environment
/ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈvī-rə(n)-mənt -ˈvī(-ə)r(n)-/ (ame, mw)
environment — 名詞
- environmentsingular
- environmentsplural
1. the natural world — including the air, water, land, plants, and animals — consid
自然環境
包含空氣、水、土地與生物的自然界整體
the natural world — including the air, water, land, plants, and animals — considered as a system in which all living things exist.
Sayaka joined a beach clean-up group to help protect the local environment.
Sayaka 加入了一個海灘清理小組，協助保護當地的自然環境。
collocation: protect the environment
Scientists warned that rising temperatures threaten the environment worldwide.
科學家警告，氣溫上升正在威脅全球的環境。
collocation: threaten / damage the environment
Karim’s science project examined how pollution affects the natural environment.
Karim 的科學專題研究污染如何影響自然環境。
Deforestation in the Amazon has destroyed large parts of the natural environment.
亞馬遜雨林的砍伐已經摧毀了大面積的自然環境。
The new power station was carefully designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible.
這座新發電廠經過精心設計，盡量減少對環境的影響。
- nature
Broader term covering everything not made by humans; less focused on systemic protection than 'environment'.
- ecosystem
More scientific; refers to a specific community of organisms interacting with their physical surroundings.
- habitat
More specific; refers to the natural home of a particular species or group of organisms.
文法句型
the environment
environment + noun (environment minister, environment policy)
用法筆記
When referring to the natural world as a whole, this sense almost always appears with the definite article: 'the environment'. It can also combine with domain-specific adjectives such as 'marine', 'urban', or 'built' to describe particular types of natural or human-altered ecosystems.
常見錯誤
2. the people, objects, and conditions around you at home, work, or school, and how
生活環境
影響個人感受或表現的生活、工作或學習條件
the people, objects, and conditions around you at home, work, or school, and how they affect your feelings or behaviour.
A noisy open-plan office can be a difficult environment for focused work.
嘈雜的開放式辦公室對需要專心工作的人來說是一種困難的環境。
collocation: work environment
Constanza finds it easier to study in a library environment than at home.
Constanza 覺得在圖書館的環境唸書比在家裡更容易專心。
collocation: study / learning environment
Rachel’s teacher sets up reading corners, creating a calm environment where shy students feel safe.
Rachel 的老師佈置閱讀角落，營造出讓害羞學生感到自在的平靜環境。
Nikhil quit his job because the work environment had become too stressful.
Nikhil 辭去了工作，因為工作環境變得壓力太大。
The Watanabe family eats dinner together, giving Joon a supportive home environment to share his day.
渡邊家一起吃飯，為 Joon 營造了支持性的家庭環境，讓他能分享一天的生活。
- surroundings
More concrete and physical; focuses on what is immediately around you rather than social or emotional conditions.
- setting
Often implies the physical place where an activity happens; common in academic or literary contexts.
- atmosphere
Emphasises the mood or emotional quality of a place rather than its physical or structural conditions.
- conditions
Plural; broader and more neutral, covering both physical and social factors.
文法句型
adjective + environment
environment + for + noun/-ing
用法筆記
This sense is countable and regularly modified by adjectives describing quality ('supportive', 'hostile', 'competitive', 'stable') or domain ('work', 'home', 'social', 'learning', 'classroom'). Unlike Sense 1, it rarely takes 'the' alone without a modifier, unless the context already specifies the domain.