【英语学习】【加州教材】【G6】【科学】Earth Science目录及术语表

本文是英语学习笔记，所有版权归原教材作者所有。

加州六年级科学课本，名称为《Earth Science》，主要分为5个大Section，每个Section由两到三个Chapter构成，每个Chapter含有若干Lesson。

• Be a Scientist

  • What is Science?

• Earth's Ecology

  • ​​​Chapter 1: Earth's Ecosystems
    • Lesson 1: Introduction to Earth's Ecosystems
    • Lesson 2: Photosynthesis: The Basic Process of Life
    • Lesson 3: Microscopic Organisms on Earth
    • Lesson 4: Earth's Food Chain, Webs, and Pyramids
    • Lesson 5: Earth's Cycles of Life
  • Chapter 2: Earth's Land and Water
    • Lesson 1: Earth's Land Biomes
    • Lesson 2: Earth's Water Ecosystems
    • Lesson 3: Ecosystem's in California

• Earth's Energy

  • ​​​Chapter 3: Heat Energy
    • Lesson 1: Heat Flow
    • Lesson 2: Waves
    • Lesson 3: Fuels: Our Major Energy Source
    • Lesson 4: Heat Transfer in Solids and Fluids
  • Chapter 4: Energy in the Earth System
    • Lesson 1: Electromagnetic Spectrum
    • Lesson 2: Solar Radiation
    • Lesson 3: The Power of Convection Currents

• Earth's Structure

  • ​​​Chapter 5: Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure
    • Lesson 1: Earth's Moving Plates
    • Lesson 2: Plate Tectonics: A Unifying Theory
    • Lesson 3: Earthquakes
    • Lesson 4: Volcanoes
    • Lesson 5: How Plate Tectonics Affects California
  • Chapter 6: Shaping Earth's Surface
    • ​​​​​​​Lesson 1: Atmospheric Pressure, Temperature, and Weather
    • Lesson 2: Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
    • Lesson 3: Rivers and Streams
    • Lesson 4: Beaches and Wave Erosion
    • Lesson 5: Changing Habitats
  • Chapter 7: Earth's Resources
    • ​​​​​​​Lesson 1: Source of Energy
    • Lesson 2: Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
    • Lesson 3: Uses of Resources

• Activities

  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Earth's Ecology
  • Earth's Energy
  • Earth's Structure

Glossary

1. abiotic factor: Any nonliving part of an ecosystem, such as water, minerals, sunlight, air or soil.
2. abrassion: The process that occurs when sand, stones, and pebbles move and scrape across Earth's surface, acting like sandpaper to pit and polish the surface.
3. absorption: The process of taking in radiant energy.
4. abyssal zone: The part of the oceanic that is found at depths greater than 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), where there is no sunlight, it is very cold, and water pressure is high.
   (via late Latin from Greek abussos ‘bottomless’, from a-‘without’ + bussos ‘depth’.)
   
5. acidity: The amount of acid in a substance.
6. acid rain: Precipitation that contains acidic components as a result of the burning of coal and other fossil fuels; harms soils and water supplies and weathers statues and buildings.
7. aerial roots: Roots that reach out above the ground for water and sunlight to nourish a plant. 
8. air pressure: The force that air molecules exert on the objects beneath them; has a major effect on the weather.
9. alkalinity: The amount of base in a substance.
10. alluvial deposit: A fan-shaped land deposit at the mouth of a stream.
    
11. amoeba: A protist, found in fresh water, salt water, and soil, that uses pesudopods to move and take in food.
12. amplitude: The distance from the midpoint to the crest or trough of a wave.
    
13. anticyclone: An area of high pressure that usually brings fair weather.
    
14. arroyo: A small, water-carved channel with steep banks that is located in a dry area.
    (from Latin arrugia “mineshaft”)
    
15. asthenosphere: The layer of semimolten mantle rock that lies directly below the lithosphere.
    
