There was an interesting article in the science news on Reuters.com last week about a new sub-species of monkey discovered in the Amazon rain forest. It think it’s amazing that scientists continue to discover more animals and it makes me feel excited that there are parts of the words that are still so remote and unexplored.
The first interesting piece of vocabulary is in the sixth paragraph:
The study found that the monkey is threatened by development projects in the region, including a major highway through the forest that is being paved and which could fuel deforestation.
In this example, the word ‘paved’ means to build the road, especially to lay the covering surface of the road (E.g. asphalt or concrete).
The second interesting phrase is in the following paragraph. Fabio Rohe is quoted as saying:
“This discovery should serve as a wake-up call that there is still so much to learn from the world’s wild places, yet humans continue to threaten these areas with destruction,”
A ‘wake-up call’ is usually a when someone calls you on the telephone in the morning in order to way you up. Lots of hotels offer this service and it’s very useful if you have forgotten to pack your alarm clock! In the example above, it has a slightly different meaning. It means to draw attention to a matter that may be dangerous or have a negative effect on people in the future.
Are you worried about the environment? If so, what do you do to help protect it?