Key Terminology and Memory Tricks for CAIE AS Geography | CAIE AS地理核心术语速记指南

📚 Key Terminology and Memory Tricks for CAIE AS Geography | CAIE AS地理核心术语速记指南

Mastering geographical terminology is the foundation of success in CAIE AS Geography. This guide selects the essential terms from all six core units – Hydrology, Atmosphere, Rocks, Population, Migration and Settlement – and pairs each with a clear explanation and a simple memory trick. Use the strategies to lock terms into long-term memory, so you can define, apply and analyse with confidence in Paper 1 and Paper 2.

掌握地理术语是CAIE AS地理考试成功的基石。本指南精心筛选了水文学、大气、岩石、人口、迁移和聚落六大核心单元的关键词汇，为每个术语配上清晰解释和简易记忆技巧。请运用这些策略将术语牢牢锁入长时记忆，让你在卷一和卷二中自信地定义、应用和分析。

1. Hydrological Cycle & Water Budget | 水文循环与水量平衡

Hydrological cycle: The continuous movement of water on, above and below the Earth’s surface through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, interception, infiltration, percolation, throughflow and groundwater flow.

水文循环：水在地球表面、上方和地下的持续运动，包括蒸发、凝结、降水、截留、下渗、渗漏、壤中流和地下水流。

Interception: Precipitation that is caught by leaves and branches before it reaches the ground. Think of an umbrella – a tree canopy acts as a natural umbrella catching raindrops.

截留：降水在到达地面前被叶片和树枝截获。想象一把雨伞 —— 树冠像天然伞一样接住雨滴。

Infiltration: The downward movement of water from the soil surface into the soil. Memory aid: ‘in’ + ‘filtration’ – water filters into the ground.

下渗：水从土壤表面向下进入土壤的过程。记忆口决：「渗入地下」，仿佛水被过滤进泥土。

Percolation: The vertical flow of water through pore spaces in rock deeper than the soil. Contrast with infiltration – percolation happens in the rock below.

渗漏：水在岩石孔隙中的垂直流动，深度超越土壤层。区别于下渗 —— 渗漏发生在下方岩石中。

Water budget equation:

Precipitation (P) = Runoff (Q) + Evapotranspiration (E) + Change in Storage (ΔS)

水量平衡方程：降水量 = 径流量 + 蒸散量 + 储存变化量。当 P > Q + E，土壤水储存增加，地下水位上升。

Baseflow: The portion of river flow that comes from groundwater seepage, not direct runoff. It provides the river’s dry-weather flow. Think ‘base’ = basic supply that keeps the river flowing.

基流：来自地下水渗漏的河道水流部分，而非直接径流。它维持河流的干旱期流量。「基」就是基本供给，让河流不断流。

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2. Fluvial Processes & Landforms | 河流过程与地貌

Abrasion (corrasion): The wearing away of the river bed and banks by the load of rock fragments the river carries. Imagine sandpaper scraping the channel.

磨蚀（磨蚀作用）：河流携带的岩屑负荷对河床和河岸的磨蚀。想象砂纸刮擦河道。

Attrition: Rock fragments carried by the river collide and break into smaller, rounder pieces. Think of pebbles being chipped gradually like a stone tumbling in a polisher.

磨耗：河流搬运的岩屑相互碰撞，破碎成更小、更圆的块体。联想到卵石在磨光机里翻滚碰撞。

Hydraulic action: The force of moving water alone dislodges material from the bed and banks. Water enters cracks, compresses air, and the sudden pressure change breaks off rock.

水力作用：仅靠流水的力量使河床和河岸的物质脱离。水进入裂隙，压缩空气，压力骤变使岩石破裂。

Transportation processes: Remember the ‘TSSS’ trick – Traction (large boulders rolled), Saltation (small pebbles bounced along the bed), Suspension (fine silt carried in the flow), Solution (dissolved minerals carried invisibly).

搬运过程：记住 ‘TSSS’ 口诀 —— 推移（大卵石滚动）、跃移（小砾石沿河床跳跃）、悬移（细粉砂被水流携带）、溶解（溶解矿物不可见地被搬运）。

Meander: A bend in a river caused by helicoidal flow and lateral erosion on the outside bend, depositing on the inside. Memory: ‘meander’ sounds like ‘wander’ – a river wanders across a floodplain.

曲流：由螺旋流和凹岸侧蚀、凸岸沉积形成的河弯。记忆点：’meander’ 听上去像 ‘wander’（漫游），河流在泛滥平原上蜿蜒漫游。

Oxbow lake: A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main channel. Think of the abandoned bend as a ‘bow’ left behind.