16. bank: The rising ground that borders a river or stream.
17. barrier island: A sandbar that is more than 100 meters (328 feet) wide.
18. bathyal zone: The part of the oceanic zone that is between 200 meters (656 feet) and about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) deep. 
    (From Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús, “deep”))
19. beach drift: The pulling of sand particles sideways along a beach.
20. beach erosion: The process by which waves pick up sand particles and move them along the shore.
21. benthos: Organisms that live on or near the ocean floor, such as seaweed, and tube worms.
    
22. biomass conversion: A method for changing plant and animal materials into high-quality fuels.
23. biome: A region with a particular climate that contains certain types of plants and ecosystems.
24. biotic factor: Any living thing that is part of an ecosystem.
25. body wave: A seismic wave that travels through the interior of Earth; the two types are P waves and S waves.
    
26. breaker: A wave that breaks into foam against the shore and washes back into the ocean at another angle.
    
27. buoyancy: An upward force on an object or a substance that is in a liquid or a gas.
    
28. California Current: An ocean current that carries cold water toward the equator along the western coast of the United States, keeping the climate of the northwest cool.
29. calorie: The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. 
30. cambium: A layer of plant cells that sometimes separates the xylem and the phloem.
    
31. canopy: The second-tallest layer of the rain forest; it shades the rain forest with a thick blanket of foliage.
32. capillary action: A force that pulls water up into plants by water molecules' sticking to one another and to other substances.
33. carbon cycle: The natural processes in which carbon is recycled between the atmosphere and living things.
34. carnivore: A secondary or tertiary consumer; an animal that eats other animals.
35. Central Valley: An area of low land bordered by the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Ranges to the west.
     
36. chaparral: A dry region with a thick growth of brush and small trees found in the foothills of California's southern mountain ranges, in the Sierra Navada, and along the California coast.
37. chemical reaction: A change in matter that produces new substances with properties different from those of the original substance. 
38. chemical weathering: The process that changes the composition of rock, forming new minerals that have properties different from those of the original rock.
39. chemosynthesis: A chemical reaction that bateria living near hydrothermal vents use to produce food.
40. chlorophyll: A green substance in plants that absorbs energy from sunlight.
41. chloroplast: A structure that contains chlorophyll and is found in the cells of leaves and stems of green plants.
42. cilia: Small, hairlike projections extending extending from the outsides of some protists' cells; used for movement and for capturing food.
43. ciliate: Any protist that has small, hairlike projections, or cilia, extending from the outside of its cell.
    
44. cinder cone volcano: A volcanic landform made up of small rock particles, or cinders, which pile up around the vent to form a small cone with steep sides.
    
45. climate: The average weather pattern of a region.
46. coal: A hard, black substance formed from plants that lived about 300 million years ago. Coal is a fossil fuel.
47. collection: A process in which water soaks into the ground and is stored as groundwater.
48. community: All the populations living in an area.
49. composite volcano: A landform made up of layers of lava flows alternating with layers of ash, cinders, and rocks; shaped like a symmetrical cone with steep sides that are concave, or curving inward.
     
50. composting: The process in which decomposers break down organic matter so it can be used as a natural fertilizer for gardening or farming. 
51. compound leaf: A leaf with two or more blades.
    
52. compound light microscope: A microscope that uses two or more lenses and a light source to magnify objects.
    
53. compression wave: A wave that moves back and forth in the same direction as the molecules of matter in the wave; sound waves are an example.
54. concrete: A mixture of sand, gravel, pebbles in a binding material such as mortar.
55. condensation: The process in which a gas changes into a liquid.
56. conduction: The movement of energy through direct contact.
57. conductor: An object that absorbs heat and distributes it evenly; one example is metal.
58. conifer: An evergreen that produces seeds in a special structures called cones.
    
59. conservation: Using natural resources wisely by limiting their use to times of need.
60. consumer: An organism that gets energy by feeding directly on producers or by eating animals that feed on producers.
61. continental crust: Crust that makes up Earth's land; made up mostly of a relatively lightwight rock called granite.
62. continental drift: The idea that a past supercontinent split apart into pieces, which drifted over time to their present locations.
63. convection: The transfer of energy by the flow of a liquid or a gas.
64. convection current: The circulation of hot and cold fluids due to differences in temperature and resultant changes in density. 
65. convective flow: The continuous circular pattern of fluids as they are heated and cooled.
66. convergent boundary: A boundary between plates that are moving toward each other, or colliding. 
67. core: The central part of Earth that lies beneath the mantle and is made up of an outer, liquid part and an inner, solid part.
    
