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Day 1 · History & Civilisation · B2 Level

The Secrets of the Pyramids

Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage

⏱ Time target: 5-6 minutes 📖 Reading + Vocabulary ✅ 10 True / False questions
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Reading Passage

The pyramids of Egypt are among the most famousfamous (adj)Known about by many people.≈ Synonym: renowned🇺🇿UZ: mashhur🇷🇺RU: знаменитый ancientancient (adj)Belonging to a period long ago in history.≈ Synonym: age-old🇺🇿UZ: qadimiy🇷🇺RU: древний structuresstructure (noun)Buildings or other large constructed objects.≈ Synonym: constructions🇺🇿UZ: inshoot, bino🇷🇺RU: сооружение in the world. They were built over 4,000 years ago, during the time of the pharaohspharaoh (noun)Ancient Egyptian kings.≈ Synonym: Egyptian rulers🇺🇿UZ: fir'avn🇷🇺RU: фараон. The largest and most well-known is the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was constructedconstruct (verb)Built or made something by putting parts together.≈ Synonym: built🇺🇿UZ: qurmoq🇷🇺RU: строить for Pharaoh Khufu. When it was first built, it stood at around 146 metres tall and was the tallest man-mademan-made (adj)Made by people, not occurring naturally.≈ Synonym: artificial🇺🇿UZ: sun'iy🇷🇺RU: искусственный structure in the world for thousands of years.

What makes the pyramids so incredibleincredible (adj)Extremely impressive or difficult to believe.≈ Synonym: amazing🇺🇿UZ: hayratlanarli🇷🇺RU: невероятный is that they were built at a time when people had no modern machines or technologytechnology (noun)Scientific knowledge used for practical purposes.≈ Synonym: machinery🇺🇿UZ: texnologiya🇷🇺RU: технология. The huge stone blocksblock (noun)Large solid pieces of a hard material.≈ Synonym: slabs🇺🇿UZ: blok, katta bo'lak🇷🇺RU: блок, some weighingweigh (verb)Having a particular heaviness.≈ Synonym: massing🇺🇿UZ: og'irlikka ega bo'lmoq🇷🇺RU: весить as much as 80 tonnes, had to be transportedtransport (verb)Moved from one place to another.≈ Synonym: moved🇺🇿UZ: tashimoq🇷🇺RU: перевозить and placed with great accuracyaccuracy (noun)The quality of being exact and correct.≈ Synonym: precision🇺🇿UZ: aniqlik🇷🇺RU: точность. This has led many expertsexpert (noun)People with great knowledge in a particular field.≈ Synonym: specialists🇺🇿UZ: mutaxassis, ekspert🇷🇺RU: эксперт, специалист to wonder: how did the ancient Egyptians achieveachieve (verb)To succeed in doing something difficult.≈ Synonym: accomplish🇺🇿UZ: erishmoq🇷🇺RU: достичь this?

One of the most acceptedaccepted (adj)Generally agreed to be true or correct.≈ Synonym: widely believed🇺🇿UZ: qabul qilingan🇷🇺RU: общепринятый ideas is that the builders used large rampsramp (noun)Sloping surfaces connecting two different levels.≈ Synonym: slopes🇺🇿UZ: pandus, qiya yo'lak🇷🇺RU: пандус to move the stones into place. These ramps may have been made from mud bricks and wood, and they would have allowed workers to dragdrag (verb)To pull something heavy along a surface.≈ Synonym: haul🇺🇿UZ: sudrab tortmoq🇷🇺RU: тащить the stones up the sides of the pyramid as it was being built. Another theorytheory (noun)An idea meant to explain something not yet proven.≈ Synonym: hypothesis🇺🇿UZ: nazariya🇷🇺RU: теория suggests that the Egyptians used leverslever (noun)Bars used to lift or move heavy objects.≈ Synonym: bars🇺🇿UZ: richag, tutqich🇷🇺RU: рычаг, ropes, and clever engineeringengineering (noun)The application of science to design and build things.≈ Synonym: technical design🇺🇿UZ: muhandislik🇷🇺RU: инженерия techniques to lift and positionposition (verb)To put something in a particular place.≈ Synonym: place🇺🇿UZ: joylashtirmoq🇷🇺RU: размещать the heavy blocks.