牛轭湖：当曲流从主河道截弯取直后形成的月牙形湖泊。把废弃的河弯看作遗留的 ‘轭’。

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3. Atmospheric Structure & Energy Budget | 大气结构与能量收支

Insolation: Incoming solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. The prefix ‘in-‘ + ‘sol’ (sun) = sunlight coming in.

日射：到达地球表面的太阳入射辐射。前缀 ‘in’ + 词根 ‘sol’（太阳）代表入射阳光。

Albedo: The proportion of insolation reflected back by a surface, expressed as a fraction (e.g. fresh snow has an albedo of 0.8-0.9). Light-coloured surfaces have high albedo – think ‘albedo’ > ‘alb’ (white).

反照率：地表反射回太空的日射比例，用分数表示（如新雪反照率为0.8-0.9）。浅色表面反照率高 —— 联想 ‘albedo’ 中的 ‘alb’ 指白色。

Long-wave radiation: Energy emitted by the Earth’s surface in the form of infrared radiation. It is trapped by greenhouse gases, heating the atmosphere. Remember ‘long’ = longer wavelength than visible light.

长波辐射：地球表面以红外线形式释放的能量。它被温室气体捕获，使大气增温。记住 ‘长’ 表示波长比可见光大。

Sensible heat transfer: Heat that can be felt; energy transferred by conduction and convection from the warm ground to the air. ‘Sensible’ = you can sense it with a thermometer.

显热传递：能被感知的热量；通过传导和对流从温暖地面传至空气的能量。’显’ 意味着温度计能测出。

Latent heat: Energy stored when water evaporates, released when water vapour condenses. It is ‘hidden’ heat. Think ‘latent’ = late, waiting to appear.

潜热：水蒸发时储存、水汽凝结时释放的能量。它是 ‘隐藏的’ 热量。’潜’ 暗示潜伏，等待释放。

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4. Global Pressure & Wind Systems | 全球气压带与风系

Hadley cell: A tropical atmospheric circulation loop: warm air rises at the equator, moves polewards, descends around 30°N/S, and returns as surface trade winds. Memory: ‘Hadley’ = ‘hot air rises at equator’.

哈得来环流：热带大气环流圈：赤道暖空气上升，向极地移动，在南北纬30°附近下沉，以表面信风形式回流。记忆法：哈得来 = ‘热空气在赤道上升’。

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): A belt of low pressure near the equator where trade winds converge, causing uplift and heavy rainfall. It migrates seasonally. Think ‘ITCZ’ = ‘intense tropical convection zone’.

热带辐合带：赤道附近的低压带，信风在此汇聚，导致强烈上升气流和大量降雨，随季节移动。联想 ‘ITCZ’ 等于 ‘强烈热带对流带’。

Coriolis force: The apparent deflection of winds due to Earth’s rotation – to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, to the left in the Southern. It influences wind direction but not speed. Memory: ‘Coriolis curves the wind’.

科里奥利力：由于地球自转使风看起来发生偏转的力 —— 北半球向右偏，南半球向左偏，它影响风向但不影响风速。记忆：’科里奥利’ 把风画成曲线。

Geostrophic wind: A high-altitude wind that blows parallel to isobars when pressure gradient force is balanced by the Coriolis force. Think ‘geo’ = earth + ‘strophe’ = turning – a wind that turns with the earth.

地转风：当气压梯度力与科里奥利力达到平衡时，在高空平行于等压线吹的风。’geo’ = 地 + ‘strophe’ = 转向 – 顺应地球旋转的风。

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5. Weather Processes & Humidity | 天气过程与湿度

Relative humidity: The amount of water vapour present in the air expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount the air can hold at that temperature. Formula:

Relative Humidity (%) = (Actual Vapour Content / Saturation Vapour Content) × 100

相对湿度：空气中现有水汽量，表示为该温度下空气能容纳最大水汽量的百分比。公式如上。

Dew point temperature: The temperature at which air becomes saturated and condensation begins. If the air cools to its dew point, dew or fog forms. Memory: at ‘dew point’, dew appears.

露点温度：空气达到饱和、开始凝结的温度。若气温降至露点，露水或雾便会形成。记忆：在 ‘露点’ 出现 ‘露水’。

Condensation nuclei: Tiny particles (dust, salt, smoke) on which water vapour condenses. Without them, clouds cannot form. Think of them as ‘seeds’ for cloud droplets.

凝结核：水汽凝结所需的微小颗粒（尘埃、盐粒、烟粒）。没有它们，云就无法形成。视作云滴的 ‘种子’。

Orographic uplift: Forced ascent of air over a topographic barrier, causing cooling, condensation and precipitation on the windward side, and a rain shadow on the leeward side. ‘Oro-‘ means mountain.

