📚 Year 11 Cambridge Geography: Key Vocabulary Memory Guide | Year 11 剑桥地理：核心术语速记指南
Mastering geographical terminology is the gateway to high marks in your Cambridge IGCSE Geography exam. This guide organises essential terms by topic, pairing clear English definitions with Chinese equivalents and memory tricks to help you recall them under pressure. Use it alongside your case studies and map skills practice.
掌握地理术语是剑桥 IGCSE 地理考试取得高分的关键。这份指南按主题整理核心词汇，将清晰的英文定义与中文对等词和记忆技巧配对，帮助你在考场上轻松回想。请结合案例研究和地图技能练习一起使用。
1. Tectonic Hazards Vocabulary | 构造灾害词汇
Plate boundary – the margin where two tectonic plates meet. Destructive (convergent), constructive (divergent) and conservative (transform) boundaries each produce different hazards.
板块边界 – 两个板块相接的边缘。破坏型（汇聚）、建设型（离散）和保守型（转换）边界各自产生不同的灾害。
Subduction – when a denser oceanic plate sinks beneath a lighter continental plate, forming deep ocean trenches and volcanic arcs.
俯冲作用 – 当较重的洋壳板块沉入较轻的大陆板块之下，形成深海沟和火山弧。
Focus / Epicentre – focus is the point inside the Earth where an earthquake starts; epicentre is the point on the surface directly above it.
震源 / 震中 – 震源是地震发生的地下点；震中是其正上方的地表点。
- Memory tip: ‘Epi’ means ‘upon’ in Greek, so epicentre is upon the centre.
- 记忆法：Epi- 在希腊语中意为“在……之上”，所以 epicentre 就在中心之上。
2. Weathering and Mass Movement | 风化与块体运动
Weathering – the breakdown of rocks in situ (without movement). Three types: physical (freeze-thaw, exfoliation), chemical (carbonation, hydrolysis) and biological (root action).
风化作用 – 岩石在原地发生的崩解（不涉及移动）。三种类型：物理风化（冻融、层裂）、化学风化（碳酸化、水解）和生物风化（根系作用）。
Freeze-thaw weathering – water enters cracks, freezes and expands by about 9%, widening the crack until rock fragments break off.
冻融风化 – 水进入裂缝，结冰时体积膨胀约 9%，使裂缝加宽直至岩石碎片脱落。
Mass movement – the downhill movement of weathered material under gravity, e.g. soil creep, landslides, mudflows.
块体运动 – 风化物质在重力作用下沿坡向下的运动，如土蠕、滑坡、泥流。
- Memory tip: Think ‘weathering = breaking, mass movement = moving’.
- 记忆法：记住“风化是破碎，块体运动是移动”。
3. River Processes and Landforms | 河流作用与地貌
Erosion – the wearing away of the river bed and banks. Four processes: hydraulic action, abrasion (corrasion), attrition, solution (corrosion).
侵蚀作用 – 河床和河岸受到磨蚀。四种方式：水力作用、磨蚀（磨耗）、磨圆作用、溶蚀。
Transportation – the movement of sediment. Four processes: traction, saltation, suspension, solution.
搬运作用 – 沉积物的移动。四种方式：推移、跃移、悬移、溶解搬运。
Deposition – when a river drops its load due to reduced velocity, often on the inside of meanders or at the river mouth.
沉积作用 – 河流因流速降低而卸下搬运物，多发生在曲流内侧或河口。
- Memory tip: ‘TASS’ – Traction, Saltation, Suspension, Solution for transport.
- 记忆法：搬运的四个词首字母 TASS。
Meander and oxbow lake – a meander is a bend in a river; an oxbow lake forms when a meander is cut off by lateral erosion and deposition.
曲流与牛轭湖 – 曲流是河道的弯曲；当曲流被侧蚀和沉积截断后便形成牛轭湖。
4. Coastal Processes and Features | 海岸作用与地貌
Longshore drift – the zigzag movement of sediment along a coast caused by waves approaching at an angle.
沿岸漂移 – 波浪以一定角度接近海岸，引起沉积物沿岸线呈锯齿形移动。
Constructive / Destructive waves – constructive waves have a strong swash and weak backwash, building up beaches; destructive waves have a strong backwash and remove material.
