strength or support.
e.g. He thought his whole world had collapsed when his wife died.
If someone collapses, they fall down because they are ill or weak.
e.g. He collapsed and died of a heart attack.
5. drought/ noun /draʊt/
a long period when there is little or no rain.
e.g. This year (a) severe drought has ruined the crops.
6. harsh/ adjective /hɑːrʃ/
unpleasant, unkind, cruel or unnecessarily severe.
e.g. We thought the punishment was rather harsh for such a minor offence.
harshly/ adverb /ˈhɑːʃ.li/
e.g. I thought she'd been treated rather harshly.
harshness/ noun /ˈhɑːʃ.nəs/
7. link/ noun /lɪŋk/
a connection between two people, things or ideas.
e.g. There's a direct link between diet and heart disease.
a connection between documents on the Internet.
e.g. Click on this link to visit our online bookstore.
8. question/ noun /ˈkwes.tʃən/
a sentence or phrase used to find out information.
e.g. The police asked me questions all day.
in an examination, a problem that tests a person's knowledge or ability.
e.g. Answer/Do as many questions as you can.
9. resource/ noun /ˈriː.sɔːrs/
a useful or valuable possession or quality of a country, organization or person.
e.g. The country's greatest resource is the dedication of its workers.
10. settlement/ noun /ˈset.l̩.mənt/
an official agreement that finishes an argument.
e.g. It now seems unlikely that it will be possible to negotiate/reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
an arrangement to end a disagreement involving a law having been broken, without taking it to a court of law, or an amount of money paid as part of such an arrangement.
e.g. They reached an out-of-court settlement.
11. spray/ noun /spreɪ/
a mass of very small drops of liquid carried in the air.
e.g. Can you feel the spray from the sea/waterfall?
a liquid which is forced out of a special container under pressure so that it becomes a mass of small liquid drops like a cloud.
e.g. a quick spray of perfume/polish.
a mass of small drops of liquid scattered onto plants and crops, etc. from a special piece of equipment, or the piece of equipment itself.
e.g. Farmers use a lot of chemical sprays on crops.
12. standard/ noun /ˈstæn.dəd/
a level of quality.
e.g. Not everyone judges success by the same standards - some people think happiness is more important than money.
a moral rule which should be obeyed.
e.g. Most people agree that there are standards (of behaviour) which need to be upheld, but agreeing on them is rather more difficult.
13. starvation/ noun /stɑːˈveɪ.ʃən/
the state of having no food for a long period, often causing death.
e.g. Twenty million people face starvation unless a vast emergency aid programme is launched.
14. breeze/ noun /briːz/
a light and pleasant wind.
e.g. She let the gentle breeze cool her face.
15. dust/ noun /dʌst/
dry dirt in the form of powder that covers surfaces inside a building, or very small dry pieces of soil, sand or other substances.
e.g. A cloud of dust rose in the air as the car roared past.
16. flush/ verb /flʌʃ/
When you flush, you become red in the face, especially as a result of strong emotions, heat or alcohol.
e.g. She flushed with pleasure as she accepted the prize.
17. generate/ verb /ˈdʒen.ər.eɪt/
to cause something to exist.
e.g. These measures will increase the club's ability to generate revenue/income.
18. humid/ adjective /ˈhjuː.mɪd/
(of air and weather conditions) containing extremely small drops of water in the air.
e.g. New York is very hot and humid in the summer.
19. microclimate/ noun /ˈmaɪ.krəʊ.klaɪ.mɪt/
an area in which the weather is usually different from the areas around it.
20. orient/ noun /ˈɔː.ri.ənt/
the countries in the east and south-east of Asia.
21. the outskirts/ plural noun /ˈaʊt.skɜːts/
the areas that form the edge of a town or city.
e.g. The factory is in/on the outskirts of New Delhi.
22. pedestrian/ noun /pəˈdes.tri.ən/
a person who is walking, especially in an area where vehicles go.
e.g. A few pedestrians carrying their evening shopping sheltered from the rain in doorways.
23. promise/ verb /ˈprɑː.mɪs/
to tell someone that you will certainly do something.
e.g. The government have promised that they'll reduce taxes.
24. renewable/ adjective /rɪˈnjuː.ə.bl̩/
Renewable forms of energy can be produced as quickly as they are used.
If an official document is renewable, its use can be continued for an extra period of time.
25. sufficient/ adjective /səˈfɪʃ.ənt/
enough for a particular purpose.
e.g. It was thought that he'd committed the crime but there wasn't sufficient evidence to convict him.