Pre-U CAIE Geography: Key Terminology and Memorisation Guide | Pre-U CAIE 地理：词汇术语速记指南

📚 Pre-U CAIE Geography: Key Terminology and Memorisation Guide | Pre-U CAIE 地理：词汇术语速记指南

Mastering geographical terminology is crucial for success in the Pre-U CAIE examination. This guide arranges must-know terms by topic, pairing clear definitions with simple memory hooks. Use these pairings to build confidence and precision in your written answers.

掌握地理术语对于在 Pre-U CAIE 考试中取得成功至关重要。本指南按主题整理了必备词汇，将清晰的定义与简单的记忆诀窍配对。使用这些双语对照来提升作业答案的信心和准确性。

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1. Fluvial Processes and Landforms | 河流过程与地貌

Hydraulic action: The direct force of water surging into cracks on the river bank or bed compresses trapped air, widening fissures. Visualise a powerful jet of water dislodging material like a pressure washer.

水力作用：水流直接冲入河岸或河床的裂隙，压缩被困空气，使裂缝扩大。想象一股强力水柱像高压水枪一样冲走碎屑。

Abrasion (corrasion): Sand, pebbles and boulders carried by the river scour the channel sides and floor, acting like a natural sandpaper. The word ‘abrasion’ itself hints at ‘abrasive’ – grinding down surfaces.

磨蚀（磨蚀作用）：河流携带的沙石和巨砾摩擦河道两侧和底部，如同天然砂纸。 abrasion 一词本身就含有“ abrasive （研磨的）”之意，即磨平表面。

Attrition: Bedload particles collide with each other as they travel downstream, becoming smaller, rounder and smoother. Think of pebbles in a tumbler, gradually wearing down their sharp edges.

磨耗：河床搬运的颗粒在向下游移动时相互碰撞，逐渐变小、变圆、变光滑。可以想象成滚筒里的卵石，棱角被慢慢磨圆。

Solution (corrosion): Slightly acidic river water dissolves soluble minerals in limestone or chalk, transporting them invisibly in solution. Recall the phrase ‘limestone disappears without a trace’ – chemical removal.

溶蚀（溶蚀作用）：微酸性的河水溶解石灰岩或白垩中的可溶性矿物，以溶液形式搬运，无形无踪。记住短语“石灰岩不留痕迹”——化学搬运。

Traction: Large boulders and cobbles are rolled or dragged along the river bed. Mnemonic: ‘tractor’ suggests heavy, slow movement requiring lots of energy.

推移：巨大的岩块和鹅卵石在河床上滚动或拖拽。助记：联想到“ tractor （拖拉机）”那种沉重、缓慢的移动，需要大量能量。

Saltation: Small pebbles and gravel bounce along the bed in a hopping motion. Picture a stone skipping across water, lifted and dropped repeatedly.

跃移：小石子和砾石在河床上跳跃式前进。想象打水漂的石片，不断被水流抬起又落下。

Suspension: Very fine particles such as silt and clay are held up within the turbulent flow, colouring the water brown. They travel long distances without settling.

悬移：极细的粉砂和粘土颗粒在紊流中悬浮，使河水呈棕色。它们可被长距离搬运而不沉降。

Meander: A sweeping bend in a river, formed by erosion on the outer bank (concave) and deposition on the inner bank (convex). Think of a snake’s sinuous path – a meandering river.

曲流（河曲）：河流的蜿蜒弯曲，因外侧凹岸侵蚀、内侧凸岸堆积而形成。联想蛇形蜿蜒的路径——一条 meandering 的河。

Oxbow lake: When a meander neck is cut through by flooding or erosion, the former loop is isolated, creating a crescent-shaped lake. ‘Oxbow’ resembles the U-shaped collar of an ox; remember an abandoned noose of water.

牛轭湖：当曲流颈部被洪水或侵蚀切穿后，原先的河道环被隔离，形成新月形湖泊。“ oxbow ”像牛颈上 U 形的轭；想象一个被遗弃的水绳套。

Floodplain: Flat land either side of a river, built up of alluvium deposited during repeated floods. Memory hook: ‘plain that floods’ – a flat area under water during peak discharge, leaving fertile silt.