地形抬升：空气受地形障碍强迫上升，在迎风坡冷却、凝结并形成降水，背风坡则出现雨影区。’Oro-‘ 词根表示山。

Frontal rainfall: Precipitation caused when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass; the less dense warm air is forced to rise over the cold air. Memory: ‘frontal’ = two fronts meet and rise.

锋面降雨：暖湿气团与冷气团相遇，较轻的暖空气被迫沿冷空气爬升所形成的降水。’锋面’ 就是两个前锋相遇上升。

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6. Plate Tectonics & Rock Types | 板块构造与岩石类型

Lithosphere: The rigid outer layer of the Earth, comprising the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. It is broken into tectonic plates. ‘Litho-‘ means stone.

岩石圈：地球刚性外层，包括地壳和上地幔顶部，分裂成多个构造板块。’Litho-‘ 意为石头。

Divergent boundary: A plate margin where plates move apart; magma rises to form new crust, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Memory: ‘di’ = away, ‘vergent’ = moving apart – plates diverge.

离散型边界：板块相互分离的边界；岩浆上涌形成新地壳，如大西洋中脊。记忆：’离散’ 就是分开。

Convergent boundary (destructive): Where an oceanic plate subducts beneath a continental or younger oceanic plate, producing trenches, volcanoes and earthquakes. Think ‘converge’ = come together and crush.

汇聚型边界（破坏型）：大洋板块俯冲到大陆板块或更年轻的大洋板块之下，形成海沟、火山和地震。’汇聚’ 就是碰撞挤压。

Subduction: The process of one plate descending into the mantle at a convergent boundary. The subducted plate melts and triggers volcanic activity. ‘Sub-‘ means under.

俯冲：在汇聚边界，一个板块沉入地幔的过程。俯冲板块熔融并引发火山活动。’Sub-‘ 表示向下。

Igneous rock: Rock formed from cooled magma or lava, e.g. basalt (extrusive, fine crystals) and granite (intrusive, coarse crystals). Memory: ‘igneous’ from Latin ‘ignis’ – fire, rock born of fire.

火成岩：由岩浆或熔岩冷却形成的岩石，如玄武岩（喷出岩，微晶）与花岗岩（侵入岩，粗晶）。’igneous’ 源自拉丁语 ‘火’，烈火中诞生的岩石。

Sedimentary rock: Formed by the accumulation and cementation of sediments, often in layers, e.g. sandstone, limestone. Think ‘sediment’ settles and ‘sed’ = sit down.

沉积岩：由沉积物堆积并胶结而成，常呈层理，如砂岩、石灰岩。’沉积’ 就是沉淀下来。

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7. Weathering & Mass Movement | 风化作用与块体运动

Physical (mechanical) weathering: The disintegration of rock without chemical change, e.g. freeze-thaw action. Water enters cracks, freezes and expands 9% in volume, wedging the rock apart. Remember ‘freeze splits’.

物理风化（机械风化）：岩石不发生化学变化的崩解，如冻融作用。水渗入裂隙，结冰时体积膨胀9%，把岩石撑开。记 ‘冻裂’。

Chemical weathering: The decomposition of rock through chemical reactions, such as carbonation (CO₂ + rain water makes weak carbonic acid dissolving limestone). Use the ‘carbo-nation’ link – carbon dioxide.

化学风化：通过化学反应使岩石分解，如碳化作用（CO₂ + 雨水形成弱碳酸溶解石灰岩）。’碳化’ 关联二氧化碳。

Biological weathering: Rock breakdown caused by living organisms: tree roots expand in cracks, burrowing animals break rock, and organic acids from decay enhance chemical attack. ‘Bio’ = life.

生物风化：由生物活动引起的岩石破裂：树根在裂隙中扩张，穴居动物掘松岩石，腐烂产生的有机酸加速化学攻击。’生物’ 即生命。

Soil creep: The slowest mass movement, where individual soil particles are lifted by expansion (wetting, freezing) and then fall downslope by gravity. It produces terracettes – tiny steps on the hillside. Think ‘creep’ = moves inch by inch.

土壤蠕动：最缓慢的块体运动，单个土粒因膨胀（湿润、冻结）被抬升，然后在重力作用下顺坡向下掉。它造成小阶梯状的微型阶地。’蠕动’ 就是一寸一寸移动。

Landslide (rotational slip): A rapid movement of a mass of earth and rock along a curved slip plane, often after heavy rain saturates the slope. It leaves a scar and a toe of debris. Memory: ‘rotational’ = rotates along a curve.

滑坡（旋转式滑动

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