BBC Learning English

Words in the News

Galapagos environmental
emergency
16 May 2014
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Words in the News British Broadcasting Corporation 2014
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com



The government in Ecuador has declared an emergency in the Galapagos islands. A ship
carrying petrol which got stuck on the rocks last week may still carry a threat to the
island group's plants and animals. Mattia Cabitza reports.

The petrol tanker became stranded off the island of San Cristobal on Friday. But
despite having emptied the ship's cargo, the authorities fear that some remaining
pollutants, like motor oil, could spill over and cause environmental damage.

They said they're working to remove the vessel. This is not the first ship accident in the
Galapagos. In 2001, another stranded petrol tanker spilled fuel and decimated marine
life.

The Galapagos are home to unique animals such as the giant tortoise, the marine
iguana and the flightless cormorant. The archipelago is also known for its endemic
finches, which were studied in the 1830s by the British scientist Charles Darwin. He went
on to publish On the Origin of Species, his revolutionary book on evolution.


Words in the News British Broadcasting Corporation 2014
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com


Vocabulary and definitions

tanker large ship designed to carry gas or liquid
stranded stuck; unable to leave somewhere
cargo things carried by ship, truck, train or plane
vessel large boat or ship
decimated damaged or destroyed a lot of something
iguana a large lizard of tropical America
flightless not able to fly (usually used to describe birds that cannot fly
even though they have wings)
endemic very common in a particular place



Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/05/140516_witn_galapagos.shtml

Related story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-27433792