68. Coriolis effect: The shift in wind direction caused by Earth's rotation.
69. cost-effectiveness: A measure determined by comparing the costs and the consequences of different ways of doing something.
70. crater: A bowl-shaped depression.
    
71. crust: The thin layer of solid rock that makes up the outermost part of Earth.
72. cuticle: A waxy coating secreted by cells of a plant's epidermis to prevent water from leaving the plant.
    
73. cyanobacteria: Prokaryotic producers that produced oxygen as a waste gas that made Earth inhabitable for other living things.
    
74. cycle: A series of events that happen in the same order, over and over again.
75. cyclone: A huge mass of spinning air that forms when an area of low pressure is surrounded by high pressure on all sides.
    
76. dam: A barrier constructed to control a flow of water or to raise a water level.
    
77. deciduous: Belonging to the class of trees and forests that lose their leaves when winter comes.
78. decomposer: An organism that breaks down dead organisms into simpler substances.
    
79. delta: The triangular-shaped deposit of soil particles that forms where a stream enters a larger body of water.
    
80. density: The measure of how much material there is in a given amount of space.
81. deposition: The process by which eroded soil and rock are put down in new places, reshaping the landscape.
82. deuterium: One of the two forms of hydrogen used in the process of nuclear fusion.
    
83. dew point: The temperature at which condensation occurs.
84. diatom: A very small, photosynthetic protist that lives in either salt water or fresh water.
    
85. dinoflagellate: A protist that has characteristics of both plants and animals.
    (from Greek dinos ‘whirling’ + Latin flagellum ‘small whip’)
     
86. divergent boundary: A boundary between plates that are moving away from each other, or pulling apart.
87. dormant: Less active or resting condition.
88. earthquake: The shaking of the ground that occurs when tectonic plates shift and change position.
89. ecology: The study of organisms and how they interact in an ecosystem.
    (from Greek oikos ‘house’ + -logy)
90. ecosystem: The living and nonliving things in an area that interact with one another.
91. eddy: A small, spinning air current that often develops when wind flows over buildings, mountains, or other obstructions.
    
92. efficiency: The amount of usable energy given off by an energy conversion compared to the total amount of energy used in the conversion.
93. electromagnetic spectrum: The wide range of electromagnetic radiation ordered by wavelength; consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared rays, visible lights, ultraviolet light, X rays, and gamma rays.
    
94. electromagnetic wave: A wave that is made up of alternating electric and magnetic fields created by vibrating electric charges.
95. electron microscope: A powerful microscope that uses a beam of electron, rather than a light source, to magnify samples being observed.
96. emergent layer: The uppermost rain-forest layer, made up of very tall trees that emerge from the forest below into the sunlight above.
    
97. emission: The process of giving off the absorbed electromagnetic waves.
98. energy conversion: The process in which energy changes from one form into another.
99. energy pyramid: A model that shows how energy moves through a food chain.
    
100. energy source: The origin of the light, heat, or electrical energy people use.
101. ENSO/EI Niño Southern Oscillation: The disruption of the ocean-atomosphere system in the Pacific Ocean and the impact that it has on weather around the globe.
102. epicenter: The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake; the place where the strongest shocks are felt and where the greatest damage usually occurs.
     
103. epidermis: The outermost layer of cells of a leaf or skin.
104. erosion: The wearing away of Earth's surface by the breakdown of rocks and transportation of rock and soil.
105. estuary: The part of a river where fresh water meets the sea and is affected by tides.
     (from Latin aestuarium ‘tidal part of a shore’, from aestus ‘tide’)
     
106. ethanol: A manufactured fuel that can be mixed with gasoline to run cars.
107. eukaryote: An organism with a nucleus in each cell.
108. evaporation: The process in which a liquid changes into a gas.
109. evergreen: A tree that usually keeps its leaves all year.
110. extinct: Describes a volcano that has not erupted wihtin recorded history.
111. fault: A break, or crack, in the rocks of the lithosphere along which movements take place; usually located along the boundaries between tectonic plates.
     
