Opinion essay

abduction = the crime of taking or kidnapping people for a criminal reason
peer pressure = the pressure from people in the same group to act in a certain way
dual-income = a family where both the father and mother work
breadwinner = the person who earns all or most of the money in a family
child-minding = caring informally (not in schools) for children when parents are busy or working
after-school childcare = caring for children in a school setting, as above
viable= practical and possible to achieve
peers = people in the same group or level as yourself
bonding = the development of close emotional connections between people
patterns of behaviour = ways of acting and doing things (either positive or negative)
well brought-up (to bring up children = to raise and educate them in your own moral, behavioural or religious conventions)


Nature, the environment and energy


contamination = pollution by poisons or dangerous elements
the biosphere = the relationship between all living things on the planet
emissions= gases entering the atmosphere
pollutant particles = microscopic elements of pollution
run-off = water that runs from the ground into rivers and lakes
the water cycle = the natural process of water moving from clouds to rain and seas
aquifers = underground, natural water stores
filtration = the process of filtering and removing impurities
water table= the layer of water below ground
tainted = polluted or contaminated
soil erosion = the loss of soil by wind and rain activity
logging = cutting down trees for timber and industrial use