Recent discoveriesdiscovery (noun)Things found or learned for the first time.≈ Synonym: findings🇺🇿UZ: kashfiyot🇷🇺RU: открытие near the pyramids have provided more cluesclue (noun)Pieces of evidence that help solve a mystery.≈ Synonym: hints🇺🇿UZ: iz, ishora🇷🇺RU: подсказка, улика about the people who built them. Archaeologistsarchaeologist (noun)Scientists who study ancient history through excavation.≈ Synonym: excavators🇺🇿UZ: arxeolog🇷🇺RU: археолог have found the remainsremains (noun)Parts of something left after the rest has gone.≈ Synonym: ruins🇺🇿UZ: qoldiqlar🇷🇺RU: останки, руины of workers' villages, where thousands of skilledskilled (adj)Having the ability to do something well.≈ Synonym: trained🇺🇿UZ: malakali🇷🇺RU: квалифицированный labourerslabourer (noun)People who do hard physical work.≈ Synonym: workers🇺🇿UZ: ishchi, mardikor🇷🇺RU: рабочий, чернорабочий lived while working on the pyramids. These people were not slavesslave (noun)People legally owned by others and forced to work.≈ Synonym: bonded workers🇺🇿UZ: qul🇷🇺RU: раб, as some older stories claimedclaim (verb)Stated something as true without definite proof.≈ Synonym: asserted🇺🇿UZ: da'vo qilmoq, iddao qilmoq🇷🇺RU: утверждать, but well-fed workers who were proud of their jobs.

Despite all the researchresearch (noun)Careful study to discover new facts.≈ Synonym: investigation🇺🇿UZ: tadqiqot🇷🇺RU: исследование, many mysteriesmystery (noun)Things that are difficult to understand or explain.≈ Synonym: puzzles🇺🇿UZ: sir, jumboq🇷🇺RU: тайна, загадка remain. Why did the Egyptians build such massivemassive (adj)Extremely large in size.≈ Synonym: huge🇺🇿UZ: ulkan🇷🇺RU: массивный tombstomb (noun)Large graves, especially ones built above ground.≈ Synonym: burial chambers🇺🇿UZ: maqbara, qabr🇷🇺RU: гробница? Were they only for religiousreligious (adj)Relating to religion or belief in a god.≈ Synonym: spiritual🇺🇿UZ: diniy🇷🇺RU: религиозный reasons, or did they also show the power and greatness of the pharaohs? Some even believe the pyramids had a special meaning connected to the stars and the sun.

Today, the pyramids continue to inspireinspire (verb)To fill someone with the urge to do something.≈ Synonym: motivate🇺🇿UZ: ilhomlantirmoq🇷🇺RU: вдохновлять visitors from all over the world. They are a reminderreminder (noun)Something that makes you remember another thing.≈ Synonym: prompt🇺🇿UZ: eslatma🇷🇺RU: напоминание of what human beings can achieve with teamworkteamwork (noun)Combined effort of a group working together.≈ Synonym: collaboration🇺🇿UZ: jamoaviy ish🇷🇺RU: командная работа, skill, and imaginationimagination (noun)The ability to form new ideas or images in the mind.≈ Synonym: creativity🇺🇿UZ: tasavvur🇷🇺RU: воображение. The secrets of the pyramids may never be fully known, but they will always be a symbolsymbol (noun)A thing that represents an idea or quality.≈ Synonym: emblem🇺🇿UZ: ramz🇷🇺RU: символ of ancient Egypt's greatnessgreatness (noun)The quality of being distinguished or important.≈ Synonym: grandeur🇺🇿UZ: buyuklik🇷🇺RU: величие.

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      Check Your Understanding — True / False

      Word List — 40 words

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      Every highlighted word from this story with its meaning in Uzbek 🇺🇿 and Russian 🇷🇺, and an example. Tap 🇬🇧 or 🇺🇸 to hear the word or the sentence in a British or American accent.