112. fault zone: An area where there are many interconnected fault; usually located along the boundaries between tectonic plates.
113. feldspar: The name of a group of minerals that makes up almost 60% of Earth's crust.
     (from Feld 'field' + Spat, Spath 'spar')
     
114. fibrous roots: Roots that branch out into a network of thin, hairy roots; can form thick mats.
     
115. fission: The splitting of atoms into pieces.
     
116. flagella: Long, hairlike structures that whip and lash to help flagellates swim.
     
117. flagellate: A protozoan that has flagella, or long, hairlike structures that whip and lash to help it swim.
118. flood plain: The flat area of land on both sides of a river.
     
119. focus: The point below the surface of the ground where the earthquake begins.
     
120. food chain: An arrangement that shows how energy flows from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
     
121. food vacuole: A structure inside certain cells where food is stored.
     
122. food web: An arrangement that shows the food chains in an ecosystem and how they overlap; also shows the roles and relationships among all the species in an ecosystem.
     
123. forest floor: The bottom level of the rain forest, which receives little or no sunlight.
124. fossil: The remains of an ancient plant or animal.
     
125. fossil fuel: A fuel that comes from the remains of plants and animals and is formed beneath the surface of Earth over millions of years.
     
126. frequency: The number of vibrations a wave makes in a given period of time, usually 1 second.
127. friction: The force that acts when two surfaces rub against each other.
128. fumarole: A hole in the ground through which gases and hot vapors pass; located in a volcanic region.
     (from late Latin fumariolum ‘vent, hole for smoke’, a diminutive based on Latin fumus ‘smoke’.)
     
129. fusion: The process of merging nuclei with smaller masses to make a nucleus with a larger mass.
     
130. geologist: A scientist who studies Earth's origin, history, structure, composition, and processes.
131. geothermal energy: Heat energy produced inside Earth.
132. geyser: A fountain of hot water and steam that shoots into the air.
     
133. glacier: A large mass of moving ice that forms over hundereds or thousands of years.
     
134. global winds: Winds that blow from a specific direction and typically cover long distances.
     
135. greenhouse effect: Rise in temperature resulting from a buildup of gases such as carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, and methane, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth's atmosphere; this lead to global warming.
136. guard cell: One of two cells surrounding each stomate of a leaf; regulates when the stomates open and close.
     
137. Gulf Stream: An ocean current that carries warm water from the southern tip of Florida north along the eastern coast of the United States.
     
138. habitat: The place in which a population lives.
139. heat flow: The transfer of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object.
140. herbivore: A primary consumer, or an animal that eats producers.
141. hot spot: A region of volcanic activity in the middle of a tectonic plate.
142. hot spring: A stream of hot, bubbling water that flows out of the ground continuously.
     
143. humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air.
144. humus: The organic material in soil formed by the breakdown of plant and animal remains.
     
145. hurricane: A tropical cyclone that brings powerful winds and heavy rains and can cause great destruction.
     
146. hydroelectric power: The result of energy that is harnessed from the force of falling or running water; can be converted into electricity.
147. hydrothermal vent: A jet of hot water rich in minerals that comes up through a crack in the ocean floor.
     
148. insulation: A material used to prevent heat from flowing into or out of a substance.
149. insulator: An object that absorbs heat but does not distribute it evenly; one example is wood.
150. intensity: The strength of an earthquake that can be felt at the surface.
151. intermittent: Type of volcano that erupts at fairly frequent intervals.
152. intertidal zone: The shallowest part of the ocean, lying between the high-tide line and the low-tide line.
     
153. jet stream: A current of fast-moving air in the upper atmoshpere; one factor that determines weather in North America.
154. keystone species: A population that occupies a niche of such importance that many other organisms depend on it.
155. kinetic energy: The energy of any moving object.
156. lahar: A mudflow containing volcanic ash and rock.
     