建设性波浪 / 破坏性波浪 – 建设性波冲流强、回流弱，堆积海滩；破坏性波回流强，带走物质。
Cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, stacks – sequence of coastal erosion landforms: crack → cave → arch → stack → stump.
海崖、浪蚀平台、海蚀洞、海蚀拱、海蚀柱 – 海岸侵蚀地貌序列：裂隙 → 洞 → 拱 → 柱 → 残柱。
- Memory tip: ‘Caves, Arches, Stacks, Stumps’ – remember CASS.
- 记忆法：海蚀洞、拱、柱、残柱 – 记住 CASS。
5. Weather and Climate | 天气与气候
Weather – the day-to-day state of the atmosphere (temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity).
天气 – 大气的日常状况（气温、降水、风、湿度）。
Climate – the average weather conditions over a long period, typically 30 years.
气候 – 长时间（通常 30 年）的平均天气状况。
Precipitation types – relief (orographic), convectional and frontal (cyclonic) rainfall.
降水类型 – 地形雨、对流雨和锋面（气旋）雨。
- Memory tip: ‘ROCF’ – Relief, Orographic, Convectional, Frontal.
- 记忆法：地形雨、对流雨、锋面雨，可记中文“地对锋”。
Anticyclone vs depression – anticyclone brings settled, dry weather; depression (low-pressure system) brings unsettled, wet and windy conditions.
反气旋与低气压 – 反气旋带来稳定干燥天气；低气压系统带来不稳定、多风雨的天气。
6. Population Dynamics | 人口动态
Crude Birth Rate (CBR) – the number of live births per 1,000 population per year.
粗出生率 – 每年每千人中的活产婴儿数。
Crude Death Rate (CDR) – the number of deaths per 1,000 population per year.
粗死亡率 – 每年每千人中的死亡人数。
Natural increase – the difference between birth rate and death rate; often expressed as a percentage.
自然增长率 – 出生率与死亡率之差；常以百分比表示。
Demographic Transition Model (DTM) – a model showing population change over time through five stages, from high fluctuating to low fluctuating.
人口转变模型 – 显示人口随时间变化的五阶段模型，从高位波动到低位波动。
- Memory tip: Stage 1 high births & deaths, Stage 2 death rate drops, Stage 3 birth rate drops, Stage 4 low & stable, Stage 5 decline.
- 记忆法：第一阶段高高低，第二阶段死亡率降，第三阶段出生率降，第四阶段低稳，第五阶段衰退。
7. Migration | 人口迁移
Migration – the permanent or semi-permanent movement of people from one place to another. Internal vs international, voluntary vs forced.
人口迁移 – 人们永久性或半永久性地从一个地方移动到另一个地方。国内与国际、自愿与被迫之分。
Push factors – negative conditions driving people away (unemployment, war, natural hazards).
推力因素 – 驱使人们离开的不利条件（失业、战争、自然灾害）。
Pull factors – positive attractions of a destination (job opportunities, safety, better services).
拉力因素 – 目的地积极的吸引力（就业机会、安全、更好的服务）。
Net migration – the difference between immigrants and emigrants.
净迁移 – 迁入者与迁出者之差。
| Term | Definition / 定义 |
| Immigrant | Person moving into a country / 移入某国的人 |
| Emigrant | Person leaving a country / 移出某国的人 |
8. Settlement and Urbanisation | 聚落与城市化
Site – the actual land on which a settlement is built. Situation – the settlement’s relationship to its surrounding area and other places.
地点 – 聚落实际所在的土地。位置 – 聚落与周边区域及其他地方的关系。
Urbanisation – the increase in the proportion of a country’s population living in towns and cities.
城市化 – 一个国家居住在城镇的人口比例增加的过程。
Mega-city – a city with over 10 million inhabitants, e.g. Tokyo, Delhi.
巨型城市 – 人口超过 1000 万的城市，如东京、德里。
Land use zones – Central Business District (CBD), inner city, suburbs, rural-urban fringe.
土地利用分区 – 中央商务区、内城、郊区、城乡边缘带。
- Memory tip: Burgess model – concentric rings, Hoyt model – sectors. Think ‘Burgess rings a bell, Hoyt cuts a pie’.