      #🇬🇧🇺🇿🇷🇺Example
      1
      famousadjective
      mashhurзнаменитыйRegistan Square is famous all over the world.
      2
      ancientadjective
      qadimiyдревнийBukhara is an ancient city with more than 2,500 years of history.
      3
      structurenoun
      inshoot, binoсооружениеThe Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world for 41 years.
      4
      pharaohnoun
      fir'avnфараонTutankhamun became pharaoh when he was only nine years old.
      5
      constructverb
      qurmoqстроитьThe new metro line was constructed in less than three years.
      6
      man-madeadjective
      sun'iyискусственныйThe lake looks natural, but it is actually man-made.
      7
      incredibleadjective
      hayratlanarliневероятныйThe view from the top of the mountain was incredible.
      8
      technologynoun
      texnologiyaтехнологияModern technology has changed the way we learn languages.
      9
      blocknoun
      blok, katta bo'lakблокThe wall was built from huge blocks of stone.
      10
      weighverb
      og'irlikka ega bo'lmoqвеситьThe baby weighed just three kilos when she was born.
      11
      transportverb
      tashimoqперевозитьCotton is transported from the farms to the factories by truck.
      12
      accuracynoun
      aniqlikточностьThe new app checks your pronunciation with great accuracy.
      13
      expertnoun
      mutaxassis, ekspertэксперт, специалистExperts say that children should sleep at least nine hours a night.
      14
      achieveverb
      erishmoqдостичьIf you practise every day, you can achieve band 7.
      15
      acceptedadjective
      qabul qilinganобщепринятыйIt is generally accepted that exercise improves mood.
      16
      rampnoun
      pandus, qiya yo'lakпандусThe new library has a ramp for wheelchair users.
      17
      dragverb
      sudrab tortmoqтащитьWe had to drag the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
      18
      theorynoun
      nazariyaтеорияOne theory is that the city was destroyed by an earthquake.
      19
      levernoun
      richag, tutqichрычагPull the lever to open the window.
      20
      engineeringnoun
      muhandislikинженерияMy cousin is studying engineering in Tashkent.
      21
      positionverb
      joylashtirmoqразмещатьPosition the camera so that your whole face is visible.
      22
      discoverynoun
      kashfiyotоткрытиеThe discovery of penicillin saved millions of lives.
      23
      cluenoun
      iz, ishoraподсказка, уликаThe police found an important clue near the door.
      24
      archaeologistnoun
      arxeologархеологArchaeologists found old coins near Samarkand.
      25
      remainsnoun
      qoldiqlarостанки, руиныYou can still see the remains of the old city wall.
      26
      skilledadjective
      malakaliквалифицированныйUzbekistan has many skilled craftsmen who make beautiful ceramics.
      27
      labourernoun
      ishchi, mardikorрабочий, чернорабочийThe farm hires extra labourers during the cotton harvest.
      28
      slavenoun
      qulрабIn the past, slaves had no rights at all.
      29
      claimverb
      da'vo qilmoq, iddao qilmoqутверждатьHe claimed that he had never seen the money.
      30
      researchnoun
      tadqiqotисследованиеRecent research shows that bilingual children are better at problem-solving.
      31
      mysterynoun
      sir, jumboqтайна, загадкаHow the stones got there is still a mystery.
      32
      massiveadjective
      ulkanмассивныйThere was a massive queue outside the new shop.
      33
      tombnoun
      maqbara, qabrгробницаThe Gur-e-Amir is the tomb of Amir Temur.
      34
      religiousadjective
      diniyрелигиозныйNavruz is a cultural festival, not a religious one.
      35
      inspireverb
      ilhomlantirmoqвдохновлятьGood teachers inspire their students to keep learning.
      36
      remindernoun
      eslatmaнапоминаниеThe old photos are a reminder of happier times.
      37
      teamworknoun
      jamoaviy ishкомандная работаThe project was a success thanks to good teamwork.
      38
      imaginationnoun
      tasavvurвоображениеChildren have a wonderful imagination.
      39
      symbolnoun
      ramzсимволThe dove is a symbol of peace.
      40
      greatnessnoun
      buyuklikвеличиеHis greatness as a poet is recognised all over the world.