157. land breeze: A breeze that develops as wind blows from the land toward the water.
158. landslide: The rapid, downslope movement of a mass of rock, soil, and debris.
159. lava: Molten rock that flows out onto the surface of Earth.
     
160. levee: A wall or a large mound of earth built along a river to prevent it from flooding.
     
161. light wave: A wave within the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
162. lithosphere: The rigid outer part of Earth made up of rocks in the crust attached to the upper part of the mantle.
     
163. lithospheric plate: Plates of the lithosphere that move slowly within Earth.
164. local winds: Winds that can blow from any direction and cover short distances.
165. Los Angeles Basin: A depression lying between Transverse and Peninsular ranges that is filled with rock material that has washed down from these mountains.
     
166. magma: Molten, or melted, rock deep below the surface of Earth; reaches temperature between 650°C and 1,200°C (between 1,202°F and 2,192°F). 
167. magma chamber: A reservoir from which volcanic materials erupt.
     
168. magnetite: A black mineral with magnetic properties. 
169. magnitude: The measure of the energy released during an earthquake. 
170. mantle: The thick layer of rock and molten rock that lie beneath Earth's crust.
     (from Latin mantellum ‘cloak’)
171. marine terrace: A flat step of rock formed in an exposed, windy area where the waves pound hard against the shore.
     
172. meander: A broad curve of a stream, often developed in its mature stage.
     (from Latin meander "a winding course"; from Greek Maiandros, name of a river in Caria noted for its winding course)
     
173. mechanical weathering: The process that breaks a rock apart into smaller and smaller pieces that retain the characteristics of the original rock; also known as physical weathering. 
174. Mercalli scale: A scale that tells what people actually feel and observe when an earthquke occurs; based on observed effects, not on mathematics.
     
175. methane gas: A gas made up of carbon and hydrogen; the main ingredient in natural gas.
176. microscope: An instrument that produces an enlarged image of an object.
177. mid-ocean ridge: A vast, underwater mountain chain that has been built up by the addition of new rock from below two tectonic plates moving apart under the oceans.
     
178. migrate: To travel to a different place.
179. mineral: A natural occurring solid material of Earth's crust; minerals include clay, sand, and silt.
180. mountain belt: Several mountain ranges that lie parallel to one another.
     
181. mountain breeze: A breeze that occurs when cool air circulates from mountain peaks into surrounding valleys.
     
182. natural gas: A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons formed orginally from dead organisms.
183. natural resource: A useful material people take from Earth.
184. nekton: Animals such as flounder, tuna, and squid that swim through the water; can be found in any ocean zone.
     (via German from Greek nēkton, neuter of nēktos ‘swimming’, from nēkhein ‘to swim’.)
     flounder: 比目鱼；tuna：金枪鱼；squid：乌贼
     
185. neritic zone: The ocean zone from the low-tide line to the point where the ocean floor drops off.
     (from Greek nēritēs ‘sea mussel’, from the name of the sea god Nereus.)
      <-- Sea Mussel
186. niche: The role of an organism in an ecosystem.
187. nitrate: One usable form of nitrogen absorbed by plants and used to make proteins.
188. nitrite: Another usable form of nitrogen absorbed by plants and used to make proteins.
189. nitrogen cycle: The continuous trapping of nitrogen gas in compounds in the soil and the returning of nitrogen gas to the air.
     
190. nitrogen-fixing bateria: Certain bateria that live in the roots of beans, peas, and peanuts and can extract nitrogen from the air.
     
191. nonmonetary cost: The environmental consequences of energy use; examples include the generation of pollution and long-term health problems caused for people.
192. nonrenewable resource: A material that people take from Earth and that cannot be replaced wihtin a short period of time or at all; examples include coal, oil, and natural gas.
193. North American Plate: Lithospheric plate that includes almost all of North America and part of the Atlantic Ocean.
     
