Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
The night sky is full of wonderswonder (noun)Things that cause a feeling of amazement.≈ Synonym: marvels🇺🇿UZ: mo'jizalar🇷🇺RU: чудеса, but few are as magicalmagical (adj)Wonderful and exciting, as if by magic.≈ Synonym: enchanting🇺🇿UZ: sehrli🇷🇺RU: волшебный as the Northern Lights. Also known as the aurora borealisaurora borealis (noun)The scientific name for the Northern Lights.≈ Synonym: Northern Lights🇺🇿UZ: shimoliy shafaq🇷🇺RU: северное сияние, the Northern Lights are colourfulcolourful (adj)Having many bright colours.≈ Synonym: vivid🇺🇿UZ: rang-barang🇷🇺RU: красочный lights that appear in the sky near the North Pole. People who have seen them say it is like watching nature's own fireworksfireworks (noun)Devices that explode to produce colourful light displays.≈ Synonym: pyrotechnics🇺🇿UZ: otashinlar🇷🇺RU: фейерверк show, with colours that dance across the sky in waves and shapes. But what causescause (verb)Makes something happen.≈ Synonym: produces🇺🇿UZ: sabab bo'ladi🇷🇺RU: вызывает this beautiful light show?
For thousands of years, people did not know the answer. They made up stories to explainexplain (verb)To make something clear by describing it.≈ Synonym: clarify🇺🇿UZ: tushuntirmoq🇷🇺RU: объяснить the lights. In Norway, some believed the lights were reflectionsreflection (noun)Images produced by light bouncing off a surface.≈ Synonym: mirror images🇺🇿UZ: aks etishlar🇷🇺RU: отражения from the armourarmour (noun)Protective metal covering worn by warriors.≈ Synonym: protective covering🇺🇿UZ: sovut🇷🇺RU: доспехи of magical creaturescreature (noun)Living beings, especially animals.≈ Synonym: beings🇺🇿UZ: jonzotlar🇷🇺RU: существа in the sky. In parts of Canada, Indigenousindigenous (adj)Originating naturally in a particular place.≈ Synonym: native🇺🇿UZ: mahalliy (tub aholi)🇷🇺RU: коренной people thought the lights were the spiritsspirit (noun)Supernatural beings believed to inhabit a place.≈ Synonym: souls🇺🇿UZ: ruhlar🇷🇺RU: духи of their ancestorsancestor (noun)People from whom one is descended.≈ Synonym: forebears🇺🇿UZ: ajdodlar🇷🇺RU: предки trying to communicate with them. Even today, the Northern Lights continue to inspireinspire (verb)To fill someone with the urge to create something.≈ Synonym: motivate🇺🇿UZ: ilhomlantirmoq🇷🇺RU: вдохновлять mythsmyth (noun)Traditional stories, especially about ancient history.≈ Synonym: legends🇺🇿UZ: afsonalar🇷🇺RU: мифы and legendslegend (noun)Traditional stories, sometimes based on real events.≈ Synonym: folk tales🇺🇿UZ: rivoyatlar🇷🇺RU: легенды.
Science has now solvedsolve (verb)Found the answer to a problem or mystery.≈ Synonym: resolved🇺🇿UZ: hal qilgan🇷🇺RU: решила the mystery. The Northern Lights are caused by the sun. The sun sends out tiny particlesparticle (noun)Extremely small pieces of matter.≈ Synonym: tiny fragments🇺🇿UZ: zarralar🇷🇺RU: частицы called solar windsolar wind (noun)A stream of particles released by the sun.≈ Synonym: solar particles🇺🇿UZ: quyosh shamoli🇷🇺RU: солнечный ветер. When these particles reach Earth, they hit the gasesgas (noun)Substances like air that are not solid or liquid.≈ Synonym: vapours🇺🇿UZ: gazlar🇷🇺RU: газы in our atmosphereatmosphere (noun)The layer of gases surrounding a planet.≈ Synonym: air layer🇺🇿UZ: atmosfera🇷🇺RU: атмосфера, such as oxygenoxygen (noun)A gas essential for breathing.≈ Synonym: O2🇺🇿UZ: kislorod🇷🇺RU: кислород and nitrogennitrogen (noun)A colourless gas making up most of the atmosphere.≈ Synonym: N2🇺🇿UZ: azot🇷🇺RU: азот. This creates energy, which we see as light. The colour of the light dependsdepend on (verb)Is determined or influenced by something.≈ Synonym: relies on🇺🇿UZ: bog'liq🇷🇺RU: зависит on the type of gas. Oxygen can produce green or red lights, while nitrogen creates blue or purple colours.
The best places to see the Northern Lights are in countries close to the Arctic CircleArctic Circle (noun)The line of latitude marking the northern polar region.≈ Synonym: northern polar region🇺🇿UZ: Arktika doirasi🇷🇺RU: полярный круг, such as Norway, Finland, Iceland, Canada, and parts of Russia. The lights are most often seen during the winter months, when the nights are long and dark. People from all over the world travel to these places in the hope of seeing the aurora with their own eyes.
However, the Northern Lights are not just beautiful. They also help scientistsscientist (noun)People who study and research the natural world.≈ Synonym: researchers🇺🇿UZ: olimlar🇷🇺RU: учёные study the sun and its effects on Earth. Solar stormssolar storm (noun)Bursts of energy released from the sun.≈ Synonym: geomagnetic storms🇺🇿UZ: quyosh bo'ronlari🇷🇺RU: солнечные бури, which cause strong auroras, can damage satellitessatellite (noun)Objects placed in orbit to gather or transmit information.≈ Synonym: orbiting devices🇺🇿UZ: sun'iy yo'ldoshlar🇷🇺RU: спутники and power lines. By watching the lights, expertsexpert (noun)People with great knowledge in a particular field.≈ Synonym: specialists🇺🇿UZ: mutaxassislar🇷🇺RU: эксперты can learn more about space weatherspace weather (noun)Conditions in space that can affect technology on Earth.≈ Synonym: solar conditions🇺🇿UZ: kosmik ob-havo🇷🇺RU: космическая погода and how to protect technology on Earth.
So, the next time you look up at the night sky, think of the Northern Lights — a natural wonderwonder (noun)A thing that causes amazement.≈ Synonym: marvel🇺🇿UZ: mo'jiza🇷🇺RU: чудо that connects science, history, and human imaginationimagination (noun)The ability to form new ideas or images in the mind.≈ Synonym: creativity🇺🇿UZ: tasavvur🇷🇺RU: воображение.