河漫滩：河流两侧的平坦土地，由多次洪水期间沉积的冲积层堆积形成。记忆点：’ floodplain ‘ 就是“会淹没的平原”——洪峰期间被水覆盖，留下肥沃淤泥的平坦区域。

Levee: A natural raised bank along the river channel, formed when coarse sediment drops out first as floodwaters slow at the channel edge. Think of a ‘wall’ built by the river itself.

自然堤：沿河道形成的一道天然隆起岸堤，当洪水在河岸边缘减速时粗粒沉积物最先堆积而成。把它看作河流自己建造的“墙壁”。

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2. Coastal Processes and Features | 海岸过程与特征

Longshore drift: The zigzag movement of sediment along a beach, driven by waves approaching at an angle. Swash carries material diagonally upshore, backwash brings it straight down under gravity; net drift is parallel to the coast. Recall ‘long’ shoreline drift.

沿岸漂沙：波浪以一定角度冲向海岸，导致沉积物呈 Z 字形沿岸运动。冲流将物质斜向推上海滩，回流则垂直拉下；净漂移平行岸线。记住“ long ”（长）沿岸漂移。

Constructive waves: Low-energy waves with strong swash and weak backwash, depositing material and building up a beach. Visualise them ‘constructing’ the beach like a builder adding sand.

建设性波浪（堆积浪）：低能波浪，冲流强而回流弱，堆积物料，塑造滩面。想象它像建筑工人一样“ constructive （建设）”着海滩，不断加沙。

Destructive waves: High-energy waves with powerful backwash that erodes and drags sediment offshore, creating a steep beach. Think of a demolition crew tearing down the shore.

破坏性波浪（侵蚀浪）：高能波浪，回流强，侵蚀和拖曳沉积物离岸，形成陡峭海滩。联想到拆房队破坏海岸，“ destructive （破坏性的）”。

Cliffs and wave-cut platforms: A cliff retreats as waves undercut its base, forming a notch; continued erosion causes collapse, leaving a gently sloping rocky shore platform. Mnemonic: notch leads to drop, platform remains as a wave-sawn shelf.

海蚀崖与浪蚀平台：波浪侵蚀崖脚形成凹槽，持续侵蚀导致崩塌，崖壁后退，留下微倾斜的岩石平台。记忆：凹槽导致坠落，平台如同海浪锯出的架子。

Caves, arches, stacks and stumps: Sequential erosion along a headland: a cave enlarges into an arch, the arch roof collapses leaving a stack, which weathers into a stump. Think of the timeline: cave → arch → stack → stump (C.A.S.S.).

海蚀洞、海蚀拱、海蚀柱与海蚀残柱：岬角上顺序侵蚀：洞穴扩大成拱桥，拱顶坍塌遗留海蚀柱，进而风化为残柱。记住时间线：cave → arch → stack → stump (C.A.S.S.)。

Spit: A long, narrow ridge of sand and shingle extending from the coast into open water, formed by longshore drift where the coastline changes direction. Picture a finger of land reaching out but curved by wave refraction.

沙嘴：由沿岸漂沙形成的狭长沙石脊，从海岸向开放水域延伸，多出现在岸线转向处。想象一只手指向外伸出，但被波浪折射弄弯。

Bar: A spit that has grown across a bay, connecting two headlands and sealing off a lagoon. Remember ‘bar’ blocks the bay entrance like a barrier.

沙坝：沙嘴延伸横跨海湾，连接两岸岬角，封闭出一个潟湖。记住“ bar ”（杆/栅栏）像屏障一样封住了海湾入口。

Tombolo: A spit connecting an island to the mainland, built by sediment accumulation in the wave shadow behind the island. Think ‘tom-bolo’ ties an ‘isolated’ land to the shore.

连岛沙洲：连接岛屿与大陆的沙嘴，因岛屿背浪侧沉积物堆积而成。把“ tombolo ”想象成拴住孤岛的绳桥。

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3. Weathering and Mass Movement | 风化与块体运动

Freeze-thaw weathering (physical): Water enters rock cracks, freezes and expands by about 9%, wedging the rock apart. Repeated cycles shatter the rock. Mnemonic: ‘ice grows, rock splits’.