194. nuclear fuel: A material, such as uranium, that can be used in nuclear reactors as a source of energy. 
195. nuclear power plant: A facility that generates electricity through nuclear reactions.
196. objective lens: The lens on the bottom of a microsope's body tube.
     
197. ocean current: A continuous flow of ocean water along a definite path.
198. ocean trench: A long, narrow, deep valley on the ocean floor; trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean.
     
199. oceanic crust: Crust that lies below the oceans; made up mostly of basalt.
     
200. oceanic zone: The ocean zone that lies beneath the neritic zone and is divded into two areas based on depth: the bathyal zone and the abyssal zone.
     
201. ocular lens: The lens at the top of a microscope's body tube, nearest the observer's eye.
     
202. oil: A thick, black substance that forms underground, over millions of years, from decaying organisms; also called petroleum.
     
203. old-growth forest: An ecosystem in which trees have grown undisturbed for a long time.
204. omnivore: An animal that eats both producers and consumers.
205. oscillate: To swing back and forth.
206. oxbow lake: A portion of a stream channel that is cut off from the rest of the stream by erosion.
      
207. Pacific Plate: Lithospheric plate that consists of the Pacific Ocean and a narrow piece of California west of the North American Plate.
     
208. pampas: The grasslands of Argentina; home to pampas deer.
     (via Spanish from Quechua pampa ‘plain’)
      
209. Pangaea: Earth's single landmass, or "supercontinent," that is thought to have existed 200 milllion years ago. 
     
210. parasite: An organism that feeds off and harms other organisms.
     
211. parent rock: The rock from which soil is formed.
212. permafrost: The permanently frozen soil layer in the tundra biome.
     
213. petrochemical:  A chemical that comes from petroleum or natural gas; examples include ingredients in paints, fertilizers, pesticides, plastics, and medicines. 
214. phloem: Tubes within a plant stem that move food from the leaves to other parts of the plant.
     (from Greek phloos ‘bark’ + the passive suffix -ēma)
215. photosynthesis: The process of making food by using sunlight; used by plants and some other organisms.
216. pH scale: Scale used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
217. physical weathering: The process that breaks a rock apart into smaller and smaller pieces that retain the characteristics of the original rock; also known as mechanical weathering.
218. phytoplankton: Microscopic organisms that, like plants, use the Sun's energy to make food through photosynthesis.
     (From phyto- +‎ plankton. From Ancient Greek phutón, “plant” + planktós, “wandering”.
     However, they are no longer classified as plants, so the terminology is showing a historical meaning.)
     
219. plankton: Microorganisms that live near the surface of the ocean; the two types are phytoplankton and zooplankton.
     (From Ancient Greek phutón, “plant” + planktós, “wandering”)
220. plastic: A synthetic substance derived from petroleum, a fossil fuel.
     
221. plate tectonics: The theory that Earth's surface is made up of separate, rigid plates that move slowly across the mantle.
222. pollution: A harmful change in the natural environment; usually the result of human activities. 
223. polymer: A chemical compound that is made of repeating parts; plastic is an example.
224. polymerization: The process of chemically linking many smaller molecules to form a larger molecule that has different physical properties. 
225. population: All the organisms of one species in an ecosystem.
226. potential energy: The energy stored in an object by changing its location.
227. precipitation: Any form of water --- rain, snow, sleet, or hail --- that falls to Earth.
228. predator: A living thing that hunts and kills other living things for food.
     
229. prey: The animals that predators hun for food. 
     
230. primary consumer: An organism that eats producers and is the second link in a food chain after producers.
     
231. producer: An organism, such as a plant or type of algae, that uses energy from the Sun to make its own food. 
232. product: A new substance formed from a chemical reaction.
     
233. prokaryote: An organism that has a simple cell structure without a nucleus in each cell.
     (from pro- ‘before’ + Greek karuon ‘nut, kernel’ + -ote as in zygote.)
     
234. protist: A single-celled, eukaryotic organism that cannot be clearly classified as animal or plant.
     
235. protozoan: A protist that has no cell walls and can find and eat food; examples include flagellates and ciliates.
     (from Greek protos "first" + zoia, plural of zoion "animal")
     
236. pseudopod: A cell extension used by protists to move about and capture food; means 'false foot.'
     