- 记忆法：伯吉斯模型 – 同心环，霍伊特模型 – 扇形。联想“伯吉斯打铃，霍伊特切派”。
9. Economic Activity and Development | 经济活动与发展
Primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary sectors – primary extracts raw materials, secondary manufactures, tertiary provides services, quaternary deals with information and research.
第一、第二、第三、第四产业 – 第一产业采集原料，第二产业制造加工，第三产业提供服务，第四产业涉及信息与研究。
GDP per capita – total value of goods and services produced in a country divided by its population; a common development indicator.
人均国内生产总值 – 一国生产的商品和服务总值除以人口数；常用的发展指标。
Human Development Index (HDI) – a composite index of life expectancy, education and income (0 to 1 scale).
人类发展指数 – 包含预期寿命、教育和收入的综合指数（0 到 1 标度）。
Informal sector – unregulated, sometimes unregistered economic activities, often in developing cities (street vending, casual labour).
非正式部门 – 不受监管、有时未注册的经济活动，常见于发展中国家的城市（街头贩卖、零工）。
10. Environmental Risks and Sustainable Management | 环境风险与可持续管理
Deforestation – the large-scale removal of forest, often for timber, agriculture or urban expansion. Leads to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and increased CO₂.
森林砍伐 – 大规模清除森林，通常为获取木材、农业开垦或城市扩张。导致水土流失、生物多样性丧失和二氧化碳增加。
Sustainability – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
可持续性 – 满足当代需求而不损害后代满足其需求的能力。
Renewable energy – energy from sources that are naturally replenished, such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal.
可再生能源 – 来自可自然补充的能源，如太阳能、风能、水能和地热能。
Carbon footprint – the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event or product.
碳足迹 – 个人、事件或产品造成的温室气体排放总量。
- Memory tip: link ‘sustainability’ to ‘three pillars’ – environment, society, economy.
- 记忆法：将可持续性与“三大支柱”联系 – 环境、社会、经济。
11. Map Skills and Graphical Vocabulary | 地图技能与图表词汇
Contour lines – lines on a map joining places of equal height. Close contours indicate steep slopes.
等高线 – 地图上连接相同高度地点的线。等高线密集表示陡坡。
Scale – the ratio between a distance on the map and the corresponding distance on the ground (e.g. 1:50,000).
比例尺 – 地图上的距离与地面实际距离的比值（如 1:50,000）。
Grid references – 4-figure reference gives a grid square; 6-figure reference locates a point within it.
网格参照 – 四位数字参照给出网格方格；六位数字参照可精确定位方格内一点。
Choropleth map – a map where areas are shaded in proportion to a statistical variable, e.g. population density.
分区统计图 – 按统计变量比例进行区域着色的地图，如人口密度图。
12. Exam Command Words and Memory Tricks | 考试指令词与记忆法
Describe – say what you see, no explanation needed. Use ‘TEA’ (Trend, Example, Anomaly) for graphs.
描述 – 说出所见，无需解释。对图表可用“TEA”（趋势、例子、异常）。
Explain – give reasons why or how something happens. Link cause and effect.
解释 – 说明某事物发生的原因或过程。要联系因果。
Evaluate – weigh up advantages and disadvantages, then give a justified conclusion.
评价 – 权衡利弊，然后给出有依据的结论。
To what extent do you agree – present both sides and state your degree of agreement.
你在多大程度上同意 – 陈述正反两方面，然后表明你同意的程度。
Mnemonic for coastal landforms: CASH – Cave, Arch, Stack, Headland (stump).
海岸地貌记忆法：CASH – 洞 (Cave)、拱 (Arch)、柱 (Stack)、岬 (Headland) 残柱。
River features: V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, waterfalls, gorges in the upper course. Meanders, flood plains, levees, oxbow lakes in middle/lower course.
河流特征：上游有 V 形谷、交错山嘴、瀑布、峡谷；中下游有曲流、泛滥平原、自然堤、牛轭湖。
- Memory tip: ‘Upper course is VIVID’ – V-shaped, Interlocking spurs, Vertical erosion, rapids, Deltas? No, deltas are at mouth. Reconsider: Upper: VIV – Vertical erosion, Interlocking spurs, V-shaped. Lower: MOM – Meanders, Oxbows, mouth/delta.
- 记忆法：上游用 VIV（垂直侵蚀、交错山嘴、V 形谷）；下游用 MOM（曲流、牛轭湖、河口/三角洲）。
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