冻融风化（物理性）：水进入岩石裂缝，结冰时体积膨胀约 9%，撑开岩石。反复循环使岩石崩解。助记：“冰长大，岩开裂”。

Exfoliation (onion-skin weathering): Rocks in hot deserts expand and contract due to extreme temperature ranges, causing outer layers to peel off in thin sheets. Think of an onion shedding its skin.

剥离风化（洋葱状风化）：热沙漠中岩石因极端温差反复胀缩，外层呈薄片状剥离。联想洋葱脱皮。

Carbonation: Rainwater absorbs CO₂ forming weak carbonic acid, which reacts with calcium carbonate in limestone, dissolving it. Equation: CaCO₃ + H₂O + CO₂ → Ca(HCO₃)₂. Remember ‘carbonic acid eats calcite’.

碳酸化作用：雨水吸收 CO₂ 形成弱碳酸，与石灰岩中的碳酸钙反应，使其溶解。反应式：CaCO₃ + H₂O + CO₂ → Ca(HCO₃)₂。记住“碳酸吃掉方解石”。

Biological weathering: Roots grow into cracks, exerting pressure and wedging rock apart; also animals burrow and lichens produce weak acids. Visualise tree roots as organic jacks.

生物风化：根系伸入裂隙，施加压力撑开岩石；此外动物挖穴和地衣释放弱酸。想象树根是有机的千斤顶。

Rotational slip (slumping): A mass of saturated regolith moves downhill along a curved slip plane, often on a concave slope. The slump rotates backwards, leaving a small cliff (scarp). Picture a spoon scooping out wet earth.

旋转滑动（崩塌）：饱和的风化层沿弧形滑动面滑动，常见于凹坡。滑体向后旋转，留下一个小陡坎。想象用勺子挖出湿土。

Soil creep: The slowest and most widespread mass movement, triggered by expansion and contraction of soil particles due to freeze-thaw or wetting-drying, causing particles to move imperceptibly downslope. ‘Creep’ signals creeping terracette steps.

土爬（蠕动）：最缓慢、最普遍的块体运动，由冻融或干湿交替引起土壤颗粒胀缩，使微粒几乎不被察觉地向坡下蠕动。 “ creep ”（爬行）暗示形成梯状土的慢动作。

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4. Population and Demographic Concepts | 人口与人口统计概念

Crude birth rate (CBR): Number of live births per 1000 people per year. Link ‘crude’ to ‘general’ – not age-adjusted. Helps measure base fertility.

粗出生率：每千人每年活产数。把“ crude （粗略）”与“总体”联系起来——未按年龄调整。用于衡量基本生育水平。

Crude death rate (CDR): Annual deaths per 1000 people. Remember ‘crude’ masks age structure; a high CDR can simply reflect an older population.

粗死亡率：每千人每年死亡数。记住“ crude ”掩盖了年龄结构；高死亡率可能仅反映人口老化。

Total fertility rate (TFR): Average number of children a woman would have during her reproductive years. A TFR of 2.1 is roughly replacement level. Think ‘two point one to keep the population run’.

总和生育率：一名妇女育龄期间平均生育子女数。约为 2.1 的更替水平。记住“二点一，人口持续”。

Population pyramid: A bar chart showing age-sex distribution. Wide base indicates high birth rates; narrow top suggests low life expectancy. Picture a pyramid shape for youthful populations, a column for slow growth.

人口金字塔：显示年龄性别分布的条形图。底宽表示高出生率，顶窄意味着低预期寿命。将金字塔形与年轻化人口联系，柱形与缓慢增长联系。

Demographic Transition Model (DTM): Five-stage model linking population change to economic development. Stage 1 high fluctuating, Stage 2 early expanding (death rate falls), Stage 3 late expanding (birth rate falls), Stage 4 low fluctuating, Stage 5 declining. Mnemonic: ‘1-2-3-4-5, health then wealth drives the dive’.