237. P wave: The fastest seismic wave, which travels through gases, liquids, and solids; also called primary wave.
     
238. quartz: The second most common mineral found in Earth's crust.
     
239. radiant energy: The energy given off by the Sun.
     
240. radiation: The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves. 
241. raw material: A building block of products.
242. reactant: An original substance in a chemical reaction.
     
243. recycling: The creation of new products by the reuse of materials that would otherwise be treated as waste; another way to decrease the demand on Earth's natural resources. 
     
244. relative humidity: A measurement of the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the amount that would saturate the air. 
     
245. renewable resource: A resource that can be replaced in a relatively short time; examples are wood, water, wind, and solar energy. 
246. respiration: The process through which energy is released in plants and animals; occurs when sugar and oxygen join to produce water, carbon dioxide, and energy. 
247. Richter scale: A set of numbers used to describe the magnitude of an earthquake. 
     
248. Ring of Fire: A zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the Pacific Basin.
     
249. rock cycle: A continuous cycle in which rocks are continually changed from one type to another.
     
250. root: The part of a plant that holds it in the soil and takes in water and minerals to feed the plant.
251. root pressure: Force that moves water upward into the stem; in small plants it can move water through the plant. 
     
252. salinity: The amount of salt in water.
253. San Andreas Fault: A deep crack in Earth's crust in California, where the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate slide past each other.
      
254. sandbar: A formation that is formed when waves deposit sand and cause shallow water to be collected.
     
255. sand dune: Mounds formed in the desert or on beanches from particles of sand that have been deposited by the wind.
      
256. Santa Ana winds: Winds that begin with an area of high air pressure to the north and east of Southern California and flow down through the deserts toward low pressure areas offshore.
     
257. scanning electron microscope (SEM): The most commonly used electron microscope, which can magnify as much as 300,000 times; also called SEM.
     
258. scavenger: An animal that seeks out and feed off of the remains of dead animals. 
     
259. sea breeze: A breeze that develops when cooler, high-pressure air over the water moves in to replace the rising warm air above the land.
     
260. seafloor spreading: The addition of new rock to plates moving apart under the ocean; rock moves away from the space between the plates in opposite directions, resulting in the formation of the mid-ocean ridge.
261. secondary consumer: An organism that gets its energy by eating primary consumers.
262. sediment: Weathered rock particles.
     
263. seismically safe: Designed to resist collapsing in the event of an earthquake; buildings and highways can be built in this way. 
264. seismic wave: A vibration that travels through Earth and is produced by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
265. seismograph: An instrument that detects, measures, and records that energy of earthquake vibrations at a given location. 
     
266. semimolten: Almost melted; used to describe mantle rocks below the lithosphere.
267. serpentine: An unusual rock, found in parts of California's soil layer, containing minerals taht are harmful to many, but not all, plants. 
     (from late Latin serpentinus "serpent, a large snake"; 中译作：蛇纹石)
     
268. shield volcano: A volcano with broad, gently sloping sides formed by the buildup of layers of lava rocks. 
     
269. simple leaf: A leaf with only one blade. 
      
270. smelting: A process used to melt metal, often for the purpose of separating it into its components. 
     
271. smog: The result of pollutants in the atmosphere.
     (smog = smoke + fog)
     
272. solar energy: Any form of energy radiated by the Sun. 
     
273. solar radiation: The electromagnetic energy emitted by the Sun, that shines on Earth's surface.
274. sound wave: A wave produced by the vibration of an object.
     
275. source: The point of origin of a river or stream; often occurs in the mountains.
276. stem: The part of a plant that supports leaves and flowers; also transports water and other substances between the roots and leaves.
     
277. steppes: The grasslands of central Russia; home to many different animals, such as Siberian chipmunks and wild boars.
       
278. stomata: Tiny pores in the epidermis of a leaf through which gases and water pass.
     
279. strip mining: A process in which layers of topsoil are peeled away, exposing the coal underneath; causes damage to the land. 
     
280. subduction: A process that occurs when tectonic plates converge and one plate sinks or slides under the other.
     
281. subsoil: The layer of soil below the topsoil.
     
282. surface wave: A seismic wave that is trapped near the surface of Earth.
283. sustainability: The idea that people should fulfill present needs without limiting the ability of futuer generations to fulfill their needs as well. 
284. S wave: A seismic wave that travels only through solids, vibrating at a right angle to its direction of travel; also called secondary wave. 
     
285. synthetic: A material that is artificially made. 
286. system: A group of things that work together as a unified whole. 
287. taiga: A cool forest of cone-bearing evergreen trees; also called a boreal forest. 
     (from Russian taĭga "coniferous forest")
     
288. taproots: Thick, straight roots with a few root hairs along the sides.
     
289. tectonic plate: A rigid plate that is part of Earth's surface and moves slowly across the mantle. 
     
290. temperature: The average kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance. 
291. tertiary consumer: An animals that eats secondary consumers; usually the top predator in a food chain.
292. textile: Any type of fabric, especially one made by weaving or knitting fibers together. 
     
293. thermal pollution: The release of excess heat from nuclear power plants; can destroy habitats and kill the animals that live in them.
     
294. topsoil: The upper layer of soil; composed mostly of humus, minerals, water and air. 
295. trade winds: Winds that blow almost continually toward equator from the northeast to the southwest.
     (winds that is used by sailing ships trading goods, so called trade winds.)
     
296. transform boundary: A boundary between plates that are sliding past each other. 
     
297. transpiration: The loss of water from plant leaves.
     
298. transportation: The movement of rock and soil as Earth's surface is eroded. 
299. triangulation: A way of using information from at least three seismograph stations to find the location of the epicenter.
     
300. tritium: One of the two forms of hydrogen used in the process of nuclear fusion.
     
301. tsunami: A series of huge waves caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption beneath or near the ocean. 
     (from Japanese language tsunami "津波")
     
302. tundra: A very cold, dry biome that includes a layer of permanently frozen soil.
     
303. turbine: An engine that is activated by moving water, steam, wind, or air and used to generate electricity; similar to a waterwheel.
304. understory: The rain-forest layer that is beneath the canopy and is made up of the trunks of the canopy trees as well as shrubs, vines, and small plants.
     
305. unifying theory: A theory that ties other theories together to give a more complete piecture of natural occurrences, such as plate tectonics. 
306. valley breeze: A breeze that occurs when cool air moves out of the valleys to replace warm air that rises off the slopes of mountains. 
     
307. vein: A narrow channel that runns through a leaf blade, bringing the leaf water and minerals. 
     
308. Ventura Basin: A depression in the Transverse Ranges where thick layers of rock mineral have accumulated. 
     
309. vibration: The back-and-forth or up-and-down motion of a wave, which is described by its frequency. 
310. volcanic island arc: A long, curved chain of volcanic islands. 
     
311. volcano: A place where molten rock, hot gases, and solid rocks erupt through an opening in Earth's crust; also a mountain that formed from these materials. 
     
312. water cycle: The continuous movement of water between Earth's surface and the air. 
     
313. watershed: The area from which water is drained; also the region that contributes water to a river or a river system. 
     
314. wave: A disturbance that carries energy from one place to another without a net movement of matter. 
315. wavelength: The distance from the top of one crest to the top of next or from the bottom of one trough to the bottom of the next. 
     
316. weather: The day-to-day conditions in an area.
317. weathering: The gradual breakdown of rock into smaller pieces by natural processes such as precipitation, wind, plant growth, and temperature change. 
318. wetland: An area in which water is near the surface of the soil much of the time; in California most wetlands are salt marshes.
     
319. wind: Air that moves horizontally near Earth's surface. 
320. work: The use of force to move an object through a distance. 
321. xylem: Tubes within a plant stem that take water and minerals up from the roots to the leaves. 
     (from Greek xulon ‘wood’ + the passive suffix -ēma)
322. zooplankton: Microscopic organisms that feed on phytoplankton.