人口转变模型（DTM）：将人口变化与经济发展联系起来的五阶段模型。阶段 1 高位静止，阶段 2 早期扩张（死亡率下降），阶段 3 晚期扩张（出生率下降），阶段 4 低位静止，阶段 5 下降。助记：“一二三四五，先健康后财富让数字落”。

Dependency ratio: (Population under 15 + over 65) divided by working-age population (15–64), multiplied by 100. High dependency means many dependents per worker. Visualise a seesaw with youth and elderly on one side, workers on the other.

抚养比：（ 15 岁以下 + 65 岁以上人口）除以劳动年龄人口（ 15-64 岁），乘以 100。高抚养比表示每个劳动力需抚养较多非劳动人口。想象跷跷板，一端是青少年和老年，另一端为劳动者。

Ageing population: Increasing median age due to low fertility and longer life expectancy. Creates fiscal pressures but also a ‘silver economy’. Memory: ‘silver wave’ – a grey demographic tsunami.

人口老龄化：因低生育率和预期寿命延长导致中位年龄上升。造成财政压力，但也催生“银发经济”。记住“银色浪潮”——灰发海啸。

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5. Urbanisation and Settlement Dynamics | 城市化与聚落动态

Urbanisation: An increasing proportion of a country’s population living in towns and cities. Caused by rural-urban migration and natural increase. Key word: proportion, not just population count.

城市化：指住在城镇和城市的人口比例日益增加。由城乡迁移和自然增长引起。关键词：比例，而不仅是人口数量。

Suburbanisation: The outward spread of a built-up area, often with lower-density residential zones. Think of suburbs ‘sub’ (below) urban core, sprawling outwards.

郊区化：建成区向外扩展，常常出现低密度住宅区。联想 suburb 是“ sub ”（下方）市区的蔓延。

Counter-urbanisation: Population movement away from large urban areas to smaller settlements or rural areas. ‘Counter’ means opposite to urbanisation. Often driven by quality-of-life pull factors.

逆城市化：人口从大城市区迁移到小居民点或农村地区。“ counter ”意为与城市化相反。常被生活质量等拉力因素驱动。

Re-urbanisation: Renewed growth in inner-city areas after a period of decline, due to regeneration projects and young professionals moving back. Memory: ‘re’ means do again, breathing new life into the core.

再城市化：内城经历衰落后，因城市更新和年轻专业人士回迁而重新增长。记住“ re ”表示再次，给核心区注入新生命。

Gentrification: The upgrade of run-down inner-city housing by affluent individuals, changing the social character and often displacing lower-income groups. Visualise ‘gents’ moving in, refurbishing, raising rents.

绅士化：较富裕群体改造破旧的内城住房，改变社会特质，往往使低收入群体被迫迁离。想象“先生”们迁入翻新，推高租金。

Megacity vs World City: A megacity has over 10 million inhabitants (demographic definition); a world city exerts global economic and cultural influence (functional definition). Tokyo is both; Lagos is megacity but not yet world city.

巨型城市与世界城市：巨型城市指人口超 1000 万（人口学定义）；世界城市的定义依据其全球经济和文化影响力（功能性定义）。东京两者兼备；拉各斯是巨型城市但不全是世界城市。

Bid-rent theory: Land prices and population density decline with distance from the CBD because retail and offices bid more for accessible central sites. Think of a downward sloping curve – the closer, the dearer.

竞租理论：地价和人口密度随离 CBD 距离增加而下降，因为零售和办公愿意为可及性好的中心地点支付更高租金。想象向下倾斜的曲线——越近越贵。

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6. Economic Development and Globalisation | 经济发展与全球化

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year. Does not account for income distribution or informal sector. Remember GDP = Geography of Domestic Production.

国内生产总值（GDP）：一国一年内生产的所有商品和服务总价值。未考虑收入分配或非正规经济。记住 GDP = 国内生产的地理总和。

Human Development Index (HDI): A composite indicator using life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and GNI per capita. Three dimensions: health, knowledge, standard of living. Mnemonic: ‘HDI – health, degrees, income’.

人类发展指数（HDI）：综合指标，包含预期寿命、教育（平均及预期受教育年数）和人均 GNI。三个维度：健康、知识、生活水平。助记：“ HDI — 健康、学历、收入”。

Gini coefficient: A measure of income inequality from 0 (perfect